Watch our series of short videos on the importance of the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, how it works as a water hub for
California and the challenges it is facing.
When a person opens a spigot to draw a glass of water, he or she
may be tapping a source close to home or hundreds of miles away.
Water gets to taps via a complex web of aqueducts, canals and
groundwater.
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Unlike California’s majestic rivers and massive dams and
conveyance systems, groundwater is out of sight and underground,
though no less plentiful. The state’s enormous cache of
underground water is a great natural resource and has contributed
to the state becoming the nation’s top agricultural producer and
leader in high-tech industries.
A new era of groundwater management began in 2014 in California
with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. The landmark law
turned 10 in 2024, with many challenges still ahead.
A new aquatic invader, the golden mussel, has penetrated California’s ecologically fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the West Coast’s largest tidal estuary and the hub of the state’s vast water export system. While state officials say they’re working to keep this latest invasive species in check, they concede it may be a nearly impossible task: The golden mussel is in the Golden State to stay – and it is likely to spread.
Register today for the return
of our Bay-Delta
Tour May 7-9 as we venture into the most critical
and controversial water region in California. Get a firsthand
look at the state’s vital water hub and hear directly from
experts on key issues affecting the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
and San Francisco Bay.
The 720,000-acre network of islands and channels supports
the state’s two large water systems – the State Water Project and
the federal Central Valley Project – and together with the San
Francisco Bay is an important ecological resource. You’ll learn
firsthand how the drought is affecting water quality and supply
that serves local farms, cities and habitat. Much of
the water also heads south via canals and aqueducts to provide
drinking water for more than 27 million Californians and
irrigation to about 3 million acres of farmland that helps feed
the nation.
Drought conditions in California improved after a series of
atmospheric river-fueled rain storms swept through the state.
However, more than half of the state was “abnormally dry” as of
Thursday, Feb. 20, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. As of
Thursday, areas of “moderate drought” could be found in Central
California, including parts of Fresno, Kern, Madera and Merced
counties, the Drought Monitor said, as well as San Bernardino
County in Southern California. On the Central Coast, parts of
Santa Barbara and Ventura counties were experiencing severe
drought conditions, the federal agency said. So were areas of
Inyo, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties further south.
“Extreme drought” conditions could be found in Imperial,
Riverside and San Diego counties, the federal agency said.
Here’s a look at drought conditions across California.
Other drought and water supply news across the West:
Utilities in both the Eaton and Palisades fire burn scars have
reported detecting the carcinogen benzene in parts of their
water systems. State regulators have recommended the utilities
issue “do not drink” and “do not boil” notices, which still
permit residents to use the water for showers, handwashing,
laundry and other daily activities. The state said the order
attempts to balance safety with the need for usable water,
while some scientists warned that using the water, even for
purposes other than drinking or cooking, could pose a
risk. … So far, two of Altadena’s three customer-owned
water utilities have detected the carcinogen.
A water grab is taking shape in Utah, where thirsty urban
development north of Salt Lake City has created demand where
supplies are limited. Enter the “Utah state water agent,” a
position created in 2024 with the mission of seeking water
supplies beyond Utah’s borders. It’s a bold move by a state
that once pushed a plan to pipe water from Lake Powell to St.
George to secure water for that fast-growing community. Now
conservation groups are among the voices speculating that Utah
could divert water from the Green River — the largest tributary
of the Colorado River, providing about 40% of all the water
that flows into Lake Powell.
West Coast states and members of Congress worry that mass
federal employee firings at Bureau of Reclamation dams and at
the Bonneville Power Administration could disrupt hydropower
generation in the Pacific Northwest. Washington Gov. Bob
Ferguson (D) is “deeply concerned” about how the firings at
federal dams across the region may affect the Northwest’s
primary power supply, spokeswoman Brionna Aho said Wednesday.
“These cuts are dangerous,” she said. “Increasing the risk of
blackouts for our region is a security concern.” It’s unclear
how many employees have been let go at the BPA and the Bureau
of Reclamation.
Operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the
Bay Model is a giant hydraulic replica of San Francisco
Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin
Delta. It is housed in a converted World II-era
warehouse in Sausalito near San Francisco.
Hundreds of gallons of water are pumped through the
three-dimensional, 1.5-acre model to simulate a tidal ebb
and flow lasting 14 minutes.
As part of the historic Colorado
River Delta, the Salton Sea regularly filled and dried for
thousands of years due to its elevation of 237 feet below
sea level.
The most recent version of the Salton Sea was formed in 1905 when
the Colorado River broke
through a series of dikes and flooded the seabed for two years,
creating California’s largest inland body of water. The
Salton Sea, which is saltier than the Pacific Ocean, includes 130
miles of shoreline and is larger than Lake Tahoe.
Drought—an extended period of
limited or no precipitation—is a fact of life in California and
the West, with water resources following boom-and-bust patterns.
During California’s 2012–2016 drought, much of the state
experienced severe drought conditions: significantly less
precipitation and snowpack, reduced streamflow and higher
temperatures. Those same conditions reappeared early in 2021
prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom in May to declare drought emergencies
in watersheds across 41 counties in California.
