Several news sources featured in the Daily Digest may limit the number of articles you can access without a subscription. However, gift articles and open-access links are provided when available. For more open access California water news articles, explore the main page at MavensNotebook.com.
On the calendar today …
- WEBINAR: A Practitioner’s Guide to SGMA Implementation from 10am to 12pm. A Practitioner’s Guide to SGMA Implementation is the fourth and culminating webinar of the California Chapter ASFMRA’s Water Series. The series started with a broad summary of California water, then transitioned to a deep dive into SGMA probationary status, followed by an in depth legal perspective of California water. The intention of this seminar is to attempt to answer the question, “Now what?” We have an outstanding panel of practitioners who will highlight real life use cases of how organizations and agencies are adapting to SGMA regulations. Topics such as water budget accounting, strategy land fallowing, alternative land use, crop changes, innovative groundwater recharge approaches, long term water contracts and many more will be covered. As GSPs become approved, the real work begins. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
California Water Commission increases conditional funding for three projects in Water Storage Investment Program
“The California Water Commission has increased the available funding set aside for three projects in the Water Storage Investment Program (WSIP): the Chino Basin Program, the Kern Fan Groundwater Storage Project, and the Sites Project. The decision, made at Wednesday’s meeting, offsets some of the inflation that has occurred since the projects originally applied for WSIP funds. WSIP is funded by Proposition 1, also known as the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Act of 2014, and Proposition 4, also known as the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Act of 2024.The Commission administers the WSIP to fund the public benefits associated with water storage projects. Through WSIP, the State’s investment in public benefits will yield flood control, ecosystem improvement, water quality improvement, emergency response, and recreation opportunities. … ” Continue reading from the California Water Commission.
New setbacks could be fatal for $2.7 billion plan to build major reservoir in Santa Clara County
“Already facing significant delays and cost increases, a proposed plan to build a new $2.7 billion reservoir in the rural hills of southern Santa Clara County near Pacheco Pass has suffered two major new setbacks, leading water officials who first proposed the idea to say it might be time to cancel the project that’s cost $100 million so far. On Wednesday, the California Water Commission, a state agency that distributes state bond money to water projects, voted 7-0 not to provide any additional funding to the proposed Pacheco Reservoir project, citing lack of progress by the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which has been pushing it since 2017. “We have to really think about stages of readiness and prioritize not putting good money after bad,” said commissioner Davina Hurt, an attorney who is a former mayor of Belmont. “We should put the money toward projects that are moving closer to becoming implemented.” … ” Continue reading from the San Jose Mercury News.
Plan for California’s largest reservoir in decades gets big funding boost
“The effort to build California’s largest new reservoir in decades received a welcome commitment of cash on Wednesday — nearly $220 million — which will help keep the project on track to break ground as soon as next year. Planned for 70 miles northwest of Sacramento, the proposed Sites Reservoir won the bulk of the funding because plans to expand the Los Vaqueros Reservoir in Contra Costa County fell through, freeing up money in the state’s 2014 water bond. The remainder of the money for Sites came from last year’s state climate bond. The California Water Commission, a state advisory board, decided on the bond allocations at its regular monthly meeting. Two other water projects, a groundwater banking program in Kern County and a combined water treatment-groundwater facility in the Inland Empire, were awarded lesser amounts of the bond funds. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
SEE ALSO:
- Governor Newsom advances Sites Reservoir project to expand California’s water storage, press release from Governor Newsom
- Sites Reservoir Project Advances Toward Construction, from California Rice News
KARLA NEMETH: The Delta Conveyance Project is key to modernizing the state water project and delivering water to millions of Californians
DWR Director Karla Nemeth writes, “When two of every three Californians pay their water bills each month, they pay for reservoirs and aqueducts that were designed for them a half century ago. The State Water Project was conceived in the mid-1950s, when California’s population had doubled in the previous 15 years. Floods had recently ravaged Northern California towns. The concept was as simple as it was bold – bring water from the wetter parts of the state to the cities and agricultural operations that were outgrowing water supplies in the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley, and Southern California. Fast-forward decades, and the State Water Project has helped resolve groundwater problems in the Santa Clara Valley, South Coast, and elsewhere. In the San Joaquin Valley farm belt, groundwater overdraft persists, but by law irrigation districts must bring aquifers into sustainable conditions by 2040. The 27 million Californians who pay for the State Water Project have become a $2.3 trillion economic engine, the equivalent of the eighth-largest economy in the world. Now the State Water Project is aging. … ” Read more from DWR.
State Water Contractors push for easier Delta tunnel passage path
“The State Water Contractors and a coalition of businesses and others who support the Delta Conveyance Project were at the state Capitol Wednesday lobbying for a version of the governor’s “budget trailer” bill. They may find that door is closed. “The Legislature has moved on, and (is) focused on pressing, time-sensitive issues like petroleum supply, insurance, wildfire, and cap-and-invest, among others,” according to a statement released by the office of Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, D-Suisun City. “Their press conference was just a second attempt to jam through a short-sighted proposal and didn’t warrant a response. Make no mistake, the assemblywoman and the Delta Caucus remain completely opposed to this effort.” … ” Read more from the Daily Republic.
SEE ALSO:
- State Water Contractors, State lawmakers, supporters urge legislative action on Delta Conveyance Project, press release from the State Water Contractors
- Flawed New Report Calls Delta Tunnel Project “Sustainable” But Overlooks Huge Costs and Destruction It Will Cause, from State Senator Jerry McNerney
- Delta Counties Coalition Opposes Big Water’s Latest Attempt to Ram Through Delta Tunnel Conveyance Project, from the Delta Counties Coalition
- Delta Counties Reject Department of Water Resources’ Latest “Report” Promoting the Delta Tunnel, from Dan Bacher at the Daily Kos
Future winters promise less snow, more rain. Nobody’s prepared
“Blue veins of ice streaked the snow this January in Salt Lake City, Utah. Snow hydrologist McKenzie Skiles eyed the veins, worried. The blue ice formed where water had flowed, then refrozen. “That’s concerning,” Skiles says, “because it tells us snow is undergoing midwinter melt.” She pulled out a thermometer and found the snow near its melting point of 32 degrees Fahrenheit. In Salt Lake, snow shouldn’t melt in January. It typically piles through early April, the historical peak snowpack for cold, high western mountains. Melting snow starts dripping by midmonth, feeding creeks all summer. But the temperature swings of climate change have arrived in Utah and other snowy places. Long warm stretches now punctuate winter. During a weeklong February heatwave, Salt Lake hit a record 65 degrees Fahrenheit—20 degrees above the winter average. “You can’t help but think, ‘Is this every future winter?’” Skiles says from her office at The University of Utah. “Is it just going to keep getting worse?’ … ” Read more from PNAS.
Private land used for logging is more prone to severe fire than public lands. A new study shows why
“In the Sierra Nevada, private lands used for logging are more likely to experience high-severity fire that devastates forest ecosystems compared to public lands like National Forests. It’s a fact that’s been known for years — but what exactly causes this discrepancy has remained elusive. Consequently, the factoid has served as fuel for the longstanding California debate of “who is to blame for our wildfire problem?” while providing little insight for forest managers hoping to address it. A new study published Wednesday finally offered some answers. By studying detailed data around Plumas National Forest north of Tahoe both before and after a series of devastating wildfires burned 70% of the land in just three years, researchers identified the common practices responsible for increased severity. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Tree rings record history of jet stream-related climate extremes
“The degree to which global warming will affect atmospheric dynamics and, therefore, extreme weather is still uncertain. Broadman et al. [2025] find a clever way to reconstruct the history of one dynamical pattern that occurs when the jet stream forms five peaks and troughs around the Northern Hemisphere (referred to as a wave5 pattern). When this pattern occurs and persists during May-June-July there is a higher likelihood of co-occurring compound climate events — for example combined heat and drought in the southeastern United States, China, and southern Europe, but wetter than normal in Northwest Canada and Spain. … ” Read more from EOS.
In commentary today …
Sacramento should pass bill that benefits Kings County workers, farmers, and a shared future
Lavande Moon of Hanford and Frank Threde of Avenal, both LiUNA Local 294 union members, write, “We’ve each spent decades working construction jobs across Kings County and the Central Valley. We’ve built roads, schools, bridges, and water systems. We’ve put in the hard work to support our families, and we’re proud of the role our labor plays in building our communities. But the future of our local economy, and the stability of the working families who power it, depend on more than just the jobs we’ve known. It depends on creating new ones. That’s why we strongly support Assembly Bill 1156. AB 1156 is a smart, forward-looking bill that offers a lifeline to communities like ours in Kings County. It helps farmers — our neighbors, family members, and friends — stay on their land in the face of mounting water restrictions while creating good-paying union jobs for workers like us. … ” Read more from the Santa Maria Times.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
‘Surprise’ drop in Lake Pillsbury water release stokes fears about PG&E’s Potter Valley Project decommissioning
“A planned-for reduction in the amount of water Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is releasing from Lake Pillsbury caught Potter Valley farmers and ranchers off guard earlier this month during a key point in the summer growing and ranching season. PG&E says stakeholders should have been expecting the dip in water pressure, which occurred on Tuesday, Aug. 5. But Janet Pauli, a rancher who is president of the Potter Valley Irrigation District board, says the utility failed to communicate about the change, which had been quietly approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. “Did we anticipate it? Yeah. But until FERC granted it, there was no reason for us to change what we were doing. Instead of giving us a ‘heads up,’ PG&E dropped their flows extremely rapidly,” Pauli said. “It was a surprise, and for a little while it was a problem.” As the Potter Valley agricultural community panicked over keeping cattle and crops sated, rumors erupted on social media that PG&E had begun cutting off the water supply from Scott Dam in advance of the structure being torn down as part of the decommissioning of PG&E’s Potter Valley Project, which includes a shuttered hydroelectric power plant. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Forest resilience bond finances restoration activities
“Blue Forest, a nonprofit conservation finance organization, announces it has joined the Sierra Institute for Community and Environment, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Pacific Gas and Electric Co., California Department of Water Resources and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy to launch the North Feather I Forest Resilience Bond. This bond represents a strategic alignment of organizations and governmental agencies to finance the acceleration of forest restoration activities, known as treatments, bringing a comprehensive approach to address wildfire and watershed risks in California, says Blue Forest. The FRB treatments, including fuels removal and thinning, aim to restore forest health, protect communities and create a more resilient landscape and water supply. “This swift, collaborative and comprehensive action is essential to protecting our communities while ensuring a thriving forest ecosystem,” said Blue Forest. “We can reinvigorate our landscapes following catastrophic wildfires by working together, fostering recovery and ecological balance.” … ” Read more from the Plumas Sun.
Bi-state effort keeps record amount of pollution out of Lake Tahoe
“Lake Tahoe’s clear waters are benefiting from a record-breaking effort to reduce pollution, according to a new report from California and Nevada. The report by the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board found that an estimated 727,000 pounds of fine sediment; more than 5,800 pounds of nitrogen; and nearly 2,100 pounds of phosphorus were prevented from reaching the lake in 2024 — all annual record highs since the program began tracking these statistics in 2016. These pollutants can fuel algae growth and harm the lake’s clarity. … ” Read more from Action News Now.
Placer County awards $1.6 million to complete French Meadows Ecological Forest Restoration Project thinning and mastication services
“The Placer County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved $1.6 million in contract award agreements to complete the French Meadows Ecological Forest Restoration Project, a multi-year collaborative effort aimed at reducing wildfire risk and improving forest health in the Sierra Nevada. The board authorized the director of Agriculture, Parks, and Natural Resources to execute the following agreements: Acres Land Management LLC — $1,504,950 for thinning and meadow restoration services from Aug. 19 through Dec. 31, 2026; and McKellar Tree Service and Logging, Inc. —$163,750 for mastication services during the same period. … ” Read more from Yuba Net.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Iron Canyon Fish Passage Project on Big Chico Creek enters construction phase
“On August 20, 2025, California Trout (CalTrout), the Mechoopda Indian Tribe, the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve, and the City of Chico celebrated the start of the construction phase of the Iron Canyon Fish Passage Project on Ótakim Séwi, or Big Chico Creek, in the City of Chico’s Upper Bidwell Park. The Iron Canyon Fish Passage Project will create a path for anadromous and other migratory native fish to travel upstream of Iron Canyon to Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve and beyond, into critical cold-water holding and spawning habitats. Currently, fish migrations are blocked by a total upstream migration barrier located in a bedrock gorge called Iron Canyon. By 2027, threatened steelhead and spring-run Chinook salmon will have restored access to the entirety of their historical distribution in Big Chico Creek, resulting in an expected 8.5 additional miles of available habitat. “When I heard CalTrout was taking on a fish passage project in Chico, I knew I had to be part of it,” said Holly Swan, Regional Manager for CalTrout’s Mt. Lassen region and project lead for the fish passage project. … ” Read more from Cal Trout.
SEE ALSO: Major upgrades to be made to Iron Canyon Fish Ladder on Big Chico Creek, from Action News Now
BAY AREA
Mill Valley to turn sea-level studies into action plan
“Mill Valley will consolidate sea-level rise studies done in recent years and coordinate to-do lists with other government agencies. The City Council authorized spending up to $630,000 in funds from California’s Ocean Protection Council to start a process that will prioritize responses, seek community input and begin the preliminary engineering needed to seek funding. “We are required to complete this sub-regional adaptation plan,” Councilmember Katherine Jones said. “There is a foundation of information to build on. But once we have this plan complete, we will be eligible for a lot of public funding opportunities.” Mill Valley has low-lying areas adjacent to Richardson Bay and nearby wetlands that flood in high tides and storms. Its bayfronts include major roadways, parks, schools, public works facilities and residential areas. The council was eager to start prioritizing and planning specific responses. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
Suisun Marsh, a zone of potential in a sinking ecosystem
“Every few years, it seems, we remember Suisun Marsh. Not that this unique middle chamber of the San Francisco Estuary is ever forgotten; it’s just that, like a relatively quiet child in a troubled family, it can slip into the background. Suisun is a bit downstream from the Delta tunnel battles, a bit upstream from the worst urban sea-level rise concerns. The managed wetlands at the heart of the 107,000 acres legally defined as Suisun, though different from the tidal marshes of the past, support thousands of waterfowl and also pump out food for fish. Suisun is part of what biologists call the North Delta Habitat Arc, a sweep of relatively healthy waters and wetlands running from the marsh eastward past Sherman Island and on up the Sacramento to the Cache-Lindsey Complex and the southern Yolo Bypass. In a stubbornly declining Delta ecosystem, it is a zone of potential, even hope. … ” Read more from Knee Deep Times.
CENTRAL COAST
Vistra prepares to remove damaged batteries, EPA updating public in September
“Crews are onsite at Vistra’s Moss Landing Battery Storage facility, where a long-awaited cleanup effort has begun of the Jan. 16 fire. Kelsey Scanlon, director of the Monterey County Emergency Management Department, gave a brief update Tuesday to the Monterey County Board of Supervisors on the process with plans to give a more detailed presentation Sept. 16 alongside officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. During Tuesday’s regular Board of Supervisors meeting, Scanlon reported that since her last update on July 17, the EPA and Vistra finalized an enforceable agreement. Following the agreement, work has started on site, including structural stabilization of the remaining walls and partial demolition to allow safe access. Crews are conducting targeted demolition, clearing access points and adding structural supports to prepare for battery removal, which is expected to start in September. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald.
A Cal Poly study follows one Salinas Valley lettuce grower to reveal cost increases squeezing farmers.
“Nearly two decades ago, agricultural industry groups requested that a study be done to compare California’s regulatory costs to other states. Researchers with Cal Poly agreed to examine these costs and were connected with a large Salinas Valley lettuce grower. Cal Poly then followed up with updates to this study, one 12 years later in 2018, and again in 2024, asking the same questions about production costs and taking stock of the regulatory landscape with the same Salinas Valley lettuce grower. In that period of time, they found that costs had grown drastically – mostly in the realm of regulatory compliance – without corresponding increases in revenue. Regulatory costs increased by 1,366 percent since 2006, versus a 44.4-percent increase in total production costs. … ” Read more from Monterey Now.
CAPP: a local water solution for our future
“After a decade of planning and funding efforts, the Carpinteria Valley Water District (CVWD) is about to break ground on Carpinteria’s Advanced Purification Project (CAPP), a major step towards long-term water security. This project by the Carpinteria Valley Water District will help ensure that the community has a reliable water supply — even during droughts — by recharging the local groundwater basin with purified water. In a typical year, Carpinteria gets about 80% of its water from surface sources like Lake Cachuma and the State Water Project. But during extended droughts, those sources become unreliable. That’s when the community must rely on groundwater. … ” Read more from Coastal View.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
View of Merced County flood recovery depends on whether you can go home at night
“On the one hand, state and federal agencies pledged more than $40 million to the recovery and future protection of Planada, the tiny farm town swamped by floods in 2023. Multiple agencies and helping organizations were mobilized and tasked with rebuilding the 840 homes lost after Miles Creek busted its banks south of Merced. On the other hand, more than two years is a long time to wait to get back home. Add to that what some say has been poor communication and a lack of transparency and residents are frustrated. “It feels like we’ve been put in a corner and disregarded,” said Liza Espinoza, a Planada resident who lived with her husband Steve and four other family members in a three-bedroom home where repairs and clean up work has only recently begun. “I’m fighting for everybody here.” … ” Read more from SJV Water.
New $2 million program aims to protect Hanford-area domestic wells
“Landowners who rely on domestic wells for drinking water may be able to seek help from the Mid-Kings River Groundwater Sustainability Agency if the tap runs dry. In an Aug. 12 board meeting, the GSA unanimously approved a $2 million program to help owners repair wells damaged by excessive groundwater pumping and keep water flowing to residents. The program will have two tracks: One is for domestic well owners; The other is for municipal, industrial and community wells. The first track, serving domestic and mutli-domestic well owners, will offer emergency drinking water within 24 hours and interim drinking water, such as a water tank, within 72 hours of notifying the GSA. A well owner with fewer than four service connections qualifies under multi-domestic. “The idea is if our rural domestic well owners are experiencing impacts due to water quality, due to water levels, due to subsidence on their wells, then this program is going to cover that,” GSA engineering consultant Amer Hussain told the Mid-Kings board. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Metropolitan board opens new path to increase region’s water supply reliability through local water exchanges
“In a move to strengthen Southern California’s long-term water reliability, Metropolitan Water District’s Board of Directors this week approved a new framework that will allow local water agencies across the region to sell and purchase locally produced supplies among one another. Through the Local Supply Exchange Framework approved by the board on Tuesday (Aug. 19), Metropolitan will help facilitate an exchange of local supplies between its member agencies – providing potential new water sources for some communities, and an opportunity for other communities to financially benefit from investments in supplies and demand management programs they have already made. The framework is one of many strategies included in the district’s Climate Adaptation Master Plan for Water and an important step in preparing the region for increasing climate and water supply challenges. “For decades, Metropolitan has incentivized the development of local water projects through our Local Resources Program, fueling the growth of recycled water, stormwater and groundwater projects across Southern California,” said Metropolitan board Chair Adán Ortega, Jr. “This program represents our evolving approach to building a more resilient, flexible, and reliable water supply for Southern California. We are literally squeezing every drop from our local supply and demand management programs.” … ” Read more from the Metropolitan Water District.
SCV Water to build new PFAS treatment facility
“The Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency has approved construction of a new $23.9 million treatment plant to remove chemicals from local water wells, according to a news release from the agency. At its regular meeting on Tuesday, the agency’s board of directors approved a construction contract for the new S Wells PFAS Treatment and Disinfection Facility, which will remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances from water produced by three local wells. The facility will be built on a small parcel of land near Bridgeport Lane and designed with landscaping and features to blend with the surrounding neighborhood, the release said. In addition to the treatment plant, the project will include new pipelines and upgrades at the S6, S7, and S8 Wells to improve water delivery and reliability, the release said. … ” Read more from The Signal.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Study: Shrinking Salton Sea partially exacerbates air pollution, other issues impacting air pollution
“A study released by the Pacific Institute warns that the rapidly diminishing Salton Sea is unleashing a “breathing hazard,” with increasing dust and air pollution jeopardizing the health of approximately 560,000 residents in southeastern California’s Coachella and Imperial Valleys. The report indicates that over the past three decades, the Salton Sea—California’s largest lake—has shrunk by over 70 square miles (19%), driven largely by reduced irrigation runoff from the Colorado River, as water-saving agreements prioritize the protection of downstream reservoirs like Lake Mead and Lake Powell. Less agricultural runoff has led to more exposed lakebed—or “playa”—which is highly prone to dust emissions under wind action. Strong prevailing winds funnel dust across a region already plagued by poor air quality and elevated respiratory hospitalization rates. The report notes that further reductions in water use could accelerate beach exposure and amplify health risks. … ” Read more from the Imperial Valley Press.
SAN DIEGO
New pollution warning signs posted at Tijuana River ‘hot spots’
“City and county leaders Wednesday unveiled warning signs at several “hot spots” in the South Bay where high levels of hydrogen sulfide gas from the Tijuana River pollution crisis have been recorded. San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria revealed the new signs in the Tijuana River Valley Regional Park and at Saturn Boulevard in San Diego. Since 2018, more than 200 billion gallons of toxic sewage, trash, and unmanaged stormwater have flowed across the United States-Mexico border into the Tijuana River Valley and neighboring communities, forcing long-lasting beach closures and causing harmful impacts on public health, the environment and water quality. … ” Read more from Channel 7.
Along the Colorado River …
Imperial Irrigation District hears Colorado River hydrology report
“IID Water Manager Tina Shields began her report to the IID board, Tuesday, Aug, 19, saying, “Hydrology never has good news, lately.” She said the Bureau of Reclamation released its August 2025, 24-month study, announcing 2026 Colorado River water allotments for the Lower Basin states (Arizona, California, and Nevada), will continue under the Tier 1 shortage condition. The decision, according to Shields, is based on projections of Lake Mead’s elevation levels, which trigger specific water allocation reductions under existing agreements. Arizona will face an 18% reduction in its Colorado River water supply, equating to approximately 512,000 acre-feet of cuts. This primarily affects agricultural water users in Maricopa, Pinal, and Pima counties, with minimal impacts on potable water providers for residents and businesses, according to the Bureau. … ” Read more from the Desert Review.
Commentary: Finger-pointing won’t solve the Colorado River crisis
Mike Wade, Executive Director of the California Farm Water Coalition, writes, “Tensions are rising as the deadline nears for a seven-state plan on managing the Colorado River. The Bureau of Reclamation is asking for an agreed upon framework by November 11 from Upper Basin states Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico, as well as California, Arizona, and Nevada in the Lower Basin. The states are currently negotiating a long-term solution to allocate diminishing supplies of Colorado River water. Critics argue that a “paradigm shift” in how we manage the Colorado River is the only way to confront the region’s water crisis. Common among the complaints is that agriculture uses the lion’s share of the river’s water, some of which grows crops that are exported. The implication is that growing crops for export, including alfalfa, is a misuse of precious supplies, especially in a time of shrinking reservoirs and rising temperatures. But that framing leaves out important facts. … ” Read more from the Desert Review.
Editorial: California’s free pass on water cuts is unfair to Arizona
The Parker Pioneer writes, “Arizona is being told to take another painful cut to its Colorado River supply — 18 percent this time— while California escapes without a single drop lost. That double standard should outrage every Arizonan. If the river is in crisis, then every state that depends on it must share the burden. We need our leaders to push back now, before Arizona is left carrying the load again. The system that shields California was set up in the 1922 Colorado River Compact and later reinforced through court rulings. California’s “senior” rights mean they are last in line to face cuts, no matter how low the river runs. That might have made sense a century ago, but it makes no sense today. The river cannot meet demand, climate change is reducing flow, and Arizona is being punished for rules that are completely out of date. … ” Read more from the Parker Pioneer.
Audio: Conditions on the Colorado River don’t seem to be getting much better
“New federal forecasts for the Colorado river show more dry conditions in low reservoirs. And that means the shortage declaration will continue, as will cuts to the amount of water Arizona gets. At the same time, the seven Colorado River Basin states continue to try to find agreement on new rules for the overallocated river. Alex Hager from KUNC in Colorado is with The Show to talk more about this.” Listen or read transcript at KJZZ.
Amid tense negotiations over the Colorado River’s future, Arizona mayors unite against ‘threat’ to state’s water
“Arizona mayors, from major metropolises to rural agriculture communities, came together Wednesday to announce a new coalition focused on protecting the state’s share of the Colorado River and the canal system built to deliver the water in the face of looming cuts to that share. They also acted, they said, in response to increasingly tense negotiations among Southwestern states over the river’s future. … “Two decades of drought over allocation and the unwillingness of some to protect its future have put immense pressure on the Colorado River system,” said Brenda Burman, general manager of CAP and the former commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, the federal agency overseeing the Colorado River. She was speaking at a press conference Wednesday announcing the new group, the Coalition for Protecting Arizona’s Lifeline. “Any dramatic reallocation of Colorado River water that CAP delivers will present a threat to Arizona,” she said. “Protecting our share of the river means protecting the investments we have made over generations and ensuring our children and grandchildren secure their water future. These are the foundation of our desert communities.” … ” Read more from Inside Climate News.
SEE ALSO: Coalition forms to protect Arizona’s water supply, from Channel 15
Water conservation takes center stage at 2025 Colorado Water Congress in Steamboat Springs
“As the Lee Fire tears through more than 137,000 drought-parched acres in northwest Colorado—now the fifth largest wildfire in state history—more than 500 water experts and policymakers have gathered just miles away in Steamboat Springs for the 2025 Summer Colorado Water Congress Conference. “It’s a great turnout this year,” said the Water Congress’s membership director, AnnaLee Taylor. “We have a record attendance with over 500 attendees joining us for it this year.” As the leading voice of our state’s water community, shaping beneficial regulations and legislation, the Colorado Water Congress provides leadership to help manage, protect, conserve, and develop the state’s water. Hosting a slate of annual events to foster collaboration, networking, and professional development, this one is the year’s biggie. The state’s preeminent water industry convention lets members share information on the state’s key water resource issues to drive positive change for the state’s water future. … ” Read more from Colorado Politics.
Is Colorado ready for forced Colorado River cuts? State official says it might be time to develop a plan.
“Colorado water officials announced Wednesday a rough plan to figure out how the state would handle an unwelcome specter in the Colorado River Basin: forced water cuts. Mandatory water cuts are possible under a 100-year-old Colorado River Compact in certain circumstances, mainly if the river’s 10-year flow falls too low. It’s a possibility that is one or two “bad years” away, some experts say. Colorado, however, does not have a clearly defined plan, or regulations, for how exactly it would handle such forced water cuts. It’s time to start preparing, according to state engineer Jason Ullmann, Colorado’s top water cop. Over the years, Coloradans on both sides of the Continental Divide have asked about these “compact administration regulations,” Ullmann told state lawmakers during the Water Resources and Agriculture Review Committee hearing Wednesday in Steamboat Springs. “We’ve heard those questions,” Ullmann, director of the Division of Water Resources, said as hundreds of water professionals listened at the Colorado Water Congress Summer Meeting. … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun.
Colorado’s subalpine wetlands may be producing a toxic form of mercury – that’s a concern for downstream water supplies
“The wetlands found across the Rocky Mountains of Colorado just below tree line are magical places. Dripping with mosses and deep green sedges, these open expanses flanked by evergreens are a breathtaking sight for passing hikers. Moose graze there, and elk gather during their mating season. These subalpine wetlands are also crucial for regulating the supply of clean water from the highlands to metropolitan regions downslope, including Denver. However, new research shows the wetlands also harbor a health risk. In a new study, my research group found that just below the surface of subalpine wetland soils, the perfect conditions exist for the production of methylmercury, a potent, toxic form of the heavy metal mercury that can threaten the health of wildlife and people. As rising temperatures thaw ice and erode the mountain rocks, and mercury pollution from power plants around the world falls with rain, this toxic form of mercury can be produced in the wetlands. … ” Read more from The Conversation.
In national water news today …
New data shows PFAS are in half of the nation’s water supply
“PFAS — short for poly-fluoroalkyl substances — are a group of chemicals that don’t break down naturally in the environment. They build up in the human body and are linked to a myriad of health problems, including hormone imbalances, reproductive issues, and cancer. “They can pretty much cause harm in every system in the body,” says Tasha Stoiber. She’s a Senior Scientist for the research and advocacy organization Environmental Working Group. “We’re finding them in drinking water. We’re finding them in streams, we’re finding them in the air. We’re finding them in the far reaches of the planet, because they just don’t break down and they tend to to be transported around the environment. We are even detecting them in rainwater.” … ” Read more from KALW.
