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 …
- MEETING: Delta Stewardship Council beginning at 9:30am. Agenda items include a progress summary of the 2022-26 Science Action Agenda, a presentation on the Webb Tract Wetland Restoration Project; the Delta Watermaster quarterly report, and a Delta Conveyance Project update. Click here to register.
- WEBINAR: A conversation with Paul Gosselin, DWR’s Deputy Director for Sustainable Groundwater Management from 10am to 11am. Grab a cup and please join us for RWA’s virtual Coffee and Conversation with Paul Gosselin, Deputy Director for Sustainable Groundwater Management at the California Department of Water Resources.Hosted by RWA’s Director of Technical Services, Trevor Joseph, the conversation will explore how SGMA implementation is evolving—from the initial push to develop Groundwater Sustainability Plans to today’s focus on refinement, communication, and regional collaboration. Paul will share how DWR’s Sustainable Groundwater Management team has grown, what he sees as key priorities in this next phase, and how state and local agencies can work together to advance sustainable groundwater management through innovation, technical support, and adaptive strategies. Click here to register.
- WEBINAR: Green Infrastructure for Small Water Systems: Approaches and Technical Assistance from 10an to 11am. Green infrastructure (GI) can be a tool to help rural wastewater and stormwater providers go beyond investments in conventional infrastructure approaches. This presentation will address the role that GI can play in supplementing wastewater and stormwater systems by helping reduce inflow and infiltration, mitigating sewer overflows, augmenting wastewater treatment processes, and improving quality. We will also outline the funding and financing pathways to implementing GSI for small, rural systems, and orient participants to the forms of technical assistance which can support small systems in implementing these projects. Click here to register.
- WEBINAR: Henry Cowell Redwoods – Fire in California’s Coast Redwood Forest from 12pm to 1pm. Coast Redwoods share a unique relationship with fire. In this presentation Tim Hyland, Santa Cruz District Senior Environmental Scientist, shares how California State Parks work with fire to help preserve and protect some of the world’s tallest trees. The natural setting of this unique livestream event, on the edge of an old growth coast redwood grove, provides a great opportunity for learning about how the complexity of fire has shaped our coast redwood forest! Click here to register.
In California water news and commentary today …
‘Drastic’: Life-saving California weather forecast data is about to disappear
“There are close to a hundred of them, bobbing along the surface of the ocean, quietly collecting information thousands of people use every day. Now, that crucial data is in peril — and its loss could lead to dire ripple effects across the state of California.Federal funding cuts have targeted the network of ocean buoys that make up the Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP), which has been run by UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography for the past 50 years. The buoys can be found along the West Coast, the Gulf Coast, the East Coast and the Pacific Islands. (At present, 27 of them are off the coast of California.) They rise and fall with passing waves, their internal sensors tracking peak heights and directions that are then disseminated to CDIP’s website and sought out by beachgoers, lifeguards and meteorologists.Experts say that eliminating the buoys may compromise the accuracy of weather forecasts, the timing of emergency response efforts and the safety of surfers, mariners and swimmers out on the water. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
Who pays to fix America’s aging dams? Cities, states and strapped owners
“Across the United States, more than 121,000 dams quietly shape daily life by supplying water, generating hydropower and providing flood control. But according to the National Performance of Dams Program, on average about 10 dams fail each year. Sometimes these failures have devastating, even deadly consequences. Many are aging, high-hazard structures in need of costly repairs, and the Hearst Television National Investigative Unit found money is scarce and owners are often left footing the bill. Behind a locked gate and up a winding road in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is the nearly 100-year-old McClure Dam. It supplies up to half of Santa Fe’s drinking water and is owned by the city. “This is a high hazard dam,” John Del Mar said as he looked out at the dam. … ” Read more from KSBW.
Which California dams are most unsafe? See an interactive map
“More than 60 dams across California are considered to be in poor condition, according to an analysis by the Hearst Television Data Team. Of those dams, about 40 are also classified as high hazard or extremely high hazard, meaning that if they were to fail it would cause a significant loss of life and economic or environmental damage. This includes nine dams in KCRA 3’s coverage region. … ” Check out the map at KCRA.
DWR: Delta Conveyance Project: Upgrading foundational water supply infrastructure makes economic sense
“Twenty-seven million Californians, including seven million in disadvantaged communities, rely on the State Water Project (SWP) for clean, affordable and safe water. Today, those supplies are increasingly at risk due to climate change, sea level rise and earthquakes. That’s why the Department of Water Resources (DWR) is moving forward with the Delta Conveyance Project to provide real water supply benefits for millions of Californians served by the SWP. For more than 60 years, California’s now $2.3 trillion economy has benefitted from the clean, affordable, and reliable water supplies provided by the SWP—a foundational source that is one of the most affordable options and less expensive than alternatives such desalination, recycling and stormwater capture according to a 2024 economic analysis. While these projects are an important component of local water supply portfolios, they can’t entirely make up anticipated future losses and many rely on the SWP as an original source of water supplies. … ” Read more from the Department of Water Resources.
SEE ALSO: DWR report supports Delta Conveyance Project, from the Santa Clarita Valley Signal
RESTORE THE DELTA: Advocates from across California confront governor’s office over push for Delta tunnel CEQA exemption and Bay-Delta Plan
“On August 26, 2025, dozens of advocates from Tribes, Delta communities, environmental justice groups, fishing groups, and conservation organizations held more than 100 meetings at the State Capitol to express collective opposition to the Delta Conveyance Project and Water Quality Plan CEQA Exemption trailer bills. Participants came from every corner of the state, spanning an age range of over 50 years, united in their call to protect the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary and California rivers. Advocates urged lawmakers to reject attempts to advance the tunnel and excessive water exports and instead support viable, community-based solutions such as local water projects in Southern California. Throughout the day, advocates learned that the State Water Contractors are advancing a strategy to secure CEQA exemptions for both the Bay-Delta Plan and the Delta Tunnel, with sunset clauses ending only when the projects are completed to their satisfaction. In effect, this strategy—backed by the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the Governor’s Office—would isolate Tribes and Delta residents from due process rights guaranteed under current law. … ” Read more from the Restore the Delta.
EDWARD RING: How dredging the Delta enables groundwater recharge
“ProPublica, a nonprofit news organization and winner of multiple Pulitzer prizes, recently published a report “The Drying Planet.” They report that “Moisture lost to evaporation and drought, plus runoff from pumped groundwater, now outpaces the melting of glaciers and the ice sheets of either Antarctica or Greenland as the largest contributor of water to the oceans.” That’s a big claim, but the authors base it on a study, also published last month, “Unprecedented continental drying, shrinking freshwater availability, and increasing land contributions to sea level rise,” written by a team led by Hrishikesh A. Chandanpurkar, a researcher at Arizona State University. “Unprecedented.” “The Drying Planet.” The message is clear: we face a climate emergency. What does this have to do with dredging? We will get to that. … ” Read more from Edward Ring.
What you need to know about invasive golden mussels in CA waters this Labor Day
“As highly-invasive golden mussels spread across California waterways, officials are urging boaters to take thorough precautions to avoid introducing the species to unaffected waters over the busy Labor Day weekend. It’s also a good idea to contact the body of water you plan to visit to get the latest information before heading out there, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Golden mussels, native to China and southeastern Asia, were first detected in California waters last fall in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta near Port of Stockton and have since spread over 350 miles through connected waterways, reaching as far south as Los Angeles County, the California Department of Water Resources and CDFW said. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
Prop 218’s ongoing impacts on California water
“A pair of recent court decisions in San Diego—Patz v. City of San Diego and Coziahr v. Otay Water District—have thrust California’s Proposition 218 back into the spotlight. But what is this proposition, and how does it affect our water bills and the state’s water providers? As Californians grow increasingly concerned about affordability, we asked Dave Owen, a professor at UC Law San Francisco, to explain how Prop 218 and water rates are connected. … ” Read more from the PPIC.
Commentary: Housing abundance in California first requires water abundance
Jim Wunderman, President and CEO of the Bay Area Council, writes, “California’s housing goals could be threatened by a lack of water. The state has a housing crisis, and to make any progress on building more housing, we need to concurrently make progress on water. Here are four commonsense steps that Sacramento leaders can take to make ensure that water supply doesn’t become a barrier to our housing supply goals: (1) Protect the water we already have California’s largest freshwater system, the State Water Project, is threatened both by catastrophic collapse from earthquakes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, as well as long-term decline from saltwater intrusion into existing pumps from rising sea levels. Without action the project will fail, with consequences too devastating to contemplate for 25 million Californians from the Bay to San Diego. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
More dust storms called haboobs are coming to California, thanks to climate change
“For anyone wondering whether intense dust storms, such as the haboob that enveloped Phoenix this week, are possible in Southern California, the answer is yes. They’ve hit in the recent past and are a growing issue over much of Southern California and the Central Valley, thanks to the drying associated with climate change, water overuse, wildfire, off-roading, tractors on dry soil, and construction, experts say. In 2022, for instance, there was a massive haboob in the Salton Sea area. The dust from that nighttime storm — with a 3,000-foot-high wall of dust and 60-mph winds — went all the way to Los Angeles. … “Dust storms are a widespread air quality problem across California, especially in those areas that are dry and getting drier,” William Porter, a professor of atmospheric dynamics and modeling at UC Riverside, said in an email. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Southwest monsoon finally arrives, with a chaotic mix of dust and rain
“Moisture-laden air spreading across the Southwest in recent days has brought much-needed rain to drought-ridden areas, while also unleashing thunderstorms, dust storms, strong winds and flooding. This seasonal weather pattern, known as the monsoon, has led to some spectacular — albeit disruptive and even dangerous — weather. In the Nevada desert, winds toppled tents and briefly shut down the entry gates to the Burning Man festival this weekend. In Phoenix on Monday, a wall of dust moved through the city and grounded flights at the airport. By Wednesday, waterfalls at Yosemite National Park that are typically dry at this time of year had started flowing. The monsoon affects the West every summer, though its duration and strength vary annually. It occurs when the prevailing winds shift from the west to the south, transporting moisture into the Southwest from the Sierra Madre ranges in Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. Its effects are usually strongest in Arizona and New Mexico, where heavy thunderstorms can bring cooler weather on hot days, but the moisture can spread across the region, as far north as Colorado and Northern California. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
SEE ALSO: Powerful monsoon thunderstorms spark fears of flooding, threats of wildfire ignitions in West, from Fox News
How a beautiful summer day on Lake Tahoe suddenly turned deadly
“It was a gorgeous June Saturday on Lake Tahoe, but the day turned stormy in minutes when a torrent of winds whipped up choppy waters that terrified boaters. Eight people died. The New York Times looked at videos, radar and satellite imagery, and interviewed over 30 people, including meteorologists, local officials and boaters who were on the lake that day. The investigation revealed a rare set of circumstances that led to the unexpectedly dangerous day.” Check out this cool photo interactive from the New York Times (gift article).
Column: ‘Look west’ to make desal work along California’s coast
Columnist John Lindt writes, “The world is running out of fresh water and now companies are using the high pressure of the ocean depths to push seawater through a membrane leaving salt behind. This month Scientific American reports a breakthrough in strategy of how to apply reverse osmosis without huge energy costs or negative environmental issues by allowing it to” happen naturally” — using technology that harnesses pressure hundreds of meters underwater. “Reverse osmosis pods are submerged to depths of around 400 to 500 meters (1,600 feet) where immense hydrostatic pressure does the heavy lifting of separating water from salt. Purified water is then pumped back to shore. Far-fetched as it may sound, there are multiple prototypes already at work; the companies behind them aim to take cheap, large-scale desalination from pipe dream to reality.” … ” Read more from the Hanford Sentinel.
Water reliability depends on forest health, resiliency
“Two of the most basic human necessities are access to food and water. Americans owe a debt to our nation’s farmers. On average, one U.S. farm feeds 169 people annually in the U.S. and abroad, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. Clearly, agricultural producers are doing their part to ensure families have access to nutritious and affordable food supplies. Water suppliers such as members of the Association of California Water Agencies, or ACWA, are working hard to ensure families across California have access to reliable water in the home and on the farm. In California, forest health is important to both water providers and agricultural producers. Two-thirds of California’s water originates in our state’s mostly forested mountain regions. Whether it ends up as drinking water or supports growing food for families, its quality and potentially even quantity depend on the health of those headwaters. Catastrophic wildfires, burning at temperatures and on scales once unimaginable, threaten that health every year. But we are not without the tools, strategies and innovative drive necessary to combat these disasters. What we need is continued investment and political will to see this vital work through to a successful end. … ” Read more from the Sierra Sun Times.
Justice Department to investigate California EPA over racial equity initiatives
“The California Environmental Protection Agency has become the latest target in the Trump administration’s effort to purge “race-based decision-making” from government agencies across the country. The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it had opened an investigation into CalEPA to determine whether its hiring and employment practices intended to “advance racial equity” violated the 1964 Civil Rights Act. DOJ officials are specifically eyeing the California Air Resources Board — a division of the agency that’s advocated for tighter vehicle emissions restrictions than the federal government has prescribed. “Race-based employment practices and policies in America’s local and state agencies violate equal treatment under the law,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in a statement. “Agencies that unlawfully use protected characteristics as a factor in employment and hiring risk serious legal consequences.” … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
SEE ALSO: Trump administration investigates California EPA over diversity practices, from the LA Times
In regional water news and commentary today …
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Celebrating 15 years of the Sites Project Authority: A milestone in Northern California’s water future
“This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Sites Project Authority—the governing body created in 2010 to advance the longstanding vision for an off-stream reservoir in the Sacramento Valley. What began as an idea to strengthen California’s water resilience has grown into a project on the verge of starting construction. Over the past 15 years, the Sites Reservoir Project has reached major milestones driven by a commitment to community, affordability, collaboration, and opportunity. Working together, we are laying the foundation for a more sustainable water future for our farms, communities, and fish and wildlife. … ” Read more from the Northern California Water Association.
Sacramento groups file federal lawsuit over American River Parkway tree removal
“A national conservation organization joined two Sacramento nonprofits to file a federal lawsuit over a plan to uproot hundreds of trees on the American River Parkway by government officials who say the work seeks to protect against flooding. The Sacramento region is in one of the nation’s most flood-prone metropolitan areas, and its levee system is vulnerable to “erosion, seepage and stability,” the U.S. Army Corps said on its website. The Corps will raze trees to install riprap, or rocks, along the lower American River, as well as fortify the Natomas East Main Drainage Canal, Arcade Creek and Magpie Creek. Advocates filed the lawsuit to seek alternative flood protection measures on the American River, north of the Watt Avenue bridge, than those proposed by the Corps. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
NAPA/SONOMA
Emergency declared in Napa as contaminated water dumped into California’s Napa County
“As flames from the Pickett Fire continue to sweep through the rugged landscape of Northern California’s Napa County, local officials have declared a health emergency, citing fears that hazardous debris could infiltrate the area’s drinking water systems. The blaze, which ignited August 21 near Aetna Springs, has scorched more than 6,800 acres and is just 17 percent contained, according to Cal Fire. More than 2,700 firefighters are on the ground as of Tuesday, working to prevent the fire’s advance toward critical infrastructure and populated areas. The local health emergency, announced Monday, gives Napa County immediate access to additional state and federal support – a move public health authorities say is necessary to respond swiftly to contamination risks emerging from the fire’s footprint. … ” Read more from Insurance Business.
Pickett Fire causes $65M in agricultural damages, wineries bear the brunt
“The Pickett Fire in Napa County has wreaked $65 million in agricultural damages, with wine grapes facing the brunt of the fire’s assault, county officials said Wednesday. Napa County calculated this preliminary figure based on a damage assessment survey launched on Monday. The survey reported damage to nearly 1,500 acres, or over 3% of Napa Valley’s farmland, the county said in a statement. Survey respondents linked 80% of damages to smoke. The rest reported fire or heat damage. Wine grapes made up the majority of losses, though the fire also affected beehives. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
BAY AREA
Marin Water drops Nicasio spillway plan
“A proposal to enlarge the Nicasio Reservoir has collapsed after months of study, planning and heated community debate—and after residents unearthed forgotten records showing the district had proposed, and abandoned, the same idea more than 40 years ago. Marin Water, which spent nearly a year pursuing a plan to raise the spillway, announced last week that it would abandon the project, citing runaway costs and limited benefits. What began as a $10 million to $15 million effort had ballooned to an estimated $37 million to $54 million undertaking after the scoping process revealed the extent of the work required. “I say we just cancel it right now and put the community at rest,” Matt Samson, the district’s board chair, said at a meeting last Tuesday. “It’s no longer economically viable and it’s no longer a responsible way to spend district ratepayer money.” … ” Read more from the Point Reyes Light.
Controversial Santa Clara County dam expansion scrapped
“One of Valley Water’s most controversial and costly projects has been shelved indefinitely. The water district’s board of directors unanimously voted Tuesday to suspend the Pacheco Dam expansion project after eight years, which would have brought the dam’s water capacity from 5,500 acre feet of water to 140,000 acre feet of water. Directors cited the skyrocketing billion-dollar price tag and repeated delays as reasons for the suspension. The latest estimates show costs ballooning to $3.2 billion and construction not beginning until 2029 at the earliest. “Our board’s responsibility is to balance water reliability with affordability, and we are deeply concerned that moving forward with Pacheco would place too great a burden on our ratepayers without cost-effective benefits,” Board Chair Tony Estremera said in a news release. … ” Continue reading from the San Jose Spotlight.
CENTRAL COAST
Greenfield City Council votes unanimously to halt new construction
“The Greenfield City Council voted unanimously to temporarily ban new construction in the city because the wastewater treatment plant is at capacity. The ordinance passed establishes a temporary moratorium on new building permits requiring a new wastewater connection or that would result in increased wastewater flow to the treatment plant. The plant processes about 1.2 million gallons of wastewater a day, but officials say it’s often pushed to capacity. … ” Read more from KSBW.
CDFW Cannabis Restoration Grant Program funds conservation activities for coho salmon at hatchery in Santa Cruz County
“The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW’s) Cannabis Restoration Grant Program recently awarded more than $3.9 million to the Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project(opens in new tab) (MBSTP), to support the captive broodstock program operations at its Kingfisher Flat Conservation Hatchery in Santa Cruz County and help it continue its education, outreach and monitoring activities. The MBSTP’s Kingfisher Flat Conservation Hatchery—the only Coho salmon conservation hatchery in California south of the San Francisco Bay—has historically raised and released critically endangered Central California Coho salmon in multiple creeks in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties. … ” Read more from the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Kern subbasin looks to avoid probation with new plan
“With the Kern County Subbasin’s State Water Resources Control Board hearing set to continue on September 17, an updated 2025 Groundwater Sustainability Plan is hopeful to prevent a probationary designation. Close to 1,000 pages, the revised GSP enhances coordination between over 20 different groundwater sustainability agencies and 35 water agencies — combined, these agencies cover the largest subbasin in the state. On Aug. 26, the Water Association of Kern County and the Kern County Farm Bureau hosted a technical meeting on the GSP and the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. According to Intera Consulting’s principal water resources engineer, Abhishek Singh, the updated plan is the product of thousands of hours of collaborative work among local GSAs, technical experts, and state staff. … ” Read more from Valley Ag Voice.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Science supports Los Angeles wildfires’ aftermath
“In early 2025, wildfires ravaged Southern California. Firefighters spent days battling flames that engulfed houses, businesses and landmarks while forcing thousands to flee. But even once the fires came under control, the danger wasn’t over. As the smoke cleared from the burned hillsides of Los Angeles, a new kind of urgency mounted. Now the threat was not from flames but instead from what could come next: flash floods, mudslides, and a stripped landscape vulnerable to intense rain events. Amidst the ashes of the Eaton and Palisades Fires, specialized teams from the USDA Forest Service mobilized, equipped not with hoses but with cutting-edge science to protect people and communities. … ” Read more from the US Forest Service.
UCLA student research drives water resilience and equitable solutions in post-fire Los Angeles
“A team of UCLA master’s students in urban and regional planning (MURP) has produced an extensive report, “Drought and Climate Resiliency Solutions for Small Water Systems in Los Angeles County,” offering real-world strategies to strengthen water security and climate resilience. When the January 2025 wildfires swept through Pacific Palisades, a group of MURP students witnessed the devastation unfold in real time on their first day of class. What started as a class project on water system vulnerabilities quickly became a real-world assignment: students, many personally affected by the fires, sprang into action to research and propose solutions that not only addressed the immediate impacts of the wildfires but also offered long-term strategies to strengthen water security and climate resilience. Developed in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works and guided by faculty at the Luskin Center for Innovation (LCI), the year-long project examines the vulnerabilities of small water systems, many of which were directly impacted by the L.A. wildfires, and proposes solutions to ensure safe and reliable drinking water for fire-impacted communities across Los Angeles County. … ” Continue reading from UCLA.
SAN DIEGO
San Diego Water Board moves to protect region from Tijuana wastewater flows after recent federal action
“Building on recent action by the federal government and Mexico, the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board today approved an order that will allow the federally operated South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant to increase treatment of flows from the current 25 million gallons per day of sewage (mgd) to 35 mgd. The order will help reduce dry weather sewage flows in the Tijuana River and aims to improve air and water quality for San Diego County communities that for decades have been burdened by transboundary untreated sewage flows and pollution. The order facilitates a recent memorandum of understanding between Mexico and the federal government, allowing the plant to expand treatment capacity. … ” Continue reading this press release.
Along the Colorado River …
Arizona: Not everyone is celebrating the big ‘ag-to-urban’ program to fuel housing development
“Politicians from both sides of the aisle, housing developers and farmers in increasingly urban areas celebrated the signing of Arizona’s new “ag-to-urban” water program, which Gov. Katie Hobbs called a “huge water policy win.” “Here in Arizona, we have grown to 7.5 million people,” said Senate President Warren Petersen during a June Senate hearing. “We’re using the same or less water as 1.5 million people. Because in Arizona, we are the gold standard for showing that we can grow and we can conserve water. But that has come through good policy that has been very deliberate.” The Groundwater Management Act was implemented in 1980 when decades of overuse threatened the state’s future water supply. But some of the left-leaning lawmakers who voted against the new law that paves the way for some agricultural water to be used instead to boost housing developments, environmental activists and farmers whose land is outside of the limited areas that it impacts say it doesn’t go far enough in protecting the state’s water future — or their livelihoods. … ” Read more from the Arizona Mirror.
Arizona: TSMC is building a water reclamation plant, reducing draw on municipal supply
“Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is starting construction on an industrial water reclamation plant that will bolster sustainability at its chipmaking campus in Phoenix. Officials said the plant will enable the company to recycle “nearly every drop of water” it uses in the semiconductor manufacturing process. Its recent groundbreaking marks a step toward efficiency as TSMC’s chip factories, or fabs, continue to rise out of bare desert. The company currently recycles about 65% of the municipal water it uses in its first fab, which produces chips made using four-nanometer technology. Upon being built, the new water reclamation facility will allow it to begin reusing 85% of its water, and it plans to eventually reach a 90% recovery rate or better. … ” Read more from Arizona Central.
Low river flows trigger calls, closures, stressed fish
“Streamflows on the Western Slope have plummeted over the last month, sending water managers scrambling to boost flows for endangered fish and ranking it among the driest years in recent history. According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Roaring Fork River basin ended the month of July at 28% of average streamflows. The Colorado River headwaters was at 42% of average; the Gunnison River basin was at 34% of average and rivers in the White/Yampa/Green River basin in the northwest corner of the state were running at 24% of average. Prior to this week’s rains, the Crystal River near the Colorado Parks and Wildlife fish hatchery was running at 7.5 cfs, or 10% of average. “We’ve been seeing pretty widespread well-below-normal flows across the entire upper Colorado River basin due to extremely dry conditions starting back in December,” said Cody Moser, a senior hydrologist with the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center. … ” Read more from Aspen Journalism.
In national water news today …
The unlikely alliance pressing Trump to regulate PFAS on US farms: ‘This is a basic human right’
“An unlikely alliance of farmers, bikers, truckers, a detective and scientists from across the political spectrum are working to pressure the Trump administration and Republican leadership to rein in the use of toxic sewage sludge as fertilizer on the nation’s farmland. Sludge often teems with Pfas, or “forever chemicals”, which present a health risk to farmers and the public, and have destroyed farms and contaminated water across the country. The issue has touched the groups’ lives in different ways, highlighting its broad risks to health. “We can all sit down and agree that we and our children shouldn’t be fed literal poison,” said Dana Ames, a Johnson county, Texas, detective who is investigating contamination from sludge on local farms. In Oklahoma, farmer Saundra Traywick lives in an area where she says toxic sewage sludge is spread as fertilizer. Her family and animals get sick, and the potent stench can be unbearable. … ” Read more from The Guardian.
An industry insider’s changes at the E.P.A. could cost taxpayers billions
“Early this year, Steven Cook was a lawyer representing chemical companies suing to block a new rule that would force them to clean up pollution from “forever chemicals,” which are linked to low birthrates and cancer. Now Mr. Cook is in a senior role at the Environmental Protection Agency, where he has proposed scrapping the same rule his former clients were challenging in court. His effort could shift cleanup costs away from polluters and onto taxpayers, according to internal E.P.A. documents reviewed by The New York Times. Last month Mr. Cook met with industry groups that are still challenging the rule in court. By the next business day after the meeting, the E.P.A. office that oversees toxic cleanups had reversed its internal recommendation on the rule, the documents show, to advise repealing instead of upholding it. The change was evident in a presentation being prepared for Lee Zeldin, the E.P.A. administrator. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
Sunscreens protect us but also pose real planetary health concerns
“Today’s beach outing is not the same as your grandparents’ beach outing: With intense summer heat waves now the norm due to climate change, and with the ozone layer still not fully healed, people need more and better sun protection when outdoors. Sunscreen offers proven protection from sunburn and skin cancer — but it’s also often comprised of a cocktail of ingredients including chemicals that scientists warn are a growing source of environmental pollution. Much of this concern focuses on a variety of ingredients known as ultraviolet (UV) filters. Sunscreens typically come in two forms: organic (using chemicals to absorb solar radiation), or inorganic (using zinc oxide and titanium oxide to reflect away solar radiation). … ” Read more from Mongabay.
USGS unveils new national geologic map
“In a significant advancement for geoscience, the U.S. Geological Survey has released the most detailed national-scale geologic map of the country to date, offering a unique regional view of geology at and beneath the Earth’s surface. “Geologic maps have many uses, such as helping experts look for energy, mineral and water resources,” said Christopher Swezey, USGS National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program coordinator. “They can also be used to assess earthquake risks and inform decisions about land use, infrastructure and community planning, and real estate and insurance.” Geologic maps use different colors to show various types of rocks and sediments beneath the surface. These are organized into geologic map units, which range in composition from loose sand and gravel to very old bedrock. Each unit has its own unique characteristics, such as age and composition. … ” Continue reading from the USGS.
