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In California water news this weekend …
Solano County challenges Delta tunnel consistency with Delta Plan regulations
Ken James / DWR
“Solano County officials are crafting an appeal of the Certification of Consistency for the Delta tunnel project. The state Department of Water Resources submitted its certification for the Delta Conveyance Project on Oct. 17. The county Board of Supervisors on Oct. 21 voted unanimously in closed session to appeal the document. “Solano will be working with San Joaquin, Yolo and (the) Central Delta Water Agency to file a joint request that the Delta Stewardship Council remand the Certification of Consistency back to DWR because the county believes the DCP will have severe negative impacts on the Delta and is inconsistent with the Delta Plan,” the County Counsel’s Office said in an email response to the Daily Republic. … ” Read more from the Daily Republic.
Delta Tunnel Update: Governor claims two ‘victories,’ CalChamber files dangerous initiative
Dan Bacher writes, “Opponents of the Delta Tunnel project last month celebrated their successful campaign against Newsom’s trailer bill to fast-track the Delta Conveyance Project through the State Legislature, but the zombie project continues to slowly move through other government processes. Newsom yesterday announced what he described as “two recent key victories” in his unrelenting political campaign to advance the 43-mile long Delta Tunnel. He cited a court decision reversing a preliminary injunction that was previously blocking pre-construction geotechnical work, along with a California Department of Water Resources (DWR) submission to the Delta Stewardship Council for a “certification of consistency” for the broader project. He claims the project is a critical infrastructure project to “safeguard California’s water supplies amid a hotter, drier future,” while Tribes, fishing groups, environmental justice organizations, family farmers and elected officials say underground tunnel would devastate imperiled salmon and other fish populations and wreak havoc in communities throughout the Bay-Delta region. … ” Read more from the Daily Kos.
Third district holds CEQA’s “whole of an action” and “piecemealing” principles do not apply to Delta Reform Act’s “Certification of Consistency” requirement, reverses preliminary injunctions against non-implementation, preconstruction geotechnical work for Delta tunnel project
In a published opinion filed October 17, 2025, the Third District Court of Appeal reversed the trial court’s preliminary injunction orders in five related actions prohibiting preconstruction geotechnical work to be undertaken by the Department of Water Resources (“DWR”) in connection with the Delta tunnel project (formally known as the “Delta Conveyance Project”). The Court of Appeal held the trial court erred in interpreting a provision of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Reform Act of 2009 (the “Delta Reform Act” or “Act”; Wat. Code, §85000 et seq.), requiring state agencies to certify to the Delta Stewardship Council that “covered actions” (as statutorily defined) are consistent with the Delta Plan before implementing them. (the “certification of consistency” requirement; id., §85225). Specifically, it rejected plaintiffs’ arguments that the certification of consistency requirement “incorporated” CEQA’s “piecemealing” and “whole of an action” concepts so as to render the proposed preconstruction geotechnical work, which is not a “covered action,” inseparable from the relevant “covered action” – i.e., the Delta tunnel project – and thus unable to proceed absent a certification of consistency.… ” Read more from Miller Starr Regalia.
One year later, how California is combating golden mussels
“It’s been a year since golden mussels were first discovered in California—and the state’s response has been swift and strategic. In partnership with California State Parks and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, DWR is taking decisive action to combat the spread of this invasive species and safeguard California’s vital water infrastructure. Golden mussels pose a serious threat to the State Water Project (SWP), which delivers water to 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland. To protect this critical infrastructure, DWR has launched a series of proactive measures aimed at minimizing the mussels’ impact on our water conveyance system.” Watch video from DWR below:
In people news this weekend …
Promotions, passings, profiles – submit people news items to maven@mavensnotebook.com.
Kern County Water Agency hires Eric Averett as new manager
The Kern County Water Agency hired its own former board president as its new general manager Thursday at an annual base salary of $525,000. Eric Averett, who apparently resigned his board seat Oct. 8 though that wasn’t announced until Thursday, will assume his new duties Nov. 24, according to the employment agreement unanimously approved by the agency’s board of directors. Aside from the more than half a million in salary, Averett will also receive a $60,000 signing bonus, $40,000 a year into a retirement fund, $11,700 a year in car allowance, 240 hours of vacation time per year (with a maximum cap of 672 hours), plus 40 hours a year of “administrative leave time.” It is a huge job that involves juggling the needs of 13 often contentious, local agricultural water districts, overseeing a network of canal systems and providing water for residents in northeast Bakersfield all while keeping an eye on what’s happening in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta – among other things. “Hiring a general manager is the most important decision that a board can make,” director Gene Lundquist stressed. “So, I’d like to congratulate Eric Averett on his appointment.” … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Richard Luthy, environmental engineer and water quality expert, has died
“Richard G. Luthy, the Silas H. Palmer Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University and senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, died Monday, Oct. 6, at Stanford Hospital after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. He was 80 years old. Luthy was a monumental figure in the field of environmental engineering. His expertise lay in the sustainable management of water resources. His body of research, which includes authorship of over 310 peer-reviewed papers, several book chapters, and at least six patents, focused on water conservation, recycling, and storage, particularly in urban and rural water settings of the water-challenged American West. “There isn’t a single activity that will solve our water problems,” Luthy once said, “but conservation, recycling, desalination, stormwater capture, recharge, and water banking will go a long way.” … ” Read more from Stanford University.
Melanie Winter, who fought for embracing nature along the Los Angeles River, dies
“Melanie Winter, who dedicated much of her life to reimagining the Los Angeles River as a natural asset, has died. She was 67. Winter worked persistently for nearly three decades to spread her alternative vision for the river and its watershed, calling for “unbuilding” where feasible, removing concrete and reactivating stretches of natural floodplains where the river could spread out. Leading her nonprofit group the River Project, she championed efforts to embrace nature along the river, saying that allowing space for a meandering waterway lined with riparian forests would help recharge groundwater, reduce flood risks and allow a green oasis to flourish in the heart of Los Angeles. “She was a voice for nature and a voice for the river,” said Rita Kampalath, L.A. County’s chief sustainability officer and a longtime friend of Winter’s. “She had such strength of her convictions, and she was so clear-eyed in the vision that she wanted to push forward. And I think that inspired a lot of people.” …. ” Read more from the LA Times.
Podcasts …
WATERLOOP: The ways Orange County leads the water world | The Golden State of reuse
Orange County shows how water recycling moves from idea to impact—linking history, science, and workforce to make reuse mainstream. At Irvine Ranch Water District, Paul Cook explains how a simple visual breakthrough—the now-iconic purple pipe—was created in the 1980s to clearly mark recycled water and build public trust, a standard that spread across California and the world. At Orange County Water District’s Groundwater Replenishment System, Mehul Patel traces the lineage from Water Factory 21 to today’s 130-MGD advanced purification that protects a coastal aquifer, pushes back seawater intrusion, and supplies enough water for about a million people. Research and innovation lead the way: Megan Plumley spotlights OCWD’s lab and pilots tackling energy use in RO, improving membranes and spacers, and continuously monitoring for PFAS, microplastics, and other emerging contaminants—evidence that potable reuse is built on decades of science, not slogans. The future depends on people as much as plants. At Moulton Niguel Water District, Joone Kim-Lopez lays out the skills needed for direct potable reuse—high-level certification, data literacy, and creativity—while sharing how partnerships with colleges are creating new training pathways.
WATER TALK: Irrigation, evapotranspiration, and climate
A conversation with Professor Sonali McDermid (New York University) about irrigation, evapotranspiration, and impacts on climate systems.
WATER IS A MANY SPLENDOR’ED THING PODCAST: Outcome Based Water Management
Managing the health of a watershed has historically been attempted by predicting the results of possible manager behavior with computer models. The strategy was; if a good result was calculated, the approach would be tried in the field. This has produced mixed results. Are there better approaches to managing a watershed? Water is a Many Splendor’ed Thing brings you another water relationship that has a personally significant impact to your life. Produced by Stephen Baker, Bringing People Together to Solve Water Problems, water@operationunite.co 530-205-6388In regional water news this weekend …
NORTH COAST
One year after a historic dam removal, teens inspire river restoration worldwide: ‘It turns out you can win’
“Ruby Williams’s pink kayak pierced the fog shrouding the mouth of the Klamath River, and she paddled harder. She was flanked on both sides by fellow Indigenous youth from across the basin, and their line of brightly colored boats would make history when they reached the Pacific Ocean on the other side of the sandy dunes – they were going to do it together. The final of four hydroelectric dams were removed last year from the Klamath River, in the largest project of its kind in US history. The following July, 28 teenage tribal representatives completed a 30-day journey that spanned roughly 310 miles (500km) from the headwaters in the Cascades to the Pacific. They were the very first to kayak the entirety of the mighty river in more than a century. … ” Read more from The Guardian.
Judge rules against nonprofit, says Humboldt County has discretion in managing groundwater extraction in the Lower Eel River Valley
“We somehow missed this decision when it was handed down late last month, but Humboldt County Superior Court Presiding Judge Kelly Neel ruled against local nonprofit Friends of the Eel River (FOER) in its lawsuit concerning the county’s management of groundwater extraction in the Eel River Valley. The lawsuit, first filed in 2022, argued that Humboldt County was falling short of its responsibility to protect public trust resources in the Eel by failing to consider the adverse effects of groundwater pumping, particularly during the late summer and early fall. FOER’s suit pointed to instances of extremely low flows and the resulting inhospitable environmental conditions for migrating salmon, conditions such as anemic flow, warm temperatures, algal accretion and low dissolved oxygen. Citing the public trust doctrine, a common law principle that dates to ancient Rome, the suit asked the court to require Humboldt County to create a program to regulate groundwater pumping. … ” Read more from the Lost Coast Outpost.
Mendocino County rejects resolution opposing dam removal
“Last week, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors entertained a resolution that would renege on the board’s previous support for dam removal projects in the Potter Valley, where PG&E is in the process of decommissioning the Scott and Cape Horn dams. The resolution was ultimately rejected in favor of an alternative on which the board will vote at its next meeting. The initial resolution, brought forward by supervisors Madeline Cline and Bernie Norvell, called on PG&E to “reevaluate its decision to seek decommissioning of the (Potter Valley Project), and for PG&E to account for and address the severe social and community impacts of water loss as a result of its responsibility to the communities that developed around its operations.” It also “urges state and federal representatives to hold PG&E accountable for its decision to decommission the PVP which is negatively impacting the communities who rely on the water, especially in light of its role in shaping those communities that now depend on the PVP.” … ” Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
SYRCL’s Van Norden Meadow Restoration reaches major milestone: Lytton Creek reconnected to historic floodplain
“SYRCL is excited to share that Phase 2 of the Van Norden Meadow Restoration Project was completed this year! Phase 2 focused on restoring the Lytton Fan within the larger 485-acre, Van Norden Meadow Restoration Project. The main objective of this portion of the project was to reconnect Lytton Creek with the Lytton Fan to activate a significant part of the floodplain in Van Norden Meadow, providing hydrologic and ecological benefits to a dry section of the meadow. … ” Read more from the South Yuba River Citizens League.
NAPA/SONOMA
New water storage rules celebrated at Lake Mendocino
“Nearly 10 years after two scientists launched balloons into the clouds over Ukiah in the hopes that their research could one day lead to more water being stored in Lake Mendocino, local officials gathered at Coyote Valley Dam this week to celebrate the successful implementation of that weather-forecasting project into the official manual the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers uses to determine how much water to release from the reservoir. “It is definitely time to modernize (water storage operations), and we are leading the way on that right here in Mendocino County,” said Rep Jared Huffman (D – San Rafael) to the crowd gathered near the South Boat Ramp on Wednesday, Oct. 22, to celebrate what the USACE acknowledged was a revising of 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.” … ” Read more from the Ukiah Daily Journal.
BAY AREA
Bay Area’s eel grass under threat from changing climate
“When the tide rolls out along the shoreline of San Pablo Bay, plots of long, sinewy grass, known as eel grass, peak out from the water. Researchers have long known these plots of grass as a favorite destination of all sorts of marine life – a place where Pacific herring lay their eggs or small smelt will hide from predators while eating even smaller fish. But just how many fish and creatures depend on eel grass is something of a mystery. “We know that fish use these beds,” said Kathy Boyer, a scientist with the Estuary and Ocean Science Center who has studied eel grass for two decades. “But we don’t really know the details.” … ” Read more from NBC Bay Area.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Porterville City Council approves Hope School water project
“In a significant move for both public health and future development, the Porterville City Council has approved a plan to connect Hope Elementary School to the city’s municipal water system. This decision addresses decades of concerns about the school’s water quality and sets the stage for expanded infrastructure in the surrounding area. Hope Elementary School, located southeast of the city near Highway 65 and Teapot Dome Avenue, has been operating with a single active well that has exceeded acceptable nitrate levels. The new connection will replace the existing well and water tank, providing the school with a reliable and safe water supply for domestic use, irrigation, and fire protection. Hope Elementary Superintendent Melanie Matta expressed optimism about the project, saying the connection will greatly benefit the students while aligning with the school’s vision for the future. … ” Read more from the Porterville Recorder.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Big wave machine — by the sea — rolling into El Segundo
“The coastal city of El Segundo is an unlikely location for a massive, new artificial surf park. Other California surf parks with machine-powered wave pools are inland, far from natural waves in places like Palm Springs and Lemoore in the San Joaquin Valley. This summer, an owner of one of those parks, Palm Springs Surf Club, bought 10 acres of land on a former aerospace campus in El Segundo. The location is near a bonanza of sports enterprises that have sprung up in recent years, including a Topgolf entertainment complex and the training facility and headquarters of the Los Angeles Chargers football team. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Shrinking beaches, shrinking revenue: Sand erosion a concern for businesses, economy
“The Orange County Business Council most recently cast its attention to an economic sector that is vital to the region’s growth and fortunes — its coast. “A third of Orange County’s economy is based on our coast,” Orange County Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley told a recent gathering hosted by the business council in Newport Beach to address growing concerns about beach erosion and disappearing sand, vital to everything from tourism to jobs, property taxes to recreation, presenters emphasized. “For every dollar we invest in sand, we get $3,000 dollars back – let that sink in,” Foley shared, noting 75% of Americans say they choose the beach when they go on vacation. “We must keep our beaches, so we have all these tourists.” … ” Read more from the OC Register.
Calimesa: Water agencies collaborate to bring water to the region
“Local and regional water leaders broke ground on the County Line Road Recharge Basin and Turnout Project on Tuesday, Oct. 14. It is a $3.1 million initiative designed to bring clean drinking water and drought resilience to the Calimesa region. The San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, and South Mesa Water Company are partnering on the County Line Road Recharge Basin and Turnout Project. The groundbreaking was located near 960 Fourth Street, Community Park. This regional water supply project will deliver clean and reliable drinking water to 18,000 people. It will also import water to the Calimesa region for the first time, strengthen regional drought resilience and stabilize Yucaipa Subbasin groundwater. … ” Read more from the Record-Gazette.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Massive Thermal Ranch Project sparks water and growth concerns in Coachella Valley
“The proposed Thermal Ranch project, a 600-acre luxury equestrian and residential development, has reignited debate over growth, water use, and sustainability in the Coachella Valley. Approved by the Riverside County Planning Commission, the project still requires a final green light from county supervisors, who could take up the issue before the end of the year. Community members and advocacy groups, including Leadership Council, have voiced strong objections, emphasizing the project’s projected consumption of more than 570 million gallons of water annually. That water would be drawn from the Colorado River, a critical and already overburdened resource shared across the Southwest. … ” Read more from NBC Palm Springs.
Along the Colorado River …
Reconsidering agricultural water rights in the American Southwest
“In the southwestern United States, recent depletions in water resources from groundwater aquifers to rivers have sparked debates over how to reduce water usage. The debate has intensified, particularly within states that depend on the Colorado River, which is currently experiencing an 18 percent drop in water flow compared to last century. These states, which constitute the Colorado River Basin, are divided into an Upper Basin, including Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico, along with a Lower Basin, including Arizona, California, and Nevada. Aside from the Colorado River, recent data on groundwater indicates significant depletion of water resources across the Southwest. In 2023, a revised report on groundwater estimates in Arizona led to a pause on some housing construction on the outskirts of the Phoenix suburbs until assurances of 100-year water supplies could be met. … ” Read more from The Fulcrum.
Arizona water authority scrambles to protect $400 million water fund before tough budget year
“It’s bad to be sitting on a pot of money if you’re a state agency in a tough budget year. That’s a lesson that board members of the obscure entity charged with finding new water supplies for drought-plagued Arizona learned over the past two years. Sitting on a pot of cash makes you a target when state lawmakers, facing a budget shortfall for basic state services, are looking around for places from which to grab it. Members of the board overseeing the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority have already seen that happen. And that has them trying to figure out right now how to spend what they do have — and quickly. Instead of sitting on the $1 billion the Legislature and then-Gov. Doug Ducey promised them three years ago to find new water sources; the agency, more commonly called WIFA, has just over a third of that money remaining. … ” Read more from the Arizona Capitol Times.
Tribes launch commission to safeguard Chuckwalla National Monument
“Five tribes in the Colorado River region are launching a commission to safeguard the Chuckwalla National Monument, a newly-protected expanse of high desert on the border of Imperial and Riverside County. In an announcement this month, tribal officials said their goal for the new Chuckwalla National Monument Inter-Tribal Commission is to make sure that their values and knowledge are part of the decision-making process in Washington. The national monument, declared by President Biden in January, covers 600,000 acres of federally-owned mountains and canyons. The landscape is sacred to a number of Tribal Nations, who trace their origins to the region along the river. … ” Read more from KPBS.
As Lake Powell recedes, beavers are building back
“To hike up this narrow canyon, Eric Balken pushed through dense thickets of green. In the shadow of towering red rock walls, his route along a muddy creekbed was lined with bushes and the subtle hum of life. The canyon echoed the buzzing and chirping of bugs and toads. But not long ago, this exact spot was at the bottom of a reservoir. … On this September afternoon, Balken was joined by a team of environmentalists and scientists looking for one specific species of charismatic rodent. “Basically,” said Zanna Stutz, Glen Canyon Institute’s program manager, “If the beavers are here, it means good things are happening.” She explained that beavers are a “keystone species” and serve as an indicator for the health of the whole ecosystem. And in this particular side canyon — a snaking tributary that leads into Lake Powell — they are alive and well. “There are all these different species of wildlife that are coming back here,” Stutz said. “It is a place that is full of life. It’s full of biodiversity.” … ” Read more from KUNC.
Mexico has missed its water repayment deadline to the US. Here’s what could happen next?
“It is October 24, and Mexico has again failed to meet its water delivery obligations to the United States, as stipulated in their 1944 Water Treaty. The treaty mandates Mexico to allocate 1.75 million acre-feet of Rio Grande River water to the US every five years — with the current five-year-cycle concluding on Friday — while the US transfers 1.5 million acre-feet from the Colorado River to Mexico annually. Since the 1990s, Mexico has consistently recorded a deficit or narrowly avoided one each cycle. Normally, when Mexico falls behind in its water commitments to the American state of Texas, the US grants a forbearance to Mexico, on the condition that the obligated amounts of water will be delivered in the following five-year-cycle. But this time, things are different and past expectations no longer apply. … ” Read more from TRT World.
In national water news this weekend …
Amazon strategised about keeping its datacentres’ full water use secret, leaked document shows
“Amazon strategised about keeping the public in the dark over the true extent of its datacentres’ water use, a leaked internal document reveals. The biggest owner of datacentres in the world, Amazon dwarfs competitors Microsoft and Google and is planning a huge increase in capacity as part of a push into artificial intelligence. The Seattle firm operates hundreds of active facilities, with many more in development despite concerns over how much water is being used to cool their vast arrays of circuitry. Amazon defends its approach and has taken steps to manage how efficient its water use is, but it has faced criticism over transparency. Microsoft and Google regularly publish figures for their water consumption, but Amazon has never publicly disclosed how much water its server farms consume. … ” Read more from The Guardian.
EPA releases new cyber resources for water systems
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday released new and updated planning tools that water systems across the country can use to help prevent and respond to cybersecurity incidents. These tools will help all public water systems protect access to safe water and aid systems conducting risk and emergency planning for cybersecurity. “Strengthening cybersecurity for the U.S. water sector is critically important because cyber resilience and water security are key to national security,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Jess Kramer. “Water systems across the country are facing cyberattacks that threaten the ability to provide safe water. As part of advancing the Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative, EPA is committed to ensuring every American has access to clean and safe water. Guarding against cyberattacks is central to this mission.” … ” Read more from Water Finance & Management.
