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On the calendar today …
- EPA WEBINAR: 6PPD & 6PPD-quinone from 12pm to 1pm. 6PPD-quinone (6PPD-q) is a contaminant of emerging concern and is a transformation product of the tire anti-degradant, 6PPD. 6PPD-q was identified as fatal to coho salmon in 2020. Since that time, it has been documented as acutely toxic to multiple trout species found throughout the United States. 6PPD and 6PPD-q are carried by tire wear particles through the environment, and the chemicals have been found in stormwater, waterways, aquatic organisms, soils, air, and humans. This webinar, featuring presenters from the Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council (ITRC) 6PPD Team, will provide an overview of the science surrounding 6PPD and 6PPD-q. Attendees will gain insight into the current state of knowledge on topics such as the use of 6PPD in tires; toxicity in aquatic species; occurrence, fate, and transport; measuring and sampling; and mitigation measures. The webinar will cover the ITRC 6PPD and 6PPD-q resources, including their 2024 Guidance Document. EPA will also provide a brief overview of recent 6PPD research at the Agency. Click here to register.
- WEBINAR: Advancing PFAS Management: Progress, Lessons, and Tools for Retail Agencies from 12pm to 1pm. Gain an inside look at the Orange County Water District’s (OCWD) ongoing efforts to manage and address PFAS impacts across the region. This webinar will provide a comprehensive overview of OCWD’s PFAS program, outlining current progress, operational lessons learned, and the coordinated approach taken with retail water agencies. Participants will learn about countywide well restoration efforts, which have now reached the halfway mark with 53 of 106 impacted wells returning to service, and what’s to come. The webinar will also feature a preview of OCWD’s new in-house PFAS dashboard, a centralized tool designed to provide quick data access and visualization to staff to support informed planning and operational decision-making. Click here to register.
- WEBINAR: Dark Skies: Rare Phenomena in America’s National Parks from 12pm to 1pm. What happens in the Sierra after dark? Waterfalls appear to catch fire. The moon creates rainbows in the mist of rushing waterfalls. Once-in-a-lifetime comets and meteors streak through the sky. Join us for an evening with award-winning photographer Jeff Pfaller as he tells the story of his 5-year-journey exploring America’s Public Lands at night. You’ll hear about rare dark sky phenomena, making space in your life to witness miracles, and tips for experiencing these bucket-list items for yourself. Click here for more information and to register.
- PUBLIC MEETING: Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program: Public Listening Session for the Second Statewide Agricultural Expert Panel from 1pm to 5pm. The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) will hold a public listening session of the Second Statewide Agricultural Expert Panel (Panel) on Wednesday, December 17, 2025 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm to gather input from the public and all interested parties that will be shared with the Panel members for their consideration of the Panel charge questions. Click here for the meeting notice.
In California water news today …
Storm forecast shows Pineapple Express may head straight for Bay Area
“After weeks of unusually dry December weather and earlier forecasts pointing to limited rain, the Bay Area is now trending toward a wetter pattern. A notable shift in the weekend outlook shows increasing confidence that periods of moderate to heavy rain could arrive late this weekend and into early next week, as forecast models converge on a stronger atmospheric river targeting Northern California. While some variables are still in play, here’s what we know: The coming weekend storm system was expected to be the last and strongest of three this week, tapping into a stronger atmospheric river moisture source. But forecast models have begun coalescing around an even wetter scenario pointed directly at the Bay Area. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle (gift article).
California issued warning over ‘onslaught’ of atmospheric rivers
““This is going to be really bad,” warned former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) chief scientist and meteorologist Ryan Maue on X, on Wednesday morning, referring to an “onslaught of atmospheric rivers” forecast to drench California over the next 10 days.Following last week’s atmospheric rivers—which triggered flooding in the Cascades and Washington—the West Coast is facing another series of storms, now shifting south. These systems are expected to bring heavy rain and mountain snow to Oregon and Northern California from Wednesday into the weekend and next week, according to senior meteorologists at The Weather Channel. … ” Read more from Newsweek.
California representatives propose bills to “end the California water crisis” – details on the over $4 billion proposal
“On December 11, 2025, Representative Adam Gray (D-CA-13) and Representative Jim Costa (D-CA-21) announced a legislative package entitled the End California Water Crisis Package. The bills “aim to expand California’s water storage capacity by providing funding and technical support to both develop and maintain water infrastructure projects”, They seek to accomplish their goals by “authoriz[ing] additional California water storage projects, eas[ing] permitting restrictions, and creat[ing] enforceable timelines for environmental review processes.” Both lawmakers represent the Central Valley and are members of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats in the House of Representatives. While the proposals clearly reflect regional priorities, they could have statewide impacts if passed. … ” Read more from Nossaman.
Rep. Garamendi, California Dems slam Trump plan to raid Delta water
“Seven Congressional Democrats representing the Bay-Delta region today condemned the Trump administration for its plan to export more water out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the largest and most significant estuary on the West Coast. The letter was issued at a time when the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary is in its worst-ever ecological crisis, due to the already massive pumping of Delta water for corporate agribusiness interests and Southern California water agencies, along with other factors. In a letter, Representative John Garamendi (CA-08) led Representatives Ami Bera (CA-06), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Josh Harder (CA-09), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Doris Matsui (CA-07), and Mike Thompson (CA-04) in condemning Acting Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Scott Cameron’s plan to “siphon additional water out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.” … ” Read more from the Daily Kos.
SEE ALSO: Garamendi, Thompson bash Trump on Delta plan, from the Reporter
Phase 1 of statewide wastewater assessment sets foundation for equitable solutions
“California has reached a major milestone in understanding the condition of its wastewater systems with the completion of Phase 1 of the statewide Wastewater Needs Assessment (WWNA). Led by UCLA’s Luskin Center for Innovation and partners, the effort established a first-ever comprehensive baseline evaluation of wastewater infrastructure performance, risks, and unmet needs—creating a foundation for more equitable sanitation policy and investment across the state. The WWNA was conceived to help answer a simple yet critical question: how well are California’s thousands of wastewater systems serving people and communities, especially disadvantaged and underserved areas? Phase 1 establishes the data and analytical methods needed to answer that question, setting the stage for statewide evaluation and action in Phase 2 and beyond. … ” Read more from UCLA’s Luskin Center for Innovation.
Research flights over the Atlantic could help improve atmospheric river forecasting
“Scientists from the United States, Canada and Europe will soon start research flights over the Atlantic Ocean to learn more about atmospheric rivers in the hopes of giving battered residents of both Europe and the West Coast of the United States more time to prepare for the deluges they bring. Atmospheric rivers, high-altitude plumes of tropical moisture, are dumping heavy rainfall and causing floods across the Pacific Northwest this month. Beginning in January, France and Germany will launch flights from Ireland, while a NASA aircraft based in the Canadian town of Goose Bay will also begin high-flying surveys, according to Marty Ralph, a research meteorologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. Scripps is coordinating the research effort along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
Berkeley Lab: How researchers are driving advances for data centers
“Today’s technologies depend increasingly on computers and artificial intelligence – largely powered by data centers, which have become essential U.S. infrastructure. Over the past two decades, data centers have proliferated quickly, driving up demand for electricity to power high-performance computing chips, as well as water and energy for cooling. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has been at the forefront of research on this evolution, conducting pioneering analysis and partnering with industry — from top AI companies to utilities and grid operators — to help ensure the reliable, around-the-clock supply of energy and cooling that modern data centers demand. Researchers are analyzing and quantifying the energy implications of the data center industry’s rapid expansion. They are also working with key players in the industry to identify best practices, support load forecasting, and optimize data centers and how they interact with the electric grid. Here are seven ways Berkeley Lab is helping U.S. data centers run more reliably. … ” Read more from Berkeley Lab.
SEE ALSO:
- How Much Water Do AI Data Centers Really Use?, from Undark
- Desert storm: Can data centres slake their insatiable thirst for water?, from Reuters
Where the wild things thrive: Finding and protecting nature’s climate change safe havens
“The idea began in California’s Sierra Nevada, a towering spine of rock and ice where rising temperatures and the decline of snowpack are transforming ecosystems, sometimes with catastrophic consequences for wildlife. The prairie-doglike Belding’s ground squirrel (Urocitellus beldingi) had been struggling there as the mountain meadows it relies on dry out in years with less snowmelt and more unpredictable weather. At lower elevations, the foothill yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii) was also being hit hard by rising temperatures, because it needs cool, shaded streams to breed and survive. As we studied these and other species in the Sierra Nevada, we discovered a ray of hope: The effects of warming weren’t uniform. We were able to locate meadows that are less vulnerable to climate change, where the squirrels would have a better chance of thriving. We also identified streams that would stay cool for the frogs even as the climate heats up. Some are shaded by tree canopy. Others are in valleys with cool air or near deep lakes or springs. These special areas are what we call climate change refugia. … ” Read more from The Conversation.
Warming responsible for two-thirds of emissions from western wildfires
“Warming is fueling ever larger wildfires in the U.S. West, which are becoming a major source of pollution. A new study finds that warming is to blame for nearly half of particulate pollution and two-thirds of emissions unleashed by western wildfires. Warming is giving rise to bigger and more frequent fires by fueling hotter, drier weather and more intense droughts. In parts of the U.S., fires are up to four times as large, and strike three times as often as they did before the turn of this century. Bigger fires are producing huge volumes of smoke. In the summer of 2020, a particularly brutal fire year, wildfires were the leading source of particulate pollution in the West, while in California, fires that year produced more carbon emissions than every power plant in the state put together. … ” Read more from Yale e360.
In regional water news and commentary today …
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Will there be snow to ski in Tahoe by Christmas? Here’s what the forecast says
“Christmas week is one of the busiest times of the year in Tahoe. But with the region in the midst of the worst start to a season in nearly a half a century, the question is: Will there be enough snow to ski? Right now, the answer is complicated. Palisades Tahoe, the largest ski resort in California, remains effectively closed, with just one small trail open thanks to manmade snow. Natural snowfall has been scarce, and despite an increasingly active storm pattern, most of the systems arriving this week are simply too warm to deliver meaningful snow at resort level. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Early fall return estimate climbs to over 2,100 fish in Putah Creek
“A November estimate on the number of Chinook salmon making their way up Putah Creek to spawn missed the mark – by nearly 800. The Solano County Water Agency reported on Tuesday that a record 2,150 King salmon returned to spawn in Putah Creek this fall. “The number of adult salmon returning in 2025 is a testament to the collaborative efforts among citizens, water managers, landowners and scientists who are all working together to create a creek that can support people, fish and wildlife,” Solano County Water Agency General Manager Chris Lee said in the report. “This successful run validates the work done to date and gives us great confidence Putah Creek will continue to support salmon runs for generations to come.” … ” Read more from the Daily Republic.
SEE ALSO: Putah Creek sees record salmon return, from the Davis Enterprise
BAY AREA
Bay Area: you just might have yourself a soggy, rainy Christmas
“It’s beginning to look a lot like rain this Christmas. As wet weather returns to the Bay Area and persists throughout the week, there’s a 60% chance the pattern will last through Dec. 25, and a slightly lower chance it will linger through the end of the month, National Weather Service meteorologists wrote in their daily forecast discussion on Tuesday. So, if you’re getting grandpa a drone this year, or some other flying gadget or gizmo to fly around the tree, see if you can find a waterproof one. “Our dry spell looks like it is ending,” said Rachel Kennedy, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Bay Area office. … ” Read more from KQED.
The race against runoff
“Few of us give stormwater a second thought — at least until it backs up. That’s why Sarah Minick, who has dedicated her career to the subject, is so excited that an innovative new park in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood has been named accordingly. “It actually says ‘Stormwater Park’ on Google Maps,” gushes Minick, an urban watershed planning manager with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. “That’s cultural progress.” Completed in 2022, the 1.2-acre linear park sits on the edge of a sprawling former parking lot abutting Mission Creek. Directly across the waterway — also known as China Basin Channel — sits Oracle Park, the San Francisco Giants’ home stadium. … ” Read more from Knee Deep Times.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Westlands Water District Board votes to adopt Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan
“Today, the Westlands Water District Board of Directors voted to certify the Final Program Environmental Impact Report (FPEIR) and adopt Findings of Fact under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for the Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan (VCIP). This action underscores Westlands’ leadership in charting a path forward for District growers and rural communities grappling with the impacts of widespread land fallowing driven by inadequate and unreliable water supplies and the ongoing implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). This year alone, chronic water shortages have forced more than 215,000 acres—roughly 38% of the District’s irrigable farmland—out of production, with additional acreage expected to be fallowed as SGMA further constrains groundwater use. These reductions jeopardize the thousands of jobs supported by the District and threaten the economic stability of rural communities whose essential services depend on the revenues generated by active agricultural production. … ” Read more from Westlands Water District.
Trump can’t break these farmers’ solar pivot
“California’s Trumpiest water district is still going solar. Westlands Water District’s vote Tuesday to convert more than a quarter of its increasingly parched farmland into solar panels shows just how much some of California’s largest almond and tomato growers are looking for new business in a water-strapped future — and how much climate change is changing their economics, politics be damned. The powerful Central Valley irrigation district counts President Donald Trump as one of its strongest allies; it still employs Trump’s first-term Interior secretary, David Bernhardt, as a lobbyist and has played a central role in the Trump administration’s rollbacks of environmental rules to pump more water out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Even the increased water deliveries — and Trump’s antipathy to solar energy, which means the installations won’t benefit from federal tax credits — haven’t slowed their pivot. … ” Read more from Politico.
SEE ALSO: Westlands approves plan to repurpose fallowed land for solar, energy storage, from San Joaquin Valley Sun
Will it snow in Yosemite National Park by Christmas? We asked the experts
“Wintertime in Yosemite National Park is something special. Many visitors say it’s their favorite time of the year to visit — especially when snow transforms the 748,000-acre park nestled in the Sierra Nevada into a winter wonderland. The Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau described Yosemite National Park as “a magical place for a holiday escape.” “It’s stunning when winter arrives,” the tourism bureau wrote in a Dec. 14 post on Facebook. “December really is my favorite time in the park. (There are) clear skies, sunny days, and barely a person in the valley. This is the solitude that stirs the soul,” Reddit user Burgiebeer wrote in a Dec. 11 post in the Yosemite subreddit, sharing a photo of Half Dome. “Without the massive crowds, it’s transformative. Quiet. Peaceful.” … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
Well registration efforts continue in Tulare and Fresno counties
“Valley groundwater agencies are continuing their push for landowners to register wells, some by holding workshops and others by extending deadlines. Landowners in the Mid-Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) can get help registering wells at two workshops on Friday, Dec. 19 and Friday, Jan. 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. No appointment is needed. The workshops will be held at the College of the Sequoias’ Tulare campus, 4999 E. Bardsley Ave. in Building B, Computer Room 121. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Three vie for vacant board seat on powerful Kern water agency
“Three people have put their hats in the ring for a Kern County Water Agency board seat that was left vacant when that board member was hired as the agency’s General Manager. Tamara Johnson, Director of California Water Service’s southern region; Greg Wegis, longtime farmer and farm manager; and Mark Mulkay, retired General Manager of the Kern Delta Water District, all submitted letters of interest for the seat. The board is expected to select the new board member at its meeting on Wednesday. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
L.A.’s hydrants ran dry during the fires. Residents are still demanding solutions
“As the flames of the Palisades fire licked at his home, Ricardo Kawamura stood in his front yard watching smoke pour out of a second-story window. He saw a fire engine parked next to a hydrant on his street, and called for help. “They told me they did not have enough water,” Kawamura said. “And unfortunately, there was nothing that they could do at that time.” … How did entire communities find themselves in the midst of raging fires without enough water on hand to fight them? The answers have exposed the weaknesses of Los Angeles’ water systems and prompted widespread calls to redesign Southern California’s water infrastructure. Water managers and experts said the water systems in Pacific Palisades and Altadena were never designed for wildfires that rage through entire neighborhoods, or for infernos intensified by climate change. In fact, their design effectively guaranteed that hydrants would lose pressure and fail during a giant fire. The loss of pressure in hydrants had happened before in various wildfires, including the 2008 Freeway Complex fire, the 2017 Tubbs and Thomas fires, the 2018 Woolsey fire and the 2024 Mountain fire. But the historic devastation of the Palisades and Eaton fires has led residents and experts to search urgently for ways to ensure more water is available next time. … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via AOL News.
Recipe for L.A.’s fire disaster: Intense rains followed by unprecedented heat and dry conditions
“One fire appears to have been caused by a spark from old power lines, the other allegedly started by an Uber driver with a fascination with flames. In the end, the Eaton and Palisades fires destroyed more than 16,000 homes, businesses and other structures and left 31 people dead. They were the second and third most destructive wildfires in California history — eclipsed only by the Camp fire that leveled the town of Paradise in 2018, destroying more than 18,000 structures and killing at least 85 people. All three of those fires — and many others to hit California in recent decades — have one key factor in common: Global warming, which many scientists say is contributing to make California’s always dangerous fire season be even more fraught than ever. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
Beyond the Master Plan: River LA’s Harry Chandler on delivering the 100-acre Taylor Yard Project
“In conversation, River LA’s Board Chair, Harry Chandler, discusses the long arc of the Los Angeles (LA) River’s revitalization efforts and the sobering gap between visionary plans and implementation. Chandler recounts how The L.A. River Revitalization Corporation (renamed as River LA), founded by the City in 2009, with Chandler as its first board chair, was established to advance public and private partnerships along the river corridor with its fragmented governance landscape. Today, River LA’s signature project is the future park-to-be Taylor Yard, a former 100-acre toxic rail site. Chandler reflects on his work leading a multiyear capital campaign, securing naming-rights opportunities for a new city museum, and shaping a broader finance strategy designed to build the pathway—and the political will—to move the LA River from concept to reality, and ultimately, to legacy. TPR: Harry, before delving into the LA River, step back to when Mayor Villaraigosa appointed you to the LA River board. What prompted you to accept that appointment—and what has kept you so deeply engaged in this placemaking effort ever since? A: So, a little before meeting with the Mayor, I was working on what became my first book, Dreamers in Dream City. I interviewed dozens of interesting Angelenos and selected about 60 people whom I photographed. One of them was a guy named Lewis McAdams, who had started Friends of the LA River, or FOLAR. He took me down to the river, and I photographed him there. While we were working and talking, he got me interested in the potential of this concrete channel that we’ve all turned our backs on. … ” Read more from The Planning Report.
Cerritos’ plans to raise water, sewer fees by over 75% frustrates neighbors
“Those who live and work in Cerritos Tuesday expressed their outrage and plans to protest after the city pushes to increase water and sewer rates by as much as 76%. City officials said the fee increase is necessary to fix their 60-year-old infrastructure as the revenue will fund the upgrade. “Our residents and businesses should be paying the truer costs of the operation and maintenance of the new water infrastructure,” said Mayor Frank Aurelio Yokoyama. While some residents said they understand the need, others said they are concerned about those who might be stretched thin already. … ” Read more from Channel 4.
SEE ALSO: Cerritos Outlines Aging Water and Sewer Infrastructure as Cost Pressures Mount, from Los Cerritos News
SAN DIEGO
The U.S. is committed to cleaning up Tijuana River pollution. Will California follow through?
“As Tijuana River sewage has contaminated neighborhoods in southern San Diego County, the federal government has pledged two-thirds of a billion to clean it up. Now local lawmakers are calling on California to step up the fight against cross-border pollution, and one introduced a bill this week to revisit air quality standards for noxious gas from the river. State Sen. Catherine Blakespear held a joint hearing of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee and the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee in San Diego Thursday to explore how the state can help solve the problem. “California has long been a national leader in environmental stewardship and policy making,” Blakespear said at the hearing. “But what is happening in the Tijuana River Valley is an international environmental disaster that undermines everything that California stands for.” … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
Along the Colorado River …
California commits to conservation, collaboration in new Colorado River framework
“California’s water, tribal, and agricultural leaders today presented a comprehensive framework for a durable, basin-wide operating agreement for the Colorado River and highlighted the state’s proposal for conserving 440,000 acre-feet of river water per year. At the annual Colorado River Water Users Association conference, California underscored the state’s leadership in conservation, collaboration, and long-term stewardship of shared water resources that inform its approach to post-2026 negotiations. California takes a balanced approach, relying on contributions from the upper and lower basins to maintain a shared resource. California supports hydrology-based flexibility for river users, with all states contributing real water savings. Any viable framework would need to include transparent and verifiable accounting for conserved water, along with several other elements outlined in the California framework. … ” Read more from the Colorado River Board of California.
Colorado River gathering kicks off with rhetoric, concerns over river’s future
“About 1,400 people from every corner of the Colorado River Basin flocked to the palm tree-lined Caesars Palace casino in Las Vegas this week thirsty for insights into the stalled negotiations over the future management of the river. New insights, however, were sparse as of Tuesday morning. The highly anticipated Colorado River Water Users Association conference is the largest river gathering of the year. It’s a meet up where federal and state officials like to make big announcements about the water supply for 40 million people, and when farmers, tribal nations, city water managers, industrial representatives and environmental groups can swap strategies in hallway chats. … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun.
Colorado River stakeholders gather in Las Vegas as water crisis deepens
“Representatives from seven states, tribal communities and two countries join hundreds of stakeholders in Las Vegas this week for one critical reason: water. The 80th Colorado River Water Users Association Annual Meeting comes as the Colorado River, Southern Nevada’s primary water source, faces significant drought and decline. Currently, Lake Mead sits at just over 32% capacity. The conference highlights not just the reality of water loss, but the difficult conversations, crossroads and cutbacks at the heart of the Colorado River’s future. Current guidelines for how the river is shared expire next year, and the seven basin states still haven’t agreed on a new framework despite pressures from drought and shrinking water availability. John Entsminger, Nevada’s negotiator and general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, said there are challenging dynamics at play, making a solution difficult. “Trying to square those three things, 19th-century law, 20th-century infrastructure, and 21st century climate is the huge challenge, and that’s what is taking so long in these negotiations,” Entsminger said. … ” Read more from Channel 13.
The mother of all water wars
“It’s a fight that could shape the future of the American West. Seven states are locked in a stalemate over the Colorado River, a critical — and dwindling — water source. In a year, the river’s water allocation guidelines will expire; the lengthy environmental review process means states need to bring a new deal to the table as soon as possible. Talks happening in Las Vegas today hoping to meet the looming deadline — or else the White House may need to step in. It’s an incredibly complicated situation. More than 40 million people rely on the water. Stakeholders include farmers, big cities, high-tech industries and federally recognized tribes, among others. And there are political considerations as well: The river basin is home to red and blue states, not to mention crucial swing states. … ” Read more from Politico.
Water is for fighting: Colorado River group describes history of water disputes, looks for solutions
“Water is like a set of assets in a bankruptcy hearing. In both scenarios — water and bankruptcy — there’s a limited pool of resources that must be divided among multiple people. The question in either situation: What method should be used to do so? People want certainty and the resolution of conflict, said Rhett Larson, a water law professor at Arizona State University. “But certainty and peace have a price,” he added. Larson spoke Tuesday in Las Vegas on the first day of the Colorado River Water Users Association’s three-day gathering. He drew a bright line between bankruptcy and water fights as he detailed the history of the Colorado River, and the states and people who have battled for it over centuries. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
SEE ALSO:
- Dispatch from Sin City: Colorado River Negotiations Are Stuck in the Mud, from the Voice of San Diego
- California, the biggest water user in the basin, pitches Colorado River framework, from the Nevada Current
- California on track for lowest Lake Mead use in 75 years, from the Las Vegas Review-Journal
- Grappling with a horrible hydrology, Colorado River states try to strike a deal, from Channel 13
Colorado River water contamination is impacting certain groups more: report
“The people most vulnerable to water contamination from the Colorado River are minority and low-income groups, according to a new essay. The essay comes as part of a series of articles released on December 3 in a report by the Colorado River Research Group titled “Colorado River Insights, 2025: Dancing with Deadpool.” “Key findings include a distinctly segregated pattern in where people of color live, and highly disproportionate access to household drinking water and exposure to pollutants for the basin’s minority populations,” the essay authors, Bonnie Colby and Zoey Reed-Spitzer, wrote. Newsweek has contacted one of the authors outside of regular working hours via email for comment. … ” Read more from Newsweek.
Mexicali farmers threaten to use their Colorado River water, putting Tijuana’s supply in jeopardy
“If Mexicali farmers can’t cut a deal with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration, the city of Tijuana’s at risk of losing its water supply from the Colorado River. For generations, these farmers – known as Irrigation District 14 – sold river water the Mexican government ceded to them for agricultural production to coastal cities like Tijuana and Ensenada. The Colorado River flows through Mexicali, but because of this deal, it’s diverted over 100 miles the coast via an aqueduct. But Mexico’s president has taken a hard stance on how the country’s constitution defines ownership of water: It belongs to the nation and cannot be privatized. Sheinbaum proposed sweeping changes to Mexico’s national water law to prohibit water from being bought and sold in what she called “black markets,” effectively eliminating exchanges like the one between Mexicali and Tijuana. “It can’t be that there are municipalities without water and irrigation districts with more than enough. Then the irrigation districts sell water to the municipalities when they don’t pay for it. That can’t be,” Sheinbaum said earlier this month during a press conference. … ” Read more from the Voice of San Diego.
Colorado approves ‘first-in-the-nation’ water safeguards. Could they be a model for other states?
“Colorado took a major step last week to protect wetlands and streams by finalizing rules for a new state-run permitting program. The new ‘dredge-and-fill’ rules address a gap by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Sackett decision two years ago, which drastically shrunk the number of waterways eligible for federal protections. The ruling left millions of acres of wetlands and miles of streams nationwide vulnerable to pollution. Under the new rules, businesses or landowners must obtain a state permit to dig ditches or fill wetlands that no longer qualify for federal protection. Stu Gillespie, a staff attorney at Earthjustice in Denver, said the program creates a critical safety net, protecting not only Colorado’s waters but also those downstream. … ” Read more from KUNC.
In national water news today …
OpenET expands satellite-based water use data across 48 states, providing critical information to farmers and water managers across the nation
“
OpenET, a nonprofit initiative dedicated to providing easily accessible satellite-based data for improved water management, has expanded its online platform to cover the contiguous United States. OpenET released daily and monthly data on evapotranspiration (ET) for the eastern half of the U.S. at a spatial scale of one-quarter of an acre per pixel. The data are freely available through OpenET’s easy-to-use Data Explorer, Application Programming Interface (API), and mobile-friendly Farm and Ranch Management Support (FARMS) tool. The release represents an expansion of OpenET to 25 more states. … ” Read more from Open ET.
Trump administration plans to break up premiere weather and climate research center
“The Trump administration said it will be dismantling the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, one of the world’s leading Earth science research institutions. The center, founded in 1960, is responsible for many of the biggest scientific advances in humanity’s understanding of weather and climate. Its research aircraft and sophisticated computer models of the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans are widely used in forecasting weather events and disasters around the country, and its scientists study a broad range of topics, including air pollution, ocean currents and global warming. But in a social media post announcing the move late on Tuesday, Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, called the center “one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country” and said that the federal government would be “breaking up” the institution. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife sees nearly 20% drop in staff since Trump took office
“Nearly 1,800 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees have left the agency in the last year, records obtained by conservation advocates find, as pressure mounted from President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies meant to cut the federal workforce. That’s a loss of almost 20% of the service’s staff, according to data obtained through a public records request by the nonprofit conservation group Center for Biological Diversity. In April of 2025, the agency had 8,180 employees, the records show, compared to 9,960 a year prior. Oregon and Washington lost a combined 50 senior level scientists and staff year over, followed by California which lost 40, Florida which lost 20 and Hawaii which lost 10 senior staff. The result of these staff losses, especially the loss of senior experts, could imperil species already endangered across the country such as monarch butterflies and hellbender salamanders, according to Noah Greenwald, a director for the center. … ” Read more from the Nevada Current.
