A collection of top water news from around California and the West compiled each weekday. Send any comments or article submissions to Foundation Writer Matt Jenkins.
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The headlines below are the original headlines used in the publication cited at the time they are posted here and do not reflect the stance of the Water Education Foundation, an impartial nonprofit that remains neutral.
Biologists have discovered a live adult zebra mussel below the
Westwater Recreation Area in the Utah side of the
Colorado River, raising the risk of
the invasive species spreading in the state. The
discovery was made Sept. 22, about a month after testing
detected zebra mussel DNA in the water in Utah, according to a
news release from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. The
division received confirmation Wednesday that it had in fact
found a live mussel downstream of the infestation near Loma,
Colorado. … Invasive mussels are aparticular threat in irrigation-dependent
Utah. They can spread to water lines, clogging pipes
and costing millions of dollars to remove, and damage boat
engines. They remove plankton from water, disrupting food
supplies for fish.
… Experts have warned that a potentially historic El Niño is
brewing, with the power to unleash extreme weather
around the world. The climate phenomenon,
characterized by warmer than average equatorial sea surface
temperatures, is already under way, according to federal
forecasters, and it is expected to strengthen through the
northern hemisphere’s autumn and winter. California is
poised to be in its crosshairs. Landslides, flash
floods and encroaching sea levels are all on the menu –
and they could all happen at once. … Some
areas could see supercharged storms and relentless
rains. Others face explosive surf, strong currents and
devastated marine ecosystems. … Preparations are already
under way at all levels of government as officials work
to secure vital infrastructure, preset response resources and
inform the public of the incoming hazards.
Farmers in the Mexicali Valley face a deepening water crisis
that threatens to derail winter crops early next
year following a double hit of international cutbacks
and federal reallocations, regional agricultural leaders
warned. Rubén Camacho Ledón, president of the Permanent
Agrarian Congress (CAP), said local growers will bear
the brunt of reduced flows from the Colorado River under Minute
334 of the International Boundary and Water Commission
(IBWC/CILA). Under the agreement, Mexico is ceding 308 million
cubic meters (308 million m3) of its annual Colorado
River quota during 2027 and 2028 due to a 25-year drought
across the river basin, La Voz newspaper reported. … The
strain will peak in January and February, when
irrigation schedules for alfalfa, wheat, and cotton overlap
simultaneously.
As controversy over data centers swells in communities around
the Bay Area and the nation, Santa Clara leaders are pushing to
beef up the city’s regulations and standards for future
data center development. In an hourslong and at times
tense discussion that began Tuesday night and stretched to
nearly 1 a.m. Wednesday, the Santa Clara City Council directed
city staff to prioritize tightening air pollution and
water use regulations for new data centers in the city
as they take a more comprehensive look at all city policies
related to data centers. … The city already requires
data centers built after December 2022 to use the equivalent of
carbon-neutral power, through purchasing offsets, encourages
the use of recycled water and asks developers
to expand recycled water infrastructure during
buildouts, city staff said.
Droughts and wet periods in major Western watersheds often
happen together, according to new research that shows how water
conditions in one area can be closely tied to those hundreds of
miles away. Researchers analyzed more than 20 years of
satellite and climate data from five major areas: the Upper and
Lower Colorado River basins, the Great Basin,
California and the Pacific Northwest,
including parts of Mexico and Canada. Together, those areas
provide water to more than 60 million people and vast
stretches of farmland. The researchers found some of
the strongest connections between California and the Great
Basin — which includes most of Nevada and much of Utah. Runoff
conditions in the two areas were synchronized 65% of the time,
while soil moisture moved together 67% of the time. Overall,
six major watershed pairings had runoff conditions that
were synchronized more than half the time.
CEMEX’s proposed blast mine on the San Joaquin River stalled
before the Fresno County Planning Commission on Thursday, when
commissioners deadlocked 3-3 — a split that amounts to a
preliminary denial and sets up a likely appeal to the Board of
Supervisors at a date yet to be determined. Fresno County’s
meeting hall was packed to the gills Thursday morning: the
hearing room was standing-room-only, with three overflow rooms
filled with scores of residents from across the county who
oppose the controversial proposal, which sits about 200
yards from the San Joaquin River. Speaker after
speaker said they could not imagine a worse location for a mine
than a river, inside a public parkway, near where salmon spawn
and children play at summer camp.
Tribal organizers and river‑advocacy groups are calling on
North Coast residents to show up this weekend for a salmon
dinner and later this month as the State Water Resources
Control Board prepares to vote on the Bay Delta Plan and Gov.
Gavin Newsom’s voluntary agreements, a decision they say could
weaken protections for the Trinity and Klamath rivers at a
critical moment. … The push, led by Communities United for
Water Protection and local communities, follows Gov. Gavin
Newsom’s veto of two tribal rights and environmental bills that
organizers say underscore the need for stronger river
protections. … Organizers say the Bay Delta Plan and
voluntary agreements omit key protections for the Trinity
River, including carryover storage and cold‑water safeguards,
and eliminate the releases that help prevent Klamath fish
kills.
The $23 million Marlette Lake dam rehabilitation project was
completed this month and access to the west side of Spooner
Lake backcountry was opened, providing access to trails that
had been closed since June 2025 when the project started. The
historic water system was constructed in the mid-1870s to
provide water to Virginia City. After draining the reservoir,
the project removed the existing earthen dam and constructed a
new one. The project also included upgrades to help the dam
better withstand earthquakes, improvements to the spillway and
replacement of the discharge piping and outlet valves,
according to a news release. The dam is a critical component of
the Marlette Lake Water System, which supplies water to Carson
City and Storey County.
The scope of federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act is
about to change again, and this round of rulemaking is one that
landowners, developers, and energy and infrastructure sponsors
cannot afford to watch from the sidelines. On November 20,
2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) (together, the agencies)
published a proposed rule that would substantially narrow the
definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the
Clean Water Act, and on September 4, 2026, the agencies issued
a supplemental notice seeking additional comment on two of the
proposal’s most consequential definitions. Together, these
actions signal that a new, narrower WOTUS rule is likely to
take effect within the next year, and developers and landowners
should be evaluating how the changes will affect their sites.
Expansive, green lawns with large trees in the front yard are
on their way out in Colorado — and they need to be, experts
say. Temperatures are warming and rain continues to be
unpredictable in Colorado. Parts of Colorado have experienced
some level of drought for almost all of the last 25 years, and
this year was no different. Cities responded with watering
restrictions, and residents saw their lawns go dry and then
turn brown. It’s time for a change, experts told 60 people
gathered at The Colorado Sun’s water solutions event Sept. 26.
… Many water utilities have been able, or are trying, to
keep community water use relatively flat as populations grow.
The state has also been pushing the idea of xeriscaping — using
water-saving landscaping plants, tools and strategies
— since the 1980s. It’s time for Coloradans to take the
hint, experts said.
California Supreme Court justices wasted no time Wednesday
jumping into the deep end of several complex issues at the
heart of an ongoing lawsuit over flows in the Kern
River. Within a few minutes of Attorney Kevin
Bundy’s opening address on behalf of plaintiffs Bring Back the
Kern and Water Audit California, Chief Justice Patricia
Guerrero interrupted to ask about one of the main issues in the
case: Whether a particular water use must be found
“reasonable” when compared to other, competing
uses. Her question was aimed at the relationship
between California Fish and Game Code Section 5937 – which
requires dam owners to allow enough water downstream
for fish – and Article X, Section 2 of the state
constitution – which requires all water uses to be
reasonable.
As El Niño breaks news records one week after the next, a new
suite of data points to a wetter winter for the entire
state of California, even wetter than previously
thought. … Most of the state, and the vast
majority of populated areas, looks primed for rainfall
of at least 150% of normal throughout the winter
months, with some areas likely receiving double their winter
average along the coast, where El Niño is already expected to
raise sea levels thanks to warmer ocean temperatures and an
ongoing marine heat wave. … Despite a warmer
than expected winter from El Niño, snow will still fall at
elevation. … Fitting the new European climate
data to terrain, a clear picture emerges: a bit less
snow in the foothills, but significantly more snow at
elevation. This is especially true for the Klamath Mountains
and the Sierra.
Several changes to an ocean desalination project proposed near
Doheny State Beach to help generate drinking water for
South Orange County were discussed Wednesday, Oct. 7,
by the California Coastal Commission, with the modifications
given the green light. Approved changes will move the
slant wells, which will source water from subsurface
intake wells buried beneath the ocean floor, to the north day
use area of the state beach,away from
the campgrounds as previously proposed. The project
aims to tap seawater to lessen the dependence on
imported water, with the South County Water District
estimating the ability to make up to 5 million gallons per day
of drinking water supply using a first-of-its-kind
system in the state.
One of the last two wild runs of spring Chinook salmon
in the Klamath Basin depends on roadless country along
the South Fork Trinity River in Six Rivers National Forest. A
federal proposal would scrap the rule that keeps that land free
of new roads, and the public comment period closes October 6.
The Pew Charitable Trusts laid out the stakes in an analysis
published Monday, noting that the U.S. Department of
Agriculture proposed on August 24 to rescind the Forest
Service’s 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which restricts
road building and timber harvest on 44.7 million acres of
national forest. A final decision is expected in 2027. … The
federal analysis found the change is likely to
adversely affect 327 threatened and endangered species and 71
critical habitats.
At the Foundation’s 42nd Annual Water Summit on October 29 in
Sacramento, renowned weather and climate scientist
Daniel Swain will share the latest outlook on El Niño
conditions and what the recent forecast of the heaviest precipitation hitting in January
could mean for California. Swain, a leading voice on climate
and extreme events – droughts, storms and wildfires – in the
American West, works at University of California Agriculture
and Natural Resources within the California Institute for Water
Resources. The Water Summit, the Foundation’s premier event of
the year, brings together top policymakers and experts
addressing the most pressing water challenges facing California
and the West. Seating is limited and nearly full, so register
here while it lasts!
San Joaquin County supervisors have temporarily halted
approvals for new large-scale data centers, giving
county officials time to study how the rapidly growing industry
could affect electricity, groundwater,
agriculture and surrounding communities. The Board of
Supervisors voted 5-0 Tuesday to adopt an urgency ordinance
establishing a 45-day moratorium on new land-use
approvals for data centers in unincorporated San Joaquin
County. … County staff identified several issues it
plans to examine, including potential strains on the electrical
grid, increased electricity costs for residents,
groundwater demands, emergency response needs
and effects from heat, noise, vibration and diesel backup
generators. Water is one of the county’s concerns because
portions of San Joaquin County are within the
critically overdrafted Eastern San Joaquin Groundwater Basin
and the Tracy Subbasin.
… One of Newsom’s vetoes struck down a measure that would
have compelled state agencies to address water
shortages faced by tribes. Assembly Bill 2218 by Ash
Kalra, a Santa Clara County Democrat, would have established a
state policy to address water-related
inequities and would have required a dispute
between a tribe and any state water agency over water projects
in the tribe’s ancestral territory to go through a mediation
process, run by the Governor’s Office of Tribal
Affairs. … Newsom also rejected a bill that would have
barred state agencies from significantly interfering with
tribal religious practices on state land unless the state
showed a compelling reason and chose the approach that
interfered least. … The California Chamber of Commerce
applauded both vetoes. The bills “would have created
serious legal barriers” to building water storage and
infrastructure, wrote John Myers, spokesman for the
chamber.
Water is like electricity. Most people don’t notice it until it
goes away. But there are big issues with big price tags facing
Silicon Valley’s largest water agency, a district that has
spent the past few years immersed in conflict and controversy.
Three of the seven seats on the board of the Santa Clara Valley
Water District are up for re-election this fall. The district,
based in San Jose, is a government agency that provides
drinking water and flood control to 2 million people in Santa
Clara County. As a wholesaler, the district buys water
from state and federal agencies. It regulates local
groundwater, operates 10 reservoirs and sells water to more
than a dozen cities and private companies, who in turn sell it
to homes and businesses. The district’s directors serve
four-year terms and earn about $60,000 a year.
The San Joaquin Valley faces a defining water challenge: how to
secure reliable supplies, manage flood risk, and protect
ecosystems across one of California’s most productive regions.
The Unified Water Plan (UWP) lays out a comprehensive strategy
for the eight-county Valley—San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced,
Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, and Kern—spanning the San
Joaquin River and Tulare Lake hydrologic regions through 2040
and beyond. Congress directed the effort under Public Law
111-11, with funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The
California Water Institute (CWI) at Fresno State developed the
plan in coordination with the Water Blueprint for the San
Joaquin Valley. The plan pairs a regional strategy for
water supply reliability, flood management, and ecosystem needs
with a sobering conclusion: even an estimated $18 billion to
$33 billion in infrastructure investments and management
actions would not fully close the Valley’s projected water
supply gap.
Nearly every corner of California, from Eureka to San Diego, is
forecast to see its heaviest rain in January during the
historically strong upcoming El Niño winter, according
to data released this week by a major seasonal model. The model
came in wetter than when it was last run a month ago: San
Francisco’s precipitation forecast for January grew from about
4 inches above normal to 5 inches, and Santa Rosa went from 6.3
inches above normal to 7 inches. But the peak month is
only part of it. From December through March, the
model’s average forecast runs at nearly double its normal
rainfall in San Francisco and San Jose, and at
more than two and a half times normal in San
Diego. The update prompted a warning from UCLA
climate scientist Daniel Swain, who wrote on X that he had
“never seen such high predictive confidence in a very
wet California winter” and that he is “officially
concerned.”
