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On the calendar today …
- WORKSHOP: Tuolumne River Voluntary Agreement Scientific Basis Report beginning at 9am. The State Water Resources Control Board will hold a workshop to accept public comments on the Draft Scientific Basis Report Supplement for the Tuolumne River Voluntary Agreement Proposal, a necessary prerequisite before the State Water Board may consider the proposed voluntary agreement for the Tuolumne River, which would require potential updates to the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary. Click here for the workshop notice. Click here for the agenda and remote access instructions.
In California water news today …
Why are rates rising faster at investor-owned utilities than at public utilities?
“Electricity rates are on the rise across the country, but nowhere has the increase been more precipitous than in California, where average residential rates surged 47 percent from 2019 to 2023, and are now twice as high as the national average. Experts point to increased utility spending on wildfire safety and recovery measures, distribution infrastructure and to a lesser degree, clean energy programs, as some of the reasons for skyrocketing power prices in the state. But recent analyses also show another trend—a growing gap between the rates charged by investor-owned utilities and those of publicly owned electricity providers. That’s happening in many regions of the country, but especially in California, where average rates for the investor-owned utilities Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE) and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) rose between 48 and 67 percent during that same four year period. Their rates are over 50 percent higher than average rates for municipal utilities like the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. … ” Read more from Inside Climate News.
State Water Board releases new platform for submitting annual water use reports – what you need to know and upcoming workshops
“On October 23, 2025, the California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) announced a new online platform – the Water Accounting, Tracking, and Reporting System (CalWATRS). CalWATRS replaces the Electronic Water Rights Information System (eWRIMS) platform. CalWATRS was created through the State Water Board’s Updating Water Rights Data for California (UPWARD) project, which started in 2021. The goal of UPWARD was to update the agency’s eWRIMS system that had been in place since 2006. … ” Read more from Nossaman.
Water shapes everything: A conversation on Western rivers
“Growing up on wild water in the American West is an experience only a few can claim. Those who have been fortunate enough to explore river canyons of the American Southwest with families and friends when we’re young know how much those experiences shape us. Being in the wild imprints on our creative and professional lives and on the choices we make. Today, increasing aridity, legacy water projects, and a preponderance of political leaders out of touch with America’s water and land put those assets in great danger. Such threats come at a time when outdoor experiences are needed more than ever, for society’s good health, self esteem in kids and adults, and continued connection to planet Earth. In this intergenerational conversation, three writers who carry Western rivers in their blood talk about their boating lives, creative bents, and views of moving water, in their earlier years and now. Zak Podmore, whitewater boater and award-winning journalist, joins us from Bluff, Utah. His books and articles attracted the notice of Rose McMackin, former whitewater guide, freelance journalist, and pop culture writer in Austin, Texas. She is also the daughter of our third guest, Becca Lawton, an author, fluvial geologist, and pioneering Grand Canyon boatwoman living in Northern California. … ” Read more from Terrain.
Thinning, burning forests provide multiple benefits, some of them surprising
“Wildfires are growing more frequent and severe across the western United States, and California’s Sierra Nevada is ground zero. Decades of fire suppression have left these forests overstocked and vulnerable to catastrophic fires, drought and pest outbreaks. Beyond destroying homes and infrastructure, high-severity wildfires release massive amounts of carbon, degrade water quality, erode soils, reduce timber supply and fill the air with hazardous smoke that threatens public health. A team of researchers from UC Merced and collaborating institutions has published a study showing that fuels treatment such as mechanical thinning and prescribed burning can dramatically reduce wildfire risks and produce measurable economic benefits across four major ecosystem services: carbon storage, timber provisioning, erosion regulation and air-quality protection. The paper was published in Science of the Total Environment, an international multidisciplinary science journal. … ” Read more from UC Merced.
In commentary today …
Salmon’s comeback pits nature against Trump administration
Jacques Leslie writes, “For the first time in more than a century, migrating salmon have climbed close to the headwaters of the Klamath River’s most far-flung tributaries, as much as 360 miles from the Pacific Ocean in south-central Oregon. The achievement is the clearest indication yet that the world’s largest dam removal project, completed on the river a year ago, will yield major benefits for salmon, the river ecosystem, and the tribes and commercial fishers whose lives revolve around the fish. … Unfortunately, every positive development in the embattled Klamath basin seems to come with a catch, and the catch this time is ominous: The Trump administration has shown disregard for the salmons’ well-being, cutting already allocated funding for needed ongoing river restoration, fish-monitoring and fire-prevention projects, and firing the federal officials who helped facilitate them. Even worse, in the event of drought — which has plagued the basin for most of this century — the administration has signaled that it intends to drastically reduce the river flows that salmon need so that upper-basin farmers get full water allocations. If that happens, the fish would be more vulnerable to disease, such as the one in 2002 that left tens of thousands of salmon carcasses on the shores on the lower Klamath River in the biggest fish die-off in the history of the American West. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Why we need environmental regulations
Nicholas Crane Moore writes, “Throughout the 2024 campaign, Donald Trump and his conservative colleagues told audiences that, if elected, they would fight with all their power to free voters from the tyranny of environmental regulations. In other words, they promised to make their constituents’ water less safe and their air less clean. In the wake of the election, they’re proceeding to make good on those promises. A lot has changed since a largely bipartisan effort spearheaded passage of modern environmental regulations in the 1960s and 1970s. Laws like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act were once widely applauded as necessary solutions to a problem affecting all Americans. Now they’re derided as pet projects of special interests. Even some progressives seem scared of the word “regulation.” How did we get here? … ” Read more from The Revelator.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Klamath groups say fish screen promises have gone unfulfilled
“Promises made to farmers and ranchers are being ignored, according to the leaders of two Klamath Basin groups — Elizabeth Nielsen, executive director of Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) and Scott White, general manager of the Klamath Drainage District (KDD). Chinook salmon have been documented traveling past the Keno and Link River dams, up Upper Klamath Lake, and in such tributaries as the Wood, Williamson and Sprague rivers. In addition, salmon are being found in canals and the Lower Klamath Wildlife Refuge areas without fish screens. When water is diverted for crops, livestock, industrial, domestic, and other uses, fish living in streams have been diverted with the water into fields, ditches and machinery with no chance to escape. Fish screens, according to White and Nielsen, prevent fish mortality and injury at water diversions while still allowing the water to be delivered to its place of use. … ” Read more from the Herald & News.
California county must face claims it deprived Asian residents of water
“Northern California’s Siskiyou County took another hit Tuesday when a federal judge denied its summary judgment motion in a case over residents’ claims they’re not getting the water they need. The putative class — many of whom are Asian American and live in a part of the rural county called Shasta Vista — sued in 2022, claiming Siskiyou County and Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue have used discriminatory traffic stops and improper search and seizure methods. They also claim officials have used water ordinances to deprive them in an area with no public water system. County officials have said the local ordinances that prevent the transfer of water to the Shasta Vista residents are needed to combat illegal cannabis grows. But the plaintiffs contend they’re used against a minority population that needs water. Under a preliminary injunction, the county is currently blocked from enforcing the water ordinances. However, that order doesn’t require inaction by the county if people use groundwater to grow cannabis illegally. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
Strong atmospheric river brings heavy rain, high winds, and flood risk to the North Coast
“A powerful early-season storm is sweeping into Northern California, bringing a mix of hazards to the North Coast through midweek. The system, described by the National Weather Service (NWS) in Eureka as a “strong Atmospheric River,” is expected to deliver damaging winds, widespread heavy rainfall, and a risk of flooding across Humboldt, Del Norte, and Mendocino counties through Wednesday, with additional wet weather possible Thursday into Friday. According to NWS Eureka, winds along the coast and ridges could gust between 45 and 60 mph, with some higher peaks possibly topping 70 mph in areas like the King Range. Even population centers such as Eureka, Arcata, and Fortuna may see gusts up to 50 mph. These conditions are capable of toppling trees, breaking branches, and causing power outages. … ” Read more from the Redheaded Blackbelt.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Tahoe’s billionaire enclave might have a poop problem
“Incline Village, one of Tahoe’s wealthiest towns, is known for its serene blue waters and lakeside mansions, serving as a safe haven for billionaires and celebrities seeking refuge from the grind of city life. But this week, “Income Village” is facing an unsavory problem. According to a Nov. 3 notice from the Incline Village General Improvement District, due to an “event that resulted in loss of pressure in the distribution system,” there is a “high potential” that fecal matter and disease-causing organisms have entered the town’s infrastructure. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Northstate braces for first test of flood prevention renovations
“The Northstate is preparing for wet weather this week, marking the first test for the new flood prevention renovations at the Five Mile Basin on Big Chico Creek. Butte County Public Works Director Joshua Pack expressed confidence in the renovations, stating the upcoming storm does not raise major concerns about their effectiveness. However, he noted that this might be the first time some features will be utilized, and they will be closely monitored. … ” Read more from KRCR.
BAY AREA
Atmospheric river to bring rain, potentially damaging winds to the Bay Area Wednesday
“An atmospheric river will hit the Bay Area Wednesday morning, with the worst rain and wind occurring between 5 a.m. – 9 a.m.This will be a level 2 on the ABC7 Exclusive Storm Impact Scale. Wind will be the biggest threat with a High Wind Warning posted for coastal Marin and Sonoma counties where winds could exceed 60 mph. The rest of the Bay Area will be under a Wind Advisory for gusts up to 45 mph. Downed trees and isolated power outages are possible. … ” Read more from ABC 7.
SEE ALSO: ‘Damaging winds’ expected in Bay Area as storm approaches. Here’s where, from the San Francisco Chronicle.
What birds can tell us about the health of San Francisco Bay
“A new website, the San Francisco Bay State of the Birds, created by the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture and Point Blue Conservation Science, provides scientists, policymakers, and the public with an up-to-date look at which Bay Area bird populations are thriving and which are declining, and what that says about the health of San Francisco Bay’s wetlands and waters. The findings suggest that the populations of Bay Area marsh birds and wetland ducks are doing well, shorebirds and diving ducks are declining, indicating that some habitats are rebounding from “rapidly evolving climate change and biodiversity challenges,” according to the project researchers, while others still need conservation attention. The website compiles years of bird monitoring data, restoration success stories, and recommended conservation actions, and builds on a similar report from 2011. … ” Read more from KQED.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
One in Nine Jobs: New report reveals massive economic footprint of Fresno County farms
“Fresno County is the No. 1 farm county in the nation, its farms selling a record $9.03 billion worth of production in 2024 — up nearly 6% from the previous year. When it comes to total economic impact, that dollar figure more than doubles. On Tuesday, Nov. 4, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors received Agricultural Commissioner Melissa Cregan’s 2024 crop and livestock report, which catalogues acreage, production and gross farm receipts. Cregan also offered a first look at an economic impact report for Fresno County agriculture. Examining the 2023 crop year, farming contributed $21.66 billion to the county economy, directly supporting 63,103 jobs plus nearly 45,000 more from multiplier effects. Farm Bureau CEO Ryan Jacobsen said Fresno County is the food capital of the nation. … ” Read more from The Business Journal.
New Tulare County groundwater agency picks through rubble of the past for what might work in the future
“Board members of the nascent Tule East groundwater agency spent their second meeting setting up basics but with an eye on the clock and a sensitive ear to what didn’t work in the past. The Tule East Joint Powers Authority Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA), will take over governance of so-called “white lands” from the embattled Eastern Tule GSA. White lands are parcels outside of water district boundaries and rely almost exclusively on groundwater. As Tule East board members discussed establishing the GSA’s bank account, setting regular meeting dates and refining its boundaries at their Oct. 30 meeting, farmer Julie Inestroza reminded them of a larger obligation. “I’m just cautioning you to not try to do the same thing that had already been done and has not worked because the state is not happy, growers are not happy and only a few people benefitted from it,” Inestroza said. “The biggest challenge has been the forgotten grower.” … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Forum to explore link between groundwater pumping and subsidence
“Panelists will discuss the link between groundwater use and subsidence, or land sinking, at an event Nov. 11 in Visalia. “Groundwater and Land Subsidence – A Pending Crisis,” will be held at 210 W. Center Ave, starting at 7 p.m. It is presented by Tulare County Voices at 210. The event is free and open to the public. Panelists include Johnny Amaral, chief operating officer at Friant Water Authority, Aaron Fukuda, general manager at Tulare Irrigation District and Mid-Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency, and Greg Collins, former Visalia mayor and co-author of “Seven Generations: The Past, Present and Future of the Tulare Lake Basin.” Organizers are working to confirm another panelist representing a municipal water system. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
SEE ALSO: Ground Water and Land Subsidence – A Pending Crisis?, from Valley Voice
SAN DIEGO
Can the Port’s oyster castles protect against erosion and boost biodiversity?
“The tide off the Chula Vista shoreline was quite low on Monday afternoon — a perfect opportunity for Heather Carroll to check out one of the Port of San Diego’s latest pilot projects designed to protect against erosion. Carroll is the director of Environmental Conservation at the Port, which manages the San Diego Bay. The low tide revealed more than she was expecting to find. “That’s an upside-down jellyfish,” she said while standing feet-deep in the clear waters at the Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve. “Oh my gosh. I’ve never seen one.” Shortly after, she spotted some eelgrass near the jellyfish that looked like it had just grown. The presence of these living species, Carroll said, may be a good indication that oyster castles are working. “We’re definitely going to monitor,” she said. “I do think it helps make a nice, calm, protected environment for some of these creatures.” … ” Read more from KPBS.
Border trash boom stops 20 tons of trash, debris from entering US in one hour
“During a brief storm last month, a trash boom in the Tijuana River managed to stop 20 tons of trash and debris from entering California. Historically, during rain events in the San Diego-Tijuana region, water flows from south of the border into the U.S. carrying tons of plastic, tires and other debris. Last year, as a way to stop the pollution, a 1,200-foot trash boom was strung across the river bed by Alter Terra, a binational environmental group. Sections of the boom float according to the level of the river — its fence-like partitions stop the trash from flowing farther into the Tijuana River Valley and the Pacific Ocean. … ” Read more from the Border Report.
Along the Colorado River …
Rainfall brings Colorado River drought relief, but concerns for next year’s water supply remain
“Heavy autumn rains brought relief to drought-plagued portions of the Southwest, but across the Colorado River basin ongoing water supply concerns still linger amid tense policy negotiations and near record-low reservoir storage. Even after accounting for the heavy rain, 57% of the Colorado River watershed remains in severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. More than 11% of the basin is in extreme drought. A less than average upcoming snow season combined with a dry spring or early summer in 2026 could create conditions for another low runoff year. The Colorado River’s headwaters saw a weak snowpack last winter, which contributed to one of the worst spring runoff seasons on record in 2025. Drought conditions spread and worsened into summer throughout the southern Rocky Mountains. Peter Goble, Colorado’s assistant state climatologist, explained that the recent rainfall “certainly recharged soils,” in some watersheds. … ” Read more from The Water Desk.
Hobbs rips Upper States’ ‘extreme negotiating position’ on Colorado River
“Gov. Katie Hobbs blasted officials of the four Upper Colorado River Basin states for what she called their “extreme negotiating position” in refusing to offer curbs on their water use to help save the depleted river. “This river is shared by seven states, and it benefits seven states. Therefore there must be water conservation efforts in all seven states within the Colorado River Basin,” Hobbs said Wednesday in Tucson at a gathering of the National Water Resources Association Meeting Leadership Forum. “Yet as I stand before you today, after years of negotiations and meeting after meeting after meeting, and time running short to cut a deal, we have yet to see any offer or real, verifiable plan to conserve water from the four Upper Basin States who rely upon this shrinking river,” Hobbs said in a talk at Loew’s Ventana Canyon resort on the northeast side. … ” Read more from the Arizona Daily Star.
Column: Anxious times for Colorado River users
Brian McNeece writes, “The Imperial Irrigation District recently held two workshops to update the public on the status of the negotiations on how Colorado River water will be distributed after the current guidelines expire at the end of next year. The mood of the meeting reminded me of similar hearings back in 2003 when the IID was under heavy pressure to sign the Quantification Settlement Agreement, a basket of contracts that established new rules about water sharing in California. Most prominently, the QSA implemented the ongoing water transfers of nearly 500,000 acre-feet of water to the San Diego Water County Authority, MWD, and Coachella. The mood of those 2003 meetings was gloomy. And so it is now. … ” Read more from the Calexico Chronicle.
A climate crisis Trump’s not exploiting
“The Trump administration is repealing pollution regulations, clawing back climate grants and battling blue states over their efforts to reduce emissions, but it is taking one climate issue seriously: adapting the West to a shriveled Colorado River. The waterway that supplies 40 million people from Wyoming to the U.S.-Mexico border — spanning seven states and including half of all Californians — is fast dwindling in the grip of a quarter century-long drought. Lake Mead could dip low enough within the next year to force federal water managers to choose between cutting deliveries to California, Arizona and Nevada or losing hydropower at the reservoir’s dam. It’s a crisis that seems made for MAGA: The region is home to two political swing states. There are flailing state and local officials, irate farmers and ranchers, dilapidated dams that were once the pride of American engineering, and an international treaty with Mexico. And President Donald Trump loves a good water war — especially when Gov. Gavin Newsom is involved. … ” Read more from Politico.
Film traces Colorado River’s 1,450-mile journey from Denver to Tijuana
“In an extraordinary new film, “The American Southwest,” narrated by activist and model Quannah Chasinghorse, Han Gwich’in and Sicangu and Oglala Lakota, filmmakers take viewers on an adventurous journey down the Colorado River that explores the region’s diversity and fragility. The film is now available to stream on Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, and more. A wild and unforgettable path of this vital water source showcases the Southwest’s abundant wildlife, confronts the ecological impacts of dams and river depletion, and advocates for increased water and wildlife conservation. Astonishing footage of dam-building beavers, bugling and charging bull elk, and rattlesnakes mating accentuate scenes of the river as it begins with trickling rivers, builds momentum to roaring rapids, and finally is nearly entirely drained upon entering Mexico, offering an unsettling perspective. … ” Read more from ICT.
Southwest studies grad produces Colorado River podcast
“A recent graduate who majored in Southwest Studies and minored in Environmental Studies has put their degree to use by producing a six-part podcast, Lifeblood: Glen Canyon, Lake Powell, and the Future of the Colorado River. As part of their Senior Capstone Project, Evelyn Baher-Murphy ’25 (they/them) spent over two months traveling around the Colorado River Basin to learn about the river and the people it impacts. They interviewed stakeholders about the past, present, and what they say is the uncertain future of the Colorado River, a resource on which 40 million people depend. As part of their field research, they spent a week on the water with Lake Powell boaters, as well as several weeks rafting through the Grand Canyon. … ” Read more from Colorado College.
Nevada trailblazes water preservation efforts as Colorado River agreement stalls
“A Nov. 11 deadline for the new Colorado River agreement lingers as Nevada faces further water usage cuts, despite being a model of water conservation. The Department of Interior seeks an agreement amongst the upper basin states Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming and the lower basin states Arizona, California and Nevada. If a deal is not made at the deadline, the federal government will decide how the river’s water is managed. The Colorado River serves as the primary water source for 40 million people across seven states and Mexico. A solution to adequately distribute water is still a work in progress. Las Vegas is the most water resourceful city in the southwest United States, as Nevada is the smallest user of the Colorado River, allocated just 1.8% of the river’s total water storage capacity. … ” Read more from the UNLV Scarlet & Gray.
2 of Arizona’s biggest water sources, CAP and SRP, to connect in massive $250M project
“The Central Arizona Project (CAP) delivers Colorado River water to about 80% of Arizona’s population through a canal system that stretches more than 300 miles. It begins at the Colorado River near Lake Havasu and ends south of Tucson. Now, state leaders are working to expand Arizona’s water supply flexibility by connecting CAP, which delivers Colorado River water across the state, with the Salt River Project (SRP), which supplies water from the Salt and Verde rivers to the Phoenix metropolitan area. The new SRP–CAP Interconnection Facility (SCIF) will allow water to flow both ways between the two systems. … ” Read more from KTAR.
Arizona: New hope for recharging water supply
“Humans are more responsible for depleting southern Arizona aquifers than climate change. That’s the finding of new research out of the University of Arizona, and it may not sound like good news. But 13 Fact Finders explains why it creates an opportunity for more water in the future. “Even during the driest period, about 6,000 years ago, there was still recharge to the Tucson basin even though the water levels were a lot lower,” said study leader, Dr. Jennifer McIntosh, also the Thomas Meixner Endowed Chair of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences in the College of Science. More water replacement than expected was found by Dr. McIntosh, using water samples from right under the University of Arizona campus. “The water’s coming from a pipe that’s drawing water 600 feet under the surface,” said McIntosh. … ” Read more from Channel 13.
Wildlife advocates in Arizona work to protect Colorado River
“With Arizona in the grips of a prolonged drought, scientists are working on a new management plan for Colorado River water. As the state continues its unbridled growth, a growing number of residents rely on it for a lot of their drinking water. Dwindling water levels behind the dam on Lake Mead and a growing residential demand downstream are having a negative effect on the river. Orlando Cazarez, director of global conservation and sustainability learning initiatives at Arizona State University, said those factors are threatening $26 billion in recreational activities along the river and they have an outsize effect on the Latino population. … ” Read more from the Kiowa County Press.
Colorado has been quietly “making snow” since the 1950s. Here’s how cloud seeding works.
“Colorado heavily depend on snow. It is responsible for filling our rivers, reservoirs, fuels ski season and supports millions of people across the Western United States. This got me thinking, what if we could help storms squeeze out just a little more? It turns out, we already are. Cloud seeding has been happening in Colorado since the 1950s, and state scientists say it’s one tool that can help boost snowpack during our changing winters. … ” Read more from CBS Colorado.
In national water news today …
Are “day zero droughts” closer than we think? Here’s what we know
“The outlook for our planet’s water future is anything but reassuring. Across much of the world, communities are already confronting prolonged drought, shrinking reservoirs, and the growing struggle to secure reliable access. Now, a new study in Nature Communications suggests that so-called day zero droughts (DZDs)—moments when water levels in reservoirs fall so low that water may no longer reach homes—could become common as early as this decade and the 2030s. To find out where and when DZDs are most likely to occur, scientists at the Center for Climate Physics in Busan, South Korea, ran a series of large-scale climate simulations. They considered the imbalance between decreasing natural supply (such as years of below-average rainfall and depleted river flows) and increasing human demand (including surging economic and demographic growth). “Most studies tend to focus on supply alone, not on the interplay between supply and demand,” explained Christian L. E. Franzke, a climate scientist and coauthor of the study. “But even without global warming, if water demand continues to rise steadily, scarcity is inevitable.” … ” Read more from EOS.
