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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Think “Sonoma County farm,” and most people will conjure an
image of docile cows chewing cud or chickens scratching the
dirt, idly whiling away their days among the grassy, green
hills of this mostly rural, coastal Northern California county.
But animal rights activists say all is not right in this region
known for its wine and farm-to-fork sensibilities. They say
there are two dozen large, concentrated animal farming
operations — which collectively house almost 3 million animals
— befouling watersheds and torturing livestock and poultry in
confined lots and cages. And in an effort to stop it, they’ve
collected more than 37,000 signatures from Sonoma County
residents to put an end to it — forcing the county Board of
Supervisors to either enact or match the ordinance themselves,
or have it kicked over to the November ballot.
For centuries, there was a familiar spring and summer element
in the Sierra Nevada skies: hundreds of enormous white
birds soaring over the lakes and mountains. On land, their
courtship displays were notable from afar as they leaped,
twirled and flapped their elegant black-tipped wings in
complicated shows to find a lifelong mate. With a wingspan of
around 7 feet and an average height of 5 feet, sandhill cranes
were once easy to spot around Lake Tahoe, even from a
distance. Due to overhunting and habitat loss, there were
only three or four breeding pairs throughout the entire state
by 1944, despite once likely numbering in the hundreds of
thousands. However, the state of California didn’t grant the
birds “fully protected” status until 1970.
Two letters filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(FERC) reveal details of the damage at PG&E’s Lake
Spaulding Powerhouse No. 1, which is out of service since early
March. The failure of the powerhouse, combined with a massive
rockslide over the PG&E-owned starting portion of the South
Yuba Canal, have effectively cut off water supplies from the
higher elevations to the Bear River and Deer Creek. The State
Historic Preservation Officer’s letter to FERC provides
additional information on the damage discovered by PG&E.
Zimbabwe declared a state of disaster Wednesday over a
devastating drought that’s sweeping across much of southern
Africa, with the country’s president saying it needs $2 billion
for humanitarian assistance. The declaration was widely
expected following similar actions by neighboring Zambia and
Malawi, where drought linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon
has scorched crops, leaving millions of people in need of food
assistance. … [President Emmerson Mnangagwa] appealed to
United Nations agencies, local businesses and faith
organizations to contribute towards humanitarian
assistance. El Nino, a naturally occurring climatic
phenomenon that warms parts of the Pacific Ocean every two to
seven years, has varied effects on the world’s weather. In
southern Africa, it typically causes below-average rainfall,
but this year has seen the worst drought in decades.
It was an average year for Colorado’s snowpack — and that’s
great news. The statewide snowpack sat at 109% of the
30-year median on Wednesday, just a few days shy of the normal
peak of snowpack for the state. Every major river basin in the
state also recorded above-median snowpack, reducing the risk of
large, uncontrollable wildfires and boosting the state’s water
supplies. Despite a slow start to the snow season, large
storms in February and March boosted the amount of water that
will become available as mountain snow melts. The statewide
snowpack had lagged behind the median until early March.
The $171 million Kern Fan Groundwater Storage project – with a
unique “eco-twist” – received another chunk of public funding
just as the first section of the 1,300-acre project had a
formal christening on Wednesday. Officials with Rosedale-Rio
Bravo Water Storage District, Irvine Ranch Water District and
the Bureau of Reclamation gathered at the project site near
Enos Lane west of Bakersfield to look over construction of the
first part of Phase 1, which began in February. The Bureau
announced earlier in the week that it had approved a $3.9
million grant for the project, which is in addition to $4.7
million awarded by the Bureau in 2023. That funding requires a
75% match from Rosedale-Rio Bravo and Irvine Ranch.
Chemical manufacturer 3M will begin payments starting in the
third quarter to many U.S. public drinking water systems as
part of a multi-billion-dollar settlement over contamination
with potentially harmful compounds used in firefighting foam
and several consumer products, the company said. St. Paul,
Minnesota-based 3M announced Monday that last year’s lawsuit
settlement received final approval from the U.S. District Court
in Charleston, South Carolina. The agreement called for payouts
through 2036. Depending on what additional contamination is
found, the amount paid out will range from $10.5 billion to
$12.5 billion.
The Foundation’s Bay-Delta Tour
in May has already sold out but you can still join the
waitlist. Don’t miss out on the remaining opportunities
this spring and summer to visit important regions in the
state’s water story firsthand and engage directly with
water experts in California and from across the world.
Our Central Valley Tour, April
24-26, is nearing capacity! Only a few seats
remain on the bus for the tour that travels the length of
the San Joaquin Valley to explore the challenges of sustaining
one of the nation’s most productive agricultural regions.
Participants will visit farms and some of the state’s major
infrastructure, such as Friant Dam and San Luis Reservoir, as
well as the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, a major
wintering ground and migratory stopover point for large
concentrations of waterfowl and shorebirds. Register here before
tickets are gone!
The Department of the Interior announced the Yuma East Wetlands
will receive $5 million to upgrade infrastructure to ensure the
continued existence of the marshes for future
generations. There will be improvements that include
designing and replacing the system used to move water around
the wetlands. Pumps currently fueled by diesel with
electrical pumps will be replaced, concrete canals will be
extended and electrical power will be brought to the
conservation area to allow for technology updates. The
Yuma East Wetlands is used by the community for public
recreation and it also provides habitat for wildlife including
endangered species.
Winter brought just average rain and snow to Stanislaus
County’s main watershed, but most farmers will get abundant
supplies. That’s because reservoirs continue to hold much of
the runoff from last year’s truly wet conditions. Only in parts
of the West Side will water be limited. The storms also boosted
groundwater, which is part of the supply in many places. City
residents, too, can expect no cutbacks, but they still have to
follow rules against outdoor watering in the afternoon. Too
much demand on a hot summer day can tax the distribution
system.
On April 3, a coalition of fishing and conservation
groups said the state and federal water agencies must
“take immediate action” to stop the unauthorized killing of
thousands of Chinook Salmon and Steelhead at the State and
Federal water export pumps in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River
Delta, The State Water Project (SWP) and Central Valley
Project (CVP) Delta “death pumps” have been the
biggest killers of salmon, steelhead, Sacramento
splittail and other fish species in California for many
decades. … The coalition said this is the second
time in 2024 the coalition has responded to an increase in
killing of legally protected fish at the pumps of the State
Water Project and the Central Valley Project (Projects or Water
Projects).
California has more than 1,000 thousand miles of coastline and
the water in the Pacific Ocean presents an opportunity for more
fresh water in the state. Unlocking the opportunity takes time,
money and resources, and some experts say it’s not for
everyone. … The massive system California has in place
now is one of the most complicated, robust and successful
systems ever created. That system has more recently
incorporated the ocean. Desalination is being put to the test
in coastal areas up and down the state. The process takes salt
out of ocean water and turns it into fresh water for people.
State officials, as well as private partners, focus on these
areas as the best fit for this water supply.
As elected officials representing Colusa and Yuba counties, we
sent a letter to Governor Newsom earlier this year encouraging
him and his administration to advance the Agreements to Support
Healthy Rivers and Landscapes (sometimes known as the Voluntary
Agreements) and the associated benefits for communities, farms,
businesses, the environment and the public. We were joined in
this letter by counties throughout the Sacramento River
Basin—we have specifically urged the State Water Board to
identify the Agreements to Support Healthy Rivers and
Landscapes alternative in its final staff report and
forthcoming program of implementation as the State Water
Board’s best pathway for updating the Sacramento/Delta portions
of the Bay-Delta Plan.
Water access in California has seen growing scrutiny as the
climate shifts from more extreme dry to wet swings. This
results in increasing year-to-year uncertainty for both
commercial and residential water availability. One area getting
more attention from an ethical and practical application is the
system of water rights, which first took shape in the late
1800s.
Yesterday, Gov. Gavin Newsom surveyed the Sierra snowpack and
outlined a new state water plan focused on climate change.
Scott and KQED climate reporter Ezra David Romero are joined by
California’s former top water regulator Felicia Marcus. As
the state’s top water czar, she navigated severe droughts,
balancing demands for scare water by cities, farms, businesses
and homeowners.
Water is a crucial topic in the American Southwest, as
continued drought and cuts to Colorado River water allocations
make more urgent the policy decisions on the future of water in
the region. Gaps in water policies have historically left
tribal communities with limited access to clean water and
infrastructure, a situation that Cora Tso is working to
correct. Tso, a new senior research fellow with the Kyl Center
for Water Policy at Arizona State University’s Morrison
Institute, is particularly well-suited to address tribal water
policy issues as both a lawyer specializing in Indian and water
law and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. She aims to
share her expertise with others, both through an assessment
tool she is creating and an upcoming free webinar on tribal
water issues April 9 that is open to the public…. Tso
was recently recognized as a Colorado River Water
Leader by the Water Education Foundation
and has strong ambitions as she continues in her career.
Almost half of all homes in the U.S. are at severe or extreme
risk of flood, hurricane winds, wildfires, heat and/or
hazardous air quality. In the 2024 Housing and Climate Risk
Report, Realtor.com looked at homes across the nation to
analyze which cities had homes at the highest risk of those
disasters, which the site calls climate
risk. … About 9% of homes across the U.S. are at
severe to extreme air quality risk. The San Francisco
Bay Area tops the list. California’s
frequent droughts, wildfires and heat waves are largely at
fault. ”Shifts in environmental conditions, including
extreme heat, drought, and wildfires, are amplifying the
likelihood of heightened air pollution risk,” wrote
analysts.
For most Northern Nevadans and Californians, Lake Tahoe is more
than a distinctive spot on the map. Whether you only go a few
times a year or every single weekend, it always feels like your
refuge. You never take it for granted. Neither do the
scientists, planners, biologists, volunteers, lawmakers and
engineers who work to protect the lake from environmental
threats. In fact, the call to protect Lake Tahoe has echoed
across America in support of one of the most comprehensive and
successful conservation programs in the nation. Since public
and private partners established the Lake Tahoe Environmental
Improvement Program in 1997, we have completed more than 800
major restoration projects to protect one of our country’s most
treasured landscapes. -Written by Julie Regan, executive director of the
Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.
With California snowpack and reservoirs at above-average levels
following two wet winters, Gov. Gavin Newsom stood on a snowy
field near Lake Tahoe on Tuesday and urged the state to do much
more to make its water supplies resilient to the extreme
droughts and flooding that come with climate change. … The
governor presented a new water plan that lays out priorities
for changing how the state captures, stores and moves water,
including efforts to replenish groundwater, recycle wastewater
and restore the natural ecosystems of watersheds. Newsom said
his administration is focusing on infrastructure projects such
as building the Sites Reservoir — the first new major reservoir
in decades — and he vowed to move ahead with the proposed Delta
Conveyance Project.
California’s water resources look promising thanks to a string
of cold, wet storms since January, but the state’s leaders are
eyeing how significant the payout from those storms will be for
future years. State officials and experts from the University
of California, Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Laboratory say
the Golden State’s water and snow outlook is looking good this
spring, despite a dry start to the water year. The milestone
snowpack survey of the year, conducted Tuesday at Phillips
Station in El Dorado County, found a snowpack measuring 64
inches and a snow water equivalent — water contained in the
snowpack — of 27.5 inches. … All state watersheds
have significantly improved in water storage since Feb. 20,
with all sitting at 90% or higher. The State Water Project also
increased its forecast allocation of water supplies to 30%.
