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On the calendar today …
- MEETING: Central Valley Flood Protection Board from 9am to 3pm. Agenda items include the Army Corps Levee Inspection Results for the Bear Creek Levee systems, San Joaquin County; the 2025 Regulatory Fee Updates, Notice Package (Action item); the Sutter Bypass East Levee Project; and staff activities of the Board’s Natural Resources Management and Planning Division. Click here for the full agenda.
- PUBLIC MEETING: Second Statewide Agricultural Expert Panel from 3pm to 6pm. The State Water Board will hold Public Working Group meetings for the Second Statewide Agricultural Expert Panel (Panel) on Friday, November 14th and Wednesday, November 19th to facilitate Panel deliberations on issues relevant to the Panel charge questions, which ask the Panel to consider the approaches in State Water Board Order WQ 2018-0002, In the Matter of Review of Waste Discharge Requirements General Order No. R5-2012-0116 for Growers Within the Eastern San Joaquin River Watershed that are Members of the Third-Party Group (Eastern San Joaquin Petition Order) and State Water Board Order WQ 2023-0081, In the Matter of Review of General Waste Discharge Requirements for Discharges from Irrigated Lands Order No. R3-2021-0040 (Central Coast Ag Petition Order). Click here for the meeting notice and remote access instructions.
In California water news today …
Atmospheric river researchers in Marysville begin critical work amid Northern California storm
“As a storm moves through Northern California, the real work is just beginning for atmospheric river researchers. “Understanding the storms helps them make the simple decision of do you fill or do you spill,” said Douglas Alden, lead engineer with the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes, or CW3E. Winter storm preparations aren’t just done before the weather hits. For atmospheric river researchers, critical work happens during the storm. Alden traveled from San Diego to Marysville to launch weather balloons and collect real-time data to help guide reservoir operations. “We’re launching here in Northern California from Bodega Bay and Marysville for this storm,” he said, “the weather balloon launches are a key component of a much larger program called atmospheric river reconnaissance.” … ” Read more from CBS News.
In burned forests, the West’s snowpack is melting earlier
“As the American West warms due to climate change, wildfires are increasingly burning in higher-elevation mountains, charring the watersheds where the region’s vital snowpack accumulates. A new study has found that in the immediate aftermath of fires across the region, the snowpack disappears earlier in burned areas. This change can threaten forest health and affect the downstream farms, cities and species that rely on the snowpack for their water, according to other research. Scientists who study the effects of wildfires on the snowpack and streamflows are finding that the story is complex and nuanced. The impacts can vary greatly across the West’s diverse ecosystems and topography. Plus, each wildfire burns differently, so the severity of the blaze is another critical factor. While streamflow volume typically increases after a wildfire, the peak flows come earlier in the season, and the water may be clogged with sediment that can harm wildlife and water infrastructure. … ” Read more from the Water Desk.
San Francisco Bay private island named a ‘death trap.’ Here’s the plan to save it.
“Point Buckler has been through a lot. Once a kitesurfing club for billionaires, complete with helipads and an astroturfed lounge, the 50-acre island in the northeastern reaches of the San Francisco Bay has been the subject of a bitter, decadelong fight over ownership. That fight saw accusations of a fraudulent government land grab and the arrest of its former owner, a onetime America’s Cup yachtsman. This week, the new proprietors tell SFGATE that the little island in the Suisun Marsh is a death trap — but they’re ready to save it. About 15 miles south of Fairfield, Point Buckler Island sits in the vast, brackish wetlands where the San Francisco Bay meets the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This stretch of tidal water shelters some of California’s most fragile species, including Delta smelt, green sturgeon and migrating Chinook salmon. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
Delta Caucus leaders call on state commission to appeal tunnel project certification
“Delta Caucus co-chairs, Assemblywoman Lori Wilson and Sen. Jerry McNerney on Thursday called on the Delta Protection Commission to file an official appeal of the certification “of the costly and destructive Delta Tunnel Project.” “The Legislature established the Delta Protection Commission to ‘protect, restore, and enhance the Delta ecosystem,’ so we call on the commission to appeal the certification of the Delta Tunnel Project because it will devastate communities, farms, the environment, and historic and cultural resources surrounding the largest and most important estuary on the West Coast,” Wilson, D-Suisun City, and McNerney, D-Pleasanton, said in a joint statement. “The deeply flawed certification of the tunnel project must not move forward because it fails to adequately address the widespread destruction that the project will inflict on a generation of Delta residents and their communities. … ” Read more from the Daily Republic.
Environmental advocates push for fair and inclusive process, not fast-tracking, of the Delta tunnel
Dan Bacher writes, “Environmental advocates are calling on the Delta Stewardship Council (Council) to honor its commitments to environmental justice, fairness and transparency for public review of the Certification of Consistency for the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP), according to a press release from Restore the Delta. In a letter sent on November 6, San Francisco Baykeeper and Restore the Delta urged the Council to extend deadlines to ensure proper public participation, criticizing the current timeline and process for being rushed and shutting out Tribes and Delta residents. The Department of Water Resources had submitted its Certification of Consistency to the Council on October 17 with roughly 85 files and links, but continued to upload thousands of additional documents in the following weeks, inflating the number of documents to over 21,000 files, the groups reported. … ” Read more from the Daily Kos.
Pacific Institute convenes leaders to accelerate corporate action on water resilience in California
“More than 100 leaders from business, government, philanthropy, and civil society came together for the 3rd Annual California Water Resilience Forum, hosted by the California Water Resilience Initiative (CWRI). The event underscored both the urgency of California’s water challenges and the important role of the private sector in driving scalable solutions. CWRI is a private-sector-led initiative accelerating collaborative action to secure a water-resilient future for the state. California faces many water challenges, including a projected 10% water supply gap by 2040 driven by climate change. Resilient water systems are essential to ensuring thriving communities, healthy ecosystems, and a strong state economy. “Water resilience is a business imperative,” said Matt Kistler, CEO of the Water Resilience Coalition. “Companies increasingly recognize that investing in water solutions is essential to safeguarding supply chains, supporting communities, and strengthening California’s long-term economic and ecological well-being.” … ” Read more from the Pacific Institute.
Sustainable Conservation’s hopes for Water Year 2026
“Each October 1st, the start of the new Water Year quietly slips by most Californians’ calendars — but not Sustainable Conservation’s Water for the Future Team! The Water Year runs from the start of October through the end of the following September – capturing fall and winter precipitation, snowpack accumulation, and spring runoff in one calendar cycle. The recently concluded Water Year 2025 (October 2024-September 2025) exemplified the state’s climatic volatility, with significant swings in precipitation patterns over time and geography. … As Water Year 2026 begins, forecasters anticipate a weak La Niña, though its impacts and outlook remain uncertain. Against this backdrop, Sustainable Conservation’s Water for the Future team is focused on advancing solutions that bolster groundwater sustainability, mitigate flood risk, improve water quality, and enhance climate resilience across the state. To mark the start of this new cycle, we asked each team member: What is one hope you have for Water Year 2026? … ” Read more from Sustainable Conservation.
Kings County Farm Bureau takes on Sacramento over groundwater rights
“The November 13 edition of the AgNet News Hour hit home for farmers across California as hosts Nick Papagni and Josh McGill sat down with Dusty Ference, Executive Director of the Kings County Farm Bureau, to discuss his ongoing lawsuit against the California State Water Resources Control Board. Ference and his team are challenging what they call “unfair and inconsistent enforcement” of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) — a battle that could reshape how water is managed across the state. Ference explained that the Kings County Farm Bureau filed the lawsuit last year after the Tulare Lake Subbasin was placed on probation by the State Water Board. “We’re not fighting SGMA itself,” he said. “We’re fighting how the board applied it — selectively, inconsistently, and without transparency.” … ” Continue reading at AgNet West.
How cities can make AI infrastructure green
“Lauren Weston says concerns about artificial intelligence come up at half the staff meetings at Acterra, the Palo Alto-based environmental nonprofit she runs. The organization advocates for responsible water and energy consumption by the local data centers that power AI platforms like ChatGPT, which are dominating conversations and investments in both the Bay Area and the entire tech world at large right now. But influencing companies with virtually unlimited resources — OpenAI, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft to name a few — can feel like an insurmountable task. “At some point, it just feels like we’ll never have a say in what happens because we just don’t have the resources, we don’t have the bodies, we don’t have the elected officials in the same way,” says Weston. “It can feel really like an uphill battle.” … ” Read more from Knee Deep Times.
UCCE offers water measurement training Dec. 1 in Davis
“California water-rights holders are required by state law to measure and report the water they divert from surface streams. For people who wish to take the water measurements themselves, the University of California Cooperative Extension will offer in-person training to receive certification on Dec. 1 in Davis. At the workshop, participants can expect to clarify reporting requirements for ranches, understand what meters are appropriate for different situations, learn how to determine measurement equipment accuracy. develop an understanding of measurement weirs, and learn how to calculate and report volume from flow data. … ” Read more from UC ANR.
Las Virgenes MWD water-theft bill becomes law
“A top priority for the local water agency has been codified in state law: on Oct. 10, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 394, a measure aimed at curbing unauthorized use of fire hydrants and illegal water diversions across California. The bill, co-sponsored by the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District and the Association of California Water Agencies, was authored by local Sen. Ben Allen (D–Santa Monica), and gives local water agencies stronger enforcement tools against theft of their supplies. LVMWD serves residents across Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills and Westlake Village. In recent years, the district has estimated its losses due to unauthorized hydrant use to be in the millions of gallons, along with potential damage to hydrants. Illegal diversions are also known to reduce water pressure and risk contamination, directly affecting households and businesses in these communities. … ” Read more from The Acorn.
In commentary today …
As Trump sends California water to farmers, native salmon face extinction
Opinion columnist Tom Philp writes, “California’s wild salmon have faced just about every obstacle imaginable over the decades as they now cling to survival. Dams have blocked where they are supposed to spawn. Levees deny young fish the floodplain for feasting. Pumps send them in deadly wrong directions. But all the previous man-made threats to the salmon have nothing on President Donald Trump. The president’s water managers have been quietly and aggressively operating a vast federal system in California, attempting to squeeze out of reservoirs every last drop for water supplies. This has alarmed some Northern California water agencies, who fear there will be fewer water supplies in the coming years. For salmon, how Trump operates his California water system may prove to be the crucial difference between survival and a path toward extinction. … ” Continue reading at the Sacramento Bee.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Scoop the poop: Arcata urges pet owners to help protect local waterways
“With the rainy season underway, Arcata officials are urging pet owners to pick up after their dogs, warning that uncollected waste is washing into local creeks and Humboldt Bay and contributing to harmful levels of bacteria and pollution. Stormwater, unlike household wastewater, is not treated or filtered before it enters the environment. When rain falls, water flows across yards, trails and streets, carrying with it anything left on the ground. City officials say even a single pile of dog waste can be swept into storm drains and transported directly into waterways. Environmental Programs Manager at the City of Arcata in the Environmental Services Department Morguine Sefcik says pet waste carries a mix of bacteria, viruses, and parasites that pose risks to both people and wildlife. … ” Read more from KLEW.
Northern California tribes join forces to restore Eel River in response to anticipated PG&E dam removal
“Two Northern California tribes announced Wednesday that they signed a treaty last month, committing to jointly restore the Eel River and its fish populations. Leaders from the Round Valley Indian Tribes in Mendocino County and the Yurok Tribe in Del Norte and Humboldt counties met at the Eel River Canyon Preserve in Trinity County last month to sign the “Treaty of Friendship.” The agreement commits the tribes to restoring the river and rebuilding its declining fish populations as PG&E moves to decommission the Potter Valley Project hydroelectric system’s Scott Dam in Mendocino County and Cape Horn (also known as Van Arsdale) Dam in Lake County. According to the tribes, the dams have long damaged the Eel River ecosystem and blocked access to critical fish habitat. … ” Read more from the Mendocino Voice.
Board of Supervisors pass revised resolution on Potter Valley Project
“After hearing again from local residents regarding the need for increasing water storage infrastructure before the Pacific Gas and Electric Company fully decommissions its Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project and removes the dams that help fill Lake Mendocino, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors this week passed a resolution that many argued did not express their needs forcibly enough. “The previous resolution asked for help from both state and federal partners,” said First District Supervisor Madeline Cline at the Nov. 4 meeting, referring to the version she had drafted and brought before the board last month. “It’s a call for help, and it’s a statement of what we need for our community. We shouldn’t be shying away from what we need … and saying, ‘Oh, there’s nothing for us to advocate for.’ If there’s nothing for us to advocate for, then I’m not really sure what the point of this entire entity is, other than to oversee county operations.” … ” Read more from the Mendocino Beacon.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Tahoe snow forecast downgraded, leaving ski resorts on edge
“Forecasters are dialing back on predicted snow totals for a winter storm expected to blanket Tahoe’s ski resorts this weekend.Though the storm, which intensified Thursday, is bringing strong winds, heavy rain showers and snow, the strongest conditions will likely remain only in the higher elevations. A National Weather Service winter weather advisory is in effect for the greater Lake Tahoe area above 8,000 feet from 10 p.m. Thursday until noon Friday, and a wind advisory that’s in effect until 10 p.m. Thursday predicts gusts up to 100 mph along the ridgetops. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Recent rain boosts early totals for 2025-26 water year in Northern California
“A late fall storm that soaked the North State and brought high wind gust is padding rain totals for what has been a wet start to Northern California’s water year. As of Wednesday, Nov. 12, the Redding Regional Airport had received 4.24 inches of rain since Oct. 1, which was the start of 2025-26 water year, according to the National Weather Service. That is more than an inch above the normal for that period. The water year runs Oct. 1-Sept. 30. Redding Regional Airport, the city’s official rain gauge, had received nearly 1 inch of rain from the storm as of Thursday, Nov. 13. Shasta Dam’s rain total was about 2 inches. … ” Read more from the Redding Record-Searchlight.
Redding lands California’s pioneering mass timber facility
“A new company, Fabric Mass Timber, is setting its sights on Redding for California’s first large-scale mass timber factory. The facility is anticipated to generate more than 100 good-paying jobs and help transform wildfire fuel into building materials. Fabric Mass Timber plans to build a 200,000-square-foot mass timber factory at Stillwater Business Park. The company is partnering with architecture firm WRNS Studio to design the facility. The factory will convert trees from hazardous fuel reduction projects into high-quality mass timber products for construction. “Right now, a lot of that lumber is just turned into wood chips,” Ben Mickus, a partner at WRNS Studio, said. “We would like to use that lumber and turn it into boards that can be bundled together to make mass timber products.” … ” Read more from Action News Now.
Stormy weather works its way through Butte County
“The latest Northern California storm brought significant rainfall by Butte County standards with Chico seeing up to 1.36 inches by 2 p.m. Thursday. Nathan Rick, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office, said that number was likely to climb with continuing showers overnight into Friday morning and possibly more on the way toward the end of the weekend. “There could be another quarter to a half-inch of rain but Friday and Saturday are expected to stay pretty dry in and around Chico,” Rick said. Rick added that while its still too early to know for sure, another system could bring additional rainfall Sunday night into Monday morning. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record.
Sacramento Valley historical ecology study to help guide floodplain reactivation actions
“The San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) has recently completed the first phase of the Sacramento Valley Historical Ecology Study. This effort uses diverse historical data to identify natural landscape patterns that existed before the development of flood control and other modern infrastructure in the Sacramento Valley. This study will be of great value to efforts underway through Floodplain Forward and Floodplains Reimagined to mimic or recreate historic floodplains in the Sacramento Valley to provide habitat benefits to fish, birds and other species, while ensuring water for farms and communities throughout the region. … ” Read more from the Northern California Water Association.
BAY AREA
The Bay Area is not done with rain. Here’s when to expect more showers
“The storm that hit the Bay Area on Thursday has not fully wrapped up. Instead, it’s handed off its energy to a new low pressure system in Southern California, dragging the heart of the atmospheric river toward Los Angeles and San Diego. That is where the heavy rain goes next. For the Bay Area, the question becomes when does it rain again and will the weekend be wet? The answer is complicated.The atmosphere is still stirred up and unsettled. What we lose Friday and early Saturday is the deep moisture ingredient. The core of the atmospheric river has shifted south, taking the high moisture content with it. That does not completely take rain off the table, though. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
SEE ALSO: Bay Area rain: How much did we get?, from the San Jose Mercury News
Split verdict over State of the Estuary
“The 2025 State of Our Estuary assessment, released this fall at a regional conference, takes the pulse of the San Francisco Estuary in 17 indicators. It’s a health checkup for over 38 million acres of interconnected rivers, bay, and marsh, revealing which restoration efforts are paying off and where our waterways are still struggling to catch their breath. The indicators are the visible, measurable bits that scientists can count, test, and track over time: bird counts, acreage of eelgrass, concentration of mercury in an estuary fish. Sometimes, the canary in the coal mine is the marsh-dependent Ridgway’s rail — whose numbers have declined to under 1,200 largely due to urbanization of the shore. … ” Read more from Knee Deep Times.
Tons of logs and gravel later, second phase of Lagunitas Creek habitat restoration complete
“The second season of restoration work on the Lagunitas Creek Watershed Enhancement Project has been completed, Marin Water announced. The restoration is part of the continued efforts to improve habitat for Coho salmon and other protected aquatic species, according to the news release. The project, led by Marin Water in partnership with state and federal agencies, includes adding logs and gravel to the creek to recreate natural conditions that support salmon spawning and rearing. So far, crews have placed more than 270 logs and 11,000 tons of gravel, completing about half of the planned improvement sites, Marin Water officials said. … ” Read more from Local News Matters.
Antioch desalination plant could boost local water supply
“In September, a long-anticipated, multimillion-dollar desalination plant began treating water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to cover nearly half the water needs of the City of Antioch. The plant is one of at least 37 desalination facilities in operation in California as the state works to diversify its water supply, which could shrink by 10% in the next 15 years, according to officials (science suggests more multi-year droughts and reduced snowpack on the horizon due to global warming). The $120 million plant, only the second in the Bay Area and the first in the Delta, desalinates brackish water, a mixture of salt and fresh water that usually occurs where rivers flow into the ocean. The process is widely considered a cheaper, more energy-efficient way to produce drinking water than ocean desalination, which is more controversial due to its environmental impacts. … ” Read more from Knee Deep Times.
An exiled millionaire’s reservoir is up for sale in Bay Area
“A unique and storied piece of Bay Area history is up for sale, the East Bay Municipal Utility District recently announced. The Dingee Reservoir — a 1.83-acre site on the corner of Bullard Drive and Estates Drive in Oakland — is an underground, decommissioned water reservoir that will be sold as-is for a minimum of $2.5 million, the utility district said. According to the utility district’s marketing materials, the reservoir is capable of holding 4.7 million gallons of water once it reaches capacity at its 772-foot-tall spillway and has a 10-inch valve that can be operated from the structure’s roof. Another pipe extends from this valve to a storm drain operated by the city of Oakland. However, the reservoir was drained and permanently removed from service in 2014, the utility district says — and it will not be reconnected to the agency’s water distribution system. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
Pleasanton’s future sewer needs identified as city looks long term
“The city council last week approved a new long-term capital-improvement plan for its sewer system, identifying some $170 million in capital projects to keep the system operating over the next 20 years. Closed-circuit-television (CCTV) inspections of about 30% of the city’s sewer pipes found that the system can currently support the city’s future predicted sewage flows, but the aging infrastructure has begun to degrade. A 300-foot section of sewer line at Danker Road, for example, recently collapsed due to age. “We found about four to five percent of the pipes that had CCTV data needed some sort of rehab/repair action, and it ranged the full spectrum of potential deficiencies,” Chris Van Lienden, project manager at city consultant Woodard & Curran, said at the Nov. 4 city council meeting. … ” Read more from the Livermore Independent.
What to know about PFAS in Tri-Valley Water
“Since 2018, Pleasanton has been grappling with a plume of groundwater contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of industrial chemicals that scientists say can accumulate in the environment and the body, with harmful effects on human health. The city has taken its wells offline and now purchases all its water from Zone 7 Water Agency, which operates two PFAS removal treatment plants and draws a majority of its supply from surface water. Still, local residents question the safety and future of their water supply, especially as climate change intensifies the frequency and severity of droughts that can cause more groundwater to be used. Read more about the issue in this nonfiction comic by Rain Hepting, a Tri-Valley resident and reporting fellow for KneeDeep Times.” Read more at Knee Deep Times.
CENTRAL COAST
Loch Lomond reservoir poised to spill after atmospheric river storm drenches Santa Cruz County
“Confidence was high among weather experts that Thursday’s atmospheric storm would bring impressive rainfall totals to Santa Cruz County and the forecast delivered, with one local water official telling the Sentinel that Santa Cruz’s Loch Lomond reservoir is already well on its way to spilling. The storm made landfall late Wednesday, but only increased in strength overnight before slamming the county with hours of heavy rainfall throughout most of Thursday. “The initial, most vigorous band has already passed through,” National Weather Service meteorologist Nicole Sarment said at noon Thursday. “But we’re still expecting a lot of rain through the afternoon. So we’re not done yet.” … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
EASTERN SIERRA
Pack Fire explodes in Mono County, California, forcing evacuations as storm threatens mudslides in the south
“A powerful storm is pummeling California, bringing heavy rains that could help to counter the high winds fueling a fast-growing wildfire in the Sierra Nevada mountains, but they could also unleash dangerous flooding and landslides further south, where previous fires have stripped vegetation. There were apocalyptic scenes overnight as the Pack Fire, burning near the popular Mammoth Mountain ski resort in Mono County damaged at least 15 homes. Mandatory evacuation orders were in effect for at least two communities threatened by the Pack Fire in Mono County, which, according to the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, was zero percent contained and burning across 3,400 acres on Friday morning. … ” Read more from CBS News.
Searles Valley Minerals resolves some issues with IWVGA, approves settlement on Groundwater Sustainability Plan
“As of Nov. 13, 2025, Searles Valley Minerals and the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority have agreed to a settlement of certain litigation with respect to the IWVGA’s Groundwater Sustainability Plan. However, the comprehensive groundwater adjudication continues, and Searles will continue to actively participate in it. “Searles is pleased to resolve its dispute with the GA over the Replenishment Fee and the GSP and end the uncertainty and financial demands coming from the IWVGA,” said Dennis Cruise, SVM President and CEO. “We will continue, however, to work with all of our community partners in the Indian Wells Valley to ensure that only the best available science is used to determine the basin’s safe yield and to manage the basin through a fair and sustainable physical solution in the comprehensive groundwater adjudication.” To that end, Searles will continue to participate in the groundwater adjudication, including to actively participate in the June 2026 safe yield trial and in the subsequent determination of a physical solution for the Basin. Searles also continues to strongly oppose AB 1413, which could deny the pumpers in the Indian Wells Valley their day in court on the Basin’s safe yield. … ” Continue reading from Searles Valley Minerals.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Flood, mudslide risk surges across Southern California as multi-day storm gets underway
“A strong Pacific storm is bringing soaking rain to Southern California and raising the risk of life-threatening flooding, mudslides and debris flows, especially near burn scars in the Los Angeles area. A mix of heavy rain and strong winds moved through northern and central California on Thursday. Widespread rainfall totals of 1 to 2 inches were observed along the coast into Friday morning, with isolated amounts of 3 to 5 inches in the coastal mountain ranges. San Francisco received nearly an inch and a half of rain Thursday, almost 75% of November’s average. November marks a transition into the rainier winter season, with December to February marking the wettest months of the year in the Bay Area. … ” Read more from CNN.
SEE ALSO: Southern California is in for a weekend of severe weather, forecasters say: What we know, from the LA Times
This California muni saved millions in irrigation — and others are following suit
“Three years ago, Matteo Serena barely knew the difference between a beaker and a bunker. Today, the native of Italy could be the most crucial person to ever visit your golf grounds. Sporting a history of academia and turfgrass research on his C.V., Southern California-based Serena has fast risen to the forefront of the game’s water conservation efforts as the senior manager of irrigation research and services for the USGA. His ascent fueled by intellect, outreach and an inherent European charm (“golf’a”), Serena’s drop-by-drop efforts have achieved exacting results across water-starved SoCal and beyond. At one popular public property in particular, his research and methodology have produced a scorecard filled with cost savings and sustainability. The original 18-hole North Course at public Los Serranos Golf Club in Chino Hills, Calif., opened in 1925, followed by the South Course in 1964. Its combined 300 irrigated acres support a robust tee sheet; over the past year, more than 120,000 rounds have been played across the property’s 36 holes. … ” Read more from Golf Magazine.
La Verne adopts massive water rate increases
“La Verne City Council voted 5-0 November 3 to authorize a series of staggered water rate increases through 2029 that will ultimately see customers’ bills more than double. The water rate increases will come in five phases: up to 35% on January 1, 2026; 25% July 1, 2026; 15% July 1, 2027; followed by 10% increases on July 1, 2028 and July 1, 2029. La Verne’s sewer rates will go up 15% January 1, 2026; and 15% at the start of each new fiscal year on July 1 through 2029. The water rate increases are La Verne’s first since 2019. A city report indicated the water rate increases were necessary to cover the cost of “higher cost of imported water, power, chemicals, and supplies,” “repairs and replacement of aging pipes, wells, pumps, reservoirs, and sewer lines (approximately $26 million in planned Water & Wastewater projects),” to “meet debt payment requirements and maintain prudent emergency reserves,” and to “keep services reliable when water use drops during droughts and conservation.” … ” Read more from the Claremont Courier.
Surfer walks 1,196 miles to raise awareness for endangered steelhead trout
“Sean Jansen grew up surfing the waves at Lower Trestles – but little did he know, there was a struggling species in the nearby San Mateo Creek, the same river that helped create the surf break he’s enjoyed his entire life. The pristine beach area near his hometown of San Clemente had given him so much, he wanted to give something in return. So he set out on a quest to follow the natural habitat of the California steelhead trout, and raise awareness about why this unique fish is facing extinction, in large part due to human urbanization. The fish is a coastal rainbow trout, and similar to salmon, it matures in the ocean and then returns to swim upstream in the river to spawn. It repeats the cycle over and over — if it can find a way back up through freshwaters. “I felt guilty I didn’t know about it, at this wave I surf,” Jansen said. “And I realized this is not the only creek, throughout California, there are hundreds of creeks that have this fish.” … ” Read more from the OC Register.
San Clemente residents sound alarm over Shorecliffs landslide
“From her backyard on Calle Vallarta, Kristen Nelson can still hear golfers chatting below — even as the earth beneath her home continues to shift. The slow-moving landslide that began creeping through her neighborhood in early 2023 hasn’t stopped, she said. The slope behind her home remains soggy even in the middle of summer, and every new crack in the soil brings a reminder that the ground could give way again. “There’s a lot of underground water that’s not being managed well by the city, the golf course, or the Coast Association,” Nelson said. “When it rains, this whole area could get activated again — and now there are golfers right below it every weekend.” … ” Read more from the San Clemente Times.
SAN DIEGO
Escondido: A solar/battery project looks to offset hefty electric bills at wastewater facility
“Officials at the Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District on Thursday formally unveiled plans to build a solar canopy array and battery energy storage project at the Harmony Grove Village Water Reclamation Facility in Escondido. The reclamation facility runs up a power bill of about $5,000 each month and the solar-plus-battery project will help offset the wastewater treatment center’s energy costs. “The solar panel array will provide most of the power for this water treatment system (and) battery backup to keep it running,” said David Drake, president of the board directors of the Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District. “This thing will be making power for this treatment plant.” … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Along the Colorado River …
Colorado River states missed a deadline. Now what?
“Some environmental groups are expressing their disappointment that the seven Colorado River Basin states failed this week to reach a consensus on reductions in reliance on the 1,450-mile long river. In response to the news that the seven Colorado River states have not met the Bureau of Reclamation’s deadline to reach agreement on a post-2026 operating framework for the river, conservation and sportsmen groups such as American Rivers, Environmental Defense Fund, National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Trout Unlimited and Western Resource Advocates released the following joint statement: “After more than two years of negotiation, we are deeply disappointed that the basin states have not been able to reach consensus yet on a framework to manage the Colorado River beyond 2026. We understand the extraordinary complexity of this challenge and the difficult tradeoffs the states are working hard to navigate — but the river isn’t going to wait for process or for politics. Drought, intensified by increasingly extreme conditions, is reshaping the basin, and the window to secure the river’s future and move beyond crisis-driven policymaking is closing fast.” … ” Read more from Deseret News.
Arizona leaders issue bipartisan letter urging federal action on Colorado River talks
“Arizona’s top elected leaders — Democrats and Republicans alike — have joined forces to demand federal action after the seven Colorado River Basin states missed a critical deadline to finalize post-2026 water-sharing rules. In a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, they warned that refusal by upper basin states to commit to verifiable conservation has pushed the negotiations to a breaking point. The letter, dated November 11, 2025, highlights Arizona’s role as a leader in water conservation and criticizes upper basin states for refusing to commit to verifiable reductions, which the signatories say have stalled a seven-state agreement needed to sustain the river amid ongoing droughts. The seven Colorado River Basin states—four in the upper basin (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico) and three in the lower basin (Arizona, California, Nevada)—missed a federal deadline on November 11th to submit a consensus plan for sharing water shortages after 2026, when current operating guidelines expire. Federal officials, including the Bureau of Reclamation, have urged the states to reach an accord to avoid potential court intervention or unilateral action by the Trump administration. … ” Read more from Arizona Free News.
Arizona’s Hualapai Valley now a ‘de facto transfer basin’ for out-of-state investors and corporate farms
“When controversial Las Vegas developer Jim Rhodes abandoned plans for a sprawling community near the northwestern Arizona city of Kingman nearly two decades ago, the vast swaths of land he’d purchased were mostly surrounded by open desert. Instead of walking away from his investment, Rhodes applied for a group of industrial-scale agriculture wells that could reach the largely untapped groundwater in the Hualapai Valley Basin. The move alarmed some Mohave County leaders, who saw an emerging challenge for the region’s water supply. “We knew that something was going on. We knew that we needed to do something,” recalled former state Rep. Regina Cobb, R-Kingman, who started coordinating with local officials to study the impacts of high-volume pumping. … Today, more than 99% of the cropland in the basin is owned or controlled by out-of-state farming operations or investment funds, the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting found through a monthslong analysis of parcel data, well applications and corporation documents. … ” Read more from the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.
Colorado’s snowpack off to one of its worst starts since 2017 as drought expands
“The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows that while extreme and severe drought areas in Colorado remain unchanged, moderate drought and abnormally dry conditions have expanded across the Front Range and Eastern Plains following another week of warm, dry weather.At the same time, Colorado’s snowpack is off to one of its weakest starts in recent years, the third-worst on record and the lowest since 2017.”We’re not doing well. A lot of the snow measuring stations are at 10 or 20% of normal; things are really dry,” said Steven Fassnacht, a snowpack expert at Colorado State University. “The central and northern parts of the state had a really dry summer and fall, meaning there’s even less water in the soil. That really compounds our problem with snowpack.” … ” Read more from CBS Colorado.
In national water news today …
Lawmakers press EPA for $3b in stalled lead pipe replacement funds
“A group of Illinois congressional delegates is calling for the release of $3 billion in withheld federal funding that’s meant to help replace toxic lead service lines that supply drinking water to homes across the country. Led by U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, seven members of Congress allege the federal government is targeting Democrat-led states. They warned in a letter sent to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday that the funding delay is a “dangerous politicization” that puts children and families at risk. “Federal resources are not partisan tools — they are vital lifelines intended to serve all Americans,” read the letter addressed to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. “Using federal funds as leverage against communities based on political considerations represents a dangerous abuse of power that undermines public trust and puts lives at risk.” … ” Read more from Inside Climate News.
