The Trump administration has proposed nearly $1.7 billion in
cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
that, if passed by Congress, could decimate funding to critical
climate and extreme weather research and fundamentally change
the structure of the agency. The proposal would cut more than
$480 million from NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric
Research, according to a White House document obtained by the
Chronicle. … The proposed budget would eliminate
funding for NOAA’s six regional climate centers, which provide
and manage unique environmental data to different parts of the
United States based on regionally-specific weather and climate
hazards. The Western Regional Climate Center
monitors and researches drought,
precipitation, wildfire smoke and other natural
hazards in California and eight other states.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will allocate $3
million to help homeowners near the Eaton burn area test for
lead contamination, after preliminary tests found elevated
levels of the heavy metal on homes standing after the fire.
… “Without adequate soil testing, contaminants caused by
the fire can remain undetected, posing risks to returning
residents, construction workers, and the environment,” the
state’s Office of Emergency Services director Nancy Ward wrote
in a February letter to FEMA. “Failing to identify and
remediate these fire-related contaminants may expose
individuals to residual substances during rebuilding efforts
and potentially jeopardize groundwater and surface
water quality.”
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that EPA, the Interior and Energy
Departments and other agencies unlawfully froze funds under
Democrats’ climate and infrastructure spending laws, ordering
the agencies to immediately resume disbursing the money. The
ruling from Judge Mary McElroy of the U.S. District Court for
the District of Rhode Island, who was named to the bench by
President Donald Trump in 2019, comes on the eve of an expected
decision from another judge in Washington on whether EPA
lawfully terminated $20 billion in climate grants. That case
and other litigation are part of a complex web of lawsuits over
frozen funds and terminated grants playing out in multiple
courts.
New research has identified hotspots in the US with concerning
levels of water quality and poor access to clean drinking
water, revealing that Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and
Washington had the most water quality violations across the
board. The paper, published Tuesday in the journal Risk
Analysis, also developed county-level scores across most of the
country for unequal access to safe and clean drinking water,
finding that eight of the 10 counties with the worst “water
injustice” scores were in Mississippi, with the other two in
Texas and South Dakota. … “You can see some pretty stark
differences between states,” said study lead author Alex Segrè
Cohen, a social scientist at the University of Oregon. In
Arizona, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania, “almost every county
has high water violation scores,” she said.
The Leucadia Wastewater District (LWD) has visited two
Encinitas Union School District campuses this year to provide
an engaging lesson on water conservation and how they play a
vital role in protecting our oceans. Students at La Costa
Heights and Capri got a behind-the-scenes look at how water is
managed after it leaves their homes and LWD field service
technicians showed off their line-cleaning truck and
demonstrated how a closed-circuit TV robot inspects sewer lines
across northern Encinitas and southern Carlsbad. La Costa
Heights teacher Jessica Caldararo and Capri teacher Nancy Jois
applied for grants from LWD for their educational initiatives,
using the funds for these demonstrations as part of their water
conservation units.
Four Northern California farm bureaus are making a plea to the
Donald Trump administration, urging it to halt PG&E’s plan
to dismantle a key piece of water infrastructure. The counties
say they need time to craft a strategy to protect public
health, the local economy and their communities.
… Environmentalists and Eel River advocates say it’s
time to rip out the century-old Potter Valley Project and let
the Eel River run wild again. For decades, dams like Scott
and Cape Horn have choked the river, blocking salmon from ideal
spawning grounds and turning cold mountain water into warm,
fish-killing reservoirs, they argue. … Yet for residents
and farmers, the looming loss of reliable summer water has
sparked alarm. Without Scott Dam and Lake Pillsbury to store
water year-round, the region would be left at the mercy of
rainfall. “Summertime access to water, which is eminent today,
will not be an option,” the farm bureaus warned.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday denied reports
that Mexico had capitulated to U.S. demands for immediate water
deliveries required by a 1944 treaty that allocates surface
water along their shared border. One of the reports, published
by the Mexican newspaper Reforma, stated that the Coahuila dam
“La Amistad” had increased its extractions by
600%. Calling the published reports “false,” Sheinbaum
said her administration is negotiating with northern states to
send more water to the U.S. while recognizing that pervasive
drought conditions have made it impossible to keep up with
deliveries. “Talks are underway with the governors of
Tamaulipas, Coahuila and Chihuahua to reach a joint agreement
to determine how much water can be delivered … without
affecting Mexican producers, while also complying with the 1944
treaty,” Sheinbaum said at her daily press conference.
A gorgeous California city has been plagued with a foul
odor due to a stomach-churning problem in the Tijuana
River. The stink started after Mexico announced
it was forced to dump around five million gallons a day of
sewage into the river. Mexico is attempting to replace a
section of an ageing sewage pipeline with a newer one made of
concrete. … The US side of the (International Boundary
and Water Commission) said Mexico had informed them that the
decision to dump five million gallons of wastewater a day into
the river was a ‘difficult decision,’ but there were no other
alternatives to fixing the sewage problem. On Thursday,
the IBWC said that even though the sewage dump was ‘bad news,’
the decision was the best way to prevent wastewater from
polluting the Tijuana River long-term. The construction
project is on the Mexico side of the river and will be split
into two phases, scheduled to be completed by April 17.
Wednesday marks one full year since the state brought the
“hammer” down on Kings County farmers for pumping so much
groundwater it sank a vast area that could be seen from space,
nicknamed “the Corcoran bowl.” In the year since the Water
Resources Control Board put the Tulare Lake subbasin on
probation for lacking a plan that would, among other things,
stop excessive pumping that is causing land to collapse taking
an entire town with it, state actions were halted by a lawsuit,
injunction and appeal. … The legal actions have put a
wall between Water Board staff and Kings County water managers
but that doesn’t mean nothing’s been happening. While state
well registration, reporting and fee sanctions are on hold,
just about every groundwater sustainability agency in the
subbasin has implemented its own version of those measures.
A barrage of atmospheric river events that swept across
California during the winter and spring has left the state
well-positioned when it comes to water storage. As the
peak of the snowmelt season begins to slow down, the majority
of California’s major reservoirs are at least 90% full – a
promising sign for a state that frequently battles drought and
associated wildfires. Shasta Lake, California’s largest
reservoir, was last reported to be at around 95% capacity,
surpassing its historical average by 117%. The reservoir
affects 35 California counties and plays a crucial role in
managing water for the Sacramento and San Joaquin River
watersheds. … Just as notable is Diamond Valley Lake,
located about 80 miles southeast of Los Angeles in Southern
California. According to data from the California
Department of Water Resources, the water basin was at 97% of
capacity and 128% above its historical average.
Other water supply and snowmelt news around the West:
Gov. Gavin Newsom today signed new legislation that will
provide more than $170 million in state funding to help prevent
wildfires while signing an order aimed at speeding up the work
by easing environmental permitting. The funding — which
the Democratic governor said was part of a broader effort to
better protect communities ahead of peak fire season — comes as
the state is under extraordinary pressure after the January
infernos that devastated Los Angeles communities…. Authorized
as part of a fast-tracked, early action budget
bill approved by the Legislature, the funds will be paid
to six conservancies throughout California. The agencies,
which operate under the governor’s Resources Agency, will
manage the removal of vegetation and thinning of forests within
their regions.
… Studies suggest that PFAS has contaminated almost 50% of
the U.S. tap water supply. These chemicals are linked to a
growing list of health risks, including cancers and chronic
diseases. Many global institutions have recently taken
regulatory action. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) proposed stringent limits for PFAS in drinking water.
… Beyond drinking water, recent studies expose another
major PFAS concern: wastewater and sludge. Treated wastewater,
often considered safe for reuse, has been found to still carry
significant levels of PFAS. Even more concerning is the
widespread practice of using treated sewage sludge as farm
fertilizer. The EPA has warned that PFAS in sludge can
contaminate crops, soil, and groundwater, creating a direct
pathway from industrial chemical waste to the food we
eat. … The question isn’t whether businesses should act,
it’s whether they can afford not to.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has
gone after fluoride in drinking water, a move that medical
experts widely disagree with. Water fluoridation has been
proven to be so effective at preventing tooth decay that the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) named it one
of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th
century, a time during which Americans’ life expectancies rose
by 30 years. “Fluoride has been studied extensively for decades
and is considered safe and effective at recommended levels,”
cosmetic dentist Dr. James Heaton tells USA TODAY. “While some
debates focus on the ethics of water fluoridation or potential
health concerns, the overwhelming consensus from the American
Dental Association, CDC and World Health Organization is that
fluoride is a critical tool in preventing tooth decay.” Here’s
what licensed medical experts want you to know about fluoride.
Minutes before sunrise Monday, nearly a dozen boat owners were
already lining up in the Beals Point parking area for the first
day of boat inspections and a 30-day quarantine aimed at
preventing an invasive species from finding its way into Folsom
Lake. “It’s long before the scheduled 9:30 a.m. start time for
inspections, but I’m glad I got here early,” said Rudy Divin, a
fishing guide. Starting Monday, Folsom Lake and Lake Clementine
are closed to all motorized and trailered vessels for the next
month. All boats seeking to launch on either lake are required
to go through a mandatory 30-day quarantine.
Budget and staffing cuts under President Donald Trump’s
administration are undermining global efforts to monitor the
climate and produce accurate weather forecasts, warns the
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The
quality and quantity of climate observations available to
scientists worldwide supplied by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has already suffered a
measurable decline, according to ECMWF Director General
Florence Rabier. … Rabier said there has been a reduction in
the number of observations shared by the U.S. since March,
including a roughly 10 percent decline from weather balloons
that collect data on temperature, humidity, and wind patterns.
President Trump’s “energy dominance” agenda will be undermined
by steep cuts to federal agencies that are said to be planned
by the Trump administration, scientists, lawmakers and energy
executives warned on Monday. Pleas from numerous quarters have
streamed into the inboxes of cabinet secretaries, asking them
to salvage various divisions of government agencies. Federal
officials face a deadline today to present their plans for
another round of mass firings, and agencies that address energy
and the environment are expected to be hard hit. … Opponents
of the job cuts are making arguments more in line with the
Trump administration’s priorities by saying the cuts threaten
nuclear energy, mineral production and expanding energy access.
Last week, more than 750 water utility professionals from
across the United States convened in the nation’s capital for
the annual Water Week, featuring Congressional office visits
and policy updates from sector leaders and regulators. The
anchor event of Water Week is the National Water Policy Fly-In,
held April 8-9. … Jessica Kramer, senior advisor to
the assistant administrator for water at U.S. EPA, was also on
hand to deliver remarks about EPA priorities for the coming
year. While Kramer didn’t offer many policy specifics given the
ongoing transition to the new administration, she did ensure
the utility leaders in attendance that the water officials in
the agency would work to foster positive collaboration within
the sector. She also noted support for many of the issues above
including pursuing a “polluter pays” model for PFAS cleanup.
Officials are monitoring reports from the San Diego County Air
Pollution Control District of an overnight uptick in hydrogen
sulfide readings in the Tijuana River Valley, creating odor
issues in South County. The increase in odors in the last 24
hours “appears to be associated with reports from the
(International Boundary and Water Commission) that sewage
infrastructure work in Mexico has resulted in the release of up
to 5 million gallons per night of sewage into the Tijuana River
Valley,” according to the county. This flow comes in addition
to “rogue sewage flows” being investigated by the IBWC with its
partners in Mexico. The IBWC operates the South Bay
International Wastewater Treatment Plant and is tasked with
collaborating with Mexico on border water issues.
Ben Harris, senior staff attorney with the LA Waterkeeper,
discusses Assembly Bill 1313, which was introduced by assembly
member Diane Papan on March 25. The bill would enact a
statewide commercial stormwater permit in
California that will balance the cost of stormwater management
between private facilities and local governments while
encouraging stormwater capture through the development of more
green space in urban communities. Harris expands on the
purpose of the bill, why LA Waterkeeper sees it as necesssary
and other details.
For the seventh time in less than a decade, Oregon’s commercial
fishermen, governor and congressional delegation are asking for
federal aid to soften the blow of climate change on the state’s
ocean salmon fisheries. … Oregon’s commercial ocean
salmon fishermen caught about 18,000 Chinook between March and
October of 2024 — about 40% of the 10-year average. From 2011
to 2015, the average catch was closer to 75,000 per year,
according to John North, an assistant fish division
administrator with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
More than 50% of Chinook were caught in Newport in 2024, while
southern Oregon fisheries struggled with low returns due to
drought and warming waters in the Sacramento and
Klamath rivers.
