Watersheds 101
No matter where you are in the world, you are in a watershed. The water flowing over the land and through the soil creates a complex network that connects the uplands, springs, wetlands, streams, and rivers ... Read More...
FEATURE: Water rights 101
California water law is complex, governed by both state and federal law, part property law and part environmental law. The system incorporates a traditional water rights riparian system with the appropriative ... Read More...
FEATURE: Predicting and planning for extreme precipitation from atmospheric rivers
On Feb. 27, 2019, an atmospheric river 350 miles wide and 1,600 miles long barreled through the sky, funneling moisture from the tropics to Sonoma County and dumping over 21 inches of rain over two days, causin... Read More...
WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT: Developing a water budget
With water availability being an important concern, water managers often use water budgets to quantify and manage water resources. A water budget is an accounting of the rates of the inflows, outflows, and cha... Read More...
DELTA CONVEYANCE PROJECT: Why not a western alignment?
Congressman Garamendi pushes for consideration of a western alignment for Delta conveyance; DWR responds
In his scoping comments for the Notice of Preparation for the reformulated Delta Conveyance Project, Con... Read More...
Restore the Delta webinar on voluntary agreements
Delta stakeholder group provides history of Delta water quality planning and expresses their concerns over the voluntary agreements
In mid-April of 2020, Restore the Delta hosted a webinar where they discussed... Read More...
SGMA IMPLEMENTATION: Water rights permitting options for groundwater recharge projects
ACWA/State Water Board webinar presentation outlines temporary and permanent options, including a new streamlined permitting pathway for standard water rights permits
Almost five years ago, in the midst of a h... Read More...
CA WATER LAW SYMPOSIUM: Federalism and Water under the Trump Administration: Has the Long Peace Come to an End?
The California Water Law Symposium is on my short list of not-to-be-missed events on my yearly calendar. The symposium is a collaborative student-run event where students from each law school organize a panel ... Read More...
CEQA 101: Introduction to the Delta Conveyance Project CEQA Process
Recently, the Department of Water Resources posted a short video providing an overview of the California Environmental Quality Act and the preparation of environmental documents for the Delta Conveyance Project... Read More...
PERSPECTIVES: DWR Director Karla Nemeth on Oroville Dam, the Governor’s water resilience portfolio, Delta conveyance, the Voluntary Agreements, and more …
Sacramento River and Tower Bridge (Photo by DWR)
Interview and write-up by Lisa Beutler, Stantec (Sacramento, CA). This article appeared first in The Water Report and is reprinted here with permission.
... Read More...
DAM REMOVAL: Dammed if you do, dammed if you don’t
Matilija Dam; Photo by Zack Abbey
San Clemente Dam, Klamath Dams, and Matilija Dam removal spotlighted at ACWA Conference
The time, expense, and regulatory uncertainty of providing viable and effective fish ... Read More...
PERSPECTIVES: The SOURCE Interview with Brenda Burman, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner
Finding solutions for shortages on Colorado River
This post, written by Lynn Lipinski, first appeared in SOURCE Magazine and is reprinted here with permission.
Amid nearly two decades of drought on the Co... Read More...
Draft environmental documents for the long-term operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project, plus an update on the biological opinions
Aerial view looking East along San Joaquin River in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Photo by Ken James / DWR
Explainer post on what these environmental documents are all about and how they interface w... Read More...
THIS JUST IN … Governor Newsom directs state agencies to prepare water resilience portfolio for California
The plan will assess conditions, identify priorities, and emphasize regional approaches
This afternoon, Governor Newsom issued an Executive Order directing state agencies to collaborate on developing a water... Read More...
CAL WATER FIX HEARINGS: Protestors write State Water Board, say hearing cannot be finalized
Recent developments propose significant changes to project operations that are not reflected in the modeling, they say
Several letters were delivered to the California Water Fix hearing team at the State Water... Read More...