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Image shows audience at the Water 101 workshop.
Announcement

Last Call to Register for Water 101 Workshop; Upcoming Tour of Key Water Region Nearing Capacity; Come to Our Open House!
Last Chance to Sponsor a Prime Networking Opportunity for Water Professionals!

Time is running out to register for next week’s Water 101 Workshop and go beyond recent national headlines to gain a deeper understanding of how water is managed and moved across California. Plus, only a handful of spots remain for the opportunity to extend your ‘beyond the headlines’ water education experience on our Central Valley Tour! And come one, come all to our annual Open House & Reception on May 1.  

Announcement

Agenda Posted for Water 101 Workshop in April; Journey Beyond the Headlines on Central Valley Tour
Optional Water 101 Watershed Tour Nearly Full; Coveted Sponsorship Opportunities Available

Image shows a speaker at Water 101. Go beyond the stream of recent national headlines and gain a deeper understanding of how water is managed and moved across California during our Water 101 Workshop on April 10

One of our most popular events, the daylong workshop at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento offers anyone new to California water issues or newly elected to a water district board — and really anyone who wants a refresher — a chance to gain a solid statewide grounding on the state’s water resources.

Some of state’s leading policy and legal experts are on the agenda for the workshop that details the historical, legal and political facets of water management in the state. 

Don’t miss a once-a-year opportunity from the only organization in California providing comprehensive, unbiased information about water resources across the West. See the agenda, what past attendees say and learn how to sign up. 

Water News You Need to Know

Aquafornia news Record Searchlight (Redding, Calif.)

Thursday Top of the Scroll: Lake Shasta level goes up 18 feet in March after strong rain year

California is only halfway through the rain year, and in Redding’s case, the rainfall and snowfall amounts exceed what the area typically receives in total precipitation, making 2025 one of the wettest years since 2019. …Wet winter storms left waters in California’s largest reservoir, Lake Shasta, less than 16 feet from the top on Tuesday. Precipitation in March pushed the lake level more than 18 feet, according to data from the California Department of Water Resources, boosting the top almost as high as Shasta Dam was after torrential rains in early February. It is expected the lake may be full by end of May.

Other snowpack and water supply news:

Aquafornia news SJV Water

Order that had kept water in the Kern River reversed by 5th District Court of Appeal

In a wide-ranging ruling that could have larger implications for public interest lawsuits throughout California, the 5th District Court of Appeal reversed a preliminary injunction that had required water in the Kern River through the heart of Bakersfield. … Bring Back the Kern, Water Audit California and several other public interest groups sued the City of Bakersfield in 2022 for dewatering the river. They are demanding the city study the environmental impacts of its river operations. That lawsuit is set for trial in December. The preliminary injunction was an outgrowth of that 2022 lawsuit. It was an attempt to keep water in the river for fish that had come teeming back with high flows in 2023. The 5th District’s ruling, issued Wednesday, reversed the injunction but didn’t close the door to a possible future injunction and, in fact, gave lengthy direction for how that could be done.

Related article:

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

Roadblock looms as EPA weighs ‘forever chemicals’ rollback

The Trump administration is considering rolling back a major Biden-era regulation on “forever chemicals” in drinking water, a move that could leave people more exposed to the substances linked to cancer, high blood pressure and fertility problems. But any attempt to weaken the rule would run into a formidable statutory standard, experts say — the same one that has gotten EPA into legal messes in the past. Finalized last spring, EPA’s current rule requires water utilities to remove the man-made chemicals from drinking water starting in four years. Formally called per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, “forever chemicals” are known for their virtual indestructibility and have been found in approximately half the nation’s tap water.

Other drinking water news:

Aquafornia news Water Education Foundation

Announcement: Last call to register for Water 101 Workshop; upcoming tour of key water region nearing capacity; come to our open house!

Time is running out to register for next week’s Water 101 Workshop and go beyond recent national headlines to gain a deeper understanding of how water is managed and moved across California. Plus, only a handful of spots remain for the opportunity to extend your ‘beyond the headlines’ water education experience on our Central Valley Tour! And come one, come all to our annual Open House & Reception on May 1.  

Online Water Encyclopedia

Wetlands

Sacramento National Wildlife RefugeWetlands are among the world’s most important and hardest-working ecosystems, rivaling rainforests and coral reefs in productivity. 

They produce high oxygen levels, filter water pollutants, sequester carbon, reduce flooding and erosion and recharge groundwater.

Bay-Delta Tour participants viewing the Bay Model

Bay Model

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.

Aquapedia background Colorado River Basin Map

Salton Sea

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

Lake Oroville shows the effects of drought in 2014.

Drought

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.