• In today’s Aquafornia scroll:
• Why California is having its best wildfire season in 25 years, Mercury News
• Southwest states facing tough choices about water as Colorado River diminishes, 60 Minutes 
• Wells are running dry in rural communities of color. Is a fix in sight?, Daily Yonder
• Click here to read all of today’s water news from California and across the West

Water Word of the Week: Through much of the 20th century, the eastern Sierra’s Mono Lake was fast on its way to drying out as the city of Los Angeles diverted the basin’s tributary streams into its urban water supply. But 40 years ago, a California Supreme Court decision helped save the lake. By ruling that public trust interests applied to both new and established water rights, the court set a landmark legal precedent in 1983 for managing California’s water resources and appropriative water rights. So we’re making Public Trust Doctrine our Water Word of the Week. To learn more about California water, visit Aquapedia, our water encyclopedia.

What’s on Tap This Week: On Tuesday, the Orange County Water District hosts a discussion on the use of artificial intelligence in managing water supplies. The State Water Resources Control Board meets on Wednesday. Be sure to check out our calendar for the latest information on events by the Foundation and other groups.

Fall Water Tours: Our one-time-only Eastern Sierra Tour September 12-15 is filling up fast! Reserve your seat now for the 3-day, 3-night tour that journeys from the Truckee River to Mono Lake and on through the Owens Valley and Mojave Desert.

Registration is also open for our popular Northern California Tour Oct. 18-20. This 3-day, 2-night excursion across the Sacramento Valley features stops at Lake Oroville, Shasta Lake, rice farms, a national wildlife refuge and more. 

Water Resource of the Week: Learn more about the landmark Public Trust Doctrine and other key decisions that have shaped how water can be used in California in our Layperson’s Guide to Water Rights Law. The comprehensive 28-page guide includes sections on surface water, groundwater, a chronology of key cases and legislation and a glossary.

Western Water, our flagship publication produced by Foundation journalists, is available online. Check out our latest articles: 

• High-Tech mapping of Central Valley’s underground blazes path to drought resilience
• Upper Colorado River states add muscle as decisions loom on the shrinking river’s future
• Testing at the source: California readies a groundbreaking hunt to check for microplastics in drinking water

To get the latest updates on Foundation tours, conferences and publications, including Western Water, sign up here for announcements.

Aquafornia is a news aggregation compiled each weekday and published by the Water Education Foundation.