Several news sources featured in the Daily Digest may limit the number of articles you can access without a subscription. However, gift articles and open-access links are provided when available. For more open access California water news articles, explore the main page at MavensNotebook.com.
In California water news today …
California’s snowpack was already meager. Now comes an extraordinary heat wave
“The warm winter has left very little snow in California’s Sierra Nevada, and now an extreme heat wave is accelerating the rapid melt in the mountains. The Sierra snowpack measures 48% of average for this time of year, according to state data, down from 73% of average in late February. When water expert Newsha Ajami went skiing near Lake Tahoe in early March, she saw snow from the last round of storms had rapidly disappeared from the slopes, and many ski lifts were closed. “There was a lot of bare land, bare mountain with no snow,” she said. “Almost all of it was gone. It was kind of scary.” California relies on the Sierra snowpack for about 30% of its water, on average. But the extraordinary warmth across the West this winter, which broke records in many areas, brought more precipitation falling as rain instead of snow. … ” Read more from the LA Times. | Read via Yahoo News.
SEE ALSO: ‘Dangerous’ and ‘Unprecedented’: How Bad Will This March Heat Wave Get?, from the New York Times
Crazy or genius? A nuclear-powered solution to the West’s water crisis
“In the middle of the desert sits a sign: “Caution docks may be slippery.” They are not. In fact, there’s not a drop of water to be seen at Antelope Point Marina, which once sat near the shore of Lake Powell, the nation’s second-largest reservoir. The sparkling Colorado River now laps at the Glen Canyon walls about 180 feet below, completely invisible from a dock that once floated atop the water. … Now, a public lands access group has proposed an eye-poppingly ambitious plan to build eight massive desalination plants off the California coastline, turning ocean water into fresh for farming, and reducing demand on the ailing Colorado River. To meet the energy demand, the plants might have to be powered with nuclear reactors. … Although desalination plants are widely used in the Middle East, they consume huge amounts of electricity to generate a relatively small amount of water. No country has ever tried something on this scale before. The Colorado River basin ‒ and the seven states that depend on the river for water ‒ is facing significant shortfalls this summer following an unusually hot and dry winter. The plan’s authors at the Idaho-based BlueRibbon Coalition say their $40 billion proposal offers a viable long-term solution at a time when President Donald Trump is slashing environment-based regulatory delays and encouraging the country to think big. … ” ” Read more from the USA Today. | Read via Yahoo News.
In ski towns, a bad snow year is worsening wildfire fears
“In Colorado, mountain towns are wrapping up one of the worst ski seasons that anyone can remember. But it’s not the slushy slopes that are on people’s minds right now. It’s the wildfire risk. “Working at the bar, you talk to a lot of locals, and it’s on everybody’s mind,” said Melissa Nicholson, who owns a brewery and boutique in Rollinsville, about an hour outside Boulder. “Fire is the number one concern for everyone right now.” It’s not just ski country. Most of the American West is in the midst of a historic snow drought. In Colorado, the snowpack is the lowest it has been in nearly 40 years, since record-keeping began. With a heat dome headed toward Western states as early as next week, people are worried. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
Hurricane Hunters take on atmospheric rivers to improve West Coast forecasts
“When a series of back-to-back atmospheric rivers hammered the West Coast in December 2025, the storms killed at least five people, triggered devastating flooding across every western state and forced evacuations from Washington to California. Scientists say storms like those are intensifying, and they still don’t know enough about them. That’s why the same pilots who fly into hurricanes are now spending their winters chasing a different kind of extreme weather over the Pacific Ocean. The NOAA Hurricane Hunters are best known for their summer and fall work tracking tropical cyclones. But outside of hurricane season, NOAA’s Gulfstream IV jet has a second mission: flying into atmospheric rivers off the West Coast to collect data that could save lives. “I’d say we’re on the front lines of emergency response, how people respond to storms when they make landfall,” said Jon Zawislak, a NOAA meteorologist and flight director. … ” Read more from King 5.
California water debate: Can farming’s future be secured?
“California agriculture sits at the center of an ongoing debate over water policy, infrastructure, and the future of farming in the state. In a recent episode of the AgNet News Hour, host Nick “The Ag Meter” Papagni welcomed Geoffrey Vanden Heuvel of the Milk Producers Council for a passionate and insightful conversation about California’s water challenges and what must change moving forward. The interview, part two of a continuing water series, explored the growing concerns among farmers about water allocations, environmental regulations, and the long-term sustainability of agriculture in the Golden State. Papagni opened the discussion by pointing to what many growers see as a major disconnect between California’s growing population and its water policies. With nearly 40 million residents, the state is far larger than when much of its water infrastructure and policy framework was developed. Yet many farmers say water management has not evolved to meet those increasing demands. … ” Read more from AgNet West.
Salmon survival: Betting on the right fish
“Salmon used to be savvy investors. For millennia, they spread their risk: returning upstream to spawn in California rivers at ages 3, 4, 5, even 6. If one year brought drought or brutal ocean conditions, another generation could ensure populations wouldn’t tank. It was a biological hedge fund, diversified across time. “Just like you don’t want all your stocks in one company … you also don’t want all your individuals to be represented by exactly the same genetic type” or the same age, said Eric Palkovacs, UC Santa Cruz Fisheries Collaborative Program director. Palkovacs and scientists from across the state and as far away as Norway published a study tracking the long-term collapse of salmon age diversity, finding that today’s Chinook salmon populations in the Central Valley are all-in on a single bet. Three-year-olds dominate the group, while 5-year-olds are rare and 6-year-olds are mostly absent. The study was focused on the Feather River and its tributary, the Yuba River, but Palkovacs said salmon age structure is a backbone of resilience everywhere, including for the salmon runs in Santa Cruz County waters such as Scott Creek and the San Lorenzo River. … ” Read more from Lookout Santa Cruz.
Resilient California fishes: Sacramento pikeminnow
“The Sacramento Pikeminnow is a much maligned native fish species, accused of suppressing populations of Chinook Salmon and other important (to humans) fishes in the rivers of northern California. About forty-five years ago it invaded the Eel River basin, where its predatory behavior is accused of frustrating habitat restoration attempts to recover depleted runs of Coho Salmon, Chinook Salmon, and Steelhead. Are these accusations justified? Here is a short summary of our responses to that question. … ” Read more from the California Water Blog.
Golden mussel patrol: Detector dogs are on the scent
“Even though golden mussels were only detected in California in October 2024, they pose a significant and immediate threat to the state’s waterways. Invasive mussels multiply quickly and disrupt native food webs, while also clogging and damaging aquatic infrastructure and boats. Veligers, the free-floating larval form of mussels, are microscopic and grow into adults that attach to pipes, hulls, ballast tanks, live wells, and everything in between. Because golden mussels can spread quickly and undetected at this early life stage, they present a serious challenge for both governing agencies and recreators, making watercraft inspections essential. Unfortunately, many of the common inspection programs and methods—like boat inspections or eDNA—can be costly, labor intensive, and slow. While these methods offer comprehensive results, the rapid spread of golden mussels requires tools that deliver immediate answers as boaters enter waterways. Luckily, a new solution is on the rise: dogs that can smell invasive species. … ” Read more from FishBio.
San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency supports bill to repair levees in the Delta
“There’s been levee breaks over the years all over the delta, according to San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency executive director Darren Suen. Essentially, levees protect people from water; it’s a physical barrier from our homes, schools, and neighborhoods, Suen tells CBS Sacramento. And there is a bill in the works to repair them. “Those are the levee breaks that you don’t see coming a lot of times they can happen at nighttime. What was unique about Jones Tract? It wasn’t even raining,” Suen said. “And that’s the thing, you never know with levees, because the infrastructure, it isn’t like you can see the cracks developing always. Sometimes you can, but a lot of times it’s happening underneath, and it’ll collapse from underneath, and those are the challenges of trying to anticipate when a levee will break, and so always the inspections and maintenance is critical.” … ” Read more from CBS News.
John Duarte calls for water abundance in California
“California agriculture has long faced uncertainty when it comes to water. But during a recent conversation on the Ag Meter, former Congressman and Duarte Nursery owner John Duarte laid out a bold vision for the future—one centered on water abundance, infrastructure improvements, and practical leadership. Duarte, who has been tapped as the potential Secretary of Natural Resources in a future administration led by Steve Hilton, spoke passionately about the need to rethink how California manages its water resources. The goal, Duarte says, is simple: restore reliable water supplies for farms, communities, and families across the state. … ” Read more from Ag Net West.
Inside Reclamation’s 2026 Water Management Workshop
“This year’s Reclamation Water Management Workshop, held February 10–12, once again delivered best practices and technical guidance on operating and maintaining vital water resource infrastructure across the West. First offered in 1961, the workshop is one of Reclamation’s longest‑running professional gatherings and brings together Reclamation employees, transferred works partners, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to strengthen shared stewardship of critical facilities. More than two‑thirds of Reclamation-built assets are transferred works; owned by Reclamation, but operated and maintained by its water user and irrigation district partners. Many of these partners converged at the Denver Federal Center for training on a wide variety of skills needed to sustainably operate and maintain vital infrastructure such as dams, pumping plants, canals, and pipelines. “Reclamation’s mission would not be possible without the partner organizations who share the stewardship of this infrastructure,” said Dave Palumbo, Deputy Director for Operations. “This workshop equips professionals with a shared set of best practices and the technical know-how to sustain water delivery systems.” … ” Read more from the Bureau of Reclamation.
In commentary today …
This is our chance to transform how Cal Fire manages its forests
Evan Mills, an environmental analyst specializing in energy, forests and climate change, writes, “Dismantling environmental protections is in vogue, even those enhancing safety and economic prosperity. But California is bucking the trend and now on the verge of modernizing how its 14 Demonstration State Forests are managed. Cal Fire manages these public lands, which span 85,000 acres and 10 counties. Redwoods and other trees are routinely logged to pay for operations, according to a 1947 law that mandates “maximum sustained yield” – that’s simply a euphemism for removing as much lumber as possible without shrinking the forest. This extractive agribusiness model prioritizes revenues, often contrary to the goals of demonstration, recreation and forward-looking research. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Story Map: Klamath River Undammed: Investigating the environmental effects of the Klamath Dam removal project – one year on
“In 2023, the KRRC (Klamath River Renewal Corporation) took control of four hydroelectric dams along a segment of the Klamath River spanning Northern California and Southern Oregon. Historical water quality data from this area had shown worrying statistics as these hydroelectric dams trapped mineral rich water in shallow reservoirs leading to blooms of toxic algae and an overall degradation in river water quality. From 2023-2024, the KRRC worked to remove the dams in an effort to improve habitat health and benefit the region’s wildlife and ecosystems. … ” View the Story Map here.
SIERRA NEVADA
Grebes, Almanor’s sentinel species
Elizabeth Ramsey leaned over the bow of a slow-moving boat, her long lens trained on a pair of Western grebes nodding and bobbing on Lake Almanor. Suddenly they rose in unison, rushing across the water in an aquatic pas de deux. The courtship dance of the Western grebe is one of nature’s most eloquent displays. “It’s just a joy to watch,” said Ramsey, a scientist and executive director of Plumas Audubon Society. “I could do this forever.” Along with indulging her delight in these birds, Ramsey’s August fieldwork at Almanor was gathering data that could contribute to their survival. Plumas Audubon’s 2026 Impact Report, released in February, presents the organization’s five-year strategic plan, which includes monitoring seven special-status species. Western and Clark’s grebes are among them. … ” Read more from the Plumas Sun.
Waiting out winter: how (lesser known) animals survive Tahoe’s snow season
“As snow settles on the ground and temperatures drop, it’s easy to think most animals are doing what plenty of people do—curling up somewhere warm and waiting out the freeze. While it’s a fun fact that Tahoe bears rarely go into full hibernation (with human sources of food around, there’s not much need to), plenty of other creatures in the region spend their winters stockpiling, swimming or staving off the cold in other ways, and researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) spend their time studying them. Chickadee Ridge is a popular tourist spot near Mount Rose, where the little grey birds flock to forage seeds out of people’s hands. But for their diminutive size, chickadees have a big memory. According to researcher Vladimir Pravosudov, mountain chickadees are in a constant state of feeding, rapidly gaining and losing fat every day. But to prepare for scarce food sources in winter, they store seeds to find and eat later, a behavior known as caching. … ” Read more from the Sierra Sun.
Sierra ski resort closing for season as heat wave accelerates snowmelt
“As the West Coast prepares for a major heat wave, a Central Sierra ski resort has announced that it will close for the season after Sunday unless another major snowstorm arrives. Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort in Tuolumne County announced on Instagram that it will close at 4 p.m. Sunday after recent rains and unusually warm temperatures erased gains from February’s blizzard. “We are hopeful that this will not be the end of our season, and aim to resume operations should we receive significant snowfall at a later time,” the ski resort announced. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Chico council to consider adopting five-year sewer rate adjustment
“The City of Chico will consider adopting a five-year sewer rate adjustment, meant to address financial, regulatory and infrastructure needs of the city’s sewer public utility, at Tuesday’s Chico City Council meeting. Public Works Engineering Director Brendan Ottoboni will give a report on the plan, which has been endorsed by the Finance Committee, and recommends that the council approve the rate adjustment schedule. If adopted, the council would then direct staff to “initiate the Proposition 218 process, including preparation and distribution of the public hearing notice.” California’s Proposition 218 restricts local governments’ ability to impose taxes, assessments and property-related fees without voter or property owner approval, requiring public hearings for the adoption of new fees. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record.
BAY AREA
Column: Marin water officials continue to make progress
“The good news for incumbent Marin Municipal Water District directors is that water supply and rate issues are not front and center in 2026, as in some recent years. Given the public’s short attention span, it’s no surprise that after two wet winters, most folks focus elsewhere. Water rates may be up, but given America’s precarious economy, all consumer prices are increasing. MMWD delivers water to about 191,000 residents in central and southern Marin. It manages the flammable Mount Tamalpais watershed, where recreational opportunities are a valued, if secondary, amenity. “The district’s Roads and Trails Management Plan is trying to thread the needle between conservation advocates who have proven to be litigious, recreators, the needs of our habitat and our precious reservoirs,” Board of Directors President Jed Smith said. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
Commentary: Marin County should continue work on Corte Madera Creek
Sandra Guldman writes, “Do you care about the survival of steelhead trout in the Corte Madera Creek watershed? If you do, please tell your representative on the Marin County Board of Supervisors and Marin Department of Public Works Director Christopher Blunk. They should reauthorize work to enlarge the fish resting pools in the upstream half of the concrete channel to proceed immediately. This work had been scheduled for summer 2026, but was abruptly stopped. As president for the Friends of Corte Madera Creek Watershed activism group, I can say that we think that decision was an overreaction to a determination by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency that one component of the Corte Madera Creek flood risk reduction project might cause downstream flooding. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
New shoreline park to bring nature, ‘justice’ to East Oakland residents
“A new park aimed at residents of East Oakland situated just past the industrial warehouses that abut the tidal canal toward San Leandro Bay will become a reality thanks to millions in federal funding. Oakland Rep. Lateefah Simon, who helped secure $11.2 million in federal funding that will partially pay for the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline park project, toured the location Friday for what proponents hope will be a new green space for the community. “This is what justice looks like,” Simon said. “It’s what our children and what our community members deserve in any city that is extremely wealthy. … Why should the citizens of East Oakland get less?” The East Bay Regional Park District’s long-awaited $37 million restoration effort will reclaim the approximately 28 acres of tidal marsh for indigenous Bay Area flora and fauna and also reintegrate land for residents who had largely been racially discriminated through housing policies related to redlining – a practice that effectively robbed largely Black and brown communities of open space for recreation, according to the park district. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
Developer pulls data center proposal from project in Oakley
“A proposed industrial project that had initially included data centers had the controversial use removed by the developer at the last minute following pushback from the community over environmental and health impacts. Jason Bennett, a principal with JB2 Partners, a development firm and partner on the 164-acre Bridgehead Industrial Project, said the effort has not identified any future tenants but envisions light-industrial warehouses and logistics buildings. One use it definitely won’t have: data centers. “We have heard your concerns as a City Council, and we have certainly heard the concerns of the community and in line with the fact that it was never our principal strategy to develop data centers here,” Bennett told the Oakley City Council on Tuesday. “I respectfully request to modify our application to remove data centers from the PUD (planned unit development) and the application in its entirety.” … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
Belmont begins early levee protection efforts
“Belmont is moving forward with preliminary research on how to protect the Island Park neighborhood from increasing flood risk, which may lead the city to join a larger levee project encompassing Redwood Shores. Upgrading the Redwood Shores levee has been in the works for awhile, spearheaded by the city of Redwood City, as the current levee is too low for accreditation based on Federal Emergency Management Agency standards. Construction is expected to begin in 2030. Since the beginning of this year, Belmont officials have been discussing whether to join the levee project to help mitigate flood risk by including levee protection along Belmont Creek, under Belmont’s jurisdiction, and in the Island Parks neighborhood, which would allow the city to leverage existing funding and expertise as part of a larger regional effort. … ” Read more from the San Mateo Daily Journal.
San Jose Water drinks in successful tank replacement
“San Jose Water has placed the first of two planned 8‑million‑gallon pre-stressed concrete water storage tanks into service at its Cambrian Station, following approval from the California Division of Drinking Water. The second tank is under construction and planned for completion in 2027. The new tanks replace two aging earthen embankment reservoirs: one built in 1890 that held 12.1 million gallons and one built in 1921 that held 3.9 million gallons. “This project represents a significant investment in long‑term reliability, seismic resilience and cost‑effective service,” said Tanya Moniz‑Witten, president of San Jose Water. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
CENTRAL COAST
Pajaro is more prepared than ever for any disaster that may come its way, but work remains.
“Erik Chalhoub here on a warm day to mark the final week of winter. It’s difficult to imagine this time three years ago, when a barrage of storms pushed the Pajaro River levee to its limit, forcing it to crumble and spill floodwaters through the farmworker community of Pajaro. My neighborhood was under an evacuation warning for a spell as the water continued to rise, but was never really in any danger. For many not directly affected by the disaster, the late winter of 2023 is a distant memory, perhaps forgotten. There have been plenty of terrible things that have happened since then—locally, nationally and internationally—that caused new worries. In the aftermath of previous floods, such as in 1995 and 1955, Pajaro residents have felt forgotten. … ” Read more from Monterey County Now.
Ventura: After fierce local fight, a Calif. coastal hillside finally gets its day
“Most people know Ventura for its beaches. But for many locals, the hillsides that make up much of the city’s northern boundary play an equal role in the coastal community’s charm. Now, after a decades-long battle among residents, developers and conservation groups over the future of those hillsides, a plan is finally in place. The Ventura Hills Nature Preserve, managed by the Ventura Land Trust, celebrated its grand opening earlier this month. The new nature preserve spans 1,645 acres, covering most of the undeveloped hillsides stretching from Grant Park, which is just north of City Hall, to the city’s iconic “Two Trees,” a hilltop where two eucalyptus trees sat sentinel for over a century (two younger trees and one deceased historic tree now sit on the site). The preserve effectively protects the hillsides from downtown to midtown Ventura “in perpetuity,” according to the Ventura Land Trust, which calls the protected area “the most high-profile hills in the region.” … ” Read more from SF Gate.
EASTERN SIERRA
The lonely lake that revolutionized American environmental law
“During the summer of 1976, a group of undergraduate biology students moved to a campsite on the shores of Mono Lake. They “sang, recited verse, lived largely on granola, beans, rice, and were known to take in other nonstandard substances,” John Hart writes in the book Storm over Mono. The students had noticed that Mono was shrinking, and had gathered at the lake to conduct ecological research. The results of their study would make history. Mono is a round lake, 13 miles in diameter and 150 feet at its deepest, located in the high desert of eastern California. When you approach it by land, it stands out, a disc of blue amid a landscape of sagebrush and sandy soil. It’s a “triple water” lake, with three types of minerals—chlorides, carbonates, and sulfates—dissolved in its waters. It is two to three times saltier than the ocean. In 1872, Mark Twain called it “this lonely tenant of the loneliest spot on earth.” But lonely as it may be, Mono has revolutionized environmental law in California, the American West, and the U.S., bringing about important changes to water use and air quality regulations in recent decades and showing the way ahead for tribal resource rights today. … ” Read more from Zocalo Public Square.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Groups urge Metropolitan Water District to include $150 million for Pure Water Project
“A coalition of nearly 50 labor, tribal, conservation and environmental justice organizations is urging the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to put $150 million toward a regional wastewater recycling project. The groups, in a joint letter submitted ahead of a Tuesday committee meeting, asked MWD to include the funding in its 2026–2028 budget for Pure Water Southern California — a project supporters say could eventually produce up to 150 million gallons of purified water per day. Supporters say the project would create a new local water supply, reduce nutrient discharges into the ocean and generate roughly 75,000 job-years during construction and operations. The coalition includes Los Angeles Waterkeeper, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and the Natural Resources Defense Council, according to the letter. … ” Read more from Westside Connect.
Can Long Beach curb trash flowing down the L.A. River?
“California storms do a lot of good. They replenish the state’s water supply by filling its reservoirs and lower the risk of wildfires. But the rainwater runoff also comes with problems, most notably downstream on the Los Angeles River. Carried along it are heavy pollutants and debris that often skirt the river’s trash blockade and wash directly onto shore, creating a toxic crust that’s unsavory for beachgoers. For years, a solution has largely escaped the city. Hopefully, one might still be floating downstream. The Long Beach City Council on Tuesday is expected to enter into an agreement with Los Angeles County and Ocean Cleanup, an international conservation group, to forge a plan for stewarding a new trash collection system at the mouth of the river. … ” Read more from the Long Beach Post.
Green abalone placed at secret spot off Orange County with hopes of restoring struggling species
“The green abalone were taken to the ocean and placed in a super secret location not to be shared. The size of a hand, 60 were set out with a goal: To rebound the struggling species, an attempt at giving a human helping hand to the sea creatures that were once abundant off the California coast. “It’s ongoing to watch the results of their survival,” Nancy Caruso, founder of the nonprofit Get Inspired, said of the divers that have been monitoring the group placed off the coast in December. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t see them very often, they are very good at hiding. “That’s what I wanted them to do, find a nice dark crevice and stay there.” … ” Read more from the OC Register.
Home prices are falling in a California enclave. So is the ground.
“Eilen Stewart couldn’t believe it. The little blue ranch house was simple and sweet, with a charming kitchen nook. There was enough land for a jungle gym for her children and ceramics and metalworking studios for her. And the view. From the living room perch, one could gaze out and see a sliver of the azure Pacific Ocean waters along the horizon. Why was it listed at $1.5 million? Sure, a huge sum in most parts of the country, but here in Southern California, tract homes in some freeway-adjacent suburbs have gone for the same amount. Houses in Long Beach, where her family of four lived, regularly sold for more. It seemed as if the house was half the price it should have been, Ms. Stewart thought. Then she learned about the landslide. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
SAN DIEGO
San Diego: Water Authority forecasts sufficient supply through 2050, seeks outside sales
“The San Diego County Water Authority said it will continue efforts to sell water to other regions of the state thanks to robust local supplies. The authority released a draft of its Urban Water Management Plan on Thursday that forecasts ample supply through 2050, even if there are multiple dry years. “Thanks to the water authority’s water supply investments, San Diego County is well positioned to meet future water demands with reliable supplies,” said Director of Water Resources Jeff Stephenson. Over more than three decades, the authority has invested in aqueducts, dams and desalination to ensure that San Diego County has a reliable supply. At the same time, San Diego and other cities are investing in water recycling. … ” Read more from the Times of San Diego.
Escondido has some of San Diego County’s priciest water. Avocado growers have waited a decade for a lifeline.
“Burnet Wohlford’s family built Escondido’s water supply. More than a century ago, his great-grandfather, Alvin, directed water to the area from the San Luis Rey River along a rock and brush canal. It’s a legacy built into the landscape, the dammed reservoir northeast of town bearing the family’s name. But all these years later, the water system Wohlford’s family helped build is the very thing making life harder for him. Wohlford owns his family’s avocado and citrus grove on the outskirts of Escondido, a patrimony passed down to him through the generations. But for him and other avocado growers in the city, one cost can eat into their budget more than any other – water. “This ranch hasn’t made a profit in probably five or six years,” Wohlford said one morning as traffic on Valley Center Road roared by the edge of his grove. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
Along the Colorado River …
The Colorado River’s problems are about to get deeper
Columnist Mark Gongloff writes, “We live in an era of compounding climate disasters. Hurricanes lead to power failures that make heat waves more miserable. Heat waves harden the ground and make flooding worse. The Colorado River might be about to deliver the most complex multilevel train wreck of all. The river, which serves 40 million people, has been losing water for decades as the planet has heated and those millions have used it too much. Then came this past winter, which was unusually warm in the mountains where the Colorado begins. That led to a perilous lack of snow in those mountains, meaning less water is available to melt into the river in spring and summer. And now comes a heat wave that will quickly do away with what little snow there is. As the icing on this many-tiered catastrophe cake, the states along the river are struggling to agree on how to divvy up a resource that has dwindled by 20% since the turn of the century. And the final arbiter in that fight might be a federal government that refuses to acknowledge climate change is even real. Without a realistic plan, the worst of this slow-motion disaster is yet to come. … ” Read more from Bloomberg News.
Rep. Andy Biggs says he wants to get Yuma’s dormant desalination plant back up and running
“Andy Biggs, Republican congressman and gubernatorial candidate, says he wants to get Arizona’s desalination plant in Yuma up and running. Arizona has a desalination plant sitting in Yuma that was completed in 1992 and designed to turn salty agricultural runoff into clean water, but the plant has only been used twice since then and is currently dormant. Biggs discussed water issues with state GOP lawmakers at the Arizona Capitol on Friday and said he wants to apply for federal funding for the facility. “When I talked to the Bureau of Reclamation, they told me that we should apply for a grant. And we think it’s going to be pretty expensive, but there is some money there. If we can get that grant, we could actually get the desalt facility up and running,” Biggs said. … ” Read more from KJZZ.
Chandler’s biggest water worry isn’t the Colorado River
“Simone Kjolsrud, the person in charge of making sure Chandler residents have plenty of water for the future, says the ongoing dispute over Colorado River water is not what keeps her up at night. And that includes videos of the Arizona Canal Project running dry, something experts call “deadpool.” “I feel less concerned about deadpool,” said Kjolsrud, Chandler’s water resources manager. “What keeps me up at night is what’s going to happen to our aquifer when we have increased groundwater pumping when we have severe Colorado River cuts?” … ” Read more from Chandler News.
Colorado River decisions could impact Yuma
“The Yuma City Council has submitted formal comments to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation regarding the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Post-2026 Operational Guidelines for the Colorado River system — a federal process that will help determine how the river is managed for decades to come. The comments address proposed strategies for managing Lake Powell and Lake Mead — the two major reservoirs that help regulate the Colorado River. In its submission, the City Council emphasized the importance of maintaining water levels in the reservoirs to support reliable water deliveries and overall stability of the river system. The City Council’s comments stress protecting long-standing water rights, maintaining the priority system that governs Colorado River allocations, and ensuring that communities that rely directly on the river are not disproportionately impacted by future shortage policies. For Yuma, the issue is especially important. … ” Read more from Signals AZ.
The fight for groundwater in one of the driest places in Arizona
“La Paz County, Arizona, is one of the drier places in a pretty dry state. With just a scant few inches of rain a year, a shrinking supply of water from the Colorado River, and a climate that keeps getting hotter and drier, it seems an unlikely spot to set up a water-intensive alfalfa farm. Yet this is where Fondomonte Arizona, a Saudi-owned company, purchased nearly 10,000 acres of land in 2014 to cultivate alfalfa, which it then shipped back to feed cattle in Saudi Arabia. What did Arizona provide that the desert kingdom did not? Free access to underground water reserves for anyone, limited only by how many wells you could afford to drill, and how deep you could afford to dig them. For Fondomonte, this wasn’t much of a limit at all. In 2023 alone, the company extracted more than 31,000 acre-feet of groundwater. … ” Read more from AOL News.
Nevada: Red Rock hydropower proposal ‘simply does not align’ with conservation goals, water officials say
“A proposal to build a hydroelectric power plant near the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area won preliminary approval from federal regulators earlier this month. The Desert Bloom Project is a large-scale, closed-loop pumped storage proposal that promises to produce 1,170 gigawatt-hours of power annually – or enough electricity to power approximately 850 million homes – as developers race to meet growing energy demand and build new power generation stations. On May 4, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a preliminary permit for the Desert Bloom Project, which would be located on public land adjacent to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area on Blue Diamond Hill, about 15 miles southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. The permit does not authorize developers to move dirt or build anything at the proposed site, it only gives Desert Bloom Energy Storage, LLC, approval to study the feasibility of the project. … ” Read more from the Nevada Current.
Colorado’s accidental climatologist taps 52 years of daily winter weather reports to confirm a troubling trend
“billy barr rifles through the spiral-bound notebooks stacked beneath his desktop computer and pulls out his journal from 1976-77. The dog-eared pages toss up dust that dances in the sunlight streaming through his cabin window. “OK, here is the total snowfall to date for today in 1977,” he says, his finger tracing notes from Feb. 11. “Total amount of snow, let’s see, was 196. That’s centimeters.” He punches a calculator. That’s 77 inches. Today, we are at 100 inches. On this day in 1977, barr recorded 13 inches of snow on the ground near his off-grid home on a forested hill above the mining town turned alpine research haven. “You see how pathetic that winter was? Right now we have 36 inches and that’s bad,” says barr, who has taken meticulous notes and measurements outside his remote winter cabin every winter day for 52 years, building a database that reveals more than he ever could have expected. … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun.
Fact check: Is most of Colorado’s water used for agriculture?
“About 90% of the water consumed in Colorado goes to the agricultural sector, according to the Colorado Water Conservation Board, the agency that protects and manages the state water supply. Much of the state’s irrigated acreage supports ranching, either through grass hay production for livestock or pastures for grazing. Sixty percent of water originating in Colorado flows across state lines, supplying 19 other states and Mexico with fresh water. Of the remaining 40%, the municipal sector uses roughly 7% and the industrial sector uses about 3%. Though some water diverted for agriculture is returned to the water cycle, over-withdrawal of ground water for crop irrigation was flagged as an ongoing threat to the sustainability of several major Colorado aquifers in the 2023 Colorado Water Plan. … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun.
In national water news today …
Is the world heating up faster than we thought?
“For years, scientists have been keeping a wary eye on the massive system of currents that carry water and nutrients across the ocean from Greenland to Antarctica. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation plays a large part in stabilizing the global climate, but it appears to have been weakening in recent years as the Earth warms. Should it collapse, drought would spread across the Southern Hemisphere and the Eastern Seaboard of the United States would see catastrophic sea level rise. It could also trigger a series of other tipping points, from which the Earth would likely not recover. To avoid this scenario, 195 countries signed onto the Paris Agreement in 2015 — a landmark treaty that aimed to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees over pre-industrial times. Beyond that threshold, scientists say, the Earth’s climate could begin to deteriorate in unpredictable and irreversible ways. The past few years have been the warmest on record, and the importance of staying within this limit has been driven home as deadly heatwaves and rampant wildfires have become routine. … ” Read more from Grist.
