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Announcement

Last Call for Northern California Tour – Won’t Be Offered Next Year; Colorado River Reporter Honored with Journalism Award
Foundation's Latest Western Water Article Explores New Way of Looking at Risk in the West

Only a few seats are left on the bus for our Northern California Tour on Oct. 22-24 that journeys across the Sacramento Valley from Sacramento to Redding with visits to Oroville and Shasta dams!

One of our most popular tours, it will not be offered in 2026 so don’t miss this opportunity for a scenic journey through riparian woodland, rice fields, nut orchards and wildlife refuges while learning from experts about the history of the Sacramento River and issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply. Other stops include Red Bluff Fish Passage Improvement Project, rice farms, Battle Creek, Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District and Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. Only a handful of tickets are left, so claim your seat on the bus here!

Announcement

Water Education Foundation Honors Colorado River Reporter Alex Hager
Hager is fourth recipient of Rita Schmidt Sudman Award for Excellence in Water Journalism

The Water Education Foundation has named Alex Hager, KUNC’s reporter covering the Colorado River Basin, as this year’s recipient of the Rita Schmidt Sudman Award for Excellence in Water Journalism.

The award recognizes Hager’s clear, deeply sourced reporting that helps the public understand the people, policies and ecosystems tied to one of the West’s most important rivers, said Jenn Bowles, the Foundation’s Executive Director. Hager’s public radio reports reach audiences across the basin and airs nationally on NPR programs such as All Things Considered, Science Friday and Marketplace.

“I’m deeply grateful for this recognition from the Water Education Foundation,” Hager said. “The Colorado River is the lifeblood of our region, yet so many people who rely on it don’t know where their water comes from or the challenges the river is facing. I was one of those people until I started this job. It has been a delight and a challenge to learn about the science and policy that shape our shared resource along the way.”

Water News You Need to Know

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

Monday Top of the Scroll: Scott Cameron takes the reins as acting head of Reclamation

Scott Cameron will take over as acting head of the Bureau of Reclamation, shifting titles at the Interior Department while he maintains his role as the Trump administration’s lead official in negotiations over the future of the Colorado River Interior Secretary Doug Burgum tapped Cameron for the role on Oct. 1, announcing the decision in a secretarial order that also updated other leadership roles recently confirmed by the Senate. The decision comes in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision on Sept. 30 to withdraw his nomination of Ted Cooke, a former top official at the Central Arizona Project, to be Reclamation commissioner.

Aquafornia news Contractor magazine

Broad coalition backs landmark California water law

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed SB 72 into law after the bill passed unanimously through the California Legislature. The legislation establishes clear statewide water supply targets and sets in motion long-term strategies to secure reliable water for residents, businesses, agriculture, and the environment. … The bill requires state agencies, water providers, and stakeholders to work together on durable supply solutions that extend beyond any single administration.

Other California water policy news:

Aquafornia news Nevada Current

Paying farmers proves most cost effective way to conserve Colorado River, study says

The most cost-effective and quickest way to conserve the Colorado River’s shrinking water supply amid persistent drought and rapid population growth is changing how states handle the largest use of water on the river: agriculture. … That’s according to a comprehensive study examining 462 federally funded Colorado River conservation and supply projects using available spending data from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. … The water projects examined – ranging from large-scale infrastructure such as reservoirs and wastewater treatment plants to agricultural water use – totaled about $1 billion in federal funding between 2004 and 2024.

Other Colorado River news:

Aquafornia news FOX26 (Bakersfield, Calif.)

California enacts safety measures against invasive golden mussels

The California Department of Water Resources is implementing new safety measures after the discovery of invasive golden mussels in Merced County. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR), in collaboration with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and California State Parks, is implementing new measures to protect the state’s water infrastructure and curb the spread of invasive golden mussels. This follows the recent discovery of the species at San Luis Reservoir in Merced County, with confirmed findings in Fresno and Kings Counties.

Other invasive species news:

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.