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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.
- ONLINE EVENT: California Financing Coordinating Committee (CFCC) Funding Fair from 9am to 12pm. The funding fairs provide the opportunity to learn more about available grant, loan, and bond financing options for infrastructure projects from federal, state, and local agencies. Representatives from water industry professionals, public works, local governments, and California Native American Tribes should attend. This includes city managers and planners, economic development and engineering professionals, officials from privately owned facilities, water and irrigation district managers, financial advisors, and project consultants. We look forward to your attendance at the virtual funding fairs. For more information about CFCC, please visit the website at www.cfcc.ca.gov. Click here to register.
- WEBINAR: AI for Water Resources from 12pm to 1pm. AI for water resources focuses on enhancing productivity through automation, simplifying programming with natural language support, and strengthening analytical and model management skills to improve modeling efficiency and decision-making. These learning objectives help professionals streamline workflows, minimize manual coding, and foster collaboration across teams. AI-driven programming assistants—such as Cursor AI—support these goals by guiding users through complex modeling procedures, automating repetitive tasks, and simplifying code development and analysis in water resources and environmental applications. Click here to register.
- GRA SAC VALLEY: PFAS in Groundwater – A Big Picture View from 6pm to 8pm in Chico. This talk will provide a high-level overview of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and their impact on groundwater, avoiding in depth technical detail in favor of broad concepts and trends. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
California expands and strengthens long-term water strategic plan
“California law requires the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to create, promulgate, and update every five years the California Water Plan (Plan). The Plan is intended to provide a comprehensive strategy for the sustainable management and stewardship of California’s water resources. However, the Plan has not had significant revisions responsive to increasing climate unpredictability. On October 1, 2025, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 72 into law, significantly expanding the requirements of the Plan to provide a more forward-looking, actionable roadmap to secure water resources across the state. SB 72 primarily amends provisions of the Water Code that dictate the contents of the Plan and requires DWR to undertake additional studies to determine the state’s future water needs. Previously, the Plan had to include discussions related to “the development of new water storage facilities, water conservation, water recycling, desalination, conjunctive use, and water transfers that may be pursued in order to meet the future water needs of the state.” SB 72 added discussions of groundwater recharge programs, water conveyance projects, stormwater capture, and demand management activities. … ” Read more from the National Law Review.
SB 697 modernizes the surface water adjudication process, shifting the investigation burden to water users
“California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed Senate Bill (SB) 697 into law to modernize the process by which the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) investigates and conducts statutory adjudications of surface water rights on a stream system. Those who depend on water from unadjudicated surface water systems should become familiar with these amendments to the Water Code, which may affect their water rights and obligations. Existing law under Water Code section 2500 et seq., authorizes the State Board to oversee the adjudication and make determinations of the rights of all water users of a stream system — whether based on appropriative or riparian rights. These procedures are typically initiated when one or more water users of a river or stream file a petition for an adjudication with the State Board. Before granting or denying a petition, the State Board must investigate whether the public interest and necessity will be served by a determination of the water rights involved. This includes reviewing all existing water diversions and beneficial uses of the stream system at issue. … ” Read more from the National Law Review.
California gets rare relief from major fires. Officials warn it could change quickly.
“After deadly wildfires in Los Angeles in the beginning of the year, and a series of massive blazes over the summer, California is experiencing a “calm period” with no major fires currently burning. Cal Fire’s emergency incident webpage, which lists all the ongoing wildfires in the state, does not currently show any active blazes as of Tuesday afternoon. And experts are thanking favorable weather over the past two months. Craig Clements, a meteorology and climate science director at San Jose State University’s Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center, told SFGATE that recent rainfalls have significantly reduced California’s current fire risk. “The fire danger and fire risk has been like zero most of the month,” he said. “It’s been incredible and that’s because we had that early rain in September.” … ” Read more from SF Gate.
Hybridization boosts low-light adaptability in California eelgrass
“In the dense underwater meadows off the coast of California, eelgrass—a seagrass genus known as Zostera—forms an intricate and vital ecosystem supporting marine life and stabilizing coastal environments. Researchers exploring the genetic resilience of this aquatic plant have uncovered groundbreaking insights into how hybridization enhances its ability to endure increasingly challenging low-light conditions, a discovery that holds profound implications for marine ecology and climate resilience strategies. This pioneering study reveals that the blending of genetic material between different Zostera species facilitates adaptation mechanisms critical for survival beneath increasingly turbid and shaded waters. … ” Read more from BioEngineer.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Celebration marks completion of tributary restoration at key Klamath River sites
“The end of construction activity on four priority tributaries to the Klamath River was marked with a “restoration celebration” hosted by Resource Environmental Solutions (RES) and attended last week by tribal leaders, contractors and others. As restoration contractor for the Klamath River Renewal project, RES led the effort to rehabilitate these key tributaries using a large playbook of stream restoration designs and practices. Collectively, these four tributaries historically had provided over 25 miles of high-quality habitat for salmon and steelhead. Each one was rendered inaccessible to these species by four dams constructed in the first half of the 1900s. The dams were removed in January 2024 as phase one of the largest dam removal and river restoration in the world. In the second phase, stream restoration designs were finalized as reservoir waters receded and historical stream channels became accessible. During the decades these sections of the tributaries were inundated, their natural structures were deeply impaired. Flow patterns, the deposition of sediment, and a healthy riparian zone were all altered, inhibiting key habitat features that returning salmon and steelhead require to spawn and thrive. … ” Continue reading this press release.
A river restoration in Oregon gets fast results: The salmon swam right back
“After being absent for more than a century, Chinook salmon have returned to their historic spawning grounds at the headwaters of the Klamath River in Oregon. Oregon wildlife officials said this month that the fish had made it past a key milestone, a long lake, and had reached the tributary streams that make up the river’s headwaters. The announcement came roughly a year after the last of four major hydroelectric dams on the Klamath was demolished. The dams had blocked salmon and other fish from traveling upriver. They were removed in 2023 and 2024, the culmination of decades of efforts by Native American groups — including the Yurok, Karuk and Klamath tribes — along with environmental organizations, anglers and others. “It was both a blessing and filled with remorse,” said William E. Ray, Jr., chairman of the Klamath tribes. Many people had “fought hard all those decades” for the restoration effort, he said, and would not see the results. But, he added, “it was also very joyous.” … ” Read more from the New York Times.
Plan to kill 450,000 owls creates odd political bedfellows — loggers and environmentalists
“The strange political bedfellows created by efforts to save spotted owls in the Pacific Northwest just got even stranger. Already Republican members of Congress were allied with animal rights activists. They don’t want trained shooters to kill up to 450,000 barred owls, which are outcompeting northern spotted owls, under a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plan approved last year that would unfold over three decades. Now, timber interests are aligning with environmentalists in favor of culling the owls. Some logging advocates are afraid nixing the plan will slow down timber harvesting. Roughly 2.6 million acres of timberlands in western Oregon managed by the Bureau of Land Management are governed by resource management plans contingent on the barred owl cull going forward, according to Travis Joseph, president and chief executive of the American Forest Resource Council, a trade association representing mills, loggers, lumber buyers and other stakeholders in the region. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
How scientists brought the legendary Lahontan cutthroat trout back to Lake Tahoe
“After nearly 90 years, Lahontan cutthroat trout have made a historic return to Lake Tahoe. This milestone is part of a long-term effort led by the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) to restore this native species, which disappeared from the lake in 1938 due to overfishing, habitat destruction, and the introduction of non-native species. In 2014, NDOW began studying non-native rainbow trout in Lake Tahoe to identify suitable spawning areas for the Lahontan cutthroat trout. Rainbow trout, which spawn in conditions similar to those Lahontans need, served as a model for biologists to determine where to reintroduce the native fish. Over the past several years, Lahontan cutthroat trout have been gradually reintroduced, with 100,000 fish stocked in Lake Tahoe this year alone. … ” Read more from Active NorCal.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Butte County to consider special election for Five-Mile cleanup
“Though no formal action has been taken yet, the Butte County Board of Supervisors agreed to look at a major operation at the Five-Mile Basin in Chico, though with some stipulations. Fresh off the first of what could be many Five-Mile projects to clean up decades of debris and sediment, Public Works Director Josh Pack presented some options to the board during Tuesday’s meeting on how to go forward with flood prevention of the channel. Pack laid out three potential plans, though noting that the board would not be limited by any of the options. The first was to hand the channel over to the city of Chico, making it the city’s jurisdiction going forward, without helping to continue cleaning operations, which Pack did not endorse. Second was to partner with the city to clean the channel together and work in tandem to come up with funding solutions and third would have been to keep it as a solely county project, effectively the status quo. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record.
BAY AREA
San Francisco Bay State of the Birds website offers insight into health of the bay
“The San Francisco Bay Joint Venture and Point Blue Conservation Science have launched a new website called San Francisco Bay State of the Birds. This website presents bird monitoring results, recommended actions, and success stories from around the San Francisco Bay. “This new website will allow restoration practitioners, public agencies, scientists, policymakers, and others to access up-to-date information to help them respond effectively to the pressing and rapidly evolving challenges facing our baylands,” said Jemma Williams, SF Bay State of the Birds co-lead and Conservation Coordinator at the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture. “By sharing this information online, instead of in a once-in-a-decade report, we can provide more frequent updates of population trends and recommended actions to support native and migratory birds.” Birds can serve as useful indicators of ecosystem health. Because birds tend to be sensitive to habitat changes and respond quickly to these changes, their population trends can alert us to problems, reveal how well our ecosystems are functioning overall, and help us understand the degree to which conservation and restoration efforts are effective. … ” Continue reading this press release.
Marin Municipal Water District releases assessment of San Geronimo pipeline project
“The Marin Municipal Water District has changed its plans for replacing seismically vulnerable segments of a pipeline that carries untreated water across the San Geronimo Creek. The updated plan prompted a new environmental assessment, which reached a similar conclusion to a report approved in 2016 that all potential impacts could be mitigated to less than significant. The 263-page report, officially called a draft supplemental initial study/mitigated negative declaration, was released this month. Environmental Science Associates, a San Francisco firm, produced the report at a cost of about $139,000. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
San Benito County Water District weighs cost of failed Pacheco Reservoir expansion
“It now appears San Benito County Water District customers could be on the hook for more than $730,000—or its roughly equivalent in stored water under a proposed deal—in sunk costs for the ill-fated, multibillion-dollar Pacheco Reservoir Expansion Project. Once touted as the top water storage project in the state, and heralded in BenitoLink as a “modern solution to the age-old challenge” of addressing expanding water supply needs, the massive project planned for a site off of Pacheco Pass collapsed under its own weight after years of ballooning costs and other challenges as state and federal agencies ultimately chose to withdraw or withhold support. … ” Read more from BenitoLink.
CENTRAL COAST
CSD seeks permit to restart Cambria Water Reclamation Facility
“Cambria’s Water Reclamation Facility is one step closer to being started up again after not being used in over a decade. Cambria resident Lethia Dickerson has lived in the area for more than 10 years and says she noticed strict water restrictions when she first moved in. “Water restrictions as far as flushing when I first came here. There was flushing restrictions at least from the residents, watering your garden, and washing your car, things like that,” Dickerson said. The town still has some restrictions in place, such as not watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and using a shut-off nozzle when washing vehicles. … ” Read more from KSBY.
Barge parked off Santa Barbara coast is doing pump repairs for desal plant
“Santa Barbara beachgoers have recently taken note of a new, 270-foot barge along the coastline. Named Ocean Protector, the giant vessel is taking up temporary residence near Stearns Wharf to complete necessary repairs for Santa Barbara’s desalination plant. Over four weeks, it will reinforce the intake pumps that deliver water from the ocean to the plant onshore. According to the City of Santa Barbara, crews will be placing 450 tons of protective rock around the pump platforms, “making them more resilient to strong currents caused by storms and tidal changes.” The design is expected to last 50 years and will cost the city a little more than $5 million. … ” Read more from the Santa Barbara Independent.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Did water well dispute lead to massive fish kill in Madera County community lakes?
“In a gated community in east Chowchilla, a legal battle over water has turned ugly between a homeowners’ association and the Water Resource Council that oversees the neighborhood’s lakes. So ugly, that each side is blaming the other for causing the conditions that led to a mass fish die-off last month from lack of oxygen in the area’s community lakes. The HOA told The Fresno Bee it has reason to believe a lawsuit it filed in June, alleging fraudulent billing, led the water council to escalate tensions by shutting off the lakes’ oxygenation system. The water council, for its part, told The Bee it stopped flows into the lakes and had the right to turn off their oxygenation system because the HOA has refused to pay more than $100,000 in water delivery system costs. … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee.
San Joaquin County tackles golden mussel invasion with new funding
“San Joaquin County is launching a task force to combat the spread of golden mussels, an invasive species threatening the local ecosystem and infrastructure, with the help of $20 million in state funding. Deep beneath the Delta hides a threat to the ecosystem, as golden mussels, discovered in the area for the first time last year, are known for clogging pipes and harming native species. “We want to just make sure that we’re doing everything we can to stop the spread of golden mussels,” said District 13 Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom. … ” Read more from KCRA.
Newman, Gustine Councils advance groundwater agreements, well protection policy
“The Newman City Council is expected to take action Tuesday on two regional water management items aimed at strengthening groundwater oversight and protecting domestic well owners. The Gustine City Council approved both measures at its Oct. 7 meeting by a 4-0 vote, with Council member Sherri Marsigli absent. Newman council members will consider adopting the Delta-Mendota Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agency Joint Powers Authority (JPA) Agreement, which would authorize the city manager to sign on behalf of the city. The agreement establishes an independent public entity composed of participating Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) to coordinate subbasin-wide groundwater sustainability efforts. … ” Read more from Westside Connect.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
LA to double recycled water capacity at Van Nuys wastewater plant
“The board of the L.A. Department of Water and Power voted Tuesday to nearly double the amount of water it recycles for drinking at the Donald C. Tillman Wastewater Treatment Plant in Van Nuys. The city has been retrofitting one of its wastewater treatment plants in Van Nuys to recycle water for drinking in order to boost water supplies in the face of long-term water shortages driven by climate change and overuse. Now, if approved by City Council, the plant will be able to recycle water to its full capacity, producing enough water for a half-million Angelenos as soon as 2028. It’s part of a broader effort to recycle all of the city’s water by 2035. … ” Read more from the LAist.
In controversial move, LADWP says it will shift its largest gas power plant to hydrogen
“The board of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power on Tuesday approved a controversial plan to convert part of the city’s largest natural gas-fired power plant into one that also can burn hydrogen. In a 3-0 vote, the DWP board signed off on the final environmental impact report for an $800-million modernization of Units 1 and 2 of the Scattergood Generating Station in Playa Del Rey. The power plant dates to the late 1950s and both units are legally required to be shut down by the end of 2029. In their place, the DWP will install new combined-cycle turbines that are expected to operate on a mixture of natural gas and at least 30% hydrogen with the ultimate goal of running entirely on hydrogen as more supply becomes available. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Riverside’s plan to reconnect residents with their river
“City Council received an update Tuesday on a two-year feasibility study proposing to transform 250 acres of underutilized parkland along the Santa Ana River into a “vibrant public realm”—building on a vision first conceived more than 20 years ago to “put the river back in Riverside.” The River District aims to reconnect residents to the city’s namesake waterway through a four-pillar framework: Engagement, Enforcement, Environment and Economics. The California State Coastal Conservancy supported the feasibility study, conducted by Economic Consultants Oregon, Ltd. under a $199,335 contract Council approved in October 2023. The draft study is now available online for public comment before finalization. … ” Read more from the Raincross Gazette.
Orange County’s first wave pool approved by Newport Beach City Council
“Just 15 minutes from the Pacific Ocean and Newport Beach’s coastline dotted with epic surf breaks, a man-made wave pool has the green light to build. The Snug Harbor Surf Park won the Newport Beach City Council’s approval, 6-0, Tuesday night, Oct. 28, over objections from players at the Newport Beach Golf Course, where it will replace three of the holes, a driving range, restaurant and bar and a pro shop. Councilmember Noah Blom recused himself. The golf course has been around for decades and is one of the more affordable places to play, the golf community argued, calling it a Newport Beach staple where generations of golfers have taken their first swings. Its 55-year land lease is up and the owner has been exploring other options for the property. “This is a very complex project, this is a project we have to get right,” said Mayor Joe Stapleton, who along with several other councilmembers voiced the importance of property rights of private property owners. … ” Read more from the OC Register.
SAN DIEGO
$286M upgrade done for Carlsbad water plant
“The Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant has completed a $286 million upgrade to its seawater intake and discharge system, a state-mandated project designed to protect marine life while maintaining the facility’s water production capacity, the San Diego County Water Authority announced Tuesday, Oct. 28. The work was finished on schedule and $29 million under budget, according to a Water Authority news release. The project, located in and around Agua Hedionda Lagoon, was required by the California Ocean Plan Amendment to further reduce the environmental impacts of seawater intake and brine discharge. It included new water intake and outflow structures that use fine-mesh dual-flow screens to prevent small organisms from being drawn into the system. … ” Read more from the North Coast Current.
Water rates going up, up, up
“San Diego City Councilmembers on Tuesday begrudgingly voted to hike the city’s water rates by nearly 30 percent over the next two years, despite the fact that the region has more water than it needs. Councilmembers squirmed as they voted, with some, such as District 3 Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, asking city staff whether the increase really needed to be that high. Public Utilities staff told Whitburn that, if Councilmembers opted for lower rates, the city would have to lay off a quarter of its 2,000 utilities employees who currently maintain water pipelines and treatment plants. … ” Continue reading from the Voice of San Diego.
SEE ALSO:
- San Diego City Council approves reduced water rate hikes over next two years, from KPBS
- Divided council OKs steep San Diego water and sewer rate hikes, from the San Diego Union-Tribune
Along the Colorado River …
A billionaire, a land swap, gold medal fishing, ‘dinosaur’ trout and a permit proposal anglers are calling a ‘bait and switch’ in Colorado
“Just months after the federal government closed on a land exchange with a billionaire, a proposal to institute a permit system on the Blue River has ignited a conversation about river access and fishery health in Colorado. Blue Valley Ranch, a more than 2,000-acre property owned by billionaire Paul Tudor Jones II, and the nonprofit Friends of the Lower Blue River say a permit system is necessary to manage the negative impacts of increasing fishing pressure. On the busiest days in recent years, the Lower Blue River — stretches of which are designated as Gold Medal fishing — has seen up to 45 boats on the river, according to data provided by Blue Valley Ranch. Meanwhile, the ranch’s data also show that fish mortality has increased while the number of fish per mile has dropped significantly in recent years. … ” Read more from the Aspen Times.
In national water news today …
What it means for water and resources when Trump budget cuts hit home
“When it comes to ending erosion in wild streams, restoring riverbanks, and even dismantling dams to improve habitat, no non-profit in northern Michigan has a stronger record of environmental restoration than the Conservation Resource Alliance. … But what the government gives can also be taken away. And that is what CRA is dealing with right now. In June the Trump administration halted funding for a five-year $20 million conservation and restoration project CRA was conducting in 7 northern Michigan counties in partnership with the Tribal Stream and Michigan Fruitbelt Collaborative. … What’s occurring in rural northern Michigan is a microcosm of the disruption in environmental programs and practices occurring across the United States as a result of the administration’s impulsive budget cuts. Long running programs to support science, understand the effects of climate change, restore habitat restoration, protect species, and undertake other environmental initiatives have been terminated under the Trump administration’s “America First” governing strategy, a feature of which is mammoth budget cuts. … ” Read more from the Circle of Blue.
Microplastics have widely varying effects on soil
“As global plastic production has ballooned, small fragments of plastic have infiltrated rivers, sea ice, and even our brains. When the minuscule fibers and shards seep into soils, they change how the soil interacts with water, according to a new study. The study, published in Vadose Zone Journal, measured water retention and conductivity in soils from three regions of Germany with and without four different microplastics. The researchers found that a plastic concentration of just 0.4% by mass can change how quickly water flows through soil, depending on both the type of plastic and the type of soil. The altered hydraulic properties likely result from the hydrophobic nature of plastic and the microplastic particles changing the arrangement of individual soil granules, the authors said. Tiny soil particles stick together to form clumps. The spaces between these clumps form conduits for water, nutrients, and plant roots to move through. The size and distribution of these spaces affect soil drainage and water-holding capacity, which have implications for plant growth. … ” Read more from EOS.
Humanity is on path toward ‘climate chaos,’ scientists warn
“Industries and individuals around the world burned record amounts of oil, gas and coal last year, releasing more greenhouse gases than ever before, a group of leading scientists said in a new report, warning that humanity is hurtling toward “climate chaos.” The surge in global use of fossil fuels in 2024 contributed to extreme weather and devastating disasters including heat waves, storms, floods and wildfires. “The planet’s vital signs are flashing red,” the scientists wrote in their annual report on the state of the climate. “The window to prevent the worst outcomes is rapidly closing.” Some of the most alarming of Earth’s “vital signs,” the researchers said, include record heat in the oceans ravaging coral reefs, rapidly shrinking ice sheets and increasing losses of forests burned in fires around the world. They said the extreme intensity of Hurricane Melissa this week is another sign of how the altered climate is threatening lives and communities on an unprecedented scale. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
