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On the calendar today …
- PUBLIC HEARING: Delta Conveyance Project water right hearing beginning at 9am. The State Water Resources Control Board Administrative Hearings Office will hold a Public Hearing on the pending Petitions for Change of Water Right Permits for the Delta Conveyance Project. Interested members of the public who would like to watch this hearing without participating may do so through the Administrative Hearings Office YouTube channel at: bit.ly/aho-youtube. Click here for the meeting notice.
- Livestream of Remote Operated Vehicle exploring the depths of Lake Tahoe beginning at 9:30am. The Tahoe Fund will livestream the journey of Deep Emerald, a custom-built remotely operated vehicle as it explores Lake Tahoe’s 1,570-foot depths.This event is a partnership between the Tahoe Fund and the Restoring the Lake Depths Foundation, allowing anyone to witness the ROV’s expedition on Friday. Watch livestream here.
In California water news and commentary today …
Landmark legislation to address California’s water supply challenges heads to the Governor’s desk
“SB 72 (Caballero), critical water legislation to transform the state’s water management approach, has passed the Assembly floor and is headed to the Governor’s desk for signature. The bill addresses the state’s lack of water with multiple strategies to codify water supply targets, enhance the existing California Water Plan to plan water needs by region, and legislate reporting collaboration among the water community and all stakeholders. “I’m proud of my colleagues’ support on SB 72 in both houses. This bill represents a clear opportunity for the Governor to reaffirm his climate leadership and embrace new and bold strategies to address water supply challenges. The Department of Water Resources’ new State Water Project Adaptation Strategy underscores the urgency of this bill, which is a necessary next step to secure California’s water future in the face of intensifying climate threats,” said Senator Anna Caballero, bill author. … ” Read more from California Water for All.
Dozens of lightning strike fires are burning across California. A warming climate could bring more, according to new study
“As dozens of wildfires burn across California after a remarkable outbreak of dry lightning, a new study warns that a warming planet could bring more lightning-sparked wildfires to the West in the coming decades. “These are the sort of events that can really allow the fire season to turn on a dime,” said John Abatzoglou, a professor of climatology at UC Merced and an author of the study. From early Tuesday into Wednesday morning, a lightning storm hurled thousands of bolts at the state, Cal Fire battalion chief David Acuña told CalMatters Wednesday. Forty-five new fires ignited within Cal Fire’s jurisdiction in that same time period, he said. Dry lightning strikes with little, if any, rainfall nearby. “We can’t collectively say they’re all lightning fires, but we can say that there were a large number of lightning strikes and a large number of fires,” Acuña said. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
A ‘Roomba for the forest’ could be SoCal’s next wildfire weapon
“The giant, remote-controlled vehicle — somewhere between a tractor trailer, a tank and a Zamboni in appearance — slowly rolled across the dry, brittle grass growing between the tangle of freeways making up the 101 and 23 interchange in Thousand Oaks. Inside the beast, fire churned. And as it rolled over the land, that fire incinerated any brush it encountered, leaving only a thin smoke cloud billowing from the top of the machine, some flashes of orange and red from behind its metal skirt and, in its wake, a desolate, smoldering black line. BurnBot isn’t the fastest way to rid a landscape of dangerously flammable vegetation (it tops out at around 0.5 mph) but it can do something that traditional vegetation management techniques cannot: with almost surgical precision, it can kill the flammable brush sitting within feet of homes and highways on even the hottest and driest days and with virtually no safety risks or disruptions to daily life. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Nation’s largest irrigation district supports of Delta water tunnels fast-track
“The nation’s largest irrigation district, the Imperial Irrigation District (IID), has announced a significant endorsement of the governor’s proposal to fast-track the Delta Conveyance Project (aka the water tunnel), a plan to modernize the State Water Project and secure water supplies for seven out of 10 Californians. The IID Board of Directors supports the project. This endorsement is notable as the district receives no water from the State Water Project, but underscores the importance of preparing for water scarcity and acknowledging that improving the state’s water systems benefits all users, the governor’s office said in a press release. Without action, the ability of the State Water Project to reliably deliver water to homes, farms and businesses will decline. The Delta Conveyance Project is the single most effective strategy to ensure that California can maintain a sustainable water future. The Delta Conveyance Project will help offset and recover these future climate-driven water losses, and yet, it has been plagued by delays and red tape. … ” Read more from The Press.
SEE ALSO: IID Backs State’s Delta Project, Citing Relief for Colorado River, from the Calexico Chronicle
Coalition urges legislature to reject Newsom’s water power grab: Trailer bills would gut CEQA, override courts, and fast-track $100 billion Delta tunnel
“A broad coalition of environmental justice organizations, Tribes, Delta advocates, and taxpayer groups today sent a letter to the California Leadership — President Pro Tem McGuire, Speaker Rivas, Senator Wiener, Assemblymember Gabriel, and Members of the Budget Committees — urging them to reject Governor Newsom’s proposed Delta Conveyance Project (DCP) and Water Quality Control Plan CEQA Exemption trailer bills. The letter, signed by 40 organizations, warns that the trailer bills would: Bypass CEQA to push forward the outdated Bay-Delta Plan without full environmental review; Override judicial oversight and hand the Department of Water Resources (DWR) unlimited bond authority for a project estimated to cost between $61 and $116 billion; Strip landowner protections by weakening constitutional rights to fair compensation; and Silence public participation by restricting the ability of Tribes, Delta residents, and environmental justice communities to protest harmful water diversions. … ” Continue reading from Restore the Delta.
C-WIN: Mirroring the Trump Playbook: Eliminating CEQA review for water quality control plans would weaken California’s democratic integrity
“In California we are fortunate to have both state and federal law to protect our rivers, streams, lakes, and bays. It might seem redundant, then, to subject our water quality control plans to environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). But CEQA is the mechanism that provides for the transparent assessment of the tradeoffs involved in water quality regulations. Only through responsible analysis can we understand how rules for river flows, wastewater treatment, stormwater management and forest management affect communities, industries, and the environment. Without CEQA, water quality rules could be proposed and adopted without an assessment of whether they protect communities located near contaminated water bodies; whether they balance the needs for urban housing with the necessity of reducing urban stormwater pollution; and whether river flows would create substantive fish population improvements to benefit tribes, disadvantaged communities, and the commercial fishing industry. … ” Read more from C-WIN.
Fallow fields become flyway havens for shorebirds
“River Partners helped conduct a test this summer on a portion of fallowed farmland at its 1,600-acre restoration site Dos Rios Norte at the confluence of the Sacramento and Feather rivers in the Sacramento Valley. River Partners participated in BirdReturns, an initiative funded by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and run by The Nature Conservancy, with the mission to create temporary habitat for migratory shorebirds by shallowly flooding fallowed agricultural land during the birds’ migrations. In this initial test at Dos Rios Norte, River Partners also partnered with The Nature Conservancy, Audubon California, and Point Blue Conservation Science—together, the Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership—as well as the Floodplain Forward coalition, Central Valley Joint Venture, and Lundberg Family Farms, a leading grower of Regenerative Organic Certified® rice. … ” Read more from River Partners.
Legislation purportedly in works to expand Collinsville shipbuilding footprint
“An advocacy campaign to support “proposed legislation” to expand the Collinsville maritime industrial area to 7,500 acres has been launched. Chris Rico, executive director of the Solano Economic Development, sent an email out on Sunday to the EDC board members and the county supervisors seeking their support. It included a suggested letter to be used. “I’m sorry to be reaching out on a holiday weekend. We are in really strong contention to bring 10,000 generational ship building jobs, in support of our national security, in Solano County, a project that is supported by a strong coalition of cities, unions, and the major employers and job creators in Solano,” the email states. “We are going to offer our support for urgent legislation that Assembly Member Wilson and Senator Cabaldon are prepared to introduce with support of the community. I encourage you to join us,” Rico added. … ” Read more from the Daily Republic.
Congressman Valadao votes to strengthen water resources for the Central Valley
“Today, Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 4553 – Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2026. This bill includes key wins for the Central Valley by providing enhanced resources for critical infrastructure projects, flood prevention, water storage, and drought resilience projects. It also prioritizes funding for agencies and programs that safeguard U.S. national security, strengthen American energy production, and advance economic competitiveness. Congressman Valadao is a member of the House Committee on Appropriations. “As a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, I was proud to support the FY26 Energy and Water Development bill, which makes critical investments in the Central Valley,” said Congressman Valadao. … ” Read more from Congressman David Valadao.
Video: Doug LaMalfa: California is wasting water because of outdated water reservoir system
During House floor remarks on DAY, Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) spoke about dams in California meant to decrease the amount of wasted water in the state.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Dam removal on the Klamath River
“One of the world’s largest dam removal efforts restored 420 miles of salmon and steelhead trout habitat in the Klamath River watershed of Northern California and Southern Oregon. Four dams were removed from the Klamath River between 2023 and 2024, restoring the river that had been dammed for over 100 years. The image comparison above shows Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (HLS) true-color corrected reflectance images from the Operational Land Imager (OLI) instrument aboard the Landsat 8 and 9 platforms. The left “A” side is an image from August 1, 2023, where the reservoirs behind two of the dams are visible in the imagery, which include the Iron Gate Dam/Reservoir and the Copco No. 1 Dam/Copco Lake. The right “B” side shows the restored river without the presence of the dams and reservoirs. … ” Check out the picture at NASA Earth Data.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Robot’s journey to the bottom of Lake Tahoe to be livestreamed
“A robot’s journey to the bottom of Lake Tahoe will be livestreamed for the public to watch. This Friday, the Tahoe Fund and Restoring the Lake Depths Foundation will livestream the ROV’s journey 1,570 feet down to the bottom of the [lake]. “Few people have had the opportunity to explore what’s under the surface of Lake Tahoe, the second deepest lake in the U.S.,” said Amy Berry, Tahoe Fund CEO. “We partnered with Restoring the Lake Depths Foundation and Martis Camp Foundation to fund a custom ROV capable of live streaming a journey to the bottom, giving people the chance to experience Lake Tahoe in a whole new way.” The stream will be broadcast on the Tahoe Fund’s website starting at 9:30 a.m. … ” Read more from Channel 8.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
City of Folsom to fix Willow Hill Dam valves
“City officials are moving forward on the upgrade of Willow Hill Dam next to Folsom High School. The Folsom City Council voted Aug. 26 to approve the valve replacement project with an environmental green light. Willow Hill Reservoir is part of a 28-acre community park with a former ranch pond/lake for fishing and self-propelled watercraft like kayaks. The lake is next to Folsom High School, and athletes train on the trails. The overall $2.3 million city Water System Rehabilitation Project No. 1 includes the replacement of the waterline serving Black Miner’s Bar, the valves on the Willow Hill Dam and upgrading the waterline at Rainbow Bridge. The Black Miner’s Bar and Rainbow projects are already completed, staff said. … ” Read more from Gold Country Media.
Building on a century of service: Natomas Central Mutual Water Company
“For more than a century, the Natomas Central Mutual Water Company has been committed to delivering reliable agricultural water to the lands of the American Basin. Formed in the early 1900s, the company has grown into a private, not-for-profit mutual water company owned by 280 shareholders—farmers, landowners, the Natomas Basin Conservancy, and other local partners—who each have a direct stake in its future. Today, Natomas serves more than 33,000 acres north and west of Sacramento, providing water that supports food production, preserves habitat, and sustains local communities. Guided by its elected Board of Directors and operating under some of the most senior water rights on the Sacramento River, Natomas continues to invest in modern facilities to ensure its water is managed wisely and efficiently for generations to come. … ” Read more from the Northern California Water Association.
BAY AREA
How a low-pressure system will impact Bay Area weather this weekend
“Mild weather will prevail throughout the Bay Area this weekend, providing relief after a hot end of August. A low-pressure system off the coast will boost marine layer cloud cover, even squeezing out some drizzle near the coast and in the hills. Sunshine should prevail by noon each day along the bay shoreline and in the inland valleys, but the overcast skies will probably continue at the beaches. Temperatures will be slightly below normal, in the 60s at the coast, 70s along the bay shoreline and 80s inland. Nights shouldn’t be too chilly, as coastal water temperatures have warmed in recent weeks, keeping lows around 60 degrees. This weekend will be a stark contrast from the same time last September, when Livermore was amid a streak of seven consecutive 100-degree days and San Jose was squarely in the 90s. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
CENTRAL COAST
SLO County residents should avoid locally harvested shellfish after the state reported dangerous levels of toxins
“Harvesters of local clams, oysters, and scallops were told to beware of consuming the shellfish after the California Department of Public Health found high levels of toxins throughout San Luis Obispo County. Issued on Aug. 29, SLO County Environmental Health Services notified residents not to consume any shellfish harvested in the region due to dangerous levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning, or PSP, based on recent biotoxin screening results. … ” Read more from New Times SLO.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Redlands OKs $369K contract to test groundwater after landfill leachate mishandling
“On Sept. 2, the Redlands City Council approved a $369,750 contract with Rincon Consultants, Inc. to investigate potential groundwater contamination after landfill leachate was improperly disposed of at the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant. Leachate — the liquid that forms when water filters through waste in a landfill — can carry toxic substances including heavy metals, pesticides, petroleum products and PFAS, which are manmade synthetic chemicals found in many consumer products. In 2020, city staff discovered that leachate from the Redlands California Street landfill had been intermittently dumped into an unlined sludge drying bed at the Wastewater Treatment Plant instead of being sent through a dedicated pipeline. This practice, used by both city staff and contractors, had been in place for roughly six years prior to the discovery. … ” Read more from Redlands Community Forward.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
UCLA: New briefs reveal continuing public health and environmental crisis at the Salton Sea amid gaps in oversight
“Two new expert issue briefs—one on air-quality and the other on water-quality—published today by the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute document how gaps in monitoring and enforcement have contributed to ongoing toxic conditions at the Salton Sea placing nearby residents at continued risk. Drawing from over a year of high-frequency data collected since August 2023 by the Salton Sea Environmental Timeseries (SSET), the briefs reveal widespread nutrient pollution, dangerously low oxygen levels in the lake, and frequent episodes of hydrogen sulfide emissions that exceed California’s health standards—conditions occurring among residents in areas that rank among the most burdened by pollution in the state. These environmental hazards have persisted even as state and federal agencies work under a legal obligation to restore the Salton Sea. … ” Read more from UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute.
SEE ALSO: New UCLA briefs highlight continued public health crisis at Salton Sea amid gaps in oversight, from the Imperial Valley Press
New campaign aims to improve life around the Salton Sea
“A new community-led effort is focusing on life around the Salton Sea. Residents and local groups are coming together to make their voices heard. The Campaign for Thriving Salton Sea Communities is led by Alianza Coachella Valley. It brings together residents, nonprofits, researchers, and agencies to support the community’s well-being. One of the big projects is a trail network connecting communities throughout the region. The idea is to improve access, mobility, and create more opportunities for local economic growth. As Aydee Rodriguez from Alianza explains, “We’re talking about a network that would, include, not just, you know, like, like sidewalk or pavement, but then also lights, electric charging stations to prepare our community for, the transition to cleaner vehicles, broadband, and electric, grid stability.” … ” Read more from Channel 11.
SAN DIEGO
Aguirre wields new powers against sewage crisis
“Recently elected San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre took office in July promising to wield the full powers of her new job against the sewage crisis in the Tijuana River. Six weeks later, she’s wielding it. At next Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Aguirre plans to blitz her fellow supervisors with a series of proposals to fast-track county efforts on the crisis and lobby federal officials to do more to fix what Aguirre on Thursday called “the biggest public health crisis in the western hemisphere.” Aguirre plans to ask the county to begin work immediately on two region-wide studies approved by the Board in June, one measuring sewage-related health impacts to South County residents, the other tallying economic losses from closed beaches and other problems caused by pollution. … ” Read more from the Voice of San Diego.
Along the Colorado River …
The Western drought issue
“The Western United States is experiencing widespread drought conditions in 2025, with 65.5% in drought (D1-D4) and 14% in Extreme or Exceptional (D3-D4) drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Current drought coverage and intensity pales in comparison to peak drought conditions in the early 2020s—59.5% of the West was in Extreme or Exceptional Drought (D3-D4) in July 2021. This record-setting Western U.S. drought in the early 2020s, plus the southwestern megadrought dating back to 2000, has left Western U.S. water supplies in a perilous position, including the following: Washington state issued a drought declaration for an unprecedented third year in a row. Northern Idaho and western Montana have been dealing with drought conditions for nearly three years. One hundred percent of the Colorado River Basin is in drought, including large areas of Extreme or Exceptional Drought (D3/D4) in the Upper Basin, where most of the water supply comes from. The Colorado River Basin includes all of Arizona and parts of Colorado, California, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, and Nevada. … ” Read more from NIDIS.
Southwest faces persistent drought and major groundwater losses
“The Climate Prediction Center’s latest 3 month outlook shows drought persisting in the 4 Corners and across the Southwest. Cortez received about an inch and a half of rain in August, slightly above average. The Mesa Verde weather station reported just over half an inch less rainfall than average. Blanding was also below average with around a half an inch of rain; Bluff received above average rainfall and set two high temperature records last month, both registering at 103 degrees. Monticello saw just under an inch of rainfall, about half of what’s typical. … ” Read more from KSJD.
‘The American Southwest’ Film is a wild ride down the mighty Colorado River
“Ben Masters and his team spent 80 days at the edge of the Vermillion Cliffs in Arizona, their cameras trained on a condor nest as they waited to capture footage of a chick taking its first flight. Instead, they caught the moment when the gawky bald bird slipped, then tumbled hundreds of feet off the sheer rock face. The bird survived, and clips of its day-and-a-half struggle to climb back to its nest mark one of the most riveting scenes in The American Southwest,” the fourth feature-length wildlife documentary produced by Masters and Fin and Fur Films. … ” Read more from Outside Magazine.
SEE ALSO: Wildlife, and human lives, along the Colorado River are the focus of a striking new documentary, from KUNC
Arizona’s heat is so extreme even rattlesnakes and cacti are struggling
“In 2023, two Arizona rattlesnakes died while underground, cooked to death in their burrows. These are creatures evolutionarily suited to survive extreme heat. Mike Cardwell, a rattlesnake researcher who spoke with AZCentral about Arizona’s recent extreme heat that’s killing off animals that should be able to survive it, had never seen snakes die underground due to the heat. But after weeks of 110°F+ days, the burrows that should offer refuge from the heat became little ovens that cook them alive. It’s a trend that is happening across the Arizona desert. Species that are built to survive being baked and broiled are being cooked by climate change, which is worsening faster than their evolutionary traits can keep up with. … ” Read more from Vice.
Scottsdale dropped hints of our water future. You need to know what they mean
Joanna Allhands writes, “Nearly 40% of Arizona’s water comes from the Colorado River. But central Arizona’s reliance on this crucial water source varies widely by city. Tempe, for example, uses little Colorado River water, while it’s two-thirds of Scottsdale’s supply. Because the numbers vary so much — and because we don’t know how deep expected cuts could go — it’s been mostly crickets on how new shortage rules post-2026 could affect our state’s largest cities. I know. It seems almost inconceivable that we are two months from a federal deadline to offer a plan for how we move forward and still don’t have a clear picture of what that looks like. Yet here we are. … ” Read more from Arizona Central.
In national water news today …
House narrowly approves GOP bill to fund Energy Department, water agencies
“The vote was 214-213. Four Republicans voted with Democrats against the measure: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Tom McClintock (Calif.) and Scott Perry (Pa.). “The bill’s pretty lacking, that’s why I voted no,” Perry told The Hill. “Policy, spending, the whole thing is just a weak effort.” The annual appropriations bill would allow for about $57 billion in funding for fiscal 2026. The bill marks the third appropriations bill House Republicans have passed for fiscal 2026, as Congress continues to run behind on its annual funding work. While the bill faces long odds in the Senate, where Democratic support is needed to pass funding bills, it provides a starting point for Republicans when it comes time for both sides to work out a funding deal for the next fiscal year. … ” Read more from The Hill.
Republicans move to lift drilling and mining restrictions in Western states
“Republican lawmakers in Congress are clearing the way for President Donald Trump’s plans to expand mining and drilling on public lands by moving to eliminate energy development limits in several Western states. House Republicans on Wednesday night voted largely along party lines to repeal land management plans adopted in the closing days of former President Joe Biden’s administration that restricted development in large areas of Alaska, Montana and North Dakota. Biden’s goal was in part to reduce climate-warming emissions from the burning of fossil fuels extracted from federal land. Under Trump, Republicans are casting aside those aspirations as they open more taxpayer-owned land to development, hoping to create more jobs and revenue. … ” Read more from the Associated Press.
Two valuable satellites are in ‘perfect health.’ they may be scrapped.
“Starting back in the Bush administration, the United States has spent more than $800 million launching powerful climate-monitoring satellite technology into space. The satellites, known as the Orbiting Carbon Observatory missions, came with huge risks. In 2009 the first launch attempt failed, incinerating a satellite. But two later missions were successful, and today the satellites are in “perfect health,” according to a government report issued in January. Now, however, the Trump administration wants to scrap them as a money-saving measure. It’s like buying a car “and then running it into a tree after a few years, just to save the price of tank of gas,” said David Crisp, a former scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory who led the missions to launch the satellites, which help monitor plant life and greenhouse gases and are used by forecasters, farmers and scientists. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
