Dear Western Water readers:

As new threats to watersheds emerge, volunteer stewards known as streamkeepers bring their data and observations on local river conditions to the attention of environmental enforcement agencies. 

Their information has influenced California policymakers in setting minimum stream flow requirements for native fish, establishing water quality standards for treated wastewater disposed in streams and designating stretches of rivers “wild and scenic” to keep them free of dams and diversions.

“These groups get the data from the ground level and make it real,” said Felicia Marcus, former chair of California’s State Water Resources Control Board, which polices water quality. “Their stories can be really important and powerful in the public policy arena.”  

Read more about how streamkeepers are helping to protect streams across the West, from California’s Wine Country to tributaries of the Colorado River, in the latest story from our journalism team. 

Water Around the West

Five don’t-miss articles from California and across the West:

One of Northern California’s most polluted properties may be cleaned up: Federal regulators have approved plans to clean up a Superfund site that has been leaching mercury for decades near a tribal community and one of California’s largest freshwater lakes, writes Paul Rogers for The Mercury News.

Newly rebuilt Friant-Kern Canal still sinking from overpumping, Tulare farmers not paying their share for the fix, lawsuit alleges: A Central Valley water supplier claims rural farmers are pumping groundwater at an excessive rate and are once again causing a major irrigation canal to sink, SJV Water’s Lisa McEwen reports. 

The city of tomorrow will run on your toilet water: WIRED’s Matt Simon examines how cities are finding creative ways to use wastewater to pad their drinking water supplies.

Coloradans could spend $2 billion-plus replacing water-hungry grass in the name of conservation: Expensive turf removal programs are gaining traction in the Colorado Legislature due to the Colorado River’s declining reservoirs, writes Shannon Mullane for the Colorado Sun.

The ‘phantom’ lake that engulfed California’s Central Valley is gone. But the toll lingers: Almost a year after storms fueled its rebirth, Tulare Lake has all but disappeared. Now farmers, businesses and landowners are counting up the damage, writes the San Francisco Chronicle’s Kurtis Alexander. 

Water Word of the Day

The 52-mile Los Angeles River is gradually being transformed from a fenced, concrete channel to a recreational and open space corridor. Los Angeles County aims to increase public access, reduce flood risk and restore habitat. Learn more about the river in Aquapedia, our California water encyclopedia

At the Foundation

Book a seat for our popular Water 101 Workshop! On April 5, come hear from some of California’s leading policy and legal experts on a variety of hot water topics facing the state. The agenda for the workshop will cover historical, legal and political facets of water management in the state.

Water Resource

Our Colorado River Basin Map depicts the seven Western states and Native American tribes that share the Colorado River with Mexico. It features rivers, dams, water projects, major cities, Indian reservations, irrigated areas, basin boundaries, and national parks and monuments. Grab a copy of the frameable map today!