With Utah facing a drier year, Gov. Spencer Cox issued an
executive order (Thursday) declaring a state of emergency in 17
counties due to drought conditions. … The governor’s
executive order comes after the Drought Response Committee
recently recommended he act due to drought conditions. …
Cox’s emergency declaration also comes after he told reporters
last week he was working on issuing one due to worsening
drought conditions in southern Utah, which has seen a weak
snowpack this winter. Though the governor said last week it’s
been a “pretty normal year for most of the state,” there are
some areas that are worse off than others. Currently,
severe drought covers 42% of the state, and 4% is in extreme
drought, according to the state’s website. This year,
Utah’s snowpack peaked at 14.3 inches on March 23, which is
equal to the state’s typical annual peak, according to state
officials. However, southwestern Utah’s snowpack was only about
44% of normal.
In a major environmental restoration project, two barriers were
removed from Jalama Creek, allowing Southern Steelhead to swim
up the creek. … “Southern California Steelhead are highly
endangered,” said Larra Riege, Restoration Manager at the
Dangermond Preserve. … ”Removing these barriers, these
ghost dams and the other barrier, removing old infrastructure
that’s not serving any purpose anymore, being able to take them
out and then let nature take its course is really satisfying.”
… Researchers are preparing their first survey to see if the
steelhead are discovering that the once-blocked creek is again
open for fishy business. The conservancy is looking at
additional projects to clear fish passage barriers on Jalama
Creek tributaries, to give the fish even more breeding and
living space.
As part of a science mission tracking one of Earth’s most
precious resources – water – NASA’s C-20A aircraft conducted a
series of seven research flights in March that can help
researchers track the process and timeline as snow melts and
transforms into a freshwater resource. The agency’s Uninhabited
Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) installed on
the aircraft collected measurements of seasonal snow cover and
estimate the freshwater contained in it. … The Dense UAVSAR
Snow Time (DUST) mission mapped snow accumulation over the
Sierra Nevada mountains in California and the Rocky Mountains
in Idaho. Mission scientists can use these observations to
estimate the amount of water stored in that snow.
Coast Guard rescue missions failing after running into
unexpected currents. Surprise atmospheric river storms flooding
downtown San Francisco. Seafood contaminated by unseen algal
blooms. California scientists fear these scenarios, and more,
are possible under the Trump administration’s recommendation to
reduce the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s
budget by $1.7 billion. Several scientific programs in
California are slated for significant reductions or elimination
if the budget proposal is pushed through Congress. Scientists
say the cuts would hamper weather forecasting, disrupt critical
ocean data collection and decimate climate research.
The Sites Project Authority revealed that the Sites Reservoir
could have captured more than 550,000 acre-feet of water from
late November 2024 through early April 2025. According to
officials, this amount of water capture could have benefited
more than three million people. Fritz Durst, Chair of the Sites
Project Authority Board of Directors, emphasized the
reservoir’s potential. “Once again, we’re seeing how well Sites
Reservoir would perform during wet periods if it were
operational today, by capturing and storing water for drier
periods,” Durst said. The analysis showed that the reservoir is
designed to capture and store water during wet periods. It aims
to increase water flexibility, reliability, and resiliency
during drier times. In February 2025 alone, Sites could have
diverted over 150,000 acre-feet of water. These diversions
would add to the 850,000 acre-feet captured last season, nearly
reaching the reservoir’s full capacity.
The EPA’s visit to the South Bay to see the sewage crisis
firsthand is something both the U.S. and Mexican governments
are calling productive, vowing together to finally accelerate a
plan to solve the problem affecting people for decades. …
(Alicia) Bàrcena (the Mexican Secretary of the Environment and
Natural Resources) says Mexico has made an enormous effort on
its part, stating that it has just finished construction on the
San Antonio de Los Buenos wastewater treatment plant in
Tijuana. She says that was a $38 million investment that will
allow for more than 800 liters of wastewater to be treated per
second. … Bàrcena also says Mexico will prioritize
redirecting treated water from two plants in Tijuana to a dam
to avoid its discharge into the Tijuana River.
As the deadline to renegotiate Colorado River
water use agreements approaches, Democratic
Senator John Hickenlooper says he is “frustrated”
with the lack of progress on a consensus between the seven
basin states. … New guidelines are needed by 2026 to
replace the current set of rules. Federal officials previously
released five conceptual alternatives, including a “no action”
option required under environmental law, to determine how to
allocate dwindling water resources. One proposal emphasizes
infrastructure protection and strict limits on water deliveries
during shortages, while another promotes expanded conservation
and flexible storage solutions.
The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) announces changes
to its boat inspection and banding policies effective May 7,
2025, in response to increasing concerns about invasive mussel
species. EBRPD has long required watercraft inspections to
prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species into local lakes
and reservoirs. To simplify re-entry for frequent visitors,
park staff have used tamper-proof bands placed between the
watercraft and trailer when the boat leaves the lake. These
bands serve as proof that the vessel hadn’t launched in other
waters. Boats returning with an intact band have not required
re-inspection when entering any lake in the Park District or
the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). What’s
new for summer 2025 is that EBRPD’s banding program is
transitioning to color-coded, lake-specific bands and is no
longer accepting EBMUD bands, effective May 7.
To celebrate Earth Week, the Department of Water Resources
(DWR) is rolling out a new program to work with local
communities on multiple turf and landscape replacement projects
that will save water and help combat against future droughts
and climate change. What makes this innovative partnership
unique is the focus on replacing turf at businesses and
institutions rather than solely residential sites. In
collaboration with Watershed Progressive, DWR’s Turf
Replacement Pilot Program provides direct assistance to replace
ornamental turf with drought-tolerant and water-efficient
landscaping in California’s frontline communities. Supported by
the Budget Act of 2021, the program is investing $35 million in
communities that are on the frontlines of climate change, lack
reliable water supplies, and need support with restoring
natural environments.
Wholesale water rates — a key driver of the water bills of
residents and businesses across the county — are not expected
to rise nearly as much next year as previously thought. County
water officials on Thursday lowered their projected wholesale
water rate hike for next year from 18% to 12%, thanks primarily
to higher projected water sales to local agencies over the next
three years. The higher sales projections are based partly on
the particularly dry winter and spring San Diego has
experienced, which has increased demand for irrigation water
from farmers and people with large lawns. … (T)he dry winter
has pushed the expected demand from member agencies for next
year about 10% higher than was estimated just last month — from
300,000 acre-feet to 327,000 acre-feet.
A groundbreaking white paper published by the UK Water
Partnership (UKWP) in collaboration with data and AI
engineering firm Aiimi highlights how artificial intelligence
(AI) is poised to revolutionise the water industry. Titled “AI
Within Reach”, the paper offers an urgent but optimistic
roadmap for deploying AI to tackle critical challenges, from
climate change to customer affordability. As the industry
enters AMP8, companies face mounting pressure to deliver
ambitious capital programmes, respond to climate change, and
improve resilience – all while maintaining affordability for
customers. AI presents a critical opportunity to help achieve
these goals, but without coordinated action, much of its
potential may remain untapped.
… Nearly 1 million acres of farmland across the state are
expected to come out of production due to SGMA. Without new
uses for that land, agricultural jobs will disappear, local tax
revenues will plummet, and our small towns, which are already
stretched thin, will be left with few options. A 2023 Public
Policy Institute of California report put it bluntly: without
action, the economic fallout for the Central Valley could be
massive. If we don’t find new ways to keep this land
economically viable, our rural communities are going to suffer
badly. But legislation currently moving at the state Capitol,
Assembly Bill 1156, provides a lifeline by making it easier to
repurpose fallowed farmland for clean energy projects like
solar panels. It’s a smart, timely solution that protects
farmers, supports clean energy, and brings jobs and investment
back to rural California.
… Proposition 4’s $10 billion bond (was) approved by
California voters in November 2024 to fund climate adaptation
work across the state. … But as Trump has cut or threatened
federal climate funding, “everyone is hoping to get Prop 4
money,” says Robert Mazurek, the executive director of the
California Marine Sanctuaries Foundation. Under
Proposition 4, more than 30 state agencies (many under
the umbrella of the California Natural Resources Agency)
will give out bond money to grantees across the state for
projects that help foster more resilient water systems, less
fiery forests, more biodiverse landscapes, safer coastlines,
cleaner air, and more. Most of those applications for grants
haven’t opened yet—but many groups are already eyeing it.
Here’s Bay Nature’s guide to help organizations understand and
prep for Prop 4’s rollout.
… According to data from the Scripps Institution of
Oceanography, 56 atmospheric rivers impacted the western U.S.
during late 2024 and early 2025, with the majority affecting
Oregon and Northern California. … Forecasters note that
Northern California typically experiences about six strong
atmospheric rivers every year, but by April 1, that number
had already reached nine. This increase in storm system
intensity and frequency led to above-normal precipitation
levels, particularly in critical watershed zones, but, in
contrast, Southern California saw very few significant storms,
receiving only a handful of weak systems. As a result,
precipitation totals in Southern California dropped to 70% or
less of average levels through early March, setting the stage
for an increasingly dangerous fire season.
On April 2, 2025, the Fifth District Court of Appeal issued its
Opinion in Bring Back the Kern v. City of Bakersfield, Case No.
F087487, reversing the Kern County Superior Court’s preliminary
injunction and related implementation order. In November 2023,
the trial court issued the injunction, based on Fish and Game
Code section 5937, but directed the parties to work together to
establish what flow rates are necessary to comply with the
injunction; four days later, the trial court issued the
implementation order, approving the flow regime to which the
Plaintiffs and Defendant (but not the various irrigation
districts and Kern County Water Agency that are named as Real
Parties in Interest) stipulated. The appellate court held the
trial court erred by failing to consider whether the uses of
water under the flow regime were reasonable, by requiring
Plaintiffs to post only a nominal bond, and by violating the
Real Parties’ due process rights.
After years of planning, environmental review and engineering
design, the Carpinteria Sanitary District is now on the
threshold of a major project that includes construction of an
advanced water purification facility capable of producing over
one million gallons of potable water every day. Capturing
and reusing this valuable resource, which would otherwise be
discharged to the Pacific Ocean, is an important piece of our
long-term water supply puzzle locally. This novel
water resiliency project, referred to as the Carpinteria
Advanced Purification Project, or CAPP, is being developed
through a partnership between the Carpinteria Valley Water
District and the Carpinteria Sanitary
District. … Although CAPP may sound like a drop in
the proverbial bucket, delivering just 1,200-acre feet of
purified water per year — less than 1/1,000th of the statewide
goal — it will meet 25% of Carpinteria Valley Water District’s
total demand.
Despite advances in wastewater treatment, tiny plastic
particles called microplastics are still slipping through,
posing potential health and environmental hazards, according to
new research from The University of Texas at Arlington. …
(W)hen a plastic item reaches the end of its useful life, it
never truly disappears. Instead, it breaks down into smaller
and smaller pieces called microplastics—particles five
millimeters or less, about the width of a pencil eraser—that
end up in our soil and water. “What our systematic literature
review found is that while most wastewater treatment facilities
significantly reduce microplastics loads, complete removal
remains unattainable with current technologies,” said Un-Jung
Kim, assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences at
UT Arlington and senior author of the study published in
Science of the Total Environment.
To ensure the availability and sustainability of water
resources and sanitation for all (United Nations Sustainable
Development Goal 6), water managers and the communities they
serve are investing in approaches that are both broad and deep.
… A comprehensive framework like One Water may also help
address a long-standing injustice: why communities of color are
more likely to have higher levels of contaminants in their
drinking water. In addition to applying integrated water
management approaches involving at-risk communities, some
scientists suggest that unconventional water resources should
be explored for their potential to mitigate water insecurity.
That’s the thrust of this month’s opinion, “Deep Groundwater
Might Be a Sustainable Solution to the Water Crisis.”
Contamination and overuse of shallow groundwater supplies are
creating a need for in-depth analysis on the health, safety,
and financial concerns associated with accessing deep
aquifers.
Generative AI is a power and water hungry beast. While its
advocates swear it’ll change the world for the better, the
tangible benefits today are less clear and the long term costs
to both society and the environment may be enormous. Even the
federal U.S. government knows this, according to a new report
published Wednesday by the Government Accountability Office
(GAO), a nonpartisan watchdog group that answers to
Congress. … One immediate obstacle to the
investigators was AI companies’ lack of transparency around
their water usage. … According to the GAO’s estimates,
AIs doing 250,000,000 queries a day would use as much
electricity as 26,071 U.S. household’s use in a day and
1,100,836 gallons of water.
Under the shadow of a giant sculpture of a bow-and-arrow along
San Francisco’s Embarcadero, more than 100 federal
environmental workers and protesters gathered late Tuesday
afternoon to send off an arrow of their own aimed at the Trump
administration. They rallied in defense of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and its mission, warning that
the administration’s plans to dismantle it would significantly
harm residents of the Bay Area. Many of the protesters work for
the EPA’s Pacific Southwest office, a few blocks away,
responsible for enforcing federal environmental laws throughout
California, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands and
about 150 Native American tribes. … (A)s many as 60
employees received notifications Monday about looming staffing
reductions and a reorganization.
