A wrap-up of posts published on Maven’s Notebook this week …
Note to readers: Sign up for weekly email service and you will receive notification of this post on Friday mornings. Readers on daily email service can add weekly email service by updating their subscription preferences. Click here to sign up!
In California water news this week …
Delta data offline? No more X2? Monitoring changes could obscure the fate of fish & flows
“Big changes are likely on the way for the Delta, thanks to new federal policies, state water management plans, and planned infrastructure. These changes will almost certainly alter the volume, timing and objectives of water flowing through the Delta, but due to recent changes in long-established monitoring programs, the impact on water quality and the ecosystem may be very hard for water managers and scientists to evaluate. In early December the Bureau of Reclamation issued a Record of Decision adopting a new long-term plan for the coordinated operations of the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project, designed to maximize water deliveries from the projects Under the new approach, the CVP may increase annual water deliveries by between 130,000 to 180,000 acre-feet. A key component of the plan is the abandonment of the Summer-Fall Habitat Action (SFHA, often referred to as X2), which consists of several components designed to increase the area of low-salinity conditions that favor critically endangered Delta smelt. These include adjusting the operations of the Suisun Marsh Salinity Control Gates, and the release of up to 100,000 acre-feet of fresh water from the projects. … ” Read more from Cariad Hayes Thronson at Maven’s Notebook.
State water officials are faced with a once-in-a-generation chance to save California’s salmon
“Negotiations over how to manage the Delta’s water and fish species hit a boiling point in late January, when hundreds of members of the public, environmental groups, and Tribes pleaded for days on end with California water officials. They demanded that the State Water Resources Control Board go against the wishes of powerful farming districts and mandate that more water flows through the ailing estuary, lest its once prolific chinook salmon, sturgeon, and smelt cross thresholds of extinction. “The soul of California is in your hands,” said East Bay resident Norma Wallace. “We need salmon to survive,” one member of the Klamath River’s Yurok Tribe, with two children at her side, told the board. … The grueling faceoff came during a three-day public hearing hosted by the State Water Board. The sessions focused on the Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan, the keystone ruleset overseeing management of Delta water and its various beneficial uses. The plan is considered decades overdue for a thorough regulatory update. … ” Read more from Alastair Bland at Maven’s Notebook.
Proposed Bay-Delta plan could reshape way California delivers water
“California regulators are moving toward a long-awaited decision on how much water can be taken from the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta — a choice that could reshape supplies for cities, farms, and fragile ecosystems statewide. The Bay-Delta Plan, now nearing final approval, would require more freshwater to remain in rivers and estuaries, limiting how much can be pumped south during much of the year. Recent public hearings underscored how consequential the plan is: conservation groups say the Delta’s ecological collapse demands urgent action; agricultural districts and urban water agencies warn it could reshape supply chains, decimate the ag industry, and raise household water bills. Here is what’s at stake — and what it means for California water users. … ” Read more from the Stockton Record.
Letter: Outdated water rules could cost California 600,000 acre-feet, lawmakers warn
“Four California Congressmen have sent Governor Gavin Newsom a letter expressing concerns over outdated water regulations that could result in the loss of 600,000 acre-feet of water. The letter highlights three primary reasons for California’s water shortages: insufficient precipitation and snowpack, the need for improved water storage and conveyance, and “fixed and outdated regulations that lead to water being used in ways that do not maximize beneficial uses for humans and the environment.” Specifically, the Congressmen point to the “Port Chicago” standard, adopted in 1999 and revised in 2000 under Water Rights Decision 1641 (D-1641). This regulation was originally intended to support the Delta food web by increasing reservoir releases and reducing Delta exports. However, the letter notes that the scientific basis for this standard is no longer valid due to changes in the Delta ecosystem caused by a clam infestation in the late 1980s. … ” Continue reading from Maven’s Notebook.
Delta Conveyance Project: Procedural ruling on motion to stay, new hearing dates scheduled
The State Water Resources Control Board Administrative Hearings Office is conducting a public hearing about the Delta Conveyance Project. This notes announces additional public hearing dates and includes the ruling on issues related to the law firm of Somach Simmons & Dunn (SSD). Click here for the notice.
It’s final: No Delta smelt found in annual survey for 8 years
“One of the most significant California water stories of this decade is the virtual extinction of the Delta smelt in the wild and the collapse of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta ecosystem that it is part of. You won’t find news about this unprecedented collapse in the myriad of glowing press releases the Governor’s Office and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife regularly pump out about what a “stellar” job they are doing managing the ecosystem. But if you go to the CDFW’s website and review the report on the latest Fall Midwater Trawl Survey conducted on the Delta, you see will see raw, stark evidence of the dramatic decline of pelagic (open water) fish species since the State Water Project went into effect in 1967. It is the most accurate and comprehensive report on the relative status of the estuary ecosystem over a long period of time, in my opinion. … ” Read more from Dan Bacher at the Daily Kos.
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.
State supreme court declines to hear groundwater case out of Kings County
“The California Supreme Court denied a petition by the Kings County Farm Bureau to review whether the Fifth District Court of Appeal properly reversed a preliminary injunction against the state last year. Despite the set back, the Farm Bureau vowed to continue with its underlying lawsuit. “The Supreme Court’s decision narrows the causes of action, but it does not end the case,” Executive Director of the Farm Bureau, Dusty Ference said in a statement issued following the denial on Thursday. A Water Board spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
SEE ALSO: Calif. Supreme Court declines review of Kings County groundwater case, from the SJV Sun
These maps show where California sank the most over the past decade
“Over the past decade, parts of California have plummeted by multiple feet, according to satellite measurements. The San Joaquin Valley saw the biggest drops, with parts of the Tulare Basin sinking more than seven feet between 2015 and 2025. Although the most dramatic declines occurred during drought years, subsidence did not stop when wetter conditions returned: even from 2024 to 2025, sections of the basin sank by as much as five inches. Parts of the San Francisco Bay Area also subsided, though to a lesser degree. For example, spots in the North Bay and along the bay shoreline descended several inches over recent years. The map below shows how California’s landscape changed from June 2015 to October 2025, based on data from the Department of Water Resources. This data doesn’t cover the entire state because it is focused on groundwater basins. There are also data gaps where reliable year-to-year measurements weren’t possible because of land use changes. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
After years of La Niña, Pacific surges toward El Niño. These are the California implications
“After years locked in a La Niña pattern, the Pacific is flipping. Major global climate models are now signaling a rapid transition toward El Niño later this year, with some projections suggesting the potential for strengthening by late summer. The turnaround appears compressed in a way that has surprised even seasoned experts, with one forecaster calling this the biggest mid-winter collapse of La Niña in two decades. The shift is being driven in large part by two unusually strong westerly wind bursts that developed along the equator since January. These bursts temporarily weakened the trade winds that sustain La Niña, allowing warm water pooled in the western Pacific to surge eastward. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
How one lawsuit embodies local-state conflict in California water conservation
“A lawsuit filed by a group of local agencies in late 2025 that challenges state water regulations serves as an example of the regulatory conflict that plays out in California. The dispute centers around the state’s determination of each local agencies’ outdoor water budget, basing it on how much land is irrigated rather than how much land could be irrigated. The lawsuit reflects a conflict that is central to the tension between state regulations and local water agencies. In the ongoing Bay‑Delta debate, many water agencies favor the voluntary agreement pathway, which they see as giving them more flexibility in how they meet state‑set flow and habitat goals. That option is a selling point for local districts, but the presence of a regulatory backstop — or “unimpaired flow rules,” which set limits on water diversions from rivers — that could take effect if agreements fall apart, remains a major concern for them. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
New report: Regulating data center water use in California
“AI is driving a boom in data centers, and with it growing demands on California’s water resources. Developers are building more data centers alongside the hundreds already operating in California. This report evaluates how to better manage their water impacts on local communities and the environment. Servers in data centers generate heat and typically use water for cooling. Concern over data center water use is growing. Yet, there is very little understanding of how much water they actually use, where their water use may cause negative impacts, and what measures the state, local leaders, and the industry can take to manage it. To respond to this growing challenge, our team reviewed current knowledge on data center water use, mapped the policy and regulatory framework for direct data center water use in California, and developed recommendations. … ” Read more from UC Berkeley Center for Law, Energy & Environment.
Water, fire, and finance: Investigating how to pay for resilient water supply systems in the face of changing fire risks
“The deadly January 2025 fires that devastated communities in LA County have raised many questions about the role of water systems in fighting fires, especially as the nature of fire risks change with a warming climate. On January 23, 2026, the UCLA and UC ANR Urban Water Supply + Fire working group—organized by the Sustainable LA Grand Challenge, Luskin Center for Innovation, and the California Institute for Water Resources—convened 47 experts for the second of four workshops digging into the realities of planning water systems for a future with changing fire risks. Water systems are generally designed and engineered for two primary purposes: delivering potable water and extinguishing localized structure fires. However, the new reality of wildfires moving into urbanized areas means that many water systems face critical questions: how to provide safe and reliable drinking water, ensure affordability for customers, and maintain long-term financial viability of their systems. … ” Read more from UC ANR.
Expert urges action on invasive golden mussels now
“The time to act on golden mussels is yesterday. If not yesterday, then now, an expert on invasive mollusks told attendees at the World Ag Expo in Tulare Wednesday. The Expo continues Thursday. These things are “quagga mussel on steroids” said David Hammond, a senior scientist at Earth Science Labs. He urged irrigation and water district managers at the seminar to enact immediate preventative measures, or their entire conveyance systems would be at risk of being overrun by the tiny, rapidly multiplying mussels. “The fact that they have moved 400 miles in one year is astounding,” Hammond said after the seminar, which he proposed to Ag Expo organizers more than six months ago. “I foresaw this problem being timely for farmers and districts.” … ” Read more from SJV Water.
‘Little death bombs’: Illegal cannabis farms poison California’s forests. Who’s cleaning them up?
“Law enforcement raided the illegal cannabis operation in Shasta-Trinity National Forest months before, but rotting potatoes still sat on the growers’ makeshift kitchen worktop, waiting to be cooked. Ecologist Greta Wengert stared down the pockmarked hillside at a pile of pesticide sprayers left behind, long after the raid. Wild animals had gnawed through the pressurized canisters, releasing the chemicals inside. “They’re just these little death bombs, waiting for any wildlife that is going to investigate,” said Wengert, co-founder of the Integral Ecology Research Center, a non-profit that studies the harms caused by cannabis grows on public lands. For all her stoic professionalism, she sounded a little sad. For over a decade, Wengert and her colleagues have warned that illegal cannabis grows like this one dangerously pollute California’s public lands and pristine watersheds, with lasting consequences for ecosystems, water and wildlife. Now, they’re sounding another alarm — that inadequate federal funding, disjointed communication, dangerous conditions and agencies stretched thin at both the state and federal level are leaving thousands of grow sites – and their trash, pesticides, fertilizers and more – to foul California’s forests. … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
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.
Water agencies grapple with climate change and the ‘silver tsunami’ of an aging workforce
“As water agencies across California grapple with the increasingly extreme effects of climate change, they’re also facing another problem: the incoming “silver tsunami.” That’s the phrase coined by the industry to illustrate the fact that much of the workforce — largely baby boomers — that keeps our water flowing and safe are getting ready to retire. Nationwide, about a third of the nation’s water workforce is eligible for retirement within the next decade, “the majority being workers with trade jobs in mission critical positions,” the Environmental Protection Agency wrote in a 2024 report. … ” Read more from the LAist.
‘No one is expecting’ a Colorado River agreement by Saturday deadline, Valley water official says
“The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is hoping the seven Colorado River states can reach a new agreement on how to share the river’s water by Saturday. Three days ahead of that Feb. 14 deadline, Valley water officials are not optimistic. “No one is expecting that there is going to be an agreement, and no one knows what the federal government will do on Feb. 15,” Warren Tenney, executive director of the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association, told the group’s management board during its meeting Wednesday. The current agreement between the seven states lasts through 2026, and a new agreement must be struck to govern how water will be shared in 2027 and beyond. Tenney said there are “rumblings” about a possible five-year agreement to give states more time to plan a more long-term agreement, probably around 20 years. … ” Read more from the Daily Independent.
Colorado River states are staring down a Feb. 14 deadline. Here’s what might happen next
“Arizona’s water future depends on negotiations over Colorado River water that are coming to a head right now. Ours and other Western states are staring down a Saturday deadline to come to a deal on Colorado River water — or, likely, leave it to a judge. As climate change is shrinking the river, we all have to use less water — but, who will shoulder the cuts? Upper Basin states like Colorado and Utah have largely refused cuts for months of negotiations, but, after a meeting in Washington last week, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said she wouldn’t agree to any deal unless they do. And, she said she’s cautiously optimistic that they are starting to see the light. “We were clearly at an impasse. I feel like we’re at a place where we can start to move past that now,” said Hobbs. … ” Read more from KJZZ.
Snowpack woes add pressure and urgency to sluggish Colorado River negotiations
“Jay Fetcher and other ranchers in northwest Colorado measure snowpack each winter using their barbed wire stock fences. A healthy level is called a three wire winter, when the snow piles up past the third wire above the ground. But on Feb. 9, the region was experiencing a zero wire winter. “We just have no snow, and I have never seen it, in my 75 years here, I have never seen this,” Fetcher said Monday as he navigated patches of mud on his ranch in the Elk River valley north of Steamboat Springs. Many of the hills and meadows surrounding his ranch were brown and bare. The thermostat on Fetcher’s truck read 50 degrees, and the last patch of snow was melting fast off the roof of a barn. … ” Read more from KUNC.
In commentary this week …
Governor Newsom: Turn up the Delta pumps!
Edward Ring writes, “When it comes to the water supply in California for cities and farms, nothing matters more than how we manage the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. As of 2/09 we were 132 days into the 2025-26 rainfall season which began on 10/01/2025. That’s enough time to get an idea of how delta management is shaping up this year. During the last four months, 1.5 million acre feet (MAF) were pumped out of the delta and into California’s major southbound aqueducts, while another 7.1 MAF flowed into the San Francisco Bay. Aqueduct withdrawals equaled 18 percent of the available water. Of this, the state-owned pumps that supply the California Aqueduct moved 796,000 acre feet which is 30 percent of their pumping capacity. The federally-owned pumps withdrew an additional 738,000 acre feet, which is 66 percent of their capacity. When deciding how much water to pump during high winter flows, the governing concern is how additional pumping may affect the delta’s environment. There’s a lot at stake. … ” Continue reading from Edward Ring.
Science should be a bridge, not a barrier: Why CDFW must act before the storms disappear
Eric L. Averett, general manager of Kern County Water Agency, writes, “California is a land of hydrologic extremes, where the difference between a year of abundance and a year of catastrophic drought is often decided by a few winter storms. As we navigate Water Year 2026, we are witnessing a repeat of a frustrating and preventable tragedy: the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has allowed precious storm runoff and flood control releases in January to flow out to sea, ignoring the very scientific evidence and executive leadership meant to protect our state’s future. These early season storms could very well be the primary water we see this year. Last January, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-16-25, a clear directive to state agencies to “maximize diversions of excess flows” during winter storms. The goal was simple: capture water when it’s available to recharge our depleted aquifers and fill the San Luis Reservoir. Yet, despite this mandate, CDFW continues to cling to rigid pumping restrictions that fail to reflect modern real-time data. While environmental protection is paramount, the current regulatory approach is increasingly disconnected from the latest science. … ” Read more from the Bakersfield Californian.
Balancing ecosystem recovery and water reliability
The Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley writes, “Over three days of hearings, January 28–30, the California State Water Resources Control Board heard extensive testimony from across California supporting the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program as a balanced, science-based approach to updating the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan. State and regional water managers, local elected officials, natural resource agency leaders, scientists, and community members spoke in favor of an approach that moves beyond conflict and toward collaboration—one that protects fish and wildlife while maintaining reliable and affordable water supplies for California’s communities and farms. Opening remarks from state natural resource leaders on the first day of hearings underscored this shared commitment to progress. The Healthy Rivers and Landscapes (HRL) Program is built around a straightforward but powerful idea: pairing strategically timed river flows with targeted habitat restoration, guided by monitoring and adaptive management. Rather than relying on a single tool, HRL integrates science, on-the-ground projects, and accountability to improve conditions for Chinook salmon and other native species while safeguarding water supplies that support cities, agriculture, and rural communities. … ” Continue reading from the Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley.
Large scale desalination belongs in California’s water strategy
Edward Ring writes, “In debates over water policy in California, a common argument is that if only we managed the systems we’ve already got, there would be plenty of water for everyone. Agricultural and urban use would not have to be rationed, taxpayers and ratepayers would not have to be unnecessarily burdened, and we wouldn’t have to wait years (ok, decades) for new water projects to navigate the gauntlet of bureaucracy and litigation. This is a compelling argument, and perhaps we should just let the delta pumps run a bit more while engaging in ultra cost-effective projects, such as dredging the delta and constructing innovative new ways to safely withdraw millions of acre feet from the delta during winter storms. But if Californians want to achieve permanent water abundance, how we manage the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta should not be our only option, but instead be the centerpiece in a much broader vision. … ” Read more from Edward Ring.
As we reach 10 years of the Carlsbad Desalination Plant, let’s not forget why it’s needed
Keith R. Solar, water attorney, writes, “Californians are no strangers to drought, having lived through many dry periods in the last several decades. The good news is that December storms and previous strong rainfall filled state reservoirs to healthy levels. The bad news is that history shows the good conditions won’t last and worries over water supplies will continue in the coming years. One need only look to 2015, when California was in one of its most severe droughts on record and Gov. Jerry Brown ordered the first-ever, statewide water reduction requirements aimed at urban Californians. Local reservoirs were depleted, imported supplies were strained and the region faced escalating uncertainty about the stability of its water future. … ” Read more from the Voice of San Diego.
DWR’s selective conflict: it applies in court, but not before the agencies
Deirdre Des Jardins writes, “On Monday, February 9, 2026, Administrative Hearing Officer Nicole Kuenzi denied Somach Simmons & Dunn’s motion to stay the Delta Conveyance Project water rights hearing pending resolution of DWR’s disqualification motion in Sacramento Superior Court. The hearing will continue as scheduled, with most of the protestants’ rebuttal case likely to conclude before the March 20 court hearing on DWR’s motion. But the more revealing development came from DWR itself. In a February 10 email to the Delta Stewardship Council opposing a similar stay request, DWR Staff Counsel Chris Butcher confirmed what many suspected: DWR’s conflict claim is selective. … ” Read more from California Water Research.
In regional water news this week …
Environmental groups target federal protections for South Eel River watershed
“This week, California Trout, Trout Unlimited and CalWild announced that they would be working in partnership with the the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (North Coast Water Board) to designate Cedar Creek and Elder Creek — two tributaries of the South Fork Eel River watershed — Outstanding National Resource Waters. The ONRW designation, a federal status established by the Clean Water Act, is “one of the strongest legal mechanisms available to protect water quality,” according to a joint news release issued Monday morning. 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.” … ” Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard.
Washoe Tribe buys 10,000 acres in one of California’s largest ever land returns
“The Washoe Tribe has purchased more than 10,000 acres of land near Lake Tahoe for conservation in one of the largest tribal land returns in California history. The sprawling property, located 20 miles north of Reno, Nevada, stretches from the Great Basin through the Sierra Nevada and encompasses sagebrush scrublands and juniper and pine forests. It marks a key development for the tribe, which was forcibly removed from its lands and saw its individual allotments stolen, said the tribe’s chairperson, Serrell Smokey. “We were told we could no longer use the land for resources or ceremony. Since that time, the land has been calling us back, and we are answering that call,” Smokey said in a statement. “This land purchase is good medicine for our people. This is a small start to healing from generations of historical trauma, and the benefits will go on for many generations to come.” … ” Read more from The Guardian.
Putah Creek salmon gains highlighted in Bay-Delta water debate
“The salmon recovery effort on Putah Creek was highlighted as an early example of a Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program success story during recent California State Water Resources Control Board hearings. The control board is in the process of updating the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan, with Solano County agencies joining the State Water Contractors and others in support of the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes option. “The Healthy Rivers and Landscapes program combines two priorities that Californians care deeply about: environmental health and a reliable, affordable water supply,” Jennifer Pierre, general manager of the State Water Contractors, said in a statement. … ” Read more from the Winters Express.
A luxury Bay Area neighborhood’s $2 million pond problem — and the endangered frog behind it
“The pond at a Blackhawk golf course wasn’t always a mess. Eight years ago, water cascaded out of a waterfall into the pond, a pristine feature of the posh Tri-Valley neighborhood where homes routinely sell for several million dollars. Today, the pond water sits stagnant and murky green. Algae blankets the surface. Mosquitoes swarm above it. And residents like Laurie Cindric, who drives past it multiple times a day, can’t stop noticing. “It’s been frustrating, it’s an eyesore,” Cindric said. “The condition just continues to deteriorate with storms.” Fixing the situation has proved elusive and wildly complex. The Blackhawk Country Club, which oversees the pond, has barely touched it since 2019, when a worker noticed a red-legged frog, a federally protected endangered species, living in the water. That discovery froze any plans to dredge, treat or restore what residents considered a neighborhood amenity. Some believe the neglected pond has dragged down their property values. Now, there’s movement to finally get the project moving, but it could cost at least $2 million. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
San Luis Obispo County launches voluntary land fallowing program to protect Paso Robles Groundwater Basin
“The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors recently approved a new voluntary program aimed at reducing groundwater use in the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin, giving local farmers a tool to help balance the region’s water supply. “Recent challenges in the ag economy, especially in the wine industry, have many grape growers interested in reducing the acreage of their vineyards,” Supervisor Bruce Gibson wrote in a newsletter. “Whether the vines are removed or simply not watered, ‘fallowing’ will reduce the pumping of irrigation water.” On Feb. 3, the Board of Supervisors approved the voluntary fallowing program through a new registry, officially called the Multi-Benefit Irrigated Land Repurposing Program. Landowners who enroll in the registry can designate portions of their land to be fallowed, meaning temporarily taken out of irrigation. … ” Read more from New Times SLO.
Help is on the way for Cuyama Valley’s embattled small farmers
“Dozens of subsistence farmers and ranchers in the Cuyama Valley, enmeshed in a water rights lawsuit that was filed against them by the world’s largest carrot corporations, got some welcome news this month. The presiding judge, William F. Highberger of the Los Angeles Superior Court, has issued a tentative order that would “excuse” 115 valley landowners from the four-year-old case, also called a water rights “adjudication,” because of their low water use. Many of these defendants are barely eking out a living in the vast, dry agricultural region east of Santa Maria. Some own small commercial vineyards, vegetable farms or herds of cattle. Others pump only enough water to meet their household needs. Some families go back generations in the valley. … ” Read more from the Santa Maria Times.
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.
Kings County groundwater agency issues flurry of well policies, will pay for meters
“It’s been a busy start to the year for the Southwest Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA), which instituted new well registration and reporting policies over two Fridays after not meeting for six months. A third meeting has been set for Friday, Feb. 20. At its Feb. 6 meeting, its second in seven days, the board approved funding to buy and install well meters for its landowners to get the ball rolling on reporting extractions. It hired Gunther Vecpuisis, an employee of Sandridge Partners, to oversee the project, allocating a budget of $10,000. “So, you’re in charge and if that’s not enough, we could pay a little more but we’ll start with $10,000,” said Southwest’s chair John Vidovich. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Ridgecrest can’t afford further delay, sustainability requires an imported water option
The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority writes, “More than 25 million Californians, well over two-thirds of the state’s population, rely on water that travels hundreds of miles through water systems such as the State Water Project, the Central Valley Project and the Colorado River Aqueduct to reach their homes and businesses. This “imported water” also serves the agricultural economy. The reason for water systems is simple: according to the California Department of Water Resources, while 75% of California’s rain and snow falls in the north, 80% of the water demand is in the south. The water source of the City of Ridgecrest and surrounding region is the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Basin, a basin that has no natural runoff for replenishment. After decades of groundwater overdraft, the basin is at risk of running out of water. “You can argue about how much groundwater is left. You can conserve as much as you can. You can recycle water wherever possible. But you simply cannot abandon future generations by sticking your head in the ground to the realities of where we live and the fact we have only one natural water source,” said Scott Hayman, chair of Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority. … ” Continue reading this press release.
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.
The river between us: The Tijuana River sewage crisis is one of America’s longest-lasting public health calamities
Wendee Nicole writes, “I stand at the mouth of the Tijuana River—a Stygian cesspool that flows 120 miles north from Baja California, through the working-class city of Tijuana with its hundreds of factories manufacturing gadgets for American consumers—before crossing the US-Mexico border. … “This is one of the most beautiful beaches in all of California,” says Ángel Granados, a filmmaker and lecturer at San Diego State University in TV, film, and new media studies. He is married to SDSU associate professor Paula Stigler Granados, an environmental health scientist making waves for her research and advocacy over the befouled river. “There’s a stark difference in the feeling of being here—seeing the waves and the salt spray in the air—and knowing how polluted that water is with sewage, toxic chemicals from industrial runoff or dumping, and pathogens that are being aerosolized.” He hands me a gas mask. … ” Continue reading from the Sierra Club.
Announcements, notices, and funding opportunities …
Final 2025 Urban Water Management Plan Guidebook Released, from DWR
Term 91 now in effect, notice from the State Water Board
