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On the calendar today …
- WEBINAR: California Water Resilience Initiative 2026 Kick-Off from 10am to 11am. This session will set the stage for the year ahead and continue our conversation on how innovative finance models can help scale water resilience solutions across California. Click here to register.
- MEETING: Environmental Flows Workgroup from 10am to 12pm. Agenda items include Addressing streamflow depletion due to groundwater pumping – management recommendations and emerging modeling approaches and Using CEFF to inform sustainable management criteria in groundwater fed streams in the Napa Valley Subbasin. Click here for the full agenda and remote access instructions.
- WEBINAR: Water Infrastructure Security since 9/11: What’s New, and Why? from 11am to 12pm. Since the events of 9/11, increasing attention has been paid to protecting vulnerable national infrastructure, including water and wastewater treatment systems. During this WRRC Water Webinar, Stack will discuss the history of attacks on these systems, new factors that system owners and operators must consider, and the impact of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (i.e., drones) upon water infrastructure security. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
Winter is so back. Storms are on the way for the Bay Area and Sierra Nevada
“The Bay Area’s first false spring is coming to an end this week as two storms promise to bring much-needed rain across the region and snow to the Sierra Nevada. National Weather Service forecasters said the weather pattern will shift from shorts-and-hoodie weather with a first storm starting Tuesday. But it is just the beginning of what forecasters say appears to be the storm door opening for the foreseeable future, with rain and mountain snow that could last through mid-February. “The jet stream is now pointing at California, and when that happens, it’s kind of like a highway for storms to move through,” said Dylan Flynn, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Bay Area office. … ” Read more from KQED.
Record snow drought in Western US raises concern for a spring of water shortages and wildfires
“A record snow drought with unprecedented heat is hitting most of the American West, depleting future water supplies, making it more vulnerable to wildfires and hurting winter tourism and recreation. Scientists say snow cover and snow depth are both at the lowest levels they’ve seen in decades, while at least 67 Western weather stations have measured their warmest December through early February on record. Normal snow cover this time of year should be about 460,000 square miles — about the size of California, Utah, Idaho and Montana — but this year it’s only California-sized, about 155,000 square miles, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. “I have not seen a winter like this before,” said center director Mark Serreze, who has been in Colorado almost 40 years. “This pattern that we’re in is so darned persistent.” … ” Read more from the Associated Press.
US ski resorts turn to drones to make it snow amid dire drought
“Despite a barren start to Colorado’s ski season, Winter Park Resort opened on Halloween and served up holiday powder. The ski area’s secret is a contraption a few miles upwind of the chairlifts that looks like a meat smoker strapped to the top of a ladder. When weather conditions are just right, a Winter Park contractor fires up the machine, burning a fine dust of silver iodide into the sky—a process known as cloud seeding. Ideally, the particles disappear into a cloud that is cold enough and wet enough to produce snow, but may need a nudge. The silver iodide becomes the nuclei for water droplets, like iron filings to a magnet. Those droplets freeze and fall from the sky as snowflakes, freshening up the slopes of the resort as it tries to lure the Gore-Tex-clad masses between Denver and larger, showier ski destinations further west. … ” Read more from PhysOrg.
SEE ALSO: California’s northernmost ski area closes temporarily, from the San Francisco Chronicle
Central Valley farmers press Trump to increase Shasta Dam water storage capacity
“A coalition of farmers in Central Valley sent a letter to President Trump on Monday, urging advancement of the controversial Shasta Dam enlargement plan. The development follows a series of letters sent late last year by local water agencies, state Republican lawmakers and water contractors, where they called the administration to fund the Shasta Dam raise project using money from Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill budget. The project is estimated to cost between $1.4 billion and $2 billion. “You have put all of the pieces in place, and with appropriate OBBB investment in Shasta Dam enlargement, you will meet a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver the water storage our communities desperately need and create economic stability for the farms, workers, and rural communities in the Central Valley,” the letter read. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
California on track to raze another 40,000 acres of vineyards
“California farmers may be on track to take out another 40,000 acres of vineyards this year to address a structural oversupply of grapes, based on activity since the most recent harvest, Allied Grape Growers’ Jeff Bitter told Farm Press. Bitter, the AGG’s president, urged farms in the Golden State to remove 50,000 acres of vineyards each year in 2024 and 2025. Growers responded by taking out about 37,000 acres in 2024 and another 40,000 acres after the 2024 harvest, but about 20,000 acres of new vineyards came online in each of the last two years. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press.
California’s annual salmon meeting to set fishing season
“The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is inviting the public to its annual Salmon Information Meeting on Feb. 25, at 1 p.m. The hybrid event will take place at the California Natural Resources Agency Auditorium in Sacramento and will be livestreamed online. The meeting will provide an outlook for this year’s ocean salmon fisheries and review last year’s salmon fisheries and inland spawner returns. “It’s an opportunity for the public to learn about salmon information and get an idea of what the salmon fisheries are going to be looking like this year,” said a CDFW Environmental Scientist Emma Keller. … ” Read more from KRCR.
Coastal wetlands restoration, carbon, and the hidden role of groundwater
“Coastal (tidal) wetlands are low-lying ecosystems found where land meets the sea, including mangroves, saltmarshes, and seagrass meadows. They are shaped by tides and support a mix of marine and terrestrial processes. However, agricultural and urban development over the past century have drained, modified, or degraded many of these coastal wetland ecosystems and now require restoration efforts. A new article in Reviews of Geophysics explores how subsurface hydrology and biogeochemical processes influence carbon dynamics in coastal wetlands, with a particular focus on restoration. Here, we asked the lead author to give an overview of why coastal wetlands matter, how restoration techniques are being implemented, and where key opportunities lie for future research. … ” Read more from EOS.
The ‘forever chemical’ detective
“They’re called “forever chemicals” for a reason. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are a group of synthetic compounds that don’t break down easily in the environment – or in our bodies. Used for decades in products like nonstick cookware, stain-resistant carpeting, waterproof clothing and firefighting foam, PFAS have become a global concern because of their widespread use, persistence and potential health risks, including links to cancer, liver damage and developmental issues. For nearly six years, UC Irvine environmental health researcher Scott Bartell has been on a mission to understand what PFAS are doing to his neighbors. … ” Continue reading from UC Irvine.
Grid-connected wave power approaches US shores, and it could be a game-changer
“Commercial wave power may arrive on the shores of the continental U.S. this year, converting the motion of ocean waves into electricity to help boost the resiliency and sustainability of the power grid. But as new technology allows the industry to take its first footholds in the country, wave power’s hurdles to grid-scale expansion remain regulatory, infrastructural, and perceptual as well as technological. In November, the Bonneville Power Administration signed a power purchase agreement to buy up to 20 megawatt-hours of energy per hour from Oregon-based wave energy testing facility PacWave. The agreement, which spans from 2026 to 2030, marks the first time a PPA covers wave power in the continental U.S. Led by Oregon State University with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and the state of Oregon, PacWave seeks to act as a standardized test bed for the marine energy industry. … ” Read more from the Source.
CDFW cannabis program safeguards California’s natural resources
“The California Department of Fish and Wildlife supported a wide array of activities in 2025 to help reduce and address environmental impacts associated with cannabis cultivation in California—including awarding millions of dollars in grants, investigating and documenting hundreds of environmental violations, and making hundreds of compliance visits to cannabis cultivation sites. CDFW has long been a leader in understanding the impacts of cannabis cultivation on the environment and now has one of the largest and most unique cannabis-focused programs in the nation. It covers dozens of distinct business functions related to cultivator permitting, cannabis tax-funded grants, environmental monitoring, land stewardship, site restoration and law enforcement—all to benefit California’s fish and wildlife habitats and biodiversity, and all supported by funds California voters approved when they voted to legalize recreational cannabis. … ” Read more from the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Report: Calif. ag, natural resources generate $404b annually
“In 2025, California surpassed Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy. Contributing to that achievement are over a million farm laborers, winemakers, park rangers, agricultural truckers, renewable energy technicians and many other workers who generate value from the state’s natural landscapes. Academics from University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources have done the math on the economic scope of these working lands, compiling their findings in the publication “California’s Working Landscape: Evolving Contributions to National, State, and Regional Economies.” This new report includes the latest data on state employment, earnings, sales and businesses, providing an update to the first edition of this report, released in 2019. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press.
As federal water regs recede, Calif.’s permitting tide rises
“Many California businesses expect narrower federal wetlands jurisdiction to simplify permitting. It often creates the opposite result. The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reduced Clean Water Act coverage for many wetlands and surface water features. California’s water quality program now carries more of the permitting and enforcement work for features that no longer qualify as “waters of the U.S.” The State Water Resources Control Board’s January legislative report treats this shift as an operational issue, not a legal footnote. This shift doesn’t reduce regulation. It moves it into state processes that often take longer, require different documentation and use different enforcement tools. … ” Read more from FBT Gibbons.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Groups begin process to designate two Mendocino tributaries of the South Fork of the Eel River as Outstanding National Resource Waters
“California Trout (CalTrout), Trout Unlimited (TU), CalWild, and the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (North Coast Water Board) [yesterday] announced a partnership to work towards Outstanding National Resource Waters (ONRW) designation for two important tributary streams to the South Fork Eel River: Cedar Creek and Elder Creeks, and key feeder streams to these waters. If approved, Cedar and Elder Creeks would be among the first riverine ONRWs in California — building on existing designations for Mono Lake and Lake Tahoe and advancing statewide climate and biodiversity goals on public lands. ONRW designation is reserved for waters with exceptional water quality and unique ecological, cultural, recreational, or scientific values associated with that water quality. This designation is one of the strongest legal mechanisms available to protect water quality under the Clean Water Act. ONRW designations prohibit any actions that would permanently degrade the existing water quality, while allowing short-term impacts from activities such as restoration and fuels reduction projects, road repair, or fire suppression. … ” Continue reading at the Redheaded Blackbelt.
Tests show Clearlake drinking water potable as latest research confirm
“Skeptical residents after vigorous questioning accepted expert testimony conducted while numerous samples from across feeder creaks adjacent to the lake have been successfully treated from the January 11 spill. Angie Dodd, hydrologist with Northpoint Consulting noted she observed aerial imagery, everything within the Burns Valley Groundwater basin, which she outlined in a Power Point presentation on Wednesday evening. “What I did was look at the videos taken on the day of the spill (Jan. 11) and did extensive analysis. Within the alluvial aquifer of Burns Valley Basin, is a composition of mostly upstream channel gravel from Burns Valley Creek,” noted Dodd. She added that there is a number of wells in the area, drilled to shallow to medium depths, where many are connected and at 1200 feet or less, as the wells get closer to the Lake. … ” Read more from the Lake Record-Bee.
Nonprofit threatens Trump administration with lawsuit over failure to protect Clear Lake hitch
“The Center for Biological Diversity, an Arizona-based nonprofit organization dedicated to defending and protecting the diversity of wild animals and plants, issued a notice of intent to sue the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife Service in federal district court over what they describe as a failure to finalize Endangered Species Act protections for a rare type of fish only found in Lake County. The Clear Lake hitch, a large species of minnow found only in the Clear Lake watershed, has experienced a substantial decline in population for decades and lost significant habitat in recent years driven by “the chronic over-withdrawal” of water and climate-driven drought, state officials said. The hitch lost 85% of wetlands critical for juvenile rearing and 92% of their spawning and rearing streams. … ” Read more from the Mendocino Beacon.
SIERRA NEVADA
Tahoe to see ‘difficult’ travel conditions as storms dump snow
“After weeks of mostly dry and mild weather in the Lake Tahoe region, serious snow is finally forecast to return, with up to 18 inches of precipitation expected for some locations. For weeks, a jet stream has been “pointing” to areas above California, including Canada and the Pacific Northwest, pushing any moisture northward and missing the Sierra Nevada entirely, said Dylan Flynn, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in the Bay Area. This week, the jet stream is moving, Flynn explained, allowing for the “storm door” to open. “When the jet stream points at us, that’s where we start to get this train of storms that just come one after the other,” he said. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
NAPA/SONOMA
Steelhead to be released today in Healdsburg river
“For the first time, adult steelhead — some weighing up to 10 pounds — will be released today, creating a new sport-fishing opportunity for anglers. The surplus steelhead were raised in hatcheries to help sustain future generations in the Russian River watershed, according to California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials. The steelhead will be released into Lake Benoist at Riverfront Regional Park. … ” Read more from The Patch.
BAY AREA
Strengthening storm system to bring rain, wind and flood risk to Bay Area. Here’s when
“A strengthening storm system offshore is likely to bring rainy, unsettled weather to the Bay Area beginning Tuesday afternoon and potentially heavy downpours and gusty winds on Wednesday. Scattered showers may begin as early as Tuesday morning, but the first meaningful impacts arrive Tuesday afternoon, when a steadier band of rain moves through the region. That period is expected to be the wettest during the daytime hours and will coincide with the Tuesday evening commute. A second, potentially more intense round of rain could follow late Tuesday night into the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday as a surface low pressure system tracks close to San Francisco. This round could cause heavy downpours, along with small hail and gusty winds. Waterspouts will also be possible over coastal waters. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Public comment sought on floodplain improvements at historic Marin City complex
“The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is soliciting public comments by Feb. 20 on one corner of the renovation of the historic Golden Gate Village housing complex in Marin City. The area falls within a designated flood plain, thus federal rules require its own public comment. Built in 1961 and designed by Frank Lloyd Wright protege Aaron Green, Golden Gate Village was created to house workers after World War II. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the community includes 300 low-income families. The full renovation project includes 296 housing units in 29 buildings. The project will not include any demolition, and no additional buildings or residential units are proposed. … ” Read more from Local News Matters.
Boats return to East Bay’s San Pablo Reservoir with golden mussel inspections
“When the golden mussel was discovered near the Port of Stockton in late 2024, lakes and reservoirs across Northern California imposed new rules on boaters to try to keep the invasive species out. EBMUD, the water supplier for most of the East Bay, took no chances, banning all boats from entering its reservoirs. On Sunday, after more than a year, they began inviting boats back to the water, but they’re being very careful about it. On Sunday morning, the surface of San Pablo Reservoir was glassy smooth. It’s been a while since any boat wakes disturbed the water. Jaime Garcia was fishing from the shore and said he’s gotten used to the peace and quiet. … ” Read more from CBS News.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Diablo Grande water provider challenges supplier’s stance on $14M debt: “We didn’t create this.”
“A long-running dispute over water deliveries to the Diablo Grande community in western Stanislaus County escalated again this month, as the Kern County Water Agency said negotiations with the community’s water provider have stalled over a $14 million debt. In a recent letter, the agency said it had proposed “certain financial adjustments in an attempt to significantly reduce Western Hills’ outstanding $14M financial obligation,” and offered to modify water purchase volumes to better align with the community’s demand. The agency said Western Hills Water District declined those proposals and instead requested payment terms “substantially below” the agency’s actual cost of delivering water. … ” Read more from CBS News.
Westlands board clears path for massive Valley clean energy project
“The Westlands Water District Board of Directors has certified the environmental review for the Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan (VCIP), a master-planned renewable energy project that aims to transform up to 136,000 acres of fallowed farmland into clean energy infrastructure. The board voted unanimously on December 16, 2025 to certify the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Report and approve the project. With no lawsuits filed during the 30-day challenge period, the certification is now final and cannot be contested. At full buildout, VCIP would deliver up to 21,000 megawatts of solar generation, 21,000 MW of energy storage capacity, a new 500-kilovolt transmission system and approximately one-sixth of California’s electricity needs by 2035. … ” Read more from The Business Journal.
EASTERN SIERRA
Death Valley could have rare superbloom in 2026 that is likely already underway
“California’s Death Valley National Park is one of the hottest, driest places in North America, but under the right conditions the brown desert floor can transform from bare to fields of yellow, purple and pink, a rare event known as a superbloom. 2026 may be shaping up as one of those standout years. “Based on the sprouts we see, it looks quite possible there will be a superbloom,” the National Park Service told AccuWeather. “There are already nice fields of wildflowers blooming along the south end of Badwater Road.” If the bloom builds the way the NPS expects, the peak will occur between late February and early April. Death Valley’s most recent superblooms were reported in 2016, 2005 and 1998. … ” Read more from AccuWeather.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
After persistent dry and hot weather, two storms are bringing rain to Southern California
“Beginning Tuesday, rain will move into Southern California and temperatures will start dropping from the 80s (which is 15 to 20 degrees above normal) down into the 60s, according to the National Weather Service. Two storms: The first storm will roll into the area late Tuesday and wrap up early Wednesday, likely dropping less than an inch of rain. Another storm is expected to arrive late Saturday or early Sunday and will be much cooler. We could see multiple inches of rain fall across the region, and snow falling on our mountains and deserts. The storm will likely wrap up by Feb. 18. … ” Read more from the LAist.
Lake Elsinore gets $8 million in federal funding to help keep lake water clean
“Technology currently used at Lake Elsinore to ensure cleaner lake water will continue to be deployed, thanks to a significant funding boost from the federal government. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump approved $8 million in funding for the Lake Elsinore Water Quality Project. The federal dollars are part of a package of appropriation bills that included more than $67 million for Riverside County projects. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-41) secured the funding for the county projects through the Community Project Funding process. The program provides investment in a wide variety of projects such as housing, homelessness prevention, workforce training, public facilities, parks, resilience planning and other critical infrastructure and services. … ” Read more from The Patch.
SAN DIEGO
Spring or fall? Oceanside agrees to try new schedule for harbor dredging
“After decades of dredging the Oceanside Harbor channel every spring and placing the sand on nearby beaches, a majority of the Oceanside City Council has agreed to try a change. The City Council directed staffers Wednesday to proceed with plans to move the annual maintenance routine to the fall, a switch recommended by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the city’s Coastal Zone Administrator Jayme Timberlake and local scientists. Technical studies show dredging in the fall would help keep the harbor channel clear of sand for boaters, Timberlake said. Also, the sediment removed and placed on beaches would be less likely to move north back into the channel, where it becomes a hazard, and instead would be carried south along the eroded coastline. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The new Parker pump station is nearing completion
“The Parker Pump Station Replacement Project has been a major infrastructure initiative to update and replace the pump station at Eighth Street and Coronado Avenue. Park Pump Station is an integral part of the City’s stormwater system, the largest of 20 pump stations throughout the City that together manage Coronado’s sanitary sewer flows. Leon Firsht (Director of Public Services and Engineering), Jim Newton (Assistant Director and City Engineering), and Katie Odiorne (Senior Engineering) are providing some further information on the background of the project and looking ahead to its expected completion this year. “The project was first included in the City’s Capital Improvement Program in Fiscal Year 2016–2017 as a rehabilitation of the existing pump station,” they explained. “The original scope included replacing components of the station and installing a permanent generator for backup and emergency power.” … ” Read more from the Coronado Times.
Along the Colorado River …
Deadline approaches for Colorado River negotiations
“Officials negotiating to protect and redefine use of the Colorado River face a major deadline approaching on Feb. 14. And experts said an agreement is unlikely to come in time for the river, which is a major source of drinking water, irrigation and hydropower in seven western states. The deadline on a new Colorado River water use deal was set for last November, but got pushed back after an initial agreement was not reached. As the second deadline looms, the U.S. government has retained the right to impose a contract on the states. “Water fundamentally underscores all aspects of life in the American Southwest,” said John Berggren, regional policy manager at Western Resource Advocates, an environmental policy group. “It’s such a diverse and complicated system that it’s a challenge to manage or create new guidelines,” Berggren told The Center Square. … ” Read more from The Center Square.
The Colorado River is having its driest winter in decades
“Snow levels throughout the Colorado River basin are strikingly low. That puts the region on course for an extraordinarily dry summer and political tension over shrinking reservoirs. A new water supply outlook for the month of February is the worst in the last 35 years. Across the region, it’s not hard to see why. Take a look at a map of snow totals across the West and you’ll see an awful lot of red. Every single region where federal authorities track snowpack is below average for this time of year. Most of them have half of normal snow or less. More than two thirds of the Colorado River starts as mountain snow. Across the Colorado River basin, the mountains are only holding 58% of normal for this time of year. On a graph tracking snow totals by year, 2026 slumps as a solitary line on the bottom — the lowest-ever regionwide snow measurements since tracking began in 1986. … ” Read more from KJZZ.
Signs of parasite deadly to dogs found in lakes Mead and Mohave but risk ‘really low,’ official says
“Two years ago a parasite that can potentially kill dogs was discovered for the first time on the shores of the Colorado River in Southern California. Now that same parasite has likely made its way to Lake Mead and Lake Mohave in Nevada. Fortunately for dog-owners, the risk of dogs contracting the parasite in Nevada is likely very low, according to a survey of more than two dozen sites by the National Park Service. In 2024, researchers found that a dozen dogs that had fallen ill after swimming in the Colorado River near Blythe, California had contracted Canine schistosomiasis, an infection caused by a freshwater parasite called Heterobilharzia americana which is primarily found in southern and in the Gulf Coast states. … ” Read more from the Nevada Current.
Listen: Water, water, somewhere, but drops for Great Salt Lake
“Utah is going through a rough winter with very (*very*) little snow. That spells trouble for the state’s water resources, including its crown jewel: Great Salt Lake. In this episode of State Street, we’ll take a look at how things have fared for Great Salt Lake since 2022’s “Year of Water” and what lawmakers have in the works this session.” Listen from KUER.
Why does Arizona farm in the desert amid historic drought?
“Arizona is experiencing a historic drought gripping much of the desert Southwest and the Colorado River ecosystem. In a recent ABC15 report, we took viewers inside a Valley water treatment plant, showing how Colorado River water is treated and ultimately delivered to homes across the Valley. After that story aired, viewers responded, wondering why we use so much of our water for agricultural use, as it accounts for roughly 70% of Arizona’s total annual water use. Ultimately, Arizona has some of the best conditions for farming in the country, and one major factor is sunlight and average temperatures. Arizona’s climate allows farmers to grow crops year-round, something that isn’t possible in much of the country. Another key factor is geography. Large stretches of flat land made it relatively easy to establish agricultural operations. … ” Read more from Channel 15.
In national water news today …
White House eyes data center agreements amid energy price spikes
“The Trump administration wants some of the world’s largest technology companies to publicly commit to a new compact governing the rapid expansion of AI data centers, according to two administration officials granted anonymity to discuss private conversations. A draft of the compact obtained by POLITICO lays out commitments designed to ensure data centers powering the AI boom do not raise household electricity prices, strain water supplies or undermine grid reliability — and that the companies driving power demand also carry the cost of building new infrastructure. The proposed pact, which is not final and could be subject to change, is framed as a voluntary agreement between President Donald Trump and major U.S. tech companies and data center developers. It could bind OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Facebook parent Meta and other AI giants to a broad set of energy, water and community principles. None of these companies immediately responded to a request for comment. … ” Read more from E&E News.
