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: State Water Resources Control Board beginning at 9:00am. Agenda items include 2025 Water Year in review and looking ahead; Department of Water Resources Draft Land Subsidence Best Management Practices; Underground Storage Tank, Site Cleanup, and Department of Defense programs update; and Proposed revised notification level and response level for Manganese. Click here for the full agenda.
- WEBINAR: How do SoCal’s Water Systems Compare? A Webinar and Demo on UCLA’s New Community Water Atlas for Six SoCal Counties from 12pm to 1pm. Discover how Southern California’s water systems perform on water quality, affordability, and other important factors. Join us for a webinar introducing UCLA’s newly launched 2025 Southern California Community Water Systems Atlas. This report and interactive map analyze 663 community water systems serving 40% of the state’s population, giving policymakers, researchers, and communities an unmatched tool to track water system performance and target solutions. The webinar will include an overview of findings, a live demo of the mapping tool, and a moderated discussion on the implications for advancing the Human Right to Water. Why Attend: See how SoCal water systems stack up and learn about opportunities for improvement. By making outcomes transparent, this new tool from UCLA can help policymakers, water managers, researchers, and community advocates tackle affordability, water quality, and climate challenges. Presented by: UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
Farmers look for “common sense” solutions through maze of groundwater regulations
“As groundwater agencies limit pumping, sometimes in different amounts and ways, farmers with land across boundaries are trying to figure how to operate. Lakeside Irrigation District Board member and farmer Ralph Alcala brought up a hypothetical at the district’s Oct. 1 meeting: How will groundwater agencies stop farmers from transferring water between parcels, potentially out of one groundwater region and into another? “So I’ve got a ranch that is in Mid-Kings (River GSA) and I’ve got another ranch that’s in Greater Kaweah (GSA),” Alcala said during the meeting, referring to two groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs). Between those ranches, is an underground pipeline that moves water between his parcels. However, since the passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which created an entirely new layer of government to oversee pumping, those two ranches now sit in different GSAs, as well as different subbasins. “This is infrastructure that I put in years ago, so now I have to block it off because I can’t use it?” Alcala questioned. … ” Continue reading from SJV Water.
California water suppliers gear up for a dry year with confidence
“The results are in. California’s 446 urban water suppliers have conducted their supply and demand assessments, and 95.5% say they will have ample supplies to meet projected demand in the coming year, even if it is dry. The remaining 4.5% who project some level of shortage have identified response actions to address and mitigate the potential shortage. The Annual Shortage Report is a yearly stress test for water suppliers and serves as an important tool for successful and effective local water shortage contingency planning, ensuring water supply reliability and drought resiliency. This year’s Annual Shortage Reports cover projections for the 12 months from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. The Department of Water Resources prepares a report summarizing the findings by September 30 and submits it to the State Water Resources Control Board. … ” Continue reading from Maven’s Notebook.
Where California’s water supply stands at start of the rainy season
“California’s wet season started with a bang, or at least a drizzle, as rain pitter-pattered on the Bay Area last week. But the state’s water experts say at this time of year, they still have to prepare for floods, drought or even both. Oct. 1 officially began the rainy season in California, and with this seasonal shift, they sealed their record of annual rain and snow and started a fresh tally. Between Oct. 1, 2024, and Sept. 30, 2025, California received nearly average precipitation. But that good news does not reflect the high variability of precipitation by month and region. While the state technically got enough water last season, the rain was extraordinarily late to arrive in Los Angeles and left it vulnerable to horrific wildfires in the normally wet month of January. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
SEE ALSO: Will ‘Astonishing’ Ocean Temperatures Make California Winter Storms Worse?, from Newsweek
First public listening session of the ag expert panel reveals ongoing differences on data and setting N application limits
“The Second Statewide Agricultural Expert Panel’s Public Listening Session #1 was held October 1, 2025, in Rancho Cordova and via Zoom. The expert panel has been convened to advise the California State Water Board on next steps for the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program (ILRP) and has already met twice. You can read about the previous meetings here. The ILRP aims to regulate discharges of pollutants from irrigated farmland. While its original scope includes regulating a wide range of pollutants including pesticides and sediments, the expert panel is focusing primarily on nitrate contamination of surface and groundwater from nitrogen (N) fertilizer applications and specifically on the regulatory value of the metrics N applied (A) and N removed (R). As at previous meetings, contradicting perspectives on water quality data were a major theme of the session, as was the cost and difficulty of complying with agricultural orders for farms that differ from the dominant cropping systems in the Central Coast and Central Valley regions of the state. … ” Read more from Jane Sooby at Maven’s Notebook.
New research suggests that trespass grows scar the land for longer than you might have thought
“A new peer-reviewed study published in Science of the Total Environment sheds light on the persistent chemical contaminants left behind at illegal cannabis cultivation sites, also known as “trespass grows,” on California’s federally managed lands. The research, conducted by scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in partnership with the Integral Ecology Research Center (IERC) and with support from the U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations, provides the most comprehensive look to date at how pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and other organic pollutants linger long after grow sites have been abandoned. … ” Read more from the Redheaded Blackbelt.
50th annual Zeke Grader forum addresses California fisheries crisis
“Lawmakers, tribal representatives and state officials gathered on October 1, in Sacramento for the 50th Annual Zeke Grader Fisheries Forum, focusing on the mounting difficulties facing California’s salmon and Dungeness crab fisheries. Hosted by California Senator Mike McGuire and the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, the forum highlighted the economic and environmental pressures impacting coastal communities. Officials discussed how warming ocean temperatures, drought, and habitat degradation have contributed to repeated salmon season closures and delayed crab opening along the West Coast. … ” Read more from KRCR.
‘It’s a whopper’: Disease ripping through California sea lions in record numbers
“An “all-time record” number of sick sea lions has washed up on California beaches since a deadly bacterial disease broke out this summer, according to the Sausalito-based Marine Mammal Center — with the outbreak especially concentrated in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. Since July 1, the center has responded to at least 375 cases of leptospirosis, a bacterial kidney infection, plus over 50 that occurred earlier in the year. And the death rate — normally around two-in-three even with treatment — has been even worse this year than usual, according to Marine Mammal Center spokesman Giancarlo Rulli. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Humboldt County Supes to consider opposing offshore drilling
“Tuesday, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors are set to pen a resolution in opposition to offshore drilling for oil and gas. The Department of the Interior is reviewing a five-year program for offshore oil and gas lease sales, following much urging from President Trump to expand domestic energy production by allowing companies to drill off the coasts of America. This has prompted Supervisor Mike Wilson to urge the board to make Humboldt County’s anti-drilling position clear and work with other Pacific Coast governments to oppose an upcoming plan expected to attempt to expand lease sales of federal waters. The resolution states that the board “opposes any new or expanded offshore oil and gas drilling, and deep seabed mining, and urges federal and state decision-makers to permanently prohibit offshore drilling and deep seabed mining in all U.S. waters, including the Pacific Ocean off California.” … ” Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
The ambitious plan to protect Northern California’s Plumas National Forest from wildfires
“A white-headed woodpecker stirs the dawn quiet, hammering at a patch of charred bark stretching 15 feet up the trunk of a ponderosa pine. The first streaks of sun light the tree’s green crown, sending beams across this grove of healthy conifers. The marks of the 2021 Dixie Fire are everywhere. Several blackened trees lie toppled among the pale blossoms of deer brush and the spikes of snow plants, their crimson faded to dusky coral. Flames raged through neighboring forests, exploding the tops of trees, flinging sparks down the mountainside until, on August 4, 2021, the fire itself reached the valley below and Greenville, 90 miles north of Lake Oroville. It took less than 30 minutes to destroy a town of 1,000 residents. Yet this stand at Round Valley Reservoir survived. … ” Read more from Grist.
Lake Tahoe algae experiment suggests seasonal shifts ahead
“As the climate warms and nutrient inputs shift, algal communities in cool, clear mountain lakes like Lake Tahoe will likely experience seasonal changes, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. Periphyton, that fuzzy layer of attached algae covering the rocks as you step into the water, is a healthy and critical part of a lake’s food web. Periphyton blooms, however, signal changes that can degrade both water quality and a shoreline’s natural beauty. Climate change is projected to increase global water temperatures by 1.8 to 7 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100. It’s also expected to increase nutrients to lake waters through increased runoff from higher intensity storms and more precipitation falling as rain rather than snow. “A majority of lakes globally are warming as a result of climate change,” said lead author Nick Framsted, a master’s student in the UC Davis Environmental Science and Policy department and Tahoe Environmental Research Center when the study was conducted. “With their clear, cold waters, mountain lakes are exceptionally sensitive to changes in temperature and nutrients.” … ” Read more from UC Davis.
Kokanee salmon spawning season set to return to Taylor Creek in Tahoe
“Each fall, one of Lake Tahoe’s most unique wildlife spectacles comes alive at Taylor Creek. The Kokanee salmon are preparing to begin their upstream journey, turning the waters of this South Lake Tahoe stream into a vibrant scene of red and silver. While the native Lahontan cutthroat trout spawn in the spring, the Kokanee—a landlocked cousin of the Sockeye salmon—take center stage in October and November. Their timing depends on environmental factors like colder water and higher stream flows, which are managed in part by the Fallen Leaf Lake Dam. Without these carefully balanced flows, Taylor Creek could run too low or even dry up in the fall. … ” Read more from Active NorCal.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Floodplain forward
“In a unique collaboration between farmers, water officials, and conservation groups, Floodplain Forward works on some of California’s biggest water problems, opting for collaboration over confrontation. As part of Floodplain Forward, River Partners has proven that our cutting-edge science works, as in the case of Willow Bend Preserve, our 175-acre property on the Sacramento River near Colusa. We combined science know-how with innovation and created an environment that allows young salmon to enter the water-filled floodplain, where they find bugs to eat and a place to rest. … ” Read more from Comtock’s Magazine via River Partners.
BAY AREA
Coastal flooding in the Bay Area: New research illuminates strategies for adaptation
“Coastal communities around the world have long faced challenges related to flood risks. But as sea levels continue to rise and extreme weather events become more frequent, the need for more effective response strategies is greater than ever. The San Francisco Bay is one such region experiencing this exact trajectory, making it a focal point for scientists like Patrick Barnard, research director for the Center for Coastal Climate Resilience at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Barnard co-authored a paper recently published in the ASCE Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering that explores coastal flooding patterns and mitigation strategies throughout the bay region. “This is a huge system and what we do physically affects very far reaches,” Barnard said. “Everything has implications and they have to be studied together to be understood.” … ” Read more from UC Santa Cruz.
California opens $116 million Antioch Brackish Water Desalination Plant
“The city of Antioch has opened its new brackish water desalination plant, a $116 million facility designed to improve the reliability of local drinking water supplies by treating water from the San Joaquin River. The project was celebrated in a ceremony attended by representatives from the State Water Resources Control Board, the Department of Water Resources (DWR), the Contra Costa Water District, the city of Brentwood, and other local and state officials. The plant can produce up to 6 million gallons of drinking water per day by removing salt from brackish river water. It features a microfiltration/ultrafiltration system for pre-treatment and a two-stage reverse osmosis system. Depending on water conditions, the facility is expected to supply up to half of Antioch’s water during certain months and about 30% of its annual supply. … ” Read more from Smart Water Magazine.
Palo Alto environmental group buys three farms for $7.8 million
“Hoping to restore wildlife and preserve farming in a part of the Bay Area that has seen growing development pressure in recent years, a Palo Alto environmental group announced Monday that it has completed the purchase of 668 acres of farmland along the border of Santa Clara and San Benito counties for $7.8 million. The three contiguous properties are located on the east side of Highway 101 about 3 miles south of Gilroy along the Pajaro River. The Peninsula Open Space Trust, the non-profit group that bought the farms from willing sellers, said it plans to restore areas along the river for birds, fish and other wildlife, while continuing to lease much of the acreage for farming. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
CENTRAL COAST
Central Coast Water Board files lawsuit against Sable Offshore Corp. for unauthorized waste discharges
“The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, represented by the California Attorney General’s Office, filed suit against Sable Offshore Corp., alleging repeated violations tied to the repair and restart of the Santa Ynez Unit oil and gas operation. The lawsuit filed in Santa Barbara County Superior Court asserts three causes of action. It alleges that Sable repeatedly discharged or threatened to discharge waste to waters of the state without authorization, despite being notified by the Central Coast Water Board that permits were required for the activities. The complaint also contends that Sable activities resulted in the discharge of sediment and vegetative debris to various bodies of water inland and near the Gaviota Coast. Such discharges can harm water quality and aquatic habitat by increasing turbidity, temperature and nutrients levels. The complaint also alleges Sable failed to submit information to the board that was required by law. “No corporation should gain a business advantage by ignoring the law and harming the environment,” said Jane Gray, chair of the Central Coast Water Board. “Entities that discharge waste are required to obtain permits from the state to protect water quality. Sable Offshore Corp. is no different. It, however, chose to ignore state environmental regulation.” … ” Read more from the Central Coast Water Board.
California says offshore oil drilling company cut corners in restart
“California accused an offshore oil drilling company of repeatedly discharging waste into inland waters near Santa Barbara without a permit in its rush to bring its drilling operations back online. In a complaint filed Friday night in Santa Barbara County Superior Court on behalf of the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, state Attorney General Rob Bonta accuses Sable Offshore Corp. of purposely not applying for permits to discharge waste — mostly dirt and vegetation into waterways, discharge that “could affect water quality in the rich aquatic and riparian habitat of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.” … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Tulare County’s crop value rebounds behind milk and beef prices
“Livestock led the latest numbers out of one of California’s three leading agricultural counties in 2024 as dairy and beef production individually exceeded $1 billion in gross value – a first for the beef side in Tulare County. Milk has long been the leading driver of Tulare County’s crop value. In 2024 the county’s dairy herds once again produced over 10.5 billion pounds of milk with a gross value of $2.26 billion in milk sales. That milk value was based on a three-year average from the USDA as the final numbers from the federal government were not available when the crop report was finalized, according to Christopher Greer, assistant agricultural commissioner for Tulare County. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press.
Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District Board hears update on state issues
“At the regular meeting of the Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District Board of Directors Sept. 24, members were updated on a number of ongoing state-level issues with the State Water Project. TCCWD General Manager Tom Neisler said SWP, which, among other things, brings water from Lake Oroville to the Tehachapi area, has one major stage left in its construction, one that has been a major point of conflict in the state through many gubernatorial administrations, the Delta Conveyance Project. This, essentially the last piece of the vast SWP, Neisler said in an interview after the meeting, is a tunnel that will transport water from the Sacramento River under the San Francisco Bay Delta, a sensitive environmental area, to be returned to the system near the San Luis Reservoir. … ” Read more from the Tehachapi News.
EASTERN SIERRA
Majestic wild horses are trampling Mono Lake’s otherworldly landscape. The feds plan a roundup
“Several dozen horses calmly graze along the shores of Mono Lake, a sparkling saline expanse spread out before the jagged Sierra Nevada mountains. The September sun is blazing. A pair of brown horses come up side by side and stare intensely at an approaching visitor. These wild equines soon may disappear from beside the ancient lake. The prospect is stirring emotional disagreement over the future of the herd, which has surged to more than three times what federal officials say the land can support. “These horses deserve a place to roam and be free, but around Mono Lake is not the place,” said Bartshe Miller of the Mono Lake Committee, an environmental nonprofit. Earlier this year, the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management approved a plan to round up and remove hundreds of wild horses roaming beyond the roughly 200,000 acres designated for them along the California and Nevada border. No date has been set, but it could be as soon as this fall. … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via AOL News.
SAN DIEGO
Farmers say supervisor’s sewage efforts cost them their livelihood
“For more than two decades, small-scale farmers and community gardeners have grown fresh fruits and vegetables, native plants, flowers and other produce at the Tijuana River Valley Community Garden, a 20-acre complex of publicly owned farmland adjacent to the Tijuana River near the U.S.-Mexico border. The complex of quarter-acre farms and 30-foot-by-30-foot garden plots supports more than 200 local families and a handful of small farm businesses. Aspiring gardeners wait years for a spot. Members describe the garden as a lifeline of beauty, community and healthy food. All of that came to a halt last week when representatives from the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County, which manages the garden, issued mass eviction notices to all 217 community gardeners and farmers. … ” Read more from the Voice of San Diego.
Cross-border pollution blamed for closing community garden
“The future of the Tijuana River Valley Community Garden, San Diego County’s largest community garden, is in limbo. Scores of gardeners who lease plots from the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County (RCDGSDC), a special district that has managed the property since 2002, were notified in late September that they had 60 days to vacate the site. The district’s reasoning: the ongoing Tijuana River sewage crisis. “With the health and safety of gardeners, farmers, and staff as our top priority — and given the increased flooding and related challenges in recent years — the RCDGSDC has made the very difficult decision to conclude management of the Garden and return the site to the County,” the email to the gardeners read. … ” Read more from KPBS.
Along the Colorado River …
As Colorado River nears collapse, it faces leadership, transparency ‘crisis,’ environmentalists warn
“There is no more water available. That’s the assessment of a new report published Wednesday about the Colorado River by a coalition of environmental groups urging the states that rely on the river and the federal government to take immediate action to cut back use. The river, they argue, is threatened by crises in both its hydrology and in the transparency of the groups negotiating its future. The report comes as the Colorado River verges on collapse. A recent study from leading experts found that by 2027, water levels will be so low in the system’s major reservoirs that their dams would become inoperable and nearly all storage would be lost, with water struggling to reach California, Arizona and Nevada. After two years, the seven states that rely on the river are at an impasse in tense negotiations over the cuts in water allocations that each of them will accept in a new agreement being drafted to take effect when the current guidelines for managing the river’s water expire at the end of 2026. That process is supposed to be public, with the Bureau of Reclamation, the federal agency that oversees the river and its dams, publishing environmental impact statements that allow for public review and comment. But so far, those reports haven’t arrived and there’s no word on when they will. Complicating the process even more, Reclamation still does not have an appointed leader after the Trump administration’s nominee for the post withdrew last month. … ” Read more from Inside Climate News.
Trump administration makes shifts in Colorado River leadership
“The federal agencies responsible for managing the ever-shrinking Colorado River have two new leaders at the helm. Scott Cameron, who previously served as acting assistant Interior secretary for water and science, will lead the Bureau of Reclamation as acting commissioner. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum appointed him Wednesday through a secretarial order. The Bureau of Reclamation, which is housed in the Interior Department, oversees dams and water in the West. That includes the painful process to update the operating guidelines for the Colorado River — where Southern Nevada sources about 90 percent of its water. The decision making is largely left to the seven basin states. As Burgum’s senior adviser on the Colorado River negotiations that have left states divided with a deadline looming, Cameron has publicly urged the states to come to a consensus. He told negotiators in June that Burgum is willing to step in and make a decision, though experts have cautioned that a lengthy lawsuit could ensue. … ” Read more from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The 1922 Colorado River Compact is now the obvious elephant in the negotiating room
“As negotiators for the seven Colorado River Basin states rapidly approach Reclamation’s November deadline for providing a framework for a seven-state agreement for the Post-2026 Operating Guidelines for Lakes Powell and Mead, a larger threat looms. Reclamation’s recently released September 24-Month study minimum probable projection is consistent with our mass balance analysis of storage in the next year, solidifying the likelihood of critical conditions if the coming winter is dry. Reclamation’s latest analysis predicts that storage at Lake Powell would fall below the 3500-ft elevation as early August 2026 and might continue to be below this critical elevation until March 2028. As we noted in our recent white paper, Reclamation has committed to protecting Lake Powell from going below 3500 ft. … ” Read more from the Inkstain blog.
Yuma City Council opposes Colorado River Water transfer to other Arizona City
“Monday morning the Yuma City Council adopted a resolution opposing the permanent transfer of Colorado River Water to the town of Queen Creek, Arizona as the proposed transfer stands. This project was proposed in 2018 with the Arizona Department of Water Resources’ opening comment at that time. “We lose these fights, these are the fights that end the way of life in Yuma, or any of these smaller communities along the river,” said Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls. At first, it recommended moving over 1,000 acre feet of water from Yuma to Queen Creek per year, but now it is up to 2,000. … ” Read more from Channel 11.
The dried-out subdivisions of Phoenix
“On the far edge of suburban Phoenix, a giant concrete arch spans the Central Arizona Project, dubbed a “Bridge to Nowhere” by developers and neighborhood activists alike. Nobody can use it; even pedestrians are barred by a chain-link fence sporting a huge “Road Closed” sign. To the bridge’s north, the desert sits as raw as ever. The bridge was built in recent years to connect an existing subdivision to the planned North Star Ranch and its proposed 9,600 homes. North Star was to be the latest of many new master-planned communities in Buckeye, one of the fastest-growing cities in one of the nation’s fastest-growing metro areas. But now, this development is on hold over concerns that there’s not enough groundwater to supply the community. And it’s not the only project: High Country News found that almost half a million homes, including thousands in North Star, are currently on pause, far more than developers or local elected officials have acknowledged publicly. … ” Read more from High Country News.
Ag-to-urban is a reality. Here’s what we know about how it’ll work
“The long-awaited ag-to-urban program officially became effective on Sept. 26. So how will it work? Farmers may apply to relinquish their irrigation rights — formally known by the Arizona Department of Water Resources as “irrigation grandfathered rights” — in exchange for savings credits. The idea is that these credits can then be used by developers to build housing, which simultaneously means a less-intensive water use over agriculture and encourages more housing supply. Ben Bryce, special adviser to ADWR Director Tom Buschatzke, has spearheaded the department’s effort to make the program a reality. Senate Bill 1611, which led to the program, was sponsored by Pinal’s state Sen. T.J. Shope, R-Coolidge, and had longtime lobbying support from Pinal County Supervisor Steve Miller of Casa Grande. It was signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs on June 30. … ” Read more from Pinal Central.
New study reveals alarming groundwater declines threatening Nevada’s ecosystems
“Groundwater in Nevada is under growing threat, with nearly 40% of thousands of wells analyzed across the state showing significantly declining water levels, according to a scientific paper recently published in the Hydrological Processes. The study warns of mounting risks to groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) like springs, wetlands and riparian habitats that sustain rare plants and wildlife, but also offers science-based strategies to protect and restore these vital systems amid intensifying drought and rising water demand. … “Our research shows that groundwater-dependent ecosystems in Nevada are already facing multiple, compounding stressors like excessive groundwater withdrawals and climate,” said Laurel Saito, Water Strategy Director for The Nature Conservancy in Nevada and lead author of the study. “This highlights the urgency of advancing science-based solutions to protect these ecosystems.” … ” Read more from the Desert Research Institute.
As zebra mussels continue to spread in the Colorado River, is there a silver lining?
“While detection of the highly invasive and destructive zebra mussels has stacked up in Colorado this year, Colorado Parks and Wildlife is starting to answer critical questions about the infestation. “2025 has been a really interesting year; we’ve uncovered a lot of pieces of the puzzle,” said Maddie Baker, Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s invasive species specialist, at the Colorado River District’s 2025 Water Seminar in Grand Junction on Friday, Oct. 3. Zebra mussels are an invasive aquatic species notorious for their prolific reproduction and destruction of ecosystems and infrastructure. The mussels were first discovered in Colorado in 2022 at Highline Lake State Park west of Fruita. … ” Read more from the Aspen Times.
In national water news today …
Microplastics invade the gut and change its chemistry
“Microplastics are seemingly everywhere now: in soil, food packaging, health care products and tap water. Perhaps it should be no surprise then that microplastics have been found in humans’ gut microbiome — and results are concerning. A new study presented at the United European Gastroenterology Summit in Berlin, Germany, found the microbiome in our guts, including the helpful bacteria needed to digest food, can be infiltrated with different kinds of microplastics and may contribute to a diverse number of ailments — everything from depression to colorectal cancer — due to their presence. The study by a team of international scientists sampled microbiome cultures from human stool and utilized a cutting-edge research program project called microONE to better understand the effects of microplastics in the human digestive system. The study tested five common plastics: polystyrene, polypropylene, low-density polyethylene, poly (methyl methacrylate) and polyethylene terephthalate. “Our experiments on the impact of microplastics on the human gut microbiome were conducted in a bioreactor model with free-running pH conditions,” lead author Christian Pacher-Deutsch, a researcher at the Medical University of Graz in Austria and CBmed, the institute where the microONE project is conducted, said in an email. … ” Read more from Courthouse News Service.
