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On the calendar today …
- EVENT: Delta Invasive Species Forum from 8:30am to 4:30pm. The biennial Symposium serves as a forum for Delta managers, researchers, and decision-makers to meet, share insights, synthesize information, and communicate best practices and lessons learned. This year’s theme is “Modeling and Managing Invasive Species for Tomorrow’s Delta.” It will broadly address the management of the future Delta through presentations that highlight modeling, future environmental conditions, innovative tools and approaches, and methods for dealing with uncertainties. The Symposium is free to attend and open to anyone interested in the impacts of invasive species in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region. Register here.
- WEBINAR: Untapped Potential of Municipal and Industrial Water Efficiency in the United States from 11am to 12pm. A new, first-of-its-kind assessment from the Pacific Institute finds an extraordinary opportunity to transform how water is used across U.S. cities, industries, and institutions. The findings show that improving water efficiency in U.S. homes, businesses, institutions, and reducing leakage in water distribution systems, can save 14.0 to 34.1 million acre-feet of water per year (12.5 to 30.4 billion gallons per day). That is up to 30.4 billion gallons a day. Join experts from the Pacific Institute and the San Antonio Water System for an interactive webinar on this groundbreaking study. Together, they will unpack how practical, proven technologies and smarter management strategies can cut water use by 25% to 60%, returning U.S. water demand to levels last seen in the 1960s without sacrificing quality of life or economic growth. Click here to register.
- WEBINAR: Secretary Speaker Series: Standing with Science Strengthening Science-informed Decision Making in the Golden State from 12pm to 1pm. Tackling climate change and mounting environmental challenges requires sophisticated understanding of what we face and the most effective responses. Thankfully, California is home to world-class universities and National Labs that generate crucial scientific data and research. At this important moment, our state government is doubling down on science partnerships that guide our decisions. Join us to discuss how we’re doing this and meet key leaders driving these world-class scientific partnerships. Click here to register.
- MEETING: California Advisory Committee on Salmon and Steelhead Trout from 12:30 to 4:00pm. Agenda items include the Trinity River Federal ESA Reconsultation Process, Overview and Description of CalTrout’s Forthcoming “State of Our Salmonids III” Species Status Reviews; and Status Update on Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC) Salmon Fisheries Process and Timeline. Click here for the agenda and remote access instructions.
In California water news today …
Supreme Court urged to decide if diverting water in California counts as government ‘theft’
“A legal battle over California water rights has reached the doorstep of the U.S. Supreme Court, raising a fundamental constitutional question: When the government commandeers water for environmental reasons, is it merely regulating a resource or physically seizing private property? The Liberty Justice Center filed an amicus brief last week in the case of United Water Conservation District v. United States, asking the high court to clarify the boundaries of the Fifth Amendment. The brief argues that diverting water specifically for government use should be classified as a “physical taking,” a designation that would mandate just compensation for property owners. … ” Read more from the Tampa Free Press.
SEE ALSO:
- LJC files amicus brief to protect property owners’ right to just compensation under the fifth amendment, from the Liberty Justice Center
- United Water Conservation District v. United States, from the CATO Institute
Watershed Moment: Groundwater ruling sparks fears for Ventura County farmers
“When Jacob Dakessian retired to Ventura County to grow lemons, avocados and persimmons on his 67-acre farm, he thought he would spend his golden years in pastoral peace. A descendant of Armenian genocide survivors, Dakessian immigrated with his family to the United States, where he became a successful architect and the designer of the Armenian Apostolic Church and nearby school in Hollywood. In 2023, at 90 years of age, he was shocked to discover that the water allocations for his farm had been completely stripped away. “I spent more than $200,000 to drill a well and get a permit for the well and followed the rules and regulations for 30 years,” Dakessian said. “For 30 years! And all of a sudden, because I didn’t want to sue somebody, the water rights are gone. How? Why?” The answer is as complicated as one might expect when investigating the water wars of Southern California. … ” Read more from the Ventura County Reporter.
Regulations, water challenges, and the 2026 outlook: Roger Isom on the AgNet News Hour
“In this Thursday edition of the AgNet News Hour, Nick Papagni and Lorrie Boyer sit down with Roger Isom, a leading voice in California agriculture. The conversation covers critical challenges and opportunities for growers, including regulatory pressures, water scarcity, rising energy costs, and strategies for advocacy heading into 2026. … ” Listen and read excerpts from AgNet West.
Atmospheric rivers could bring 10 straight days of rain to these West Coast cities
“Ten consecutive days of rain in Seattle. Twenty inches of rain in the Cascade Mountains. Those are just two highlights of the stormy forecast for the Pacific Northwest, where a parade of atmospheric rivers are predicted throughout the next week. While dry weather continues in California, high clouds from the distant storms will dot the sky from San Francisco to Sacramento, creating ideal conditions for colorful sunrises and sunsets Thursday and Friday. A big high-pressure system blocking storms from hitting California is steering them toward the Pacific Northwest. Weather models predict a long plume of water vapor stretching across the Pacific Ocean and slamming like a firehose into the Cascade Mountains of Washington and Oregon. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle (gift article).
How scientists track chinook salmon migrating up the Sacramento River in real time
“Thousands of fall run Chinook salmon pushed beneath the Golden Gate Bridge and into the Sacramento River system this fall, and a small group of them carried tiny tracking tags that allowed scientists to follow their journey in real time. The project, led by NOAA Fisheries and UC Santa Cruz, tagged about 100 adult salmon to better understand how the fish navigate the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta and how many ultimately reach their spawning grounds more than 200 miles upriver. The tags pinged monitoring stations as the salmon moved, giving researchers a clearer picture of migration timing, survival, and the challenges the fish face. … ” Read more from Active NorCal.
Golden State reflections
“The California Water Science Center delivers impartial science and continuous data that help communities meet today’s water challenges: from surface water, groundwater, and aquatic habitats to natural hazards and water quality. Using real-time visualizations and forecast models, we support many partners to strengthen resilience, stewardship, and informed decision-making statewide. … ” Read more from the USGS.
The ‘chemtrails’ conspiracy theory dogging the battle against drought
” … Since the 1950s, water districts out West have used cloud seeding—which typically involves releasing silver iodide from planes or ground generators into clouds to boost snow or rain—to benefit farmers, ranchers and ski resorts, largely without controversy. Rainmaker, a startup that got an early boost from billionaire Peter Thiel, is updating that technology by using drones and AI-enhanced weather modeling to do this with more precision. Doricko’s goal is to use vastly expanded data collection and a fleet of drones piloted from the ground to make rainmaking more efficient, measurable and dependable. But an intractable problem keeps getting in the way: the conspiracy theory that the government is manipulating the weather. Doricko has received death threats and been confronted on the street by people who believe he’s part of such a plot—or an unwitting patsy. The head of Utah’s cloud-seeding program has also been targeted with threats. … ” Read more from the Wall Street Journal (gift article – note, you can minimize the subscription request pop-up).
California governor vetoes proposed data center law relating to water supply and signs law regarding data center energy use
“Responding to mounting concerns about data centers’ strain on local water supplies and electrical grids, the California Legislature approved two transparency measures, Assembly Bill 93 and Senate Bill 57, intended to bring transparency to resource use without imposing immediate operational limits. While early proposals envisioned statewide consumption caps, the enacted versions primarily require disclosure and coordination rather than direct regulation. Both bills reflect a political compromise between environmental advocates and technology industry groups that warned strict limits could drive projects out of California. … ” Read more from Hanson Bridgett.
California scores a C- on infrastructure report card
“The Golden State isn’t getting a gold star on infrastructure. In fact, California scored a C-, according to a new report from the American Society of Civil Engineers. The quadrennial report card assesses the state’s network of infrastructure, including energy, traffic, airport safety and port electrification systems, among other things. The society of engineers found California is doing well in many facets of its energy infrastructure. This includes advanced treated purified water, clean energy sources, smart traffic systems, wildfire planning, port electrification and improved emergency response. However, the report says California doesn’t do so well in other areas, including not funding or falling behind on upkeep for aging roads, levees, bridges, water pipes, schools and public buildings. … ” Read more from the Center Square.
SEE ALSO: California averages a C-minus for upkeep on roads, storm drains, bridges and more, from the LA Times
In commentary today …
Why California’s Coastal Commission should let Diablo Canyon keep operating
“In the summer of 2022, the California legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom successfully passed Senate Bill 846 to extend operations at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in San Luis Obispo until at least 2030, avoiding the plant’s planned 2025 closure and preserving the state’s largest single source of clean electricity generation. Diablo Canyon provides around 9% of California’s annual electricity generation and around 17% of the state’s low-carbon electricity generation. Despite the law’s passage, Diablo Canyon must clear several regulatory hurdles to continue operating to 2030 and beyond. Most importantly, the plant must secure an operating license renewal from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which would grant Diablo Canyon federal permission to continue operating for 20 additional years, not just five years. But before the NRC can consider Diablo Canyon’s license renewal application, the power plant must first secure state regulatory approvals from the California Coastal Commission and the Water Board. In the meantime, the plant has temporary permission to continue operating while it awaits its permit approvals. … ” Read more from The Breakthrough Institute.
Wind, water and solar energy aren’t enough. California needs nuclear options
Leonard Rodberg, professor emeritus of Urban Studies at Queens College, City University of New York, writes, “Sure, California can swear off fossil fuels and shut down its nuclear plants, powering itself entirely with wind, water, and sun. All it takes is getting used to weekly rolling blackouts. Some energy predictions are tricky; this one isn’t. We can estimate how much electricity each solar panel and wind turbine will produce, and when they’ll produce it. Then we can plug those numbers into a computer, along with green advocates’ optimistic projections of future electricity demand, to see how supply and demand match up on an hourly and seasonal basis. Even with vastly expanded battery storage capacity to smooth things out, the match is poor. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
The Water-Dogecoin Paradox: In an economy awash in capital, why does water want for investment?
“America’s water and sewer utilities need trillions of dollars of investment—a state of affairs now thoroughly documented and loudly lamented.* Water/sewer systems provide the most basic of basic services; they’re tangible, provide real value, and sustain the entire economy. The water sector’s investment troubles aren’t due to a financial crisis or lack of liquidity in the broader economy. In fact, the economy is absolutely awash in capital. So why does the water sector struggle to secure financing for the nation’s most critical infrastructure? … ” Read more from Manny Teodoro.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Rain coming to Redding? What forecast says after wet start to season
“After a healthy start to the North State’s water year, Mother Nature turned off the spigot in recent weeks as a ridge of dry air has refused to budge in the skies above. Weather forecasters told the Record Searchlight that the chance for rain and snow over the next week is minimal. For winter businesses like Mt. Shasta Ski Park, the weather has melted any estimated opening date for the 2025-26 season. The resort opened on Dec. 11 in 2024. The National Weather Service forecast a chance for showers this weekend, with Saturday being the best opportunity with a 30% chance. … ” Read more from the Redding Record Searchlight.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Wrapping up salmon expeditions: A reflection on another successful season
“The education team here at SYRCL is proud to have wrapped up another season of Salmon Expeditions! This program has run for around twenty years, and it continues to evolve and grow bigger and better every year. The Salmon Expedition program is one of SYRCL’s most far-reaching programs, engaging thousands of students and community members over the course of a few months. This year alone, we brought almost 2,400 students, teachers, parent chaperones, and community members from 35 different schools rafting on the Lower Yuba River, to get the chance to see the magic of Chinook salmon spawning season. … ” Read more from the South Yuba River Citizens League.
Tahoe Conservancy seeks further public input on Upper Truckee Marsh South Project
“The California Tahoe Conservancy seeks feedback on concepts—informed by community engagement earlier this year—for potential restoration and public access improvements at the site of the former Motel 6 and the southern end of the Upper Truckee Marsh in South Lake Tahoe. … The Conservancy acquired the Upper Truckee Marsh South property in 2024, and removed the former motel and restaurant development in 2025. The 31-acre property includes 25 acres of wetland and meadow, and four acres of fill where the former motel had been built atop a wetland. It also serves as a key link between hundreds of acres of protected floodplain upstream and downstream. One of the most heavily used shared-use trails in South Lake Tahoe, the South Tahoe Bikeway, crosses the property. … ” Read more from South Tahoe Now.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Shasta Dam spillway undergoes once-in-a-decade routine inspection conducted by ropes team
“The Shasta Dam underwent a once-in-a-decade routine inspection conducted by the Bureau of Reclamation ropes team. There are no safety concerns at Shasta Dam, inspectors are simply looking for small imperfections in the dam’s spillway, before they turn into bigger issues. “As our ropes team goes and rappels down the dam, they’re looking for structural integrity, minor imperfections. They’re not going to find anything that’s really going to hurt the operations of the dam or put it in jeopardy anyway. If you think about it, this dam at the base is 850ft thick. So the spillway of the dam takes a lot of use when we’re in high water releases. So you can imagine all that pressure, 60,000 cfs and pressure going down the face. So one of the things we want to make sure is that this dam is in the best serviceable condition it can be. So putting a ropes team down to do manual inspection every ten years is just part of our operations,” said Michael Burke, the Bureau of Reclamation Public Affairs Specialist. … ” Read more from KRCR.
Sacramento County asks public to help update severe weather “playbook”
“Sacramento County is inviting residents to help shape a new plan for how the region prepares for and responds to floods, drought and other severe weather. The plan is underscored by the January 2023 storms that led to devastating flooding, water rescues and deaths in the Wilton area. Every five years, the county is required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to update its Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. The plan acts as a guide for reducing disaster losses from natural hazards like floods, levee failures, drought, wildfire and severe storms, and it also helps speed recovery after disaster strikes. … ” Read more from KCRA.
BAY AREA
Martinez residents want more than apologies — they want protection
“Nearly three years after a massive release of toxic dust coated homes, gardens, and cars across Martinez, many residents say the question is no longer what went wrong at the oil refinery in their backyard in 2022 — but what it will take to make the community more resilient the next time something happens. And lately, the “next time” feels less hypothetical, says Heidi Taylor, co-founder of the advocacy group Healthy Martinez and a local family law attorney. During a maintenance procedure at the Martinez Refining Company in February of this year, workers loosened bolts on a pressurized pipe, causing flammable hydrocarbons to escape and ignite. The fire spread in less than a minute, according to KQED, and sirens echoed across the city as residents scrambled to sort through text alerts, automated phone calls, and social media posts that at times offered conflicting instructions. “Living in Martinez means you start the day with a smile and hope you end it with one,” says Taylor. “At any moment, you could get a Level 1, 2, or 3 alert, and it can derail your whole day. That’s just the reality here.” … ” Read more from Knee Deep Times.
CENTRAL COAST
A multi-agency agreement offers a hopeful moment for groundwater.
“For all the years of hydrological studies and analysis of water supply, it sometimes feels like we are still in a world of magical thinking as described by John Steinbeck in the 1952 novel East of Eden. “There would be five or six wet and wonderful years,” Steinbeck wrote. “And then the dry years would come… Then the farmers and the ranchers would be filled with disgust for the Salinas Valley… And it never failed that during the dry years the people forgot about the rich years, and during the wet years they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way.” At long last, maybe it is not going to always be this way. On Tuesday, Dec. 9, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors is set to vote on adopting a monitoring plan for the deep aquifers, still somewhat unknown reservoirs located 500 to 900 feet underground that are tapped with wells to supply water for household, agricultural and industrial use. … ” Continue reading at Monterey Now.
King Tides are here—and your chance to contribute to science.
“King Tides are here, meaning high highs and low lows, making for a dramatic effect along the coast. At low tide, you can expect excellent tidepooling opportunities—but be sure to be aware of your surroundings and cautious about protecting the organisms you are there to admire. At high tide, you can expect to see some waterfront areas disappear entirely. (For tide tables, scroll down.) It’s the latter that is the motivation behind the California Coastal Commission’s King Tide Project, and you’re invited to participate. The citizen science initiative invites you to choose a location on an interactive map, then plan to be out there (safely, aware of your surroundings and potential big waves) to take photographs and/or videos of the high highs. … ” Read more from Monterey Now.
Tons of toxics at Moss Landing
“The Jan. 16 fire at the Vistra battery energy storage plant in Moss Landing spewed an estimated 25 metric tons—55,000 pounds—of heavy metals into the air, which were deposited across roughly half a square mile of wetlands around Elkhorn Slough. That’s according to a report published Monday by San Jose State University Professor of Marine Geology Ivano Aiello on the website The Conversation. Based on the amount of batteries that burned, roughly 1,000 to 1,400 metric tons of cathode material could have been carried into the smoke plume. What researchers found in local wetlands represents about 2% of what may have been released, Aiello said. … ” Read more from Good Times Santa Cruz.
Plans for huge new oceanfront battery storage plant are withdrawn following disastrous Moss Landing fire
“The Texas company that owns the battery storage plant at Moss Landing that burned in a spectacular fire in January, raising questions nationwide about the safety of the fast-growing renewable energy technology, has withdrawn plans to build a similarly-sized battery storage plant in the adjacent county. Vistra, based in Dallas, has notified the California Energy Commission that it is dropping efforts to secure state permits to construct a 600-megawatt battery storage plant in Morro Bay, a coastal town in San Luis Obispo County. The proposed plant would have been one of the largest in the United States with thousands of lithium-ion batteries capable of storing enough electricity for 450,000 homes. Vistra did not announce the decision to halt the project publicly or notify city leaders, despite having advocated for it over the past four years. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
Order to release more water from Lopez Lake vacated, SLO County wins appeal
“The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday vacated a court order to release more water from Lopez Lake to support steelhead trout migration because of the rulings possible impacts on the California red-legged frog and tidewater goby—both Endangered Species Act-listed species. In December, U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett sided with environmental groups with a goal of protecting a threatened species. She ordered San Luis Obispo County to increase the amount of water it releases from the Lopez Lake Dam each year to support steelhead trout migration through Arroyo Grande Creek for spawning in the watershed. The water then runs into the Pacific Ocean. The county appealed the decision on Jan. 24 arguing the additional water releases could lead to shortages during drought years. The county’s primary concern was protecting the water supply not the district courts failure to weight the impacts of its decision on other endangered systems. … ” Read more from Cal Coast News.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Keyes residents to get socked with larger sewer bills
“Beginning Jan. 1, Keyes residents will be paying nearly an extra $40 per month to flush their toilets and drain their sinks and bathtubs. The Keyes Community Services District board unanimously approved a $38.16 rate hike charge at its meeting of Tuesday, Nov. 25. The move is in response to a whopping increase imposed by the city of Turlock which processes Keyes’ effluent at its plant. A total of 1,494 households will be affected. The district hasn’t increased rates since 2013. The monthly sewer charge jumps from $64.23 to $102.39. In order to raise rates under Proposition 218, the district was required to send out protest ballots to affected property owners. Because the Starlite subdivision was erroneously skipped when the first batch of ballots went out, KCSD had to reissue them. A total of 302 protest ballots were received – far from the 748 necessary as a majority vote to block the increase. … ” Read more from the Ceres Courier.
Central Valley’s Kaweah groundwater basin avoids probation after plan improvements
“The State Water Resources Control Board on Tuesday voted to return the oversight of the Kaweah Subbasin to the Department of Water Resources after local agencies improved their groundwater plan, ending nearly two years’ threat of probation. The development followed the state’s review process triggered in March 2023 under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, when DWR had determined that the subbasin’s original groundwater plan was “inadequate,” citing concerns like declining groundwater levels, land subsidence, and potential impacts to drinking-water wells and infrastructure. Kaweah is one of California’s most stressed groundwater basins, sitting in the southern San Joaquin Valley where decades of heavy pumping have caused chronic overdraft. The region lies at the edge of one of the valley’s major subsidence zones, where sinking land has damaged the Friant-Kern Canal — a critical piece of water infrastructure in the Central Valley that runs directly through the subbasin. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
California’s $2.9 billion water plan expands supply options for Pasadena
“A $2.9 billion state water investment is strengthening supply options for Pasadena. California completed or launched eight major infrastructure projects this fall. The initiatives add 2.9 billion gallons annually to the state’s water supply. The projects serve more than 1 million residents statewide. Nearly $590 million in grants and low-interest loans funded the work. Gov. Gavin Newsom has made water infrastructure expansion a priority. The new facilities focus on recycling, wastewater treatment and desalination. “We’re dealing with hotter, drier, wetter, more volatile weather all at once,” Newsom said. California must “stay ahead of it,” he added. The developments provide enough water for roughly 20,000 homes yearly. They upgrade local systems to boost wastewater recycling and remove harmful chemicals. … ” Read more from Pasadena Now.
King tides arrive Thursday in SoCal under the pull of the super Cold Moon
“Coast-side Southern Californians can expect the return of perigean spring tides — more commonly known as king tides — on Thursday. These exceptionally high tides occur when the sun, moon and Earth align, increasing the gravitational tug on the ocean tides. The full moon exerting its pull is the last supermoon of 2025, the third after supermoons in October and November. December’s event is called the Cold Moon because it rises amid longer, chillier nights approaching the winter solstice, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. The king tides will continue into Friday and occur again on Jan. 2 and 3. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Southern California lawmaker gets involved in data center dispute
“State Sen. Steve Padilla, D-Chula Vista, has issued a letter to a county board in his district, asking for more transparency about a proposed data center that’s been raising red flags for citizens and public officials. California has over 300 data centers, but new projects have come under scrutiny as artificial intelligence usage booms and the public attempts to figure out how the facilities affect water and electricity availability in their areas. The particular project in question is a data center proposed on 74 acres in unincorporated Imperial County, near the border with Mexico. Planning department officials alarmed city officials and local residents when they gave an early project stage an exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act review process. In a letter sent Monday, Padilla asked the Imperial County Board of Supervisors what their rationale was in granting the CEQA exemption and asked what they knew about the proposed center’s water and energy source, and its distance from the nearest resident. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
SAN DIEGO
Santa Fe Irrigation District customers to see rate increases in January
“At its Nov. 20 meeting, the Santa Fe Irrigation District Board of Directors unanimously approved rate increases for its potable and recycled customers that will take effect at the start of the new year, Jan. 1, 2026. Customers will receive a notification by mail with more details about the impact on their bills and when they can expect the increase to be reflected in their statements, according to a district news release. Potable water customers will see a 5% rate increase, a full pass-through of costs from the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA), the region’s wholesale water provider. “Rate increases are always a difficult decision for our board to pass on to our communities,” said SFID Board President Michael Hogan in the news release. “However, increases from our wholesale providers cannot be absorbed and must be passed through to our customers. I appreciate the hard work of our staff in finding creative ways to manage internal costs moving forward. We will continue to fight for our customers to regain our local water supply in Lake Hodges as soon as possible.” … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Sewage contamination ‘without a doubt’ sickening Tijuana River Valley residents
“Dr. Paula Stigler Granados, a researcher from San Diego State University, says “without a doubt” pollution in the Tijuana River Valley is making people sick. Her comments are based on findings from an online survey being conducted by her and other scientists who are studying the effects of raw sewage and other contamination on those who live along the Tijuana River Valley, which is polluted by effluent and chemicals that flow in from south of the border. Studies have shown that contaminated water that splashes on rocks or is churned by the surf in the ocean releases dangerous gases such as hydrogen sulfide into the air. … ” Read more from the Border Report.
Along the Colorado River …
Why one Tribe has declared the Colorado River a legal person
Journalist Ian James writes, “As I’ve followed the long-running negotiations over the Colorado River the last couple of years, very little progress has been made in transforming the century-old system of managing the river’s dwindling water. The Colorado’s giant reservoirs have dropped because of heavy water use and a quarter-century of drought, worsened by climate change, yet seven Western states have remained deadlocked on how to take less water and live within the river’s limits. In the last month, though, leaders of a tribal nation on the California-Arizona border offered a concept that might help transform the discussions — or at least ensure that the health of the river itself isn’t completely ignored. The Tribal Council of the Colorado River Indian Tribes decided to recognize the river as a legal person under tribal law. It’s the second time a Native tribe has declared legal personhood for a river in the United States. The Yurok Tribe in Northern California in 2019 declared the Klamath River a legal person. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Is the drought in the Southwest permanent?
“Reservoirs along the Colorado River—some of the most important stores of water in the nation—dwindle by the day, exposing sunken boats, dumped bodies, and barren soils. It’s just the latest phase in a drought that has crushed the Southwest over the last two and a half decades: the driest period the region has seen in 1,200 years. Even the lashing rains of the atmospheric rivers that have swept over the Southwest in recent winters have done little to alleviate the trend.Drought, it seems, is here to stay for many more years. In fact, the current dry spell could last another two decades, according to a paper recently published in Nature. The results of their analysis, which relied on the data of over 500 climate simulations produced by world-leading research institutions, rewrite our understanding of one of the key climate systems controlling weather in the western United States. … ” Read more from Nautilus.
How much rain did Phoenix get this fall? Enough to break a record
“Phoenix has reached yet another weather milestone, but it might not be the kind you’d expect. The meteorological fall that just ended was the wettest on record. Not hottest — wettest. From late-monsoon downpours to days-long October soakings, a steady parade of storm systems pushed 2025’s fall rainfall total to 6.31 inches at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. That’s nearly four times the seasonal average and surpasses the previous record of 6.18 inches in 1939. As well, nearly 76% of the year’s rain arrived after Sept. 1, changing the entire trajectory of the year in just a few months. Even with all that moisture, the fall still finished as Phoenix’s seventh-warmest on record, underscoring how the region’s long-term warming trend continues even during unusually wet years. … ” Read more from Arizona Central.
Commentary: The Shoshone flows — a step toward certainty on the Colorado
Michael Bennet writes, “Last month, the Colorado Water Conservation Board embraced a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to safeguard the Colorado River and sustain our way of life here in Colorado. As we gather with family and friends to reflect on what we are grateful for this holiday season, I am especially thankful for all the people whose hard work brought us to this moment. For more than a century, the Shoshone water rights have helped keep water in our state’s namesake river. These senior rights have provided stability in dry years, supported thriving farms and ranches, sustained our outdoor recreation economy, and protected critical wildlife habitat. When the river runs low, Shoshone is the quiet guardian of flows — benefiting communities from the headwaters to the state line. That is why the CWCB’s vote to acquire a perpetual interest in the Shoshone water rights for an instream flow is a step toward certainty, and a conscious choice to embrace collaboration over conflict, and stewardship over short-term thinking. … ” Read more from the Grand Junction Sentinel.
Colorado’s latest snowfall offers relief, but long-range La Niña outlook stays warm
“An updated winter forecast indicates an increased likelihood of drier conditions in Colorado heading into 2026, driven by below-normal snowfall and above-normal temperatures. Meteorologists are predicting increased odds of below-normal snowfall across the Central Rockies, stretching into Colorado’s western half, according to an OpenSnow winter forecast. The region’s temperature outlook has changed only slightly since September’s estimates, with meteorologists still anticipating higher odds of above-normal winter temperatures across the Southern and Central Rockies, amid a stronger push toward La Niña conditions. … ” Read more from KUNC.
Colorado considers water and wetland protections as federal regulations are rolled back
“The federal government is limiting which bodies of water are eligible for protection under the Clean Water Act. Now, Colorado is working on its own set of rules for places that will no longer be federally protected, following a 2024 bipartisan law. The nonpartisan Western Resource Advocates estimates that these new rules will apply to over 68% of Colorado rivers and drinking water sources, and nearly all of the state’s wetlands. Stu Gillespie, a senior attorney with EarthJustice, said that for the last couple of decades, the court used what was called the “significant nexus” test to determine whether a body of water would be subject to the Clean Water Act. “If a stream or wetland had a nexus to a downstream water, if it impacted it, it was covered by the Clean Water Act,” he explained. “That was under the recognition that if that headwater stream is impacting downstream waters, we should be protecting it.” … ” Read more from Aspen Public Radio.
In national water news today …
Clean drinking water for millions of people at risk as Trump administration targets national monuments
“Since 1906, U.S. presidents have protected millions of acres of public lands and waters through the establishment of national monuments, from the California Coastal National Monument to what is now Acadia National Park in Maine.1 National monuments not only shield important ecosystems, cultural resources, and recreation hubs from threats such as drilling and mining but also provide essential services to communities across the country. A new analysis finds that 31 national monuments designated since the Clinton administration and now potentially under threat from the Trump administration safeguard the supply of clean drinking water for more than 13 million Americans. Additionally, 83 percent of the miles of rivers and streams passing through these public lands are uniquely protected by their national monument status, meaning they have no other substantial form of conservation protection. Yet today, the Trump administration’s threats to eliminate national monument protections in the name of expanding drilling and mining across U.S. public lands put these clean waters directly at risk from development and pollution. … ” Read more from the Center for American Progress..
The environmental costs of corn: should the US change how it grows its dominant crop?
“For decades, corn has reigned over American agriculture. It sprawls across 90m acres – about the size of Montana – and goes into everything from livestock feed and processed foods to the ethanol blended into most of the nation’s gasoline. But a growing body of research reveals that the US’s obsession with corn has a steep price: the fertilizer used to grow it is warming the planet and contaminating water. Corn is essential to the rural economy and to the world’s food supply, and researchers say the problem isn’t the corn itself. It’s how we grow it. Corn farmers rely on heavy fertilizer use to sustain today’s high yields. And when the nitrogen in the fertilizer breaks down in the soil, it releases nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas nearly 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Producing nitrogen fertilizer also emits large amounts of carbon dioxide, adding to its climate footprint. … ” Read more from The Guardian.
A look at snow conditions so far …
