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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The first big winter storm of the season is dumping inches to
feet of snow across Colorado — bringing some drought relief
with it. Coloradans, especially those in the southern and
eastern parts of the state, have seen buckets of steady
snowfall since early this week. … This week’s winter
storm is likely to offer relief from summer and fall drought
conditions in some parts of the state. About 34% of the state
was experiencing some level of drought in early
November, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. These
conditions, which are linked to wildfires and suffering crops,
were mostly reported in northern, central and eastern Colorado.
When it comes to drought relief and boosting soil moisture, the
news is good for the southeastern plains. This storm system
will likely bring enough moisture to bolster areas that were
short on rain over the summer back up to average precipitation,
Schumacher said.
Thousands of dead fish have been left behind in the waterbed
where the Kern River sometimes flows through Bakersfield – not
due to drought but to maintenance by the city water department
that added to accusations of mismanagement. Those claims were
brought to Superior Court in a 2022 lawsuit by multiple
environmental advocacy organizations. In October, Bakersfield
argued against the claims, asserting it is not solely
responsible for the dewatering of the Kern River. The recent
fish deaths were “a really tragic situation, both ecologically
and for the community, and of course for the wildlife because
the fish has nowhere to go,” freshwater ecologist Rae McNeish
said.
Last night [Nov. 6], the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD)
Board of Directors took action to end its participation in the
Los Vaqueros Phase 2 Expansion Project. This action
follows a September Board discussion during which staff was
directed to develop and present an exit plan for the Board’s
consideration. Los Vaqueros Reservoir, a drinking water
reservoir in Brentwood, was built and expanded by CCWD to
provide water quality and water supply benefits for the
residents of central and eastern Contra Costa County. For
decades, CCWD has worked with local, state and federal partners
to evaluate a Phase 2 expansion of the reservoir and related
facilities to provide regional benefits for urban, agricultural
and environmental interests, all while maintaining the benefits
derived from the initial investments by CCWD customers.
[Scott] Park, his wife, Ulla, their son, Brian, and his wife,
Jamie, operate one of the first farms in California to be
certified as regenerative organic, rotating a variety of crops
on 1,700 acres in the Sacramento Valley with minimal tillage
and no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Brise Tencer,
executive director of the Organic Farming Research Foundation
… noted that while the term regenerative agriculture means
different things to different people, it typically is used to
describe practices that are climate-friendly, healthy for soils
and protective of biodiversity. Organic agriculture, which has
a clear, legal definition that is verifiable and enforceable,
shares many of the same principles and goals of regenerative
farming, she said. “Organic agriculture is grounded in
principles that collaborate with nature, foster healthy soils
and contribute to clean water, biodiversity
and thriving farm communities,” Tencer said. Also, like
regenerative standards, organic standards require growers to
maintain and improve soil health.
Mexico has made a unique offer to repay a portion of the water
it owes the United States, but at least one South Texas leader
is balking at the plan. Mexico is offering to pay 125,000
acre-feet of water to the United States from flood overflows in
Rio San Juan basin in the state of Tamaulipas, which is not
part of a 1944 international water treaty between the two
countries. The treaty specifies from which tributaries Mexico
can deliver water so it can be stored by the United States in
its two South Texas reservoirs — Amistad and Falcon. But the
Rio San Juan empties into the Rio Grande south of these
international reservoirs and the water cannot be captured and
saved.
… Denver Water has found nearly 65,000 lead lines in the
city, primarily in homes built before the 1950s. That’s roughly
220 miles of pipe, according to Denver Water officials. The
condition of about 17,000 lines is still unknown. Since
starting the Lead Reduction Program in 2020, the utility has
replaced around half of the lines. They also sent Brita
pitchers and filter replacements to homes that are still
waiting to get their lines replaced. … These replacements
come in the wake of the Flint Water Crisis in Michigan in 2014
when the city changed its water source from Lake Huron to the
Flint River. Pipes corroded and there were no treatment methods
in place. Lead levels were nearly double the lead action level
set by the EPA in most of the homes, while others were in the
hundreds or thousands for parts per billion. It put the dangers
of lead in drinking water in the national spotlight. So why
weren’t Denver’s lines, and others, replaced sooner?
A week after a new majority seized control of the Central Basin
Municipal Water District’s board and fired its embattled
general manager, the results of Tuesday’s election could upend
the fledgling regime. … Central Basin Municipal
Water District is a public water wholesaler with few of its own
employees. It serves nearly 2 million people from 24 cities and
unincorporated areas in southeast Los Angeles County, with its
boundaries stretching from La Habra Heights in the east to
Carson in the west and from Signal Hill in the south to
Montebello in north. The board is made up of seven members,
four of whom are elected and three of whom are appointed by the
agency’s customers. The state Legislature forced the appointees
on the agency following a scathing state audit that
found questionable contract practices in 2016.
Rainbow Municipal Water District (Rainbow Water) has finalized
its detachment from the San Diego County Water Authority
(SDCWA), marking a significant step in its commitment to
securing cost-effective and reliable water supplies for its
customers. On Wednesday, October 30, Rainbow Water made a $3.2
million exit fee payment to SDCWA, the last requirement by the
Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) to certify Rainbow
Water’s reorganization. Effective November 1, Rainbow Water
will purchase treated water from the Eastern Municipal Water
District (EMWD) …
In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness
talks with a Klamath River outfitter about how the largest dam
removal project in United States history has transformed the
river by returning salmon and opening stretches hidden for a
century. Will Volpert, owner of southern Oregon’s Indigo Creek
Outfitters, has been rafting every stretch of what he’s dubbed
the “New Klamath” after dam removal to document, map and
prepare for commercial trips and recreation on a stream that
looks a lot different after four dams and reservoirs were
removed near the Oregon and California state line. Volpert
talks about being surprised by a salmon in a class IV rapid,
exploring the river as it carves through old dam sites and
reservoirs, and running major rapids only recently discovered.
The Diablo Water District is considering using treated
wastewater from the Ironhouse Sanitation District to replenish
local groundwater supplies, according to officials from both
agencies. If implemented, both agencies said they hope that
replenished groundwater aquifers would strengthen East County’s
resilience to water supply changes and meet water reuse goals
directed by the state government. Reports from the California
Department of Water Resources advise that such an operation can
produce safe drinking water provided that significant water
quality tests are done before distributing the treated
water. The Diablo Water District provides water for
residents, parks, and businesses in a 21-square-mile area
consisting of Oakley, Cypress Corridor, Hotchkiss Tract, Summer
Lakes, and portions of Bethel Island and Knightsen. The
Ironhouse Sanitation District provides wastewater treatment for
Oakley and Bethel Island.
This past water year—a calendar built around the wet season,
from Oct. 1, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2024—just 8,972 acre-feet of
water were pumped into Cal Am’s system to meet customer demand.
It marks the first time since 1977—a severe drought year that
led to water rationing—that number has dipped below 9,000
acre-feet. For contrast, the amount of water put into the
system in 1976 was around 16,000 acre-feet. …
Meanwhile, both the population and the price of water for
customers have grown considerably. What does that
mean? For one, it means that water conservation measures
implemented by the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District
are working. It also reflects that the demand for water, to a
certain extent, is elastic—residents need water to drink and
for domestic purposes, but perhaps some decided watering their
lawn or whatever else was just not worth the cost.
House Speaker Mike Schultz hosted lawmakers for a water policy
summit where he urged his colleagues to ensure efforts are
taken to help the state deal with growth, protect the Great
Salt Lake and ensure Utah gets its fair share of water from the
Colorado River. “Every part of this state has different needs,
different water issues,” Speaker Schultz, R-Hooper, told FOX 13
News on Thursday. “Collaboratively, we can come together as a
state and work to move the state ahead and make sure we have
enough water not just for us, but our kids and grandkids in the
future.” The Speaker has called for a “pause” on
major water bills in the upcoming session of the Utah State
Legislature. He said he believes major policy shifts have
happened with bills and spending on water conservation and
rewriting more than a century of water rights law.
House Speaker Mike Schultz hosted lawmakers for a water policy
summit where he urged his colleagues to ensure efforts are
taken to help the state deal with growth, protect the Great
Salt Lake and ensure Utah gets its fair share of water from the
Colorado River. “Every part of this state has different needs,
different water issues,” Speaker Schultz, R-Hooper, told FOX 13
News on Thursday. “Collaboratively, we can come together as a
state and work to move the state ahead and make sure we have
enough water not just for us, but our kids and grandkids in the
future.” The Speaker has called for a “pause” on
major water bills in the upcoming session of the Utah State
Legislature. He said he believes major policy shifts have
happened with bills and spending on water conservation and
rewriting more than a century of water rights law.
Humanity’s heating of the planet, driven by the burning of
fossil fuels and unchecked emissions of greenhouse gases, has
become the main driver of worsening droughts in California and
the American West, according to new research.A team of UCLA and
NOAA scientists found that while droughts in the last century
were caused mainly by decreases in precipitation through
natural cycles, an entirely different pattern has taken hold as
a result of the rising temperatures this century. The
researchers determined that since 2000, human-caused warming
has become the dominant force leading to more drought severity
in the Western United States. In the case of the intense
Western drought from 2020 to 2022, the scientists attributed
61% of its severity to high temperatures, and only 31% to
reduced precipitation.
President-elect Donald Trump will return to the White House in
January with an agenda to slash government regulations, expand
fossil fuel production and fire his critics in the federal
government. Following Trump’s decisive win Tuesday and with
Republicans clinching control of at least one chamber of
Congress, the president-elect and his team are poised to make
drastic overhauls to energy and environmental policies.
California voters approved a bond measure Tuesday that will let
the state borrow $10 billion to fund wildfire, flood protection
and other climate resiliency projects. Proposition 4 easily
passed in a state where devastating wildfires, heat waves and
other natural disasters linked to climate change are occurring
more frequently. Pollsters say those events — which have driven
a homeowners insurance crisis — have led to growing support for
climate action across regions and demographic groups. The
measure represents California’s latest effort to spend big on
climate resiliency and environmental health projects, with
billions allocated to prepare for droughts and floods. While
the largest portion of the money will go to water
infrastructure, Prop 4 also finances new projects to address
wildfire protection and sea-level rise. Forty percent of the
money is designated to projects in disadvantaged communities.
The City of Ventura asked its residents to limit their water
use as crews tried to extinguish the Mountain Fire Wednesday
night. The rapidly-spreading wildfire quickly burned through
more than 10,400 acres after sparking near Moorpark in Ventura
County. Firefighters attributed the explosion in size to the
Santa Ana winds that prompted a Red Flag warning. In this
particular instance, they issued a “Particularly Dangerous
Situation” alert because of the threat posed by “an
ongoing or imminent fire weather pattern.” Meteorologists
tracked some gusts of wind that reached more than 60 miles per
hour as the fire burned. The strong winds grounded firefighting
fixed-wing aircraft, adding another hurdle toward full
containment, according to Ventura County Fire Department.
Incumbents in two contested Coachella Valley Water District
races trounced their competitors in the Nov. 5 General
Election, but the race for a key Imperial Irrigation District
seat was too close to call on Wednesday morning. Longtime
Coachella Valley Water District board member Peter Nelson
received 8,774 votes, or 76.4% of ballots cast, blowing out
challenger Robert Keeran, who received 2,705 votes, or 23.6%.
Nelson, a veteran farm company manager, won a seventh four-year
term representing Division 4.
Soil moisture levels across Utah are extremely low, a factor
that could bring foreboding when it comes to the efficiency of
the spring runoff and what moisture is sucked up by the ground.
Still, the state’s mountains regions have reason to celebrate,
according to a new report by the Natural Resources Conservation
Service which tracks the water supply outlook during the snow
accumulation season. Jordan Clayton, supervisor of the agency’s
Utah Snow Survey, said the 2025 water year started off pretty
well even for Utah’s valley locations.
This winter, the Army Corps of Engineers will begin dredging
the L.A. River from Griffith Park to the 110 Freeway area. By
the time the project ends, nearby third graders will be in
college. About 50% of the sediment will be removed during the
10-year project, according to Stephen Baack, a public affairs
specialist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Los Angeles
District. Work will begin with excavation and invasive species
removal, he added. According to Baack, $18 million has
been allocated for the project, though more money could come in
later. The next step involves awarding a contract to the entity
that will do the work.
