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Exploring legal and policy decisions impacting water, including water rights, groundwater and conservation.
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California voters will be confronted with two multibillion-dollar propositions this year dealing with water, one on the June 5 ballot and another on the November 6 ballot. While the bond measures overlap somewhat, they also have important differences.
John McManus President, Golden Gate Salmon Association
Rachel Zwillinger Water Policy Adviser, Defenders of Wildlife
Environmental and fisheries groups have often opposed water storage projects. But two proposed projects in California have earned their backing, and Rachel Zwillinger of Defenders of Wildlife and John McManus of the Golden Gate Salmon Association, explain why.
Erik Porse Research Engineer in the Office of Water Programs, CSU-Sacramento
California has learned a lot since the last drought about how much water urban areas are using, but research engineer Erik Porse examines whether it can help answer the complex question about how much water should be used.
Since 2014 it has been legal to grow hemp, marijuana’s non-psychoactive cousin, in small “research” batches. Legislation passed this year could open the door to full-scale farming of this versatile, drought-tolerant plant.
Just 5 percent of California farmers use cover cropping, but that’s likely to increase as researchers work to quantify the amount of water that can be saved by the practice and its benefit for river ecosystems.
The lush farming region has faced seawater intrusion from Monterey Bay for decades. But it has become an emergency due to unregulated well drilling, explains Gary Petersen, general manager of the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency.
A plan to help fix some of the state’s most persistent drinking-water problems is opposed by many water agencies, but a similar scheme has worked in the energy sector for decades.
Mary Ann Dickinson President and Chief Executive, Alliance for Water Efficiency
An assessment of the seven Colorado River Basin states shows that there are two key areas where states are lagging and a stronger legal framework could help, writes Mary Ann Dickinson of the Alliance for Water Efficiency.
A fight over groundwater between New Mexico and Texas is in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court, but the battle has intensified as New Mexico contemplates allowing a copper mine to pump more than 1 billion gallons of groundwater annually.
Three decades ago, selenium-tainted farm runoff in the San Joaquin Valley deformed wildlife in horrific ways. Amid political maneuvering in Congress to find a solution, the toxin is still showing up in bird eggs.
California’s groundwater agencies need to create sustainability plans, says Michael Kiparsky of the University of California Berkeley School of Law, noting that, unless those plans also take surface water into account, they might not work.
Lower Basin states can easily store conserved water upstream in Lake Mead, but it’s not so simple for Upper Basin states with major reservoirs below them. There are some solutions in the works, but they’re not easy or cheap.
Sarge Green Water Management Specialist with the California Water Institute, California State University
Ellen Hanak Director, PPIC Water Policy Center
California needs to get to the next level in using groundwater recharge to help bring over-drafted San Joaquin Valley aquifers into sustainability, write Ellen Hanak of the PPIC Water Policy Center and Sarge Green of the California Water Institute.
A new study concludes that four hydroelectric dams on the Lower Snake River in Washington State could be effectively replaced by renewable power and more conservation. Fred Heutte of the Northwest Energy Coalition explain why.
Despite getting a financial boost earlier this month, California’s project to build two new water tunnels still faces big regulatory and legal challenges.
John Fleck Director, University of New Mexico Water Resources Program
Eric Kuhn Former General Manager, Colorado River Water Conservation District
While some problems on the Colorado River are the result of drought and climate change, Congress set the course for serious trouble in the watershed decades ago by authorizing the Central Arizona Project.
Lester Snow Provide Strategic Counsel on Programs, Projects and Initiatives, Water Foundation
Hundreds of thousands of Californians still lack access to safe drinking water and proposed legislation would help fund solutions. Recent polling indicates that Californians are willing to pay the costs.
In the wake of the 2015 Gold Mine King spill, the Colorado legislature is considering a bill that aims to ensure better water quality at mines and more financial accountability from companies.
An annual report by the nonprofit American Rivers is turning the spotlight on rivers that face threats from the rollback of environmental protections, resource development and other policy decisions.
Near Bakersfield, the Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District plans to set up procedures for land retirement and water trading with the goal of putting property owners in the driver’s seat on groundwater management.
New research from the University of California, Davis, uncovers data about the most vulnerable communities in California’s San Joaquin Valley and identifies ways to provide access to safe drinking water.
In California’s Napa Valley, voters in June will decide on a ballot initiative aimed at protecting the region’s remaining oak woodlands, which support healthy watersheds. But vintners and farmers are calling the plan anti-agriculture.
Jay Lund Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California
Don’t blame a lack of legislation or money, says Jay Lund, director of the U.C. Davis Center for Watershed Sciences, the state’s water data problems go much deeper.
Water expert and author Sandra Postel talks about on-the-ground solutions and unlikely collaborations that are taking place to help tackle some of our most challenging water issues.
Jeffrey Mount Senior Fellow, PPIC Water Policy Center
A group of independent experts has proposed a plan to resolve some of the biggest challenges facing water and ecosystem management in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, often a lightning rod of controversy.
States that share Colorado River water are negotiating a Drought Contingency Plan, but a recent lawsuit in California’s Imperial Irrigation District, a main player in the talks, is making things harder.
Fall-run Chinook salmon from California’s Sacramento River have been deemed ‘overfished’ by officials. But fishers disagree with the designation and say upstream issues are at fault.
A new report examines groundwater management innovations in six states to help inform similar efforts in California. Report coauthor Christina Babbitt of Environmental Defense Fund explains the key findings.
A new report from scientists at the University of California, Davis, says that the controversial Delta tunnels, along with habitat restoration projects, would benefit ailing fish species like salmon.
Arizona has been reusing treated sewage for more than 90 years. Now a new set of rules will allow highly treated wastewater to be plumbed directly into homes and businesses, explains hydrogeologist Chuck Graf.
Kerry Stackpole Chief Executive, Plumbing Manufacturers International
Washington State is considering a bill that would require water flow rates in plumbing fixtures below what’s required by federal WaterSense levels. That could endanger public health, cautions Kerry Stackpole of Plumbing Manufacturers International.
Most homeowners in Utah benefit from a unique resource: Cheap untreated irrigation water for their yards. The state has no idea how much people consume, even as it ponders investing billions in new water development projects.
Aspen, Colorado, has implemented regulations to curb outdoor watering by requiring new or remodeled residential projects to meet a water budget. But the city faces a shortage of auditors to certify compliance with the new ordinance.
Dozens of local water agencies are opposing state regulations to ban wasteful water practices, partly due to issues relating to the water board’s authority.
Water rates are rising in many California communities faster than some residents can keep up. While the state works to come up with a plan to tackle affordability issues, one bill seeks to protect against water shutoffs.
After decades of work, a water compact with Montana’s Blackfeet Nation was finally settled last year. But the federal government still needs to come up with more than $400 million to fund water improvement projects.
Kirsten James Oversees the California Policy Program, Ceres
The Golden State can take a big leap toward water sustainability with a group of bills before lawmakers this legislative session that address conservation, reuse and equity, says Ceres’ Kirsten James.
As Washington tries to balance development in rural areas with the needs of rivers, fish and water users, its lessons may be helpful for other Western states.
Holly Doremus Faculty Co-Director, U.C. Berkeley Law’s Center for Law
A recent ruling by the Ninth Circuit regarding the Clean Water Act addresses key issues pertaining to indirect discharges but leaves some important questions unanswered.
An initial review by the California Water Commission slashed the ‘public benefits’ claimed by project applicants, prompting outrage in some quarters. Others say the process is working exactly as voters intended.
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