DAILY DIGEST, weekend edition: Storms line up to revive winter; CA Sierra Club backs Alex Padilla’s water bill, worries about Delta tunnel risk; Miles of pristine LA beach could become America’s next national park; More snow in Florida than Utah? Why weird weather has dominated this year; and more …

Several news sources featured in the Daily Digest may limit the number of articles you can access without a subscription. However, gift articles and open-access links are provided when available. For more open access California water news articles, explore the main page at MavensNotebook.com.

In California water news this weekend …

Storms line up to revive California’s winter

“As winter storms have plagued other parts of the country since the start of 2026, much of the West has experienced a notably subdued pattern in recent weeks. At the same time, parts of the East are getting one of their most active winters in roughly five years. This imbalance is evident at ski resorts across the country with snowpack across New England resorts near 130% of normal, while many California resorts remain below 40% of average in comparison. A northward bend in the jet stream has ushered in moderate temperatures and generally dry air masses into California, Arizona, Nevada and surrounding states over the last month or so. Storm activity has proved to be lacking under this regime. …  “This weather pattern will begin to change starting in the beginning of next week as the high pressure begins to weaken, allowing for a more active pattern as we move into the middle of February. This change in the pattern will be beneficial for California’s snowpack and reservoirs, as the snowpack is running well below average across much of the state,” added Kerkow. … ”  Read more from AccuWeather.

Worsening snow drought in the West will have cascading impacts, experts say

“It has been a tale of two winters on the opposing U.S. coasts this season.  While the East has been slammed with frigid temperatures and punishing winter storms, the West is experiencing a snow drought amid warmer-than-normal temperatures.  Prolonged drought across much of the West has been worsened this winter by below‑average snowfall and persistent warmth, fueling a widespread and intensifying snow drought. With sharply reduced mountain snowpack, the region’s water supplies and winter tourism are facing mounting challenges, experts told ABC News.  “This winter, we’ve just had an extreme lack of storm activity, and the storms that we have had have either brought very small amounts of snowfall or have brought rain,” Jon Meyer, assistant Utah state climatologist, told ABC News. … ”  Read more from ABC News.

CA Sierra Club backs Alex Padilla’s water bill, worries about Delta tunnel risk

“The Sierra Club California has raised concerns about one of the two new water bills introduced by U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, warning that “loopholes” in the current language could allow federal funding to be steered toward large water conveyance projects the group opposes, including California’s controversial Delta tunnel. The MORE WATER Act, which Padilla unveiled in a news release on Wednesday, would reauthorize federal funding for large-scale water recycling projects and create a new Water Conveyance Improvement Program to benefit existing water conveyance infrastructure across the West.  The measure outlines $450 million for large-scale recycling and reuse grants, $550 million for broader recycling programs, and $500 million for conveyance infrastructure upgrades, plus additional investments in other habitat and restoration activities. … ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee.

Shannon Douglass on California’s big five: Water, Labor, Regulations, Wolves, and the Future of Farm Tech

“The January 16 edition of the AgNet News Hour delivered one of the most wide-ranging conversations of the week as hosts Nick Papagni and Josh McGill continued their coverage from Anaheim and welcomed Shannon Douglass, President of the California Farm Bureau, for a deep look at the biggest issues facing California agriculture in 2026. From water storage and labor reform to predator pressure and autonomous equipment, Douglas made one thing clear: California farmers are resilient—but they can’t keep carrying the weight of broken policies forever.  Douglas opened by emphasizing how important it is for agriculture leaders across the country to see the real California—not just the beaches and Hollywood. She reminded listeners that California agriculture is a $62 billion industry, and many out-of-state farmers were stunned by how much food is actually grown in the Golden State. … ”  Read more from Ag Net West.

Court grants stay in Delta Conveyance CEQA cases — Judge questions DWR’s position

“Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Stephen Acquisto today granted Somach Simmons & Dunn’s motion to stay the consolidated Delta Conveyance Project CEQA cases through March 27, 2026. He set a hearing on DWR’s motion to disqualify the firm as counsel for Sacramento County and the City of Stockton for March 20, 2026.  From the bench, the judge described the potential disqualification as “monumental.” He indicated that he understood how severely it would impact Somach’s clients: local governments representing approximately two million Delta-area residents who have relied on the firm’s representation in Delta Conveyance matters since 2007.  Most significantly, Judge Acquisto questioned why DWR, the party claiming the conflict, and alleging possession of confidential information by Somach, had not itself requested a stay and was instead opposing one. … ”  Read more from California Water Research.

Bipartisan ‘Good Fire Act’ aims to expand prescribed, cultural burns across California

“A bipartisan bill aimed at expanding the use of prescribed and cultural burning was introduced Tuesday in the state Legislature.  Assemblymember Chris Rogers, D-Santa Rosa, introduced Assembly Bill 1699, known as the Good Fire Act. The measure seeks to ease rules and liability concerns that have limited the use of prescribed fires across the state.  It is co-sponsored by seven additional lawmakers, including Assemblymembers Jesse Arreguín, D-Berkeley, Damon Connolly, D-San Rafael, and Tim Grayson, D-Concord.  The bill would make permanent emergency measures approved last year by Gov. Gavin Newsom that allow Cal Fire to assist with community-led prescribed burns without requiring additional environmental review. … ”  Read more from Local News Matters.

In regional water news this weekend …

NORTH COAST

Mendocino Co.: Water Commission to discuss storage options Thursday ahead of Potter Valley Project shuttering

“The Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission will hold a meeting Thursday to discuss water storage options as the county prepares for PG&E’s plan to shutter the Potter Valley Project. … The Inland Water and Power Commission is a joint powers authority that works to protect the Russian and Eel river watersheds and ensure Mendocino County’s water sources are safeguarded. The board is working to find solutions, such as creating water storage, once the Potter Valley Project is decommissioned.  For more than 100 years, the Potter Valley Project, which is owned by PG&E, has diverted water from the Eel River to the Russian River Watershed, supplying water to communities throughout Mendocino and Sonoma counties. This water source has been crucial for agricultural, municipal, and environmental uses. … ”  Read more from SF Gate.

Lake County officials discuss groundwater contamination, new equipment for residents in sewer spill impact area

“Residents impacted by the Robin Lane sewage spill will receive home filtration and sanitization systems, officials said Wednesday, as groundwater restoration is expected to take a long time.  After consulting with experts, including a hydrologist, the incident command team determined that groundwater contamination may persist despite temporary negative well test results for fecal bacteria, officials said at Wednesday’s town hall at Clearlake City Hall.  “The path to the aquifer being clear – to the extent that our team and Public Health are comfortable saying your water is safe to drink again, for most properties at least – is going to be an extended period of time,” said Clearlake City Manager Alan Flora at the Wednesday town hall meeting. “Probably months.”  Given the length of time to clear the aquifer, Flora said each impacted residence will be offered a “whole-house filtration and sanitation system that includes sediment and carbon filters and a UV filter.” … ”  Read more from the Lake County News.

Water, laundry services shift for residents affected by Clearlake sewage spill

“Critical services available to residents impacted by the Jan. 11 sewage spill on Robin Lane in Clearlake will be reduced as recovery efforts continue, officials said in an alert sent out Friday afternoon.  Shower and laundry services currently operating at the Lake County Special Districts facility on Old Highway 53 from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., will conclude Sunday, Feb. 8.  The decision was made due to the cost of operating the services, according to Lauren Berlinn, spokesperson for the joint incident command task force assembled on Jan. 26 to respond to the sewage emergency — more than two weeks after the spill.  Affected residents can still access laundry and potable water services, but at reduced availability. … ”  Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

Eastern Region Town Hall zeros in on wastewater infrastructure catching up needed repair

“After years of vigilance this community kept the lid on sewer rates to a 2.5 % increase. However, passage of time and deteriorating infrastructure has caught up with the Clearlake Water district wastewater apparatus. It was recently compelled (owing to Covid related inflation) to a utility rate hike, but thanks to a grant and savvy prioritization, progress was achieved to ameliorate a critical utility service.  Diana Mann, is the General Manager of the Clearlake Oaks Water District and was keynote speaker for the ERTH monthly meeting on February 4. She noted the community anticipates a state supported grant of $15 million for sewer improvements shortly, as well as a $36 million grant for water infrastructure but this was not included as part of her presentation Wednesday, as support still was pending on how fast the state moves on a community agreement. … ”  Read more from the Lake Record-Bee.

SIERRA NEVADA

‘We’re held hostage’: Snow tourists are pushing a rural California county to the brink

“They park along highway shoulders and jam up traffic. They trespass on private property. They litter the woods with broken sleds, fast food wrappers and soda cans.  In Sierra mountain towns, locals refer to these day visitors disdainfully as “snowplayers.” And some leaders in rural Alpine County, south of Lake Tahoe, are fed up.  “We have to do something about it,” Alpine County Supervisor Terry Woodrow said during a meeting last month after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. “A lot of these snowplayers just come into the village, don’t respect our property, trespass on county and private property, leave garbage and trash.” … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Why snowpack still matters, even with full reservoirs

“On a drive into the Sierra this winter, the water picture can feel reassuring. Reservoirs are brimming, spillways are running, and December storms left the Nevada Irrigation District (NID) with some of the strongest early-season storage on record. But higher up in the mountains, where water managers look months ahead rather than weeks, the story is still unfolding in snow.  This winter’s dry spells and warmer-than-normal temperatures are reducing mountain snowpack across the NID watershed. During its first snow survey of the year last week, the District found snowpack measured just 47 percent of average. At the same time, reservoirs hold the third-highest total storage ever recorded for this point in the year, largely the result of warm winter storms at the end of 2025. … ”  Read more from the Nevada Irrigation District.

SACRAMENTO VALLEY

$1.6 trillion working landscape in Upper American River Watershed is worth our investment

Lori Parlin, El Dorado County Supervisor and EDWA Board Chair, and Rebecca Guo, General Manager of the El Dorado Water Agency, write, “The lands within the Upper American River Watershed (UARW) provide critical economic, environmental and community benefits. The watershed contains working landscapes, which include agricultural lands, forests and ranchlands as well as natural lands such as conservation lands, shrublands, wetlands, greenspace, open water, rivers and lakes. These working landscapes produce valuable ecosystem goods and services each year, including food, water, clean air, hydroelectric power, beauty, drought and fire risk reduction, habitat, recreation and more.  The watershed’s ecosystem goods and services are enjoyed and relied on by residents throughout the state, nation and even globally. In addition to understanding the immense benefits the watershed provides, it is important to quantify the monetary value of our headwaters. When we understand the true economic value of nature, it enables decision makers to make informed investments in both natural and built capital assets. … ”  Read more from Gold Mountain Media.

Storms will break Northern California’s dry pattern. Will it rain in Sacramento?

“Northern California is expecting a storm in the coming days, with Sacramento forecast to see about a quarter-inch of rain early in the week. The storm arrives as Northern California shifts out of a prolonged high-pressure pattern that brought dry, warmer weather and valley fog through much of January.  That shift to a low-pressure pattern is expected to open “the storm door,” allowing multiple storm systems to move through the region over the next week or two, said Katrina Hand, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office. Precipitation is expected to start Monday night with the heaviest precipitation Tuesday before tapering off by Wednesday. Dry weather is in the forecast Thursday, followed by another possible storm starting Friday and lasting through the weekend. … ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee.

BAY AREA

Signs of rain finally return to Bay Area thanks to ‘major pattern change’

“After recent record-high temperatures and a monthlong gap in significant rain, forecasters say a big weather shift in the Bay Area could begin on Sunday evening.  The incoming light rain expected for the region marks the first sign of a “major pattern change” for California, according to the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center. “A much wetter pattern is favored from the West Coast to the Continental Divide due to a predicted developing and strengthening trough over the West by mid-February,” the center reported on Thursday.  But the expected precipitation will likely not dampen the spirits of the tens of thousands of fans gathering for the Super Bowl, not to mention the players, at Levi’s Stadium this weekend. Beginning after sunset on Sunday, there’s a less than 15% chance of light rain for the South Bay, according to the weather service’s forecast. Higher chances of rain are expected for early next week. … ”  Read more from SF Gate.

Sausalito officials report headway against tidal flooding

“Sausalito is making progress with managing some flooding caused by king tides, city officials said.  In early January, king tides 6.7 feet above sea level that were pushed by storm-driven winds to 7.5 feet overwhelmed the city’s defenses. The water inundated low-lying shorelines, flooded streets and buildings and left widespread damage.  Last weekend, high tides reached 6.6 feet but didn’t flood vulnerable areas like Gate 5 Road and Harbor Drive. That wasn’t just because of calmer winds, but also new measures to contain the tides, officials told the City Council on Tuesday.  “Based on our observations from Jan. 1, staff further strategized,” said Kevin McGowan, the public works director. “This strategy included locating systems and building systems that flow directly toward the bay.” … ”  Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.

San Rafael sea-level report evaluates options for Canal area

“Protecting the Canal neighborhood of San Rafael from the rising sea will come with significant tradeoffs and a massive price tag, according to a new report.  The sea-level rise feasibility study evaluates three adaptation strategies designed to protect the community of 12,000 for decades from being swallowed by the bay.  The options include constructing seawalls, installing flood gates or raising the land. Each presents benefits as well as drawbacks, not the least of which is the cost: $720 million to nearly $2 billion.  “We really don’t have a simple answer, or clear-cut, easy choice, otherwise it would have been done before,” Kate Hagemann, the city’s adaptation planner, said during a recent webinar. “We have some difficult considerations, and so we wanted to use this time, this study, to gather that information. It’s going to take many different types of actions over many years and by many different people.” … ”  Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.

CENTRAL COAST

Fish Passage Project Completed at Wheeler Gorge Campground Area

“Steelhead trout and other aquatic organisms now have greater ability to swim upstream through Ojai’s Wheeler Gorge after the completion of major projects removing barriers from North Fork Matilija Creek and Bear Creek within the Wheeler Gorge Campground.  In total, the barriers opened 13.3 miles of creek that have not been accessible for 48 years. The successful project was completed using $6 million in grant funding and will increase access and safety for campers while restoring natural hydraulic and geomorphic processes to the creeks.  “One barrier at a time, we have been able to restore watersheds in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties in order to give creeks back to nature and increase the likelihood that the endangered Southern Steelhead Trout can repopulate its historic habitats,” said Mauricio Gomez, executive director of South Coast Habitat Restoration (SCHR) a Carpinteria-based nonprofit. … ”  Read more from Noozhawk.

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY

New Kings County Water District board comes with experience, layered connections

“Brian Mederios was appointed Feb. 5 to the Kings County Water District board seat that became vacant after longtime farmer and board member Joe Freitas died late last year.  Mederios comes with well-established water management experience and connections as he also serves as a board member on the Last Chance Ditch Company and as an advisory member to the Mid-Kings River Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA).   “I want to make things as best as we can,” Medeiros told SJV Water. “My son wants to be a farmer just like his dad. I want to give him the opportunity to do that.”  Mederios also confirmed that he plans to run for the seat when it comes up in the Nov. 3 general election. … ”  Read more from SJV Water.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Miles of pristine LA beach could become America’s next national park

“A large swath of the Los Angeles County coastline stretching from the Pacific Palisades to Torrance is apparently being considered for national park status.   On Thursday, the National Park Service announced the launch of the Los Angeles Coastal Area Special Resource Study, an early step in evaluating the area as a potential national park unit. The preliminary study area starts at Will Rogers State Beach and stretches down to Torrance Beach, skips the edge of the sinking Palos Verdes Peninsula and then includes the San Pedro coastline.  The map provided by the National Park Service also shows the study area stretching inland to include Ballona Creek and Baldwin Hills, home to both a popular hiking area and the vast Inglewood Oil Field. The study defines coastline areas as “the area from the mean high tide line of the sea to approximately 200 yards inland from the mean high tide line.” … ”  Read more from SF Gate.

SEE ALSO: Should some L.A. beaches be a national park? It’s being studied. Here’s how you can weigh in, from the LA Times

Rage against the machine: a California community rallied against a datacenter – and won

“When a southern California city council proposed building a giant datacenter the size of four football fields last December, five residents vowed to stop it.  Through a frenetic word-of-mouth campaign, the small group raised awareness about the proposed facility in Monterey Park, a small city east of Los Angeles known affectionately as the country’s first suburban Chinatown.  No Data Center Monterey Park organizers – working in tandem with the grassroots racial justice group San Gabriel Valley (SGV) Progressive Action – held a teach-in and rally that drew hundreds of participants, knocked on doors, and distributed flyers on busy streets.  They emphasized how the computer systems facility would strain the power grid, drive up energy rates and create noise pollution. A petition quickly amassed nearly 5,000 signatures. All the materials were shared in English, Chinese and Spanish – a concerted effort to reach Monterey Park’s diverse populace, which is two-thirds Asian and one-quarter Hispanic. … ”  Read more from The Guardian.

SAN DIEGO

2025: A growing groundswell in the struggle for clean border water

“Last year was full of ups and downs in the struggle for clean water in the border region.  Although the environmental catastrophe continued to threaten public health, the community response continued to grow, increasing and strengthening the impact of advocacy efforts.  Political pressures and infrastructure interventions gave way to momentary improvements in water and air quality that provided short periods of relief for residents.  The southernmost beach in San Diego County, Tijuana Sloughs, even opened for one day, on October 12 – an anomaly in the more than four years of consecutive days of beach closures.  These short-lived exceptions offered glimmers of hope for residents and water advocates and demonstrated that it’s possible once again to breathe clean air and enjoy outdoor (and indoor) spaces in the region.  Unfortunately, the reprieves faded as quickly as they arrived, leaving residents to continue enduring the toxic water and air that looms over their neighborhoods. … ”  Read more from Surfrider.

Head of EPA says Mexico making progress stopping sewage from flowing into US

“Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin spent Thursday in San Diego checking on progress being made on projects that are supposed to prevent sewage and other contamination from flowing into the U.S. from Tijuana.  He met with local leaders, both Democrat and Republican, in what was described as a round-table discussion, which took place at the city of Coronado’s administration building.  For decades, raw sewage, chemicals and other pollutants from south of the border have been streaming into the Tijuana River Valley via the Tijuana River and then out to sea, contaminating the valley and closing down beaches in Imperial Beach, Silver Strand State Park and Coronado. … ”  Read more from Valley Central.

Along the Colorado River …

Valentine’s Day marks next crucial deadline on the Colorado River

“The river responsible for the very existence of San Diego is again in crisis with major reservoirs used to store water at critically-low levels again – and still nobody can agree on how to save it.  Feb. 14 marks another deadline imposed by the federal government on seven U.S. states that rely on the Colorado River to figure out how to use less of it. Cities, farms, industries and tribes are all vying to exist in a world where there’s less water to support them.  The Rocky Mountain snowpack in Colorado, the Colorado River’s water source, is doing particularly poorly this year. A warm and dry winter means those mountain tops have 57 percent of the snow they’re expected to have.  State governors (except ours) met in Washington D.C. earlier this month to try and hash out a deal. The Colorado Sun’s Shanon Mullen reported that Arizona appears to be the hold-out on an agreement. … ”  Continue reading from the Voice of San Diego.

Colorado River basin states try to come up with a solution to water sharing

“Governors of Colorado basin states have been battling back and forth over a solution to water sharing. However, a solution has yet to be found.  The Colorado River supports 40 million people reaching from Wyoming to the U.S. Mexico border, alongside an additional 5.5 million acres of farmland, and American Indian tribes.  Basin states remain divided over whether the downstream states of Arizona, California, and Nevada must limit their current water supply to ensure that upstream states like Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming can grow using supplies that were promised a century ago, but stripped by climate change.  Tom Buschatzke, Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the ongoing negotiations.”  Watch video at Arizona PBS.

SEE ALSO:

• The Colorado River needs a Hail Mary, with time and snow in record short supply, from the Las Vegas Review-Journal
• See Glen Canyon Dam in Arizona ensure water, power for millions, photo gallery at Arizona Central

Why the water outlook for Lake Powell and Utah just got worse

“Lake Powell levels were already bleak, and January didn’t provide any favors.  The nation’s second-largest reservoir, located by the Utah-Arizona border, is now projected to receive 2.4 million acre-feet of water this spring, a 34% decline from what was expected after Jan. 1 conditions, experts for the National Weather Service’s Colorado Basin River Forecast Center said in an update on Friday.  Should that outlook come to fruition, it would be 38% below its median, and one of its lowest springtime bumps ever. It’s based on warm, dry conditions across Utah and the Intermountain West in January, which exacerbated the region’s suboptimal snowpack conditions so far this winter, said Brenda Alcorn, a forecaster for the Salt Lake City-based center.  “Snowpack conditions are poor across almost the entire area,” she said. … ”  Read more from KSL.

SEE ALSO: Snow drought in upper Colorado River basin is breaking records, setting up for a drier spring, from Aspen Public Radio

Commentary: Arizona is building a future the Colorado River cannot supply

Rusty Childress writes, “The potential collapse of the Colorado River system is not a distant theory or an abstract climate warning. It is a direct threat to the water supply of roughly 40 million people across seven U.S. states and Mexico. Yet growth across the basin continues as if risk itself were imaginary. More homes are approved. More long-term water obligations are created. More faith is placed in future solutions that do not yet exist.  This behavior mirrors another crisis unfolding in plain sight. In artificial intelligence, leading researchers and industry executives now acknowledge that credible estimates place the risk of catastrophic failure at up to 25%, with some warning that loss of control could pose an existential threat to humanity. Despite this, AI development continues at full speed because no company or nation wants to slow down first. This is not optimism. It is a dismissive response to known risk, driven by competition and short-term incentives.  The same logic now governs Western water policy. … ”  Read more from the Arizona Capitol Times.

State officials move to limit Saudi Arabia from pumping unlimited water from drought-stricken Arizona: ‘This is huge’

“Arizona has moved to limit a Saudi-owned alfalfa farm and other megafarms from essentially exporting water to their countries via crop growth, leaving local wells dry.  In 2015, the Center for Investigative Reporting warned that Saudi Arabia’s agricultural industry was on the verge of collapse. A kingdom that was once a top exporter of wheat saw its ancient aquifers drying up. The following year, it ended domestic wheat production at scale.  With its aquifers not expected to refill naturally for tens of thousands of years, Saudi Arabia began seeking solutions elsewhere, according to the investigation.  Its largest dairy company, Almarai, purchased 9,600 acres in Arizona and began growing hay to feed its livestock. While Saudi Arabia could better support its needs back home, Arizona residents saw troublesome effects. … ”  Read more from The Cool Down.

‘An incredible fight ahead:’ Colorado calls in reinforcements to contain zebra mussel threat

“Colorado’s expert on aquatic invasive species said Wednesday the state has an “incredible fight ahead” as it works to contain the spread of zebra mussels in the Colorado River.  “I wish I could tell you the story of zebra mussels has concluded,” Robert Walters told a crowd of dozens of water professionals at the Colorado Water Congress in Aurora. “We’re doing everything we can to contain this population.”  Walters leads Parks and Wildlife’s growing aquatic nuisance species program. He outlined the state’s latest efforts to prevent the mussels from expanding and clogging pipes that deliver water to farmers and thousands of water users on the West Slope. … ”  Read more from KSJD.

In national water news this weekend …

More snow in Florida than Utah? Why weird weather has dominated this year.

“The weather has been a bit weird across the United States this winter. As historic amounts of snow fell in the Carolinas and bitter cold gripped practically everywhere else east of the Rockies, some of the western states have basked in high temperatures more typical of late spring than the dead of winter.  Perhaps no other contrast tells this story better than the fact that, since the start of the year, Florida has recorded more snow than Salt Lake City.  The snowfall totals in Florida were meager — ranging from flurries in Tampa to a tenth of an inch in the Gulf Coast community of Miramar Beach to 1.3 inches in the small northern Panhandle town of Marianna. But they’re notable in a state where everyone from citrus farmers to sun-seeking tourists depends on mild winters. … ”  Read more from the New York Times.

Also on Maven’s Notebook this weekend …

Final 2025 Urban Water Management Plan Guidebook Released, from DWR

Term 91 now in effect, notice from the State Water Board