A collection of top water news from around California and the West compiled each weekday. Send any comments or article submissions to Foundation News & Publications Director Chris Bowman.
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Phoenix is negotiating with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to
give up some of the city’s allotment of Colorado River water in
exchange for hundreds of millions of dollars. If approved, this
would be the second such deal. In May 2023, Phoenix leaders
agreed to a smaller allotment for three years in exchange for
$60 million. The new deal could net Phoenix up to $300 million.
It’s part of the Bureau of Reclamation’s efforts to incentivize
long-term conservation. In Phoenix’s case, Water Services
director Troy Hayes says the deal involves an advanced water
purification plant at the future North Gateway Water
Reclamation Facility.
San Diego’s congressional delegation announced Tuesday it had
secured the remaining funding needed to upgrade the
long-neglected federal wastewater treatment plant at the
U.S.-Mexico border that has allowed sewage from Tijuana to
pollute South County shorelines. But the stopgap spending bill
that would provide the $250 million to complete the critical
repairs was scrapped late Wednesday after President-elect
Donald Trump and others urged the House of Representatives to
reject the deal, putting the fate of the plant funding in
limbo. … The South Bay facility has long been
underfunded and undermaintained. It repeatedly takes in more
sewage from Tijuana than it was designed to treat, which has
left the agency with multiple Clean Water Act violations for
releasing wastewater into the Pacific Ocean beyond what it is
permitted.
Even as groundwater levels have rapidly declined in farming
regions from California’s Central Valley to the High Plains,
the federal government has mostly taken a hands-off approach to
the chronic depletion of the nation’s aquifers. But in a new
report for the White House, scientists say the country is
facing serious and unprecedented groundwater challenges that
call for the federal government to play a larger role. Members
of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and
Technology said the country needs better data to provide a
comprehensive picture of how much groundwater there is and how
fast it is being depleted. The scientists called for a national
effort to advance strategies for safeguarding aquifers,
including establishing a federal program that would provide
incentives to encourage states and communities to manage
underground water supplies sustainably.
A series of atmospheric river storms are expected to impact
Northern California over the weekend, raising the likelihood of
making holiday plans for many travelers more complicated. …
The first of the storm systems is expected to move into the Bay
Area on Saturday morning, bringing about a quarter of an inch
to a third of an inch of rain to San Francisco and Oakland,
according to National Weather Service meteorologist Dial Hoang.
The North Bay valleys are expected to get around half an inch
to three-quarters of an inch of rain while the mountains could
record one and a half inches, Hoang said. San Jose and the
inland portions of the East Bay could see a few hundredths of
an inch.
… The goal of the purchase is to keep the river water
flowing perpetually to the Shoshone site long after the plant
is defunct, to benefit the region’s vital tourism and
recreation industries and the environment. The transaction is
set to close in 2027, with several legal, financial and
administrative hurdles to clear along the way. The pending
Shoshone deal is one of a growing number of non-traditional
arrangements for augmenting water supplies in the Colorado
River Basin. The Southwest’s most important waterway is
shrinking in a hotter, drier climate, and its future rules of
operation remain uncertain. The seven Colorado River
states are deadlocked in negotiations over how the river’s two
key reservoirs, lakes Mead and Powell, will store and release
water after 2026 when the current operating rules expire. The
outcome of that process will decide how the water supply for 40
million people and 5 million acres of farmland from Wyoming to
Mexico will be managed for years to come.
Two years ago, California water regulators were stunned to
learn that a major river in the San Joaquin Valley had stopped
flowing. The waterway ran dry for 5 miles, leaving young fish
stranded in muddy pools, birds fleeing to new homes, and
paddlers, waterfront property owners and farmers gripped with
frustration. In a state partly defined by its thirst for water,
the emptying of the Merced River for four months in 2022
remained something of a mystery. Fed by the snowy peaks of the
Sierra, the Merced has long been heavily pumped for
agriculture, and its levels often dip considerably during
droughts. Yet California generally restricts water draws to
keep at least some flow moving downstream. An investigation
that state water regulators are just finishing into why the
river dried up offers some insight: While water users clearly
drew out more water than was healthy for the Merced, the
California State Water Resources Control Board found that the
users were largely within their legal rights to do so,
highlighting a fundamental problem with the state’s regulatory
system.
The EPA revealed its draft surface water quality standards for
PFAS, which would allow states to consider forever chemicals
when permitting wastewater discharges. The draft announced
Thursday focuses on the Environmental Protection Agency’s
proposed recommended ambient water quality criteria for three
types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including
perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid
(PFOS), and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS). The draft
criteria, which would not be legally binding when finalized,
are open for public comment for 60 days.
A California ecosystem has gotten a big boost from an adorable,
fluffy and hungry friend. At Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine
Research Reserve, a newly-reinvigorated population of native
southern sea otters has eaten so many invasive European green
crabs that researchers say the otters have locally solved a
problem that has plagued the West Coast for years. States are
spending millions to protect their inland waterways from the
tiny crabs. Though small – they reach only four inches in width
– the invaders harm native wildlife and shoreline ecosystems.
At stake are multi-million dollar shellfish industries for
Dungeness, king crab and other species. But at the reserve,
otters have almost wiped the crabs out, helping the estuary’s
ecosystem come back into balance.
Los Angeles is taking charge of the water crisis by spending
$740 million to build a facility that converts wastewater into
clean drinking water. The Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation
Plant in Van Nuys will produce 20 million gallons of drinking
water daily, the Los Angeles Times reported. As long as the
project stays on schedule, it will break ground this month with
an expected completion date of 2027. This major investment is
part of the L.A. Groundwater Replenishment Project approved by
the Board of Water and Power Commissioners. Recycling
wastewater isn’t a new initiative for Los Angeles. However, the
method was used for irrigation, whereas this initiative marks
the first time the county will use this sustainable method to
create more drinking water for residents.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a resolution
designed to shield Klamath Project irrigators from adverse
impacts of dam removals and species restoration, as well as
costs from two dams that remain. Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ore.,
authored HR 7938, which was passed by a voice vote with
two-thirds majority and without objection Dec. 17. “This long
overdue legislation is necessary if the federal government is
to honor critical commitments it has made to farmers and
ranchers,” Bentz said, in his floor statement. … Under the
legislation, federal agencies would not be allowed to pass on
the costs of operating or maintaining Keno and Link River dams,
infrastructure built and formerly operated by PacifiCorp. While
four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River were removed this
year, Keno and Link River dams will remain in place upstream.
Tracey Liskey, Klamath Water Users Association president, said
in a news release that the resolution was an important
achievement and great news for local irrigators.
A record high number of fall-run Chinook salmon have returned
to the California’s Mokelumne River to date, while an
alarmingly low number of Chinooks have come back to
the Upper Sacramento River’s Coleman National Fish
Hatchery on Battle Creek. A total of 34,740 fish have gone over
the Woodbridge Diversion Dam on the Mokelumne near Lodi through
Dec. 13, according to Michelle Workman, Fisheries and
Wildlife Manager for the East Bay Municipal Utility
District (EBMUD). 25,429 of those fish were adults, while
9,303 were grilse (male/female 2 year olds). Those
numbers don’t add up to the total because a handful of early
fish could not be sorted by male/female. The previous
salmon record was set last year when the total run
size was 28,865, said Workman. … Meanwhile, at the
Coleman National Fishery on Battle Creek, a tributary of the
Sacramento River below Redding, a low return of adults to
Battle Creek has resulted in only 5.5 million eggs being
collected this fall.
…. Wastewater from oil and gas activities (or “produced
water”) contains compounds that are known to be hazardous to
human health. The volume of produced water has been increasing
in California for decades. Much of this water is disposed via
dangerous unlined ponds that impact groundwater that is
currently or could be used for drinking or agricultural
irrigation in California. While the report notes that
drinking water wells close to oil and gas activities generally
pose greater health risks, the state lacks publicly available
data on which chemicals are found in produced water and
comprehensive reporting on where produced water has been
stored, disposed of, or spilled. The report recommends not only
stronger regulations prohibiting the disposal of this toxic
sludge in unlined produced-water ponds that are prone to
contaminating fresh water, but also better access to
information about where the oil and gas industry has been
disposing of this mess.
The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) Board of Directors
unanimously elected Division 3 Director Gina Young Dockstader
to lead the nation’s largest irrigation district and
California’s third-largest public power provider. Dockstader’s
election as Chairwoman places her in a small but notable
group—she is only the third woman in IID’s 113-year history to
hold this leadership position, the district said in a release.
Before Dockstader, Stella Mendoza and Norma Sierra Galindo were
elected to the board and were appointed president. The vote
took place during the Board’s final regular meeting of the year
on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, which also welcomed newly
elected Director Lewis Pacheco for his first board meeting.
California state government and many local agencies put a
premium on reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to
climate change. But recent developments underscore the parallel
emphasis on adapting to the effects of global warming — from
advances in sea-level rise strategies to stretching water
supplies to thinning forests at high risk for wildfire. The
scientific consensus that global warming is an existential
threat is facing renewed challenge, especially with
skeptic-in-chief Donald Trump taking up residence in the White
House again next month. Regardless of what one thinks about
climate change, it’s a fact that the seas are
rising, wildfires are more intense and
drought-afflicted water supplies are shrinking. Like efforts to
slow or reverse climate change, projects to adapt to it aren’t
cheap. But in many cases, not making the investments can be
more expensive. —Written by Michael Smolens, columnist for The
San Diego Union-Tribune
Two local environmental groups have initiated a potential
lawsuit against SeaWorld San Diego alleging ongoing Clean Water
Act violations in and around Mission Bay connected with the
marine park’s fireworks displays and wastewater discharges. The
Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation and San Diego
Coastkeeper have sent a notice of intent letter to SeaWorld
addressing numerous alleged violations of both its fireworks
and waste discharge permits. … The letter describes “shocking
amounts” of evidence collected from the waters surrounding
SeaWorld’s fireworks launch barge. SeaWorld routinely
discharges plastic caps, wires, trash, and other chemical-laden
debris into Mission Bay in violation of multiple requirements
of the regional Fireworks Permit, and fails to follow its
post-event cleanup protocols, claims CERF and San Diego
Coastkeeper in their notice letter. SeaWorld has defended its
continuing seasonal fireworks displays as a major attraction of
its annual schedule. “SeaWorld’s fireworks displays are
monitored and regulated by multiple government agencies …
The Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
on Wednesday, Dec. 18, signed a ceremonial agreement that will
provide the Nation with $800,000 toward extensive improvements
to a 50-year-old wastewater system serving low-income
households at Xaa-wan’-k’wvt (Howonquet) Village and Resort in
Smith River, Calif. The Nation’s Tribal Council met with U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers representatives for a ceremonial
signing of the agreement, exchange gifts and enjoy a meal while
taking in the view of the Smith River Estuary, just a few miles
south of the California/Oregon border. Attendees discussed the
wastewater system project planned for the area as well as
Tolowa Dee-ni’ culture, history and environmental practices.
The California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) acted on a
variety of issues affecting California’s natural resources
at its Dec.11-12 meeting in Sacramento, including
emergency action to list the invasive golden mussel as a
restricted species. The Commission also acted to extend
emergency regulations 90 days for the recreational
catch-and-release white sturgeon season and added language for
permitted catch handling. The public was able to participate in
the meeting in person, via webinar and by phone. To protect
California against the spread of invasive golden mussel
(Limnoperna fortunei) discovered Oct. 17 at the Port of
Stockton, and in the days following as far south as San Luis
Reservoir’s O’Neill Forebay, the Commission added golden
mussel to the list of species restricted from live
importation, transportation and possession. This discovery is
North America’s first; golden mussel is native to China and
Southeast Asia and was likely transported across the ocean on
large ships.
A barrage of storms known as atmospheric rivers is expected to
soak the West Coast over the next eight to 10 days, raising the
risk of flooding, power outages and holiday travel disruptions
leading up to Christmas in a region that has already
experienced significant weather activity this season. The bulk
of the rain and snow is likely to fall between British Columbia
and Northern California, with Washington and Oregon poised to
have some of the wettest, sloppiest weather. Several storms,
including one that swept into the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday
night, are stacked up in the forecast, said Marty Ralph, the
director of the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes
at the University of California, San Diego.
Sonoma County has once again suspended permitting for
non-emergency well drilling, this time under the order of a
Sonoma County judge. The order follows an August ruling in
which Superior Court Judge Bradford DeMeo determined the county
violated state environmental law in its attempt to draft a
controversial ordinance governing wells and groundwater use. In
light of that finding, the county must halt non-emergency
well-permitting until it can complete an environmental review
of the ordinance in alignment with state law, the court
ordered. The county received the directive Wednesday afternoon
and “immediately stopped” issuing permits for non-emergency
wells, said Tennis Wick, director of Permit Sonoma, the
county’s planning and permitting department. But the county has
not yet begun the environmental review process because it plans
to appeal the decision, Wick said.
