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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.
- MEETING: Delta Stewardship Council beginning at 9:30am. Agenda items include Delta Conservancy and Delta Protection Commission Update, Flood Preparedness, Management, and Insurance: Update on Recent Events, Lead Scientist’s Report, and a Delta Independent Science Board update. Click here for the full agenda and remote access instructions.
- PUBLIC MEETING: SB 1157 Indoor Water Use Working Group Kickoff beginning at 1pm. The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is launching the SB 1157 Indoor Water Use Working Group with a kickoff meeting. The Working Group will support studies required by SB 1157 (2022), assisting the state in assessing indoor residential water use patterns, including saturation end-use studies, and evaluating the long-term effects of telework. The kickoff will provide an overview of SB 1157 requirements, introduce the project team, Working Group members, and review the Working Group’s objectives. It will also highlight opportunities for participation. Click here to register.
- IN-PERSON: Salton Sea Open-House at Bombay Beach beginning at 5:30pm. Join the Salton Sea Management Program, Audubon California, the Imperial Irrigation District, and the California State Parks at our Open House to learn more about the habitat restoration projects and other initiatives happening near Bombay Beach. We will meet at the Bombay Beach Community Center on October 23, at 5:30 p.m., for an in-person open-house community event. Audubon California will provide complimentary food and drinks. Meeting Flyer
In California water news today …
West coast storm could pack a powerful punch of rain and snow
“A powerful storm is expected to bring several days of heavy rain, strong winds and mountain snow to parts of the Western United States this week. The storm is the result of an atmospheric river, a long, narrow band in the atmosphere that transports water vapor sometimes hundreds of miles. Sometimes called rivers in the sky, when they make landfall along the West Coast of the United States, they often release this moisture as rain or snow. The atmospheric river season typically runs from October through March, and is responsible for up to half of California’s annual precipitation. While these systems are vital to replenishing water supplies, they can also cause flooding when they combine with other weather systems, bringing heavy rainfall. The plume of moisture from this atmospheric river is expected to arrive over the Pacific Northwest late on Thursday before moving south into Northern California by Friday night. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
SEE ALSO:
- CW3E AR Update: 22 October 2025 Outlook: Atmospheric Rivers Forecast to Bring Precipitation to the Pacific Northwest and Northern California
- Map Shows Which States Will Get Hit Hardest by Atmospheric River, from Newsweek
New forecast-informed decision-making tool implemented at Coyote Valley Dam and Lake Mendocino
“Leaders from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water), UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography Center of Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) and California Department of Water Resources (DWR) entered a new era in reservoir operations today with the signing of updates to the water control manual for Coyote Valley Dam and Lake Mendocino. The revised manual redefines the operating rules around flood control schedules for the first time in the dam’s 66-year history by incorporating the principles of modern-day forecast-informed reservoir operations, or FIRO, to enhance the facility’s dual mission of flood risk management and water supply security. “Before this update, we would inevitably be required to release water to give airspace to the dam for the next storm regardless of the upcoming weather,” said Nick Malasavage, Operations & Readiness Division chief for the USACE San Francisco District. “FIRO allows us to be informed by the forecast and make better decisions.” … ” Read more from Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Grappling with subsidence using data, farmer-to-farmer talks and “fluffy PR”
“Water managers in southern Tulare County recently agreed to pay $50,000 for a three-month public relations blitz aimed at convincing state lawmakers to pour more money into land fallowing programs to stem subsidence, or land sinking, caused by excessive groundwater pumping. “The time to play in the sandbox with other GSAs in the subbasin is likely over,” Anja Raudabaugh, chief executive officer of Western United Dairies, told board members of the Pixley and Lower Tule River groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) during their October meetings. She encouraged the boards to hire Calkin Public Affairs of Sacramento to create a narrative of how farmers are working on subsidence in order to give lawmakers “cover” to authorize more Proposition 4 funding for land retirement programs, such as LandFlex. “You have stepped up to handle the subsidence issue. It’s time to make your own knives and sharpen them,” she said. “Otherwise you’re going to be left behind.” … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Bone-dry soil can trigger ‘drought heat wave’ events a nation away
“Drying soils in northern Mexico can trigger simultaneous drought and heat wave episodes in the southwestern United States, including Arizona and states like Texas and New Mexico, according to a new study involving an Arizona State University professor. Co-authored by Enrique Vivoni, a senior global futures scientist with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, the research underscores the increasing persistence of “hot droughts,” which extend across consecutive days and nights, hindering recovery and posing significant risks to the region. A hot drought is described as droughts intensified by extreme temperatures that amplify evaporation, plant stress and the loss of moisture in the soil. “Hot droughts will propagate to other parts of the country and have detrimental effects on health, on infrastructure, on daily life,” said Vivoni, who is also a professor in the ASU School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment. … ” Continue reading from Arizona State University.
Large invasive rodents carry disease and attack crops across California wetlands
“David Steiner first noticed them at his Suisun Marsh duck club, Joice Island Mallard Farms, a couple of years ago. “You’d see this animal swimming with just its head above the water,” Steiner said. “At first glance they could’ve been beavers or muskrats.” Then Steiner and his fellow club members started spotting them rooting around on levee banks, and they knew instantly what they were: nutria, invasive semi-aquatic rodents originally from South America that are often portrayed luridly in the popular press as giant voracious swamp rats. Nutria aren’t rats – but they’re no more welcome in California’s wetlands than Norway or black rats are in California’s cities and suburbs. … ” Read more from Local News Matters.
The Fall-X2 action – benefits and costs
Tom Cannon writes, “The 2008 Delta Smelt Biological Opinion for Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Project (SWP) operations included the Fall X2 Action to protect Delta smelt. The about-to-be implemented “Action 5” that will modify the 2024 biological opinions for the CVP and SWP will eliminate the Fall X2 Action entirely. The Fall X2 Action required the CVP and SWP to keep brackish water west of the Delta in September and October in wet and above normal water years. The X2 location is defined as the location where salinity is 2 parts per thousand.1 X2 is located within what is known as the low salinity zone (LSZ, 1-6 parts per thousand). Delta smelt and longfin smelt concentrate in the LSZ near X2 in summer and fall. Keeping X2 at Chipps Island (KM 71 from the Golden Gate benefits the populations of Delta smelt and longfin smelt. Less effective options for the Fall X2 Action that require less Delta outflow have included other locations as far east as KM 80. … ” Continue reading at the California Fisheries Blog.
Photo essay: Improving snowpack data, the old-fashioned way
“DWR’s Division of Flood Operations, the California Conservation Corps, and GEI Environmental Consultants embarked on a five day, 38-mile roundtrip mission to renovate an old snow pillow station in the Emigrant Wilderness of the Stanislaus National Forest. The remote location in a designated wilderness area required a team to access the site through primitive means on horseback and use mules to transport the equipment. The team removed decommissioned equipment and installed a new Hinge Fold Tilt-Pole that works with the existing Horse Meadow snow pillow that transmits snowpack data to the statewide monitoring network. The Hinge Fold Tilt-Pole has a more robust and stable platform to withstand the harsh mountain elements, requires less maintenance, provides higher reliability, and features a climb-less system that means increased safety for the next generations of workers. View the photo gallery as the team rides into the sunset on this important mission.”
Trump administration pauses $11B in Army Corps water projects amid budget standoff
“The Trump administration has paused more than $11 billion in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water infrastructure projects across 12 states, citing the ongoing federal government shutdown and budget constraints. The projects—spanning California, New York, Illinois, Maryland, Oregon, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Delaware and Colorado—are now under review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). According to OMB Director Russ Vought, the decision stems from what he described as the impact of the shutdown on the Corps’ ability to manage its project portfolio. About $7 billion of the affected funding was slated for projects in New York, including wastewater treatment and water supply improvements in Queens. Other projects involve aquatic habitat restoration in California and navigation and ecosystem work in Baltimore Harbor, the Port of Long Beach and the San Francisco Bay Area. … ” Read more from Water World.
DAN WALTERS: Ballot measure would broaden reform of California’s key environmental law
“Former Gov. Jerry Brown once referred to overhauling the California Environmental Quality Act as “the Lord’s work” because, he said, it made building much-needed things — housing, transportation improvements, water storage, etc. — too difficult and too expensive. In 2018, as he neared the end of his second stint as governor, Brown vetoed a bill that would have prevented developers from circumventing CEQA’s laborious provisions by persuading local voters to directly approve projects. It was one of hundreds of legislative measures CEQA’s defenders — environmental groups primarily — and its critics have proposed in the nearly half-century since then-Gov. Ronald Reagan signed CEQA in 1970. “Instead of the piecemeal approach taken in this bill, I prefer a more comprehensive CEQA review, which takes into account both the urgent need for more housing and thoughtful environmental analysis,” Brown said in vetoing the bill. However during his 16 years in the governorship, Brown did virtually nothing to make the fundamental changes he said were needed. … ” Read more from Dan Walters at Cal Matters.
SB 707 expands and modernizes open meeting and teleconferencing requirements under the Ralph M. Brown Act
“Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 707 (Durazo) into law on October 3, 2025. SB 707 makes extensive updates to the Ralph M. Brown Act (Government Code section 54950 et seq.), the primary open meeting law governing local agency legislative bodies. The legislation both restores and restructures various provisions set to expire in 2026, makes permanent certain transparency-related reforms, and establishes new requirements to enlarge public access and participation in local government proceedings. The Brown Act generally requires all meetings of a legislative body of a local agency to be open and public, and it prohibits the body’s members from taking action outside an authorized meeting. SB 707 significantly revises these provisions to take into consideration the technological and accessibility changes these recent years. … ” Read more from AALRR.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Mendocino County Board of Supervisors advances resolution on Potter Valley Project decommissioning
“The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday discussed dueling resolutions on PG&E’s position in the decommissioning of the Potter Valley Project’s dams. For more than 100 years, the Potter Valley Project has diverted water from the Eel River to the Russian River Watershed through two dams — the Scott Dam at Lake Pillsbury and Cape Horn Dam at Lake Van Arsdale — that have supplied water to communities throughout Mendocino and Sonoma counties. This water source has been crucial for agricultural, municipal, and environmental uses. As soon as 2028, PG&E plans on decommissioning the Potter Valley Project, which could help fish restoration on the Eel River but also decrease water availability and negatively impact local communities. Two different non-binding resolutions were discussed at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting regarding the decommissioning of the Potter Valley Project. … ” Read more from the Mendocino Voice.
SEE ALSO: Supervisors delay vote on Potter Valley Project resolution, from the Ukiah Daily Journal
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Sewage spilled into Lake Tahoe. California woman says it nearly cost her life
“A 24-year-old woman nearly died after she swallowed water tainted with sewage flowing from a pipe that dumped about 85,000 gallons of raw waste into Lake Tahoe’s azure waters, according to documents and the victim. The woman, who requested anonymity to protect her medical privacy, enjoyed wakeboarding and surfing near Carnelian Bay and Dollar Point on a trip with family friends, from July 19-21, 2024. But she soon began to feel sick, remained unconscious for days and hospitalized for weeks. She still has not recovered and lost much of her memory after the trip, the woman stated. “In the beginning, it was awful,” the woman wrote. “I have been told they did not think I would live.” … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
ECO-CLEAN’s beach-cleaning robot wraps 2025 with 23 cleanups
“With the summer season wrapped and the shores beginning to quiet, ECO-CLEAN Solutions is proud to share its biggest season yet. This year included 23 cleanups across 14 highly-impacted beaches around Lake Tahoe. At the heart of each cleanup is a simple mission: protect the lake we all love by removing what is often out of sight but top of mind—buried litter and microplastic pollution that traditional methods often miss. What began as a grassroots effort in 2022 has grown into a movement powered by innovation, community partnerships, and the belief that Tahoe’s world-renowned beauty is worth fighting for. With each mile of shoreline cleaned and every buried piece of litter removed, ECO-CLEAN is helping ensure this place stays as breathtaking for future generations as it is today. … ” Read more from the Sierra Sun.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Aiding shorebirds across the Sacramento Valley
“Across California’s Sacramento Valley, partners are coming together to ensure the region’s floodplains work for both people and wildlife. As part of the Floodplain Forward Coalition, Point Blue Conservation Science and our collaborators are integrating the latest science into multi-species management—helping landowners, water managers, and conservation groups align efforts for birds, fish, and other wildlife that depend on dynamic wetland habitat. Over the past several decades, creative partnerships have helped bring back waterfowl populations and advance recovery efforts for endangered fish. Yet one group of species, the shorebirds that travel thousands of miles along the Pacific Flyway, still faces significant challenges. Shorebirds include sandpipers, stilts, and many other species that are often seen searching for invertebrate prey in wetlands. The “shoulder seasons” of late summer, early fall, and late spring are especially critical for migrating shorebirds, when shallow wet habitats become scarce across much of the Valley. … ” Read more from the Northern California Water Association.
Groundwater fee discussion continues at Flood Control and Water Conservation District meeting
“The ongoing discussion about planning how to structure future groundwater fees continued on Monday with the Tehama County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. Last week on Wednesday, there was a presentation at a special meeting of the Groundwater Commission, where over 20 members of the public attended and many made public comments. Monday’s meeting had fewer attendees, but some of those present still commented in the discussions covering two difficult topics, water and money. Public Works Deputy Director – Water Resources Justin Jenson, shared the same slideshow with the district directors as at the previous meeting. He asked them to consider the different possibilities for setting methods to determine the fees. As with the prior meeting, no fees were set from the decisions made, but rather several recommendations were offered, which will then be shared with consultants to complete a comparison and legal review. … ” Read more from the Daily News.
BAY AREA
Bay Area’s getting wet again, as an atmospheric river opens the door to winter
“National Weather Service forecasters said the first noteworthy atmospheric river of the season will hit the Bay Area this weekend, with the most rain north of San Francisco. A first storm will begin on Friday as it makes its way down the West Coast. A second storm will follow close behind before moving further south later this weekend or early next week. Forecasters said this weekend’s systems will mostly bring beneficial rain to the region and more rain than snow in the Sierra Nevada. “People headed to the mountains should be aware that there might be a little snow this weekend, but overall, it’s not looking like a major snowmaker,” said Courtney Carpenter, a warning coordination meteorologist with the weather service’s Sacramento office. … ” Read more from KQED.
SEE ALSO: Bay Area could get more rain this weekend than expected if atmospheric river comes closer, from the SF Chronicle
Bay Area regulators settle with wastewater plant for $734,000 over foul odor
“San Francisco Bay water quality regulators announced Wednesday a $734,000 settlement with C&H Sugar, three years after the company’s Crockett wastewater plant sent out an extreme smell for more than a month following an equipment failure. This comes a month after the same company settled with Contra Costa County prosecutors for approximately $500,000 over the same incident. The equipment failure occurred due to excessive heat in September 2022. Residents living near the plant complained that it made them sick and “reported smelling rotten eggs and suffered subsequent nausea, burning eyes, headaches, and respiratory problems during this entire period. Some residents reported avoiding walking and recreating outside,” Crockett Community Services District said in a statement on Wednesday. … ” Read more from KQED.
Project opens 40-mile stretch of Bay Area waterway to endangered fish
“If you’re a steelhead trout wanting to start a family, it’s a long swim from San Francisco Bay to the sheltered breeding grounds of Alameda Creek. But now, for the first time in nearly three decades, that winding 40-mile path from Union City to the rolling foothills of Sunol is finally flowing free. “The flows get really high here,” says California Trout Regional Director Claire Buchanan, pointing to the running creek. The environmental group helped push through the final removal of a structural barrier allowing migrating fish to reach the shaded banks. “So this is a really incredible place where they can reproduce and hopefully recover as a species. We expect to see salmon and steelhead moving through the San Francisco Bay up to the upper portions of Alameda Creek,” Buchanan explains. … ” Read more from Channel 7.
Revolutionary facility to provide US city with drinking water from unexpected source: ‘Innovative’
“A Northern California city just launched operations on a technology that could change the future of drought resilience in the region and bring clean drinking water to millions. The city of Antioch, located in the Bay Area, has launched a $116 million desalination plant that will convert brackish water from the San Joaquin River into fresh, drinkable water, according to the State Water Resources Control Board. Once operational, the facility will produce up to 6 million gallons of clean water per day, enough to cover about 40% of the city’s drinking supply. This breakthrough is more than just a local milestone for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. It’s the eighth plant in a growing statewide initiative to build 14 planned plants by 2040 to strengthen water security in the face of the warming climate, drought, and saltwater intrusion — problems that threaten drinking water access for more than 4 billion people worldwide. … ” Read more from The Cool Down.
CENTRAL COAST
Monterey water district asks state to lift restrictions on new hookups
“A Tuesday filing with California water regulators is asking the state to modify restrictions on new water hookups along the Monterey Peninsula, setting the stage for construction of badly needed housing. The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District filed the request with the state Water Quality Control Board, citing health and safety issues if the state’s cease-and-desist order, or CDO, remains in place, specifically Condition 2 that addresses new water hookups. “The prohibitions against new service connections and increased use at existing service connections resulting from Condition 2 unfairly restrict local jurisdictions from pursuing housing construction mandated by the state and job growth sought by the local business community,” reads a section of the 23-page filing. “This is a window of opportunity for the community to ease water restrictions in favor of housing and jobs,” said Dave Stoldt, the water district general manager. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald.
SLO County takes over day-to-day management of beleaguered beach town CSD
“Daily management of the long-beleaguered San Simeon Community Services District is, for now, in the hands of San Luis Obispo County Public Works. Fluid Resource Management, the Arroyo Grande firm that has managed the actual water and wastewater plants and operations for some time, has gotten good reviews and will remain on the job. But general management will fall to Public Works division manager Suzy Watkins, with her overseeing everything else and assuring that operations are stabilized and the water and wastewater services run smoothly. She’s expected to work up to 20 hours a week — at more than $83 an hour — and be in the CSD’s offices two days a week, according to a temporary assignment outlined Sept. 29 by deputy director of Public Works Kate Ballantyne. … ” Read more from the San Luis Obispo Tribune.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
San Joaquin County to work with local, state agencies in efforts to stop the spread of mussel
“The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors is taking its first step to stop an invasive species from spreading throughout the region’s waters and into the San Francisco Bay. Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved the formation of an ad hoc committee to coordinate with state and local agencies to address the emergence the golden mussel. A native species to China and Southeast Asia, the golden mussel measures as long as 1.75 inches and is believed to have stowed away on a freighter that docked at the Port of Stockton last year. The discovery alarmed water managers and environmental scientists because unlike their cousins — the quagga mussels — which have infested major Colorado River facilities in Southern California, golden mussels can tolerate a wider range of aquatic environments. … ” Read more from the Lodi News-Sentinel.
Months of hashing, rehashing over “controversial” groundwater use results in proposed pumping plan for Lemoore-area farmers
“Another Kings County groundwater agency has issued a draft policy on one of its thorniest issues – pumping allotments. The South Fork Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) approved a draft pumping allocation policy at its Oct. 16 meeting, which opens a 45-day comment period. The neighboring Mid-Kings River GSA issued its draft policy Oct. 14 after numerous “very difficult” conversations about the amounts, according to consulting engineer Amer Hussain, who also works for South Fork. Both policies allow farmers to pump one amount that’s considered “sustainable” yield, or the amount that can be extracted without causing negative impacts. Another amount in the allocation formula is called “transitional” pumping. That category is a buffer amount above sustainable yield that will decrease to 0 by 2040, when the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) requires regions to be in balance. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Weather blamed for 8% drop in Kern crop values
“An extensive mid-summer heat wave in Kern County, Calif., last year may be to blame for an 8% decline in gross value of agricultural output in 2024. The county’s three largest crops by gross value each surpassed $1 billion in sales from the farm. Of those, only citrus saw an increase in its overall value year-over-year. These values never reflect net profit and cannot be an indicator of the financial success of local farmers. Nevertheless, these are interesting numbers as they point to the size and general importance of agriculture to the local economy. Citrus, grapes, and carrots were the top three crops by gross value last year, making up 45% of the county’s overall value of more $7.9 billion. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press.
EASTERN SIERRA
Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority and Searles Valley Minerals announce critical water rights settlement and partnership
“The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority (IWVGA) and Searles Valley Minerals have reached a comprehensive settlement agreement, marking a significant step toward achieving groundwater sustainability in the Indian Wells Valley. The agreement states that both IWVGA and Searles have permanently dropped (“dismissed with prejudice”) the separate lawsuits they filed against each other. While the main, comprehensive water rights lawsuit continues, Searles has agreed not to challenge the scientific and technical findings of the valley’s mandated Groundwater Sustainability Plan and will instead work with the IWVGA to implement the plan. Just as importantly, the settlement secures Searles’ support for the region’s long-term water management efforts through agreements on where and how the company will acquire water for its operations, as well as outlining guarantees for any water rights it may obtain through the adjudication. “We are very pleased to work in partnership with Searles Valley Minerals to achieve a sustainable water future not just for Searles, but for all the residents of the valley and Trona,” said Scott Hayman, chair of the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority. “This outcome places the Indian Wells Valley Water District on an island as the sole challenger to the sustainable yield that was developed out of sound science at the request of the U.S. Navy.” … ” Continue reading this press release.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
NOAA forecast predicts drier than normal winter in SoCal
“Southern California will possibly see drier conditions than what is average for winter, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s winter outlook. The seasonal outlook from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, released last week, predicts that the Upper Midwest and Pacific Northwest will experience possible cooler-than-average temperatures, while much of the southern and eastern United States will face potentially milder temperatures than what is usually expected during the winter season. The winter outlook predicts whether parts of the country will be above, below or near average when it comes to temperatures and precipitation — from December through February. … ” Read more from ABC 7.
The safety of your water could be related to how your water utility is run
“How democratic is your water utility? Does everyone who is registered to vote get to choose their leaders in elections? Or do only property owners get to vote for the managers? Maybe the public has no say at all in selecting the people who make decisions that determine safe and affordable drinking water? “We see significant differences based on democracy,” said Kristin Dobbin, a researcher at UC Berkeley. “It really does influence the outcomes of a water system.” In a new study she led, it turns out that water utilities where all voters have a say in choosing leaders tend to perform better. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Did climate change make the LA fires worse? It’s complicated
“Strong winds, warm weather, dry brush and a lack of rain: All of those factors and more came together to make L.A.’s January wildfires some of the worst on record. But were those conditions made worse by climate change? Authors of a new study published in Earth System Science Data try to quantify the answer, writing that climate change probably made the Eaton and Palisades fires more likely and could have resulted in the burned area being 25 times larger than it would have been without climate change (though there’s a large range of uncertainty in that estimation). “Those fires in January were just so much more difficult to control because it was so dry, because it was warmer,” said Crystal Kolden, professor and director of the Fire Resilience Center at UC Merced and a co-author of the paper. “And that is where that climate change signal is really strong.” … ” Read more from LAist.
SAN DIEGO
Fed’s Tijuana River clean-up experiment suffers storm damage
“A storm wiped out millions of dollars’ worth of experimental Tijuana River treatment technology paid for by a cash-strapped federal agency just months after setting it up. Others working to manage trash on a separate project where the river crosses from Mexico into the United States said they warned the tech company, Greenwater Services, of the poor location of their equipment next to the flood-prone river. But last week’s intense rainstorm swept away their equipment trailers and overturned at least one diesel generator, spilling an estimated 1,000 gallons of fuel into the river. … ” Read more from the Voice of San Diego.
Along the Colorado River …
Fight over water intensifies as Colorado River dries up
“What was once a mighty river flowing from Colorado through the Grand Canyon all the way down to the Gulf of California in Mexico has been reduced to a trickle that barely reaches the ocean. Experts warn the river basin is at a breaking point, jeopardizing water security for major cities such as Los Angeles and Denver, harming endangered fish species, and putting some of the largest food producers in the US at risk. Lakes Mead and Powell, the river’s largest reservoirs, are critically low, a product of prolonged drought and rising temperatures. If water levels fall further, hydropower generation at the Hoover and Glen Canyon dams could be curtailed, threatening energy supply and recreation. “The ultimate cause of the problem in the Colorado River is a warming climate,” Jack Schmidt, director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University, told DW. “But the immediate or proximate cause of the entire crisis is our inability to quickly reduce our expenses to match our dwindling income,” added Schmidt. In other words: overuse. … ” Read more from DW.
Arizona opinion: Why Colorado River states must confront the digital water boom
Rusty Childress, a nature photographer, writes, “Next month, the seven Colorado River Basin states — Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming — are set to finalize a new framework for sharing a shrinking resource. Billed as a modern compact for a hotter, drier century, it will shape how the West survives in an age of scarcity. Yet amid debates over drought, equity, and cutbacks, one rapidly expanding demand remains almost invisible: the immense water consumption of artificial intelligence and the data centers that sustain it. Across the Basin, massive server farms are rising on desert outskirts and industrial parks — from Goodyear and Mesa to Las Vegas and northern Utah. These facilities form the digital backbone of the AI era, training vast models and storing the world’s data. But their environmental cost is steep. A single data center can consume millions of gallons of water per day for cooling — drawn from the same aquifers, canals, and river-fed systems that sustain farms, families, and wildlife. … ” Read more from the Arizona Daily Star.
Utah Supreme Court rejects Colorado River water pipeline project
“The Utah Supreme Court has rejected a project that proposes to take water from the Colorado River system in Utah, pump it hundreds of miles across Wyoming into Colorado. In a unanimous decision, the state’s top court sided with the Utah State Engineer, who rejected Water Horse Resources application to take 55,000 acre-feet of water from the Green River, a tributary of the Colorado River, and pump it to the Fort Collins, Colo., area. In a very technical ruling, Justice Diana Hagen wrote that Upper Colorado agreements do not pre-empt Utah laws governing water exports and the company hasn’t shown enough that water taken can be put to beneficial use in Colorado. … ” Read more from Fox 13.
Lake Powell sees modest rise, but long-term deficit persists
“Lake Powell’s water level rose nearly half a foot this week, a small but measurable gain following a period of steady decline. The Bureau of Reclamation’s daily data show the reservoir reached 3,545.10 feet above sea level on October 15, up 0.47 feet from October 13. Despite the short-term rise, Lake Powell remains 154.9 feet below full pool, holding about 28 percent of its total storage capacity. The recent increase reflects a brief improvement in inflows to the Colorado River’s second-largest reservoir. According to lakepowell.water-data.com, inflows have slightly outpaced releases over the past several days, leading to the modest uptick. On October 13, the lake measured 3,544.63 feet. It climbed by 0.20 feet the following day and another 0.27 feet by October 15. The pattern suggests limited upstream runoff or reduced downstream outflow rather than a major hydrologic shift. … ” Read more from the Lake Powell Chronicle.
Colorado Springs Utilities gets update before final weeks of negotiations on Colorado River water rights
“With less than three weeks to go before a crucial deadline in the negotiations over Colorado River water rights, a state official told the Colorado Springs Utilities Board of Directors on Wednesday to hope for a broad framework. The states at the upper and lower ends of the Colorado River have spent years negotiating how to replace the 2007 operating guidelines for the river, which are set to expire in 2026. The immediate focus of the negotiations has been on setting rules for how lakes Mead and Powell will continue operating as reservoirs while they face declining water levels. The states face a Nov. 11 deadline to reach new guidelines or potentially have the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation step in. Becky Mitchell, who represents Colorado on the interstate Upper Colorado River Commission, told the Utilities Board that having the federal government step in at that point could forever change the state’s role in negotiations about the river. … ” Read more from the Colorado Springs Gazette.
Snowmass Village’s wilderness water source poses unique wildfire risk
“If Snowmass Village ran an ad for its tap water, it might feature snow-covered, pristine high peaks above the town. Winter snowflakes gather on Baldy and Willoughby mountains and trickle through alpine tundra and conifer forests into East Snowmass Creek, where icy clear water tumbles past the U.S. Forest Service Wilderness Area sign. Snow to the river to the village’s faucets. In real life, after the water is diverted from East Snowmass Creek — just about 20 feet downstream from the boundary of the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness area — it makes a quick detour through the town of Snowmass Village’s filtration systems at the water-treatment facility on Fanny Hill. (The ad might as well include smiling skiers.) “We get our water basically from a super-pristine source, so we’re literally drinking out of the mountain stream,” said Darrell Smith, water resources manager for Snowmass Water and Sanitation. … ” Read more from Aspen Journalism.
In national water news today …
Congress members question Pentagon’s delay in ‘forever chemical’ cleanup
“Three dozen members of Congress, including two Republicans, asked Wednesday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth explain why the Pentagon has pushed back its cleanup of “forever chemical” contamination at nearly 140 military sites nationwide. The New York Times reported last month that the Department of Defense had delayed its cleanup efforts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, which are used in firefighting foam at military installations across the country. The chemicals are linked to serious diseases including cancer. The delays extended the timelines for cleanup of contaminated water and soil by an average of five years, and in some cases by almost a decade. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
Administration announces plan to boost beef producers, supply
“The Trump administration has announced a set of policy initiatives that it says will strengthen the U.S. beef industry by reducing red tape regarding the use of public lands; making money available to producers; and ensuring “product of USA” labeling is applied only to meat born, raised and slaughtered in the United States. “America’s food supply chain is a national security priority for the Trump Administration. We are committed to ensuring the American people have an affordable source of protein and that America’s ranchers have a strong economic environment where they can continue to operate for generations to come,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Wednesday. … ” Read more from the Capitol Press.
