A wrap-up of posts published on Maven’s Notebook this week …
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In California water news this week …
Delta Conveyance Project opponents say plan would hurt environment, tourism, farming

“Attorneys and officials opposed to a massive California water project pleaded their case Thursday to an oversight panel, arguing point by point how the Delta Conveyance Project failed to meet specified criteria. Johnny Pappalardo, with the town of Courtland’s Pear Fair and one of several speakers at the Delta Stewardship Council meeting, emphasized that he wasn’t an attorney. His arguments, Pappalardo’s supporters said, focused more on “vibes.” … His sister, Emily Pappalardo, and also a fair volunteer, argued the Delta Conveyance Project, with two proposed intake facilities nearby, would destroy a fair that’s existed for over 50 years. Like other project opponents, she said a 13-year construction period would impact not only the fair but also agricultural land and the families that have farmed it for generations. The opponents — which included several groups, governmental entities and Native American tribes — delivered similar messages: a certificate of consistency issued in October that shows the project as consistent with the Delta plan is faulty. The state Department of Water Resources failed to show the project would uphold the plan’s two coequal goals: creating a reliable, statewide water supply while protecting and restoring the Delta ecosystem that preserves its values as a place. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.
STATEMENT: DWR asserts Delta Conveyance Project aligns with Delta Plan
“The Department of Water Resources (DWR) found that the Delta Conveyance Project is consistent with the Delta Plan because it is consistent with all applicable policies of the Delta Plan. Additionally, the project is on the whole consistent with the coequal goals and substantial evidence demonstrates that DWR has followed the Delta Plan’s recommendations to promote, evaluate, design, and implement new and improved facilities for water conveyance and water diversion in the Delta. DWR documented these findings in a Certification of Consistency with the Delta Plan, submitted to the Delta Stewardship Council in October 2025. … ” Read more from the Department of Water Resources.
RESTORE THE DELTA: Tribes and environmental advocates call on Delta Stewardship Council to reject Delta tunnel certification of consistency
“[Yesterday], a coalition of Tribes and environmental advocates hosted a virtual press conference urging the Delta Stewardship Council to reject the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Certification of Consistency for the proposed Delta Conveyance Project, warning that approval would signal a retreat from the Council’s promise to ensure that environmental justice and Tribal consultation are not merely procedural formalities, but central to its decision making. The press conference comes ahead of the Council’s February 26-27 hearings to consider whether the controversial Delta Tunnel project complies with the state’s Delta Plan. The coalition includes the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, San Francisco Baykeeper, Center for Biological Diversity, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, Little Manila Rising, Friends of the River, California Indian Environmental Alliance, Sierra Club California and Restore the Delta. … ” Read more from Restore the Delta.
Reclamation announces initial 2026 water supply allocations for Central Valley Project contractors
“Today, the Bureau of Reclamation announced initial 2026 water supply allocations for Central Valley Project water users. The Central Valley Project serves over 270 contracts that provide water for ~3 million acres of highly productive farmland, communities across the Central Valley and Bay Area, and Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley wildlife refuges. Water supply allocations are based on an estimate of water available for delivery and reflect current reservoir storage, precipitation, and snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, as well as contractor-rescheduled water from the last water year. While early-season storms brought some precipitation to the Sierra, a dry and warm January significantly reduced snow accumulation. Recent measurements show statewide snowpack at roughly 59% of the historical average with key high-elevation basins below median snow-water equivalent for this time of year. … ” Some allocations include South-of-Delta contractors allocated 15%; Settlement contractors, and Friant Class 1 allocation is at 100%. Read the full press release and list of allocations.
Valley farmers, elected officials blast 15% CVP water allocation
“Local farmers and Valley congressmen pushed back Thursday after the Bureau of Reclamation announced a meager 15% initial water allocation for Westlands Water District and other south-of-Delta Central Valley Project (CVP) irrigation contractors — a figure critics say defies current conditions on the ground. Westlands General Manager Allison Febbo acknowledged the Trump administration’s stated commitment to water reliability while making clear the number falls short. “A 15% water supply allocation does not reflect current hydrologic conditions and falls well short of what is needed to sustain the District’s nearly 700 family-owned farms that feed the world,” Febbo said, pointing to recent storms, improved snowpack and increased reservoir storage as evidence the allocation should be higher. … ” Read more from The Business Journal.
Governor Newsom launches most ambitious water plan in California history

“Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the formal launch of the California Water Plan 2028, marking the start of a multi-year effort to modernize statewide water planning in response to climate-driven extremes and long-term water reliability challenges. California is committed to protecting the water that families, farmers, and communities depend on for generations to come. “Climate change is reshaping life in California through historic droughts and record storms that threaten the farms that feed the nation, communities that depend on reliable water, and the environment we all share,” said Governor Newsom. ‘The 2028 Water Plan is a commitment to every Californian that we will capture, store, and conserve the water our state—the 4th largest economy in the world—needs to thrive, no matter what climate change throws at us.” … ” Read more from Governor Newsom.
Bay-Delta plan heads toward fall adoption with limited changes

“A long-awaited Bay-Delta Plan is on track to be ready for adoption this year, with possible refinements still under review — but with no signs of major changes to the proposal as released in December. Eric Oppenheimer, executive director of the State Water Board, on Friday told The Sacramento Bee that the board’s staff is reviewing thousands of public comments, evaluating whether any updates to the proposed plan and supporting environmental analysis are needed before bringing it to the board for a final decision. “So far, based on what we’ve seen … what we’ll be putting out is refinement to the basin plan amendment language,” Oppenheimer said, noting that the staff has not yet reviewed all comments. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
Sustainable yield and safe yield: Are they comparable terms or distinctly different?
“How do SGMA’s “sustainable yield” and the long-established legal concept of “safe yield” align—or differ—in practice? In a January webinar presented by the Groundwater Resources Association, panelists Stephanie Hastings of Brownstein Hyatt Shrek, Eric Garner of Best Best and Krieger, Anthony Brown, a hydrologist with Aquilogic, and Derrik Williams, a hydrogeologist with Montgomery and Associates, explored the nuances of these two terms. While similar in definition, sustainable yield and safe yield serve distinct purposes in groundwater management. The panelists discussed how, although they often yield similar numerical estimates, the two concepts differ significantly in their underlying purposes and the processes used to determine them, highlighting key contrasts between SGMA’s forward-looking sustainability framework and the court-driven adjudication process for allocating water rights. … ” Read more from Maven’s Notebook.
Hoover Dam is iconic at 90, but rise in US dam removals signals changing mindset

“Ninety years ago, the most recognized dam in the U.S. and one of the defining engineering achievements of the 20th century opened: the Hoover Dam. Completed in 1936 with a March 1 opening, its construction required about 4.4 million cubic yards of concrete, 45 million pounds of reinforcing steel, and a workforce of more than 21,000. Rising 726 feet and stretching more than 1,200 feet across the Black Canyon, the arch-gravity dam became an instant American icon, drawing about 7 million visitors a year and making countless appearances in movies, TV shows, books, and every other variety of pop culture. Despite Hoover Dam’s enduring popularity and usefulness – it generates hydroelectric power, reduces flood risk, and stores water for irrigation and municipal use – Brian Graber, senior director of dam removal strategy at American Rivers, says the industry mindset has changed markedly over the past 25 years. … ” Read more from the Civil Engineering Source.
Fears grow as invasive species spreads through California waterways
“An invasive species rapidly spreading through California’s waterways has made its way into one of the state’s most vital aqueducts less than two years after it was first discovered in North America. Data from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirms that golden mussels, an invasive species of mollusk known to wreak havoc on water infrastructure and aquatic habitats, were detected in the Friant-Kern Canal south of Delano on Jan. 13. The canal is a 152-mile-long, gravity-fed aqueduct that transports water from the San Joaquin River to farmland and millions of residents throughout Fresno, Tulare and Kern counties. Golden mussels made their first known North American appearance in 2024, when they were found in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta’s Port of Stockton. The mussels have since made their way into several Californian canals, lakes and reservoirs, traveling as far south as San Bernardino County. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
New publication highlights importance of Yolo Bypass flooding for the estuary’s food web

“In late December 2025, a series of storms swept through Northern California, causing the Sacramento River to rise rapidly. By December 29, the river levels were sufficient to cause the Fremont Weir to overflow. This event marked a significant milestone: the overtopping of the two-mile-long weir coincided with the first operational activation of the Big Notch Project gates, an upgrade to the Fremont Weir designed to allow managers to control water flow from the Sacramento River into the Yolo Bypass earlier and more efficiently. Unlike the solid wall of the original weir, these gates allow water to flow into the Yolo Bypass at lower river elevations, before the river reaches the 32-foot flood stage. This engineering change transforms the weir from a strictly passive flood barrier into a managed diversion facility. “This is an updated engineering of the weir that gives managers more choices,” Delta Lead Scientist Dr. Windham-Myers told the Delta Stewardship Council at their January meeting. “It improves flood control. It provides fish pathways for big fish like salmon and sturgeon, and it demonstrates the multiple benefits of floodplain connectivity to the Delta community.” … ” Continue reading at Maven’s Notebook.
Fall chinook salmon numbers in Sacramento River rise after 3 years of higher flows
“The data from documents released yesterday by the Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC) reveals salmon returns to California’s Central Valley in 2025 were much improved over the previous two years. The promising information leads salmon advocates to conclude that California will likely see a 2026 salmon fishing season, according to an announcement from the Golden State Salmon Association (GSSA). The data can be found in the PFMC’s Review of Review of 2025 Ocean Salmon Fisheries: www.pcouncil.org/.. “For comparison, the upper section of the Sacramento River saw a return of over 62,000 adult salmon to natural spawning areas in 2025 compared to just over 4,100 in 2024, a 15 fold increase,” the GSSA emphasized. “In the same area, the number of jacks, or two year old sub adult salmon, jumped almost three fold from around 5,500 in 2024 to about 14,500 in 2025.” … ” Read more from the Daily Kos.
Subpar snowpack pushes back crop plans for farmers

“Despite a strong start to California’s wet season, snowpack conditions remain below average. A deficient snowpack could mean less water available for summer irrigation, threatening to cut surface water deliveries to farmers. Rainfall at the end of last year helped boost water supplies, enough so that the U.S. Drought Monitor reported no drought conditions anywhere in the state in mid-January. The rain also helped fill reservoirs throughout California and are currently at levels that meet or surpass their historical average for this time of year. But in January, conditions dried up. State officials reported the snowpack was at 59% of average by the end of last month. Andrew Schwartz, director of the University of California, Berkeley, Central Sierra Snow Lab, said the state still saw rainfall during this dry period. But Schwartz said that rain will not improve water supplies as much as precipitation that sticks around as snowpack. … ” Read more from Ag Alert.
In commentary this week …
As snowpack rebounds, complacency is biggest water risk
The Santa Rosa Press Democrat editorial board writes, “This winter’s wild swing from drought to deluge offers a vital lesson for California in the 21st century: Climate change requires preparation for extreme weather of all kinds. A week ago, it looked like the state was headed for another witheringly dry year. Now, after three back-to-back storms brought torrential rains to the lowlands and heavy snowfall to the Sierra Nevada, a significant fraction of California’s precipitation deficit has been erased. Forecasters say another storm will sweep in from the Pacific on Sunday. A good drenching promises to provide California farmers with water for irrigation, improve conditions for salmon migration and recharge aquifers. Snow in the mountains will maintain river flows through the spring and summer, supporting uses ranging from hydropower to recreation. The rapid turnaround in the state’s water outlook is instructive. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
Can energy and water interests find a common agenda?
Edward Ring, Director of Water and Energy Policy at the California Policy Center, writes, “It’s a risk to promote an agenda that calls for practical water projects, and at the same time, calls for practical energy projects. To begin with, the word “practical,” in both cases, is a matter of bitter debate. Equally challenging is the fact that even within each of these communities, water, and energy, there is no common agenda. How can they join forces if they don’t even have internal cohesion? Then there is the controversy. Why should a water agency or a farm bureau identify with an energy agenda that invites even more opposition than they’re already enduring for their own goals? In particular, why would a farmer want to be part of a coalition, or endorse a campaign platform, that calls for preservation of California’s oil and gas industry? To answer this, let’s define “practical” as any investment that will lower the cost of doing business. … ” Read more from Edward Ring.
Is the Delta tunnel losing support as the California Aqueduct fails?
William O’Neal writes, “For years, powerful water agencies have pushed hard for a massive new Delta water-diversion tunnel, arguing it is essential to secure water deliveries to farms and cities in Southern California. But a growing crisis much closer to home may be forcing a rethink. The California Aqueduct — the backbone of the State Water Project — is literally sinking in places. And the cause isn’t earthquakes or age. It’s groundwater over-pumping. Large stretches of the main canal that move water south from the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta are being damaged as the land beneath them collapses. In heavily farmed regions of the San Joaquin Valley, decades of unsustainable groundwater pumping have drained aquifers and caused widespread land subsidence. When the ground sinks, canals crack, buckle, and lose capacity. In some areas, repairs have already been needed just to keep water flowing. In other cases, the damage is accelerating faster than fixes can keep pace. This is not a hypothetical future problem. It’s happening now. … ” Read more from the Golden State Salmon Association.
SB 872 is the ideal prescription for Sacramento’s myopic tunnel vision
Dennis Wyatt, editor of the Manteca Bulletin, writes, “California is sinking. In the past 100 years, some parts of the state — especially near Mendota in the mid-San Joaquin Valley — has dropped 40 feet. … It has reduced the capacity of the California Aqueduct in several places. The aqueduct is the linchpin that conveys water to 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland. … Senate Bill 872 introduced in Sacramento on Wednesday addresses both levee integrity and aqueduct subsidence. It directs $300 million annually from greenhouse gas reduction fees slapped on polluters for the next 20 years to protect the reliability of California’s primary water source for decades to come. … ” Disclaimer: This was very hard to excerpt because the commentary goes several places before it gets to the point. Read the full commentary at the Manteca Bulletin.
C-WIN: The Octopus: Mapping the tentacles of water politics
Carolee Krieger writes, “In 1901, social activist and “muckraker” Frank Norris published The Octopus, a novel centered on the vast power held by the Southern Pacific Railroad over the economy and civil life of California. It was a brutal tale of the corrupt “trusts,” or monopolies of the time, and their crushing effect on working people – in this case, small farmers and ranchers whose land tenure was threatened by the railroads. The book immediately gained a wide readership and maintains an important position in the early 20th Century canon of American literature. The death grip the railroads held on California has long been broken, but their contemporary heirs are a cabal of corporate growers who have seized control of state and federal water projects, local governments, and key research institutions to ensure their profits take priority over the environment, affordability, and independent research and media. The tentacles of this 21st Century octopus thus reach into every corner and cubby of our political, educational and social systems. … ” Read more from C-WIN.
Busting through the hype and politics of forest thinning
and write, “The phrase “All politics is local” was coined by former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Tip O’Neill as a strategy for winning elections through the art and sometimes deception of message framing. Notably, in the trench warfare of political campaigns, framing separates the winners from the losers. When it comes to forest ecosystems under unprecedented “active management” and climate stressors, proponents often dumb-down the treatments using the language of politics, optics, and euphemisms. Applying O’Neill’s local politics framing in the context of “forest health” euphemisms can read this way: All wildfires and insect outbreaks are local politics; thus, active management is the solution to these forest-health problems otherwise exacerbated by lack of management. … ” Continue reading from The Revelator.
In regional water news this week …
Mendocino County supervisors approve $500,000 for Potter Valley water efforts
“The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors this week discussed allocating a half-million dollars to regional entities involved with the decommissioning of the Potter Valley Project, with one supervisor questioning the need for it and another saying it was essential. Ultimately, the board approved $500,000 earmarked for the Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission and the Eel-Russian Project Authority. The money would go to “unanticipated” costs that may incur, according to Tony Rakes, deputy county chief executive officer. The Potter Valley Project, owned by PG&E, is a hydroelectric facility that will be dismantled as soon as 2028. The Potter Valley Project diverts water from the Eel River to the Russian River watershed through two dams — the Scott Dam at Lake Pillsbury and Cape Horn Dam at Lake Van Arsdale. The two lakes supply water to communities throughout Mendocino and Sonoma counties. The water has been crucial for agricultural, municipal, and environmental uses. … ” Read more from the Mendocino Voice.
A California county’s main water source just got cut off
“Tens of thousands of people in Tuolumne County are being asked to use as little water as possible after water delivery to the region was cut off by last week’s snowstorm. The Main Tuolumne Canal, a series of canals and flumes that brings water through the Sierra foothills to Sonora and other communities along Highway 108, was battered by heavy snow and fallen trees, prompting its temporary closure. The canal is the main source of drinking water for 90% of Tuolumne County’s roughly 50,000 residents. While repairs to the canal are made, the Tuolumne Utilities District will provide water from its limited supplies in storage and at groundwater wells. There is no estimated timeline for when the canal will be fixed. The utility district did not specify how long the current supplies would last but officials expect to have enough for the duration of the repairs. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Environmental groups monitor Yuba River after pipe burst
“Environmental groups are closely monitoring the Yuba River for contamination after a major pipe burst at the New Colgate Powerhouse nearly two weeks ago. The burst occurred on Feb. 13, sending water rushing down the hillside below the 14-foot diameter pipe, causing significant erosion and damaging downhill facilities. This incident carried mud, sediment, and man-made debris, including oil from the hydraulic pump system, into the Yuba River. “There’s no way to turn it off. That amount of water mobilized the slope and created a kind of a landslide mudflow debris flow,” said Aaron Zettler-Mann with the South Yuba River Citizens League. … ” Read more from KCRA.
Looking back, moving forward: Historical ecology as a tool for restoration in the Sacramento Valley and beyond
“They say that those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. While initially used in the context of politics, this quote holds true, as well, for the restoration of California’s rivers and the recovery of the fish populations that depend on them. After nearly two centuries of dramatic alteration to the landscapes through which California’s rivers run, nearly 2/3 of the state’s 132 native fish populations are in steep decline.(1) We stand to lose 45% of our remaining native salmon and trout in the next 50 years unless current trends change sufficiently to halt the decline.(2) If we want things to turn out differently, we must look back at our history and learn. Despite California’s diverse landscape and its large number of species and populations, there is a single common recovery goal that applies to all of them: each native fish must be able to recognize the river in which it evolved and the patterns of biological and physical conditions to which it is adapted. … ” Read more from Cal Trout.
Why the fate of antimicrobial chemicals matters for San Francisco Bay
“Even though most Bay Area residents couldn’t name a quaternary ammonium compound, or QAC, they have encountered them. That’s because the antimicrobial chemicals have soared in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic, and end up in San Francisco Bay via sewage systems and stormwater runoff in such large amounts that scientists consider them a possible threat to Bay water quality. A new study now finds that wastewater treatment plants remove 98% of QACs on average from wastewater, and includes data from San Francisco Bay. However, the treatment transfers significant portions of the chemicals from water to the solid waste instead of breaking them down. Of the twelve plants studied, only one truly broke down nearly all the QACs—and it used a costlier treatment method. QACs might be a problem not only for Californian farmers encouraged to use treated sewage as fertilizer, but also for the wastewater treatment process itself. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Estuary Institute.
How 900 feet of rusty metal overtook Millennium Tower as the biggest metaphor for San Francisco
“San Francisco’s weather, of late, has resembled the opening credits of “Gilligan’s Island.” Yes, it’s getting rough. It’s also getting expensive: After the storms of November, the 900-foot Dry Dock No. 2 at the Port of San Francisco’s Piers 68-70 experienced “significant hull tearing at the waterline and uncontrolled flooding in ballast compartments.” This left the massive vessel dangerously listing to the side like the U.S.S. Yorktown after the Battle of Midway. This city has had its fair share of experience with building-sized structures sinking and tilting. But it warrants mentioning that, at just 645 feet, Millennium Tower is dwarfed by Dry Dock No. 2. If things, quite literally, go sideways at the Port of San Francisco, it would be a catastrophe. Recovering a two-block-long structure from underwater would be costly, and the environmental consequences would be dire. … ” Read more from Mission Local.
District Attorney Ron Freitas announces felony convictions in Smith Canal environmental disaster case
“San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announces that a jury has convicted David Sump (DOB 9/5/73) on multiple felony and misdemeanor counts following a deliberate and significant oil spill into the Smith Canal. Sump, who has a prior strike, was remanded into custody by Judge Villapudua. He faces up to six years in state prison. On the afternoon of Friday, September 27, 2024, Sump drove to the Smith Canal levee on Shimizu Drive towing a trailer loaded with an industrial “Lube Cube” containing over 200 gallons of used motor oil, lubricants, and filters. To offload the heavy container, Sump tethered it to a nearby pole with a chain and accelerated his vehicle several times until the tank was yanked onto the levee. The resulting spill contaminated the embankment and flowed into the canal, an area that serves as a vital link between American Legion Park and the San Joaquin River. Following the incident, Sump attempted to conceal the crime by spray-painting the trailer. … ” Read more from the San Joaquin County District Attorney.
NOW AVAILABLE: San Joaquin Basin Flood-MAR Watershed Studies online data portal and metrics dashboard

“Last December, DWR released the San Joaquin Basin Flood-MAR Watershed Studies (Watershed Studies) — five individual reports (covering the Calaveras, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Merced, and Upper San Joaquin watersheds) and a summary document that together provide an in-depth look at the future climate challenges and adaptation opportunities within the San Joaquin Basin. The Watershed Studies examined 185 performance metrics tracking system-wide conditions across three major water management sectors — flood, water supply (surface and groundwater), and ecosystems. The results were collected at and aggregated across various reporting units, including watershed study areas, groundwater subbasins, districts, reservoirs, rivers and creeks, flood control points, diversion locations, and stream reaches. This information is now publicly available through the San Joaquin Basin Watershed Studies Metric Dashboard, an interactive tool for exploring the climate vulnerabilities and adaptation potential of flood-managed aquifer recharge (Flood-MAR) strategies in the San Joaquin River Basin. … ” Read more from DWR.
Jeffrey Kightlinger: Water and Southern California: Past, present, and future
“The history of Southern California has always been inextricably intertwined with the story of its water supply. Southern California has a dry, Mediterranean climate with limited rainfall. While Southern California is more temperate than the hotter desert climes of Las Vegas and Phoenix, its relatively dry climate cannot sustain a large urban population base. In the late 1800s as Los Angeles and the surrounding region began to grow, the population relied primarily on the limited rainfall which fed the intermittent flows of the Los Angeles River and replenished the local groundwater basins. By the late 1890s, the discovery of oil reserves in Southern California led to an economic boom and a growing population. It became clear to everyone that Southern California would need to supplement its local water supplies if growth were to continue. By 1900, the head of the water department for the City of Los Angeles was a self-educated engineer named William Mulholland. Mulholland fully grasped that if Los Angeles were to grow, it would have to follow the model of Rome, another major metropolitan center built in a Mediterranean climate. … ” Read more from PBS SoCal.
The Colorado River is nearing collapse. It’s Trump’s problem now.
“The Colorado River currently supports 40 million people and $1.4 trillion in annual economic activity in seven U.S. states and Mexico — but it was never intended to be stretched so thin. A century-old legal framework promises those users more water than there is to go around. Since the river’s reservoirs almost collapsed in 2022, however, the state’s lead negotiators have been arguing in boardrooms and on Zoom calls with little to show for it. They missed a negotiation deadline in November and another one in February, with each state publishing catty press releases blaming the other side for a breakdown in talks: Colorado’s representative said that the Upper Basin was “being asked to solve a problem we didn’t create with water we don’t have,” while Arizona’s said that the Lower Basin had “offered numerous, good-faith compromises” and that “virtually all of them have been rejected.” Meanwhile, a nearly snow-free winter is pushing reservoirs toward record lows. The river could grow so dry this year that its massive Lake Powell reservoir will stop producing hydropower. … ” Read more from Grist.


