California regulators reject San Joaquin Valley groundwater management plans
1 year, 9 months ago

California regulators reject San Joaquin Valley groundwater management plans

LA Times  

Construction continues on a section of the Friant-Kern Canal damaged by subsidence, a sinking of the earth from groundwater removal, in Terra Bella. California regulators have told local agencies in large portions of the San Joaquin Valley that their plans for combating overpumping of groundwater are inadequate, a step that clears the way for state intervention to curb chronic declines in water levels and prevent more wells from going dry. Declaring these local plans inadequate is an important step in implementing the state’s groundwater law, said Paul Gosselin, deputy director of the Department of Water Resources’ sustainable groundwater management office. “We want to see all of these basins be successful, and a key part of that is continuing to move forward on plan implementation and fixing the issues that have been identified.” In declaring the local plans inadequate, state officials cited weaknesses in how managers of local groundwater agencies plan to address chronic lowering of water levels and the likelihood of more household wells running dry. Karla Nemeth, director of the Department of Water Resources, said local agencies have “stepped up with dedication and progress in meeting critical milestones.” She said the state is prioritizing efforts to safeguard drinking water, minimize land subsidence and protect groundwater for the future.

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History of this topic

Arizona agency takes action to regulate groundwater use in rural southeast
3 days, 5 hours ago

Arizona agency takes action to regulate groundwater use in rural southeast

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — It’s necessary to regulate groundwater in the state’s rural southeast, allowing the designation of a controlled area to stop rapid depletion of the water through agricultural use, the Arizona Department of Water Resources announced Friday. The department’s Director Tom Buschatzke said data analysis of hydrologic conditions in the state’s Willcox basin shows that the conditions have been met …

Landmark government report calls for national mobilization to curb groundwater depletion
4 days, 2 hours ago

Landmark government report calls for national mobilization to curb groundwater depletion

LA Times  

Even as groundwater levels have rapidly declined in farming regions from California’s Central Valley to the High Plains, the federal government has mostly taken a hands-off approach to the chronic depletion of the nation’s aquifers. In the western U.S. groundwater resources are being depleted at alarming rates, mostly from agricultural withdrawal.” They said that groundwater, which sustains communities, food production …

Letters to the Editor: How California’s big farms kill effective groundwater management
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Letters to the Editor: How California’s big farms kill effective groundwater management

LA Times  

Orchards and farmland at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County are seen in 2019. To the editor: California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act was enacted in 2014. Ten years later, wells in the San Joaquin Valley are still going dry, water quality is poor, and land subsidence is still happening. Large-scale agriculture is more than satisfied …

A decade after signing of California groundwater law, major challenges remain
3 months, 1 week ago

A decade after signing of California groundwater law, major challenges remain

LA Times  

Water flows from a well to irrigate an orchard in Visalia in 2021. The state’s approach to intervention, he said, would saddle growers with an estimated $10 million annually in pumping fees, and would bring rapid and “extreme” restrictions on water use. “Under SGMA, local agencies are responsible for the sustainable management of their groundwater basins,” said Edward Ortiz, a …

As California seeks to curb groundwater declines, farmers in one county fight back in court
4 months, 3 weeks ago

As California seeks to curb groundwater declines, farmers in one county fight back in court

LA Times  

With long-term declines in groundwater levels putting thousands of domestic wells at risk and causing the ground to sink in parts of the San Joaquin Valley, state regulators are moving forward with efforts to force local agencies to take stronger steps to begin to rein in chronic overpumping by California’s agriculture industry. But these efforts have recently run into complications …

Amid extreme heat, California adopts long-term water-saving targets for cities
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Amid extreme heat, California adopts long-term water-saving targets for cities

LA Times  

Welcome to Boiling Point. of California Water Agencies, which represents more than 470 public agencies, said the new rules will be challenging to meet and will require a “whole statewide effort to change the way that we use water in California.” She said the additional five years will be important for achieving the long-term goals. One National Weather Service meteorologist …

California adopts sweeping statewide water conservation framework
5 months, 3 weeks ago

California adopts sweeping statewide water conservation framework

LA Times  

After years of deliberation, California water officials have adopted landmark rules that will guide future water use and conservation in the state. “To do this well and to do this right — and to achieve all of those long-term goals that we really desire as a community — the additional five years that the state water board provided is really …

California lawmakers reject proposal to curb well-drilling where nearby wells could run dry
6 months ago

California lawmakers reject proposal to curb well-drilling where nearby wells could run dry

LA Times  

Over the past several years, California’s water managers have seen a pattern emerge in farming areas of the Central Valley: Even as declining groundwater levels have left thousands of residents with dry wells and caused the ground to sink, counties have continued granting permits for agricultural landowners to drill new wells and pump even more water. In a recent report …

Groundwater plan review begins as Limestone Coast farmers fear for land's future
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Groundwater plan review begins as Limestone Coast farmers fear for land's future

ABC  

In short: A farming family on South Australia's Limestone Coast is concerned a drain that has run dry for the first time in 80 years is a sign groundwater resources are being over-used. A farming family on South Australia's Limestone Coast is concerned a drain that has run dry for the first time in 80 years is a sign groundwater …

A wet year boosted California’s groundwater, but not enough to address long-term declines
7 months, 2 weeks ago

A wet year boosted California’s groundwater, but not enough to address long-term declines

LA Times  

After years of pervasive declines, groundwater levels rose significantly in much of California last year, boosted by historic wet weather and the state’s expanding efforts to replenish depleted aquifers. The state’s aquifers gained an estimated 8.7 million acre-feet of groundwater — nearly double the total storage capacity of Shasta Lake — during the 2023 water year that ended Sept. 30, …

California farming area placed on probation over declining groundwater and sinking land
8 months, 1 week ago

California farming area placed on probation over declining groundwater and sinking land

LA Times  

For the first time, California water regulators are cracking down on one of the state’s major farming regions for failing to take steps to curb growers’ excessive groundwater pumping, which has sent water levels into rapid decline and is causing the land to sink. The State Water Resources Control Board voted unanimously Tuesday to place the Tulare Lake subbasin on …

Opinion: California has to conserve water. Why is Sacramento dragging its heels?
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Opinion: California has to conserve water. Why is Sacramento dragging its heels?

LA Times  

State law set in motion a process of setting of standards for indoor and outdoor water use that utilities and consumers can meet in flexible ways. That legislation established a framework for creating long-term water-use efficiency standards for urban water suppliers that would govern indoor use, allowable water loss and outdoor use. Because the water board’s latest plan for implementing …

Court upholds state plan to require more water in California rivers
9 months ago

Court upholds state plan to require more water in California rivers

LA Times  

A court has upheld a key decision by California’s water board calling for reductions in water diversions from the San Joaquin River and its tributaries to help revive struggling fish populations. The judge’s ruling, issued in a 162-page order last week, supports the State Water Resources Control Board’s 2018 adoption of a water quality plan for the lower San Joaquin …

California eases new water saving regulations for local agencies after pushback
9 months, 1 week ago

California eases new water saving regulations for local agencies after pushback

LA Times  

After facing criticism, California water regulators have proposed new conservation rules that would ease requirements for urban suppliers and lead to smaller statewide water savings than originally planned. The new proposal, he said, “maintains the state’s commitment to conservation while making it easier for water suppliers to meet their efficiency goals.” Aggressive and impactful reporting on climate change, the environment, …

Arizona’s Senate has passed a plan to manage rural groundwater, but final success is uncertain
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Arizona’s Senate has passed a plan to manage rural groundwater, but final success is uncertain

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — A plan to manage rural groundwater passed Arizona’s Republican-controlled Senate on Thursday amid growing concerns about the availability of sufficient water for future generations in the arid Southwestern state. “This legislation leaves rural Arizonans without a real solution for how their groundwater is managed,” Hobbs’ spokesperson Christian Slater said Thursday. “Governor Hobbs is dedicated to continued work with …

Groundwater depletion is worsening worldwide. Parts of California are suffering rapid declines
10 months, 4 weeks ago

Groundwater depletion is worsening worldwide. Parts of California are suffering rapid declines

LA Times  

From California’s Central Valley to the croplands of Iran, groundwater depletion has accelerated over the last four decades across the world’s arid food-producing regions. Groundwater levels have rapidly declined in many areas, while some aquifers' levels have risen since 2000 Median change in groundwater depth per year, in meters Deeper Shallower >1 1 0.1 0 0.1 1 >1 Reno NEVADA …

Clean water is a human right. Why are so many California communities without it?
11 months ago

Clean water is a human right. Why are so many California communities without it?

LA Times  

The Friant-Kern Canal is off limits to the residents of Tooleville, who have no access to clean running water. Gavin Newsom journeyed to a rural school in the Central Valley and stood by chance against a backdrop more prescient than he had planned: a classroom whiteboard that posed the “Essential Question — How do you respond to challenges?” The governor …

California’s water-saving plan slammed as costly, complicated and unrealistic
11 months, 1 week ago

California’s water-saving plan slammed as costly, complicated and unrealistic

LA Times  

In a scathing review, advisors to the state Legislature have found that California’s proposed regulations for urban water conservation would be costly, overly complicated and difficult to implement. But the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office said in its report that the regulations, as proposed by the State Water Resources Control Board, would create challenges for water suppliers, “in many cases without …

Their land is sinking. But Tulare Lake farm barons defy calls to cut groundwater pumping
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Their land is sinking. But Tulare Lake farm barons defy calls to cut groundwater pumping

LA Times  

Earlier this year, as floodwaters rushed toward the San Joaquin Valley city of Corcoran — home to roughly 20,000 people and a sprawling maximum-security state prison — emergency workers and desperate local officials begged the state for help raising their levee. In October, state water regulators announced they’re taking the first step toward putting the Tulare Lake region on “probation” …

California cities and farms will get 10% of requested state water supplies when 2024 begins
1 year ago

California cities and farms will get 10% of requested state water supplies when 2024 begins

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California water agencies serving 27 million people will get 10% of the water they requested from state supplies to start 2024 due to a relatively dry fall, even though the state’s reservoirs are in good shape, state officials said Friday. “California’s water year is off to a relatively dry start,” Karla Nemeth, director of the Department of …

A Tangle of Rules to Protect America’s Water Is Falling Short
1 year, 1 month ago

A Tangle of Rules to Protect America’s Water Is Falling Short

New York Times  

UNCHARTED WATERS A Tangle of Rules to Protect America’s Water Is Falling Short The Times asked all 50 states how they manage groundwater. Matthew Staver for The New York Times “I hate to say this, but essentially we don’t care if everything goes dry,” said Christopher Neel, a division chief at the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, although he added that …

Federal officials say plan for water cuts from 3 Western states is enough to protect Colorado River
1 year, 1 month ago

Federal officials say plan for water cuts from 3 Western states is enough to protect Colorado River

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Federal officials said Wednesday that conditions have improved on the Colorado River to the point that a plan by California, Arizona and Nevada to voluntarily reduce water use should help keep the river basin on stable footing for the next few years. The U.S. Department of the Interior said in a statement that the risk of reaching …

Debate over options for California’s ailing Delta region reflects deep divisions over water
1 year, 2 months ago

Debate over options for California’s ailing Delta region reflects deep divisions over water

LA Times  

California water regulators have released a long-awaited analysis of options for managing flows in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, where fish populations have been declining and the ecosystem has been deteriorating. “We will lose salmon runs and stocks — and species — if we don’t get water in our rivers.” Environmental groups and tribes say the voluntary approach would reduce …

Thousands of California wells are at risk of drying up despite landmark water law
1 year, 3 months ago

Thousands of California wells are at risk of drying up despite landmark water law

LA Times  

Michael Torres gestures toward his dry well in the unincorporated Fresno County community of Tombstone Territory in August 2022. “I hope that there’s a conversation around how we can support particularly rural and lower-income communities that will be impacted by declining groundwater levels.” The researchers said contingency plans could include securing funds to lower people’s pumps, drill new wells or …

Sweeping California water conservation rules could force big cuts in some areas
1 year, 3 months ago

Sweeping California water conservation rules could force big cuts in some areas

LA Times  

With California facing a hotter and drier future — punctuated by bouts of extreme weather — state officials are moving forward with a new framework for urban water use that could require some suppliers to make cuts of 20% or more as soon as 2025. “That legislation, and the board’s regulation, really mark a turning point and a major improvement …

In Colorado River talks, still no agreement about water cuts
1 year, 8 months ago

In Colorado River talks, still no agreement about water cuts

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Newsom rolls back California drought restrictions after remarkably wet winter
1 year, 9 months ago

Newsom rolls back California drought restrictions after remarkably wet winter

LA Times  

A Rancho Cucamonga housing tract was among those where outdoor watering was restricted to one day a week during last year’s drought. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced that he will roll back some of the state’s most severe drought restrictions and dramatically increase water supplies for agencies serving 27 million people. “We’re modifying it as opposed to eliminating it because …

Amid soaking storms, California turns to farmland to funnel water into depleted aquifers
1 year, 9 months ago

Amid soaking storms, California turns to farmland to funnel water into depleted aquifers

LA Times  

As storms have drenched Northern California, water diverted from the swollen Sacramento River has been flowing from a canal and pouring onto 200 acres of farmland. “This is how we’re going to start to recover from the drought, get water back into our drought buffer, our storage bank,” said Tim Godwin, a technical and policy advisor in the state Department …

Flush with rain, California plans to replenish drought-depleted groundwater with floodwaters
1 year, 9 months ago

Flush with rain, California plans to replenish drought-depleted groundwater with floodwaters

LA Times  

The Delta-Mendota Canal, part of the federal Central Valley Project, runs along the western edge of the San Joaquin Valley. California water officials have approved a plan to divert more than 600,000 acre-feet of floodwaters from the San Joaquin River to recharge groundwater and supply wildlife refuges. “We are taking steps to maximize groundwater recharge in a way that the …

Editorial: An unfair plan to cut California’s use of Colorado River water
1 year, 9 months ago

Editorial: An unfair plan to cut California’s use of Colorado River water

LA Times  

The immediate question before the seven states that use rapidly vanishing Colorado River water is not how to renegotiate the century-old agreement and accompanying laws that divvy up the supply. The urgent question at present is what emergency steps the states must take in the interim to keep enough Colorado River water in two huge but dangerously depleted reservoirs to …

Amid well-drilling and pumping, calls grow for stronger California water regulation
1 year, 10 months ago

Amid well-drilling and pumping, calls grow for stronger California water regulation

LA Times  

Craig Branco owns an olive orchard and a rental home outside Visalia, where two wells went dry in 2021. The governor directed counties and cities to obtain written verification from a groundwater sustainability agency that issuing a well-drilling permit would be consistent with the local plan and wouldn’t “decrease the likelihood of achieving a sustainability goal for the basin.” The …

California storms improve initial federal water allocations
1 year, 10 months ago

California storms improve initial federal water allocations

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — After early winter storms put a dent in California’s drought, officials Wednesday cautiously announced a jump in initial allocations of federally controlled water to agricultural, municipal and industrial users of the Central Valley Project system. Nine atmospheric river storms from late December into January greatly improved the water supply outlook following three years of record drought, U.S. …

California releases its own plan for Colorado River cuts
1 year, 10 months ago

California releases its own plan for Colorado River cuts

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California released a plan Tuesday detailing how Western states reliant on the Colorado River should save more water. Unlike the other states’ plan, California’s does not factor the roughly 1.5 million acre feet of Colorado River water lost to evaporation and transportation. “That was the issue over the summer, that was the issue over the fall, that’s …

Battling to avoid massive water cuts, California offers proposal on Colorado River crisis
1 year, 10 months ago

Battling to avoid massive water cuts, California offers proposal on Colorado River crisis

LA Times  

California has given the federal government its own proposal for making cuts in Colorado River water use, saying a plan offered by six other states would disproportionately burden farms and cities in Southern California. In the proposal letter, J.B. Hamby, chair of California’s Colorado River Board, said the state’s alternative “provides a realistic and implementable framework to address reduced inflows …

States miss deadline to address Colorado River water crisis; pressure builds on California
1 year, 10 months ago

States miss deadline to address Colorado River water crisis; pressure builds on California

LA Times  

Water levels in Lake Powell have been dropping during the past 23 years of drought in the Colorado River Basin. In announcing the proposal Monday, Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, called it a key step in the “ongoing dialogue” among the seven states “as we continue to seek a collaborative solution to stabilize the Colorado …

California winter storms boost water allocations for cities
1 year, 10 months ago

California winter storms boost water allocations for cities

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Weeks of historic rainfall in California won’t be enough to end a severe drought, but it will provide public water agencies serving 27 million people with much more water than the suppliers had been told to expect a month ago, state officials announced Thursday. “We’re not out of drought in California, but this certainly makes a significant …

‘Full-on crisis’: Groundwater in California’s Central Valley disappearing at alarming rate
2 years ago

‘Full-on crisis’: Groundwater in California’s Central Valley disappearing at alarming rate

LA Times  

Water flows from an underground well to irrigate an orchard in Visalia, Calif. Scientists have discovered that the pace of groundwater depletion in California’s Central Valley has accelerated dramatically during the drought as heavy agricultural pumping has drawn down aquifer levels to new lows and now threatens to devastate the underground water reserves. “California’s groundwater, and groundwater across the southwestern …

Drought-hit California cities to get little water from state
2 years ago

Drought-hit California cities to get little water from state

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California water agencies that serve 27 million people will get just 5% of what they requested from the state to start 2023, water officials announced Thursday. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which services Los Angeles and much of Southern California, relies on the state for about one-third of its water supply. We can get through …

Nearly 20% of California water agencies could see shortages if drought persists, state report shows
2 years ago

Nearly 20% of California water agencies could see shortages if drought persists, state report shows

LA Times  

A 2013 aerial view of the Los Angeles Aqueduct as it flows south in its concrete-lined channel alongside Hwy 395 south of the Owens Valley town of Lone Pine. Most of California’s urban water agencies believe they have enough supplies to last through another seven months of drought, but nearly 20% of them — including many in Southern California — …

From the air, scientists map ‘fast paths’ for recharging California’s groundwater
2 years, 1 month ago

From the air, scientists map ‘fast paths’ for recharging California’s groundwater

LA Times  

A helicopter tows an airborne electromagnetic system near Pine Flat Dam during a survey of the Kings River alluvial fan in December 2020. “The central question is, is there an efficient way to find these massive features that could provide the natural infrastructure we need to recharge California’s groundwater?” said Rosemary Knight, a geophysics professor at Stanford University and the …

Editorial: The feds can curb a foolish California water giveaway
2 years, 2 months ago

Editorial: The feds can curb a foolish California water giveaway

LA Times  

About 15 miles north of Fresno sits Millerton Lake, a reservoir created in the 1930s when the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation built Friant Dam on the San Joaquin River. It also threatened the rights of landowners to divert naturally flowing San Joaquin River water for their fields. This is one of several big water agreements, known as settlement or exchange …

More water restrictions likely as California pledges to cut use of Colorado River supply
2 years, 2 months ago

More water restrictions likely as California pledges to cut use of Colorado River supply

LA Times  

With the Colorado River in crisis and reservoir levels continuing to decline, some California water agencies are planning to significantly reduce the amount they take from the river starting next year. Four water districts and the state’s Colorado River Board said in a letter to the federal government on Wednesday that they are proposing to reduce water use by up …

With California expected to lose 10% of its water within 20 years, Newsom calls for urgent action
2 years, 4 months ago

With California expected to lose 10% of its water within 20 years, Newsom calls for urgent action

LA Times  

With California enduring historic drought amplified by global warming, Gov. And Newsom does not seem very willing to do that.” Poole said the state plan “doesn’t fundamentally change the direction of water management, which is needed to really grapple with climate change.” The governor’s strategy calls for moving ahead with controversial plans to build a giant water tunnel beneath the …

California is finally reducing water use, but it’s not enough amid severe drought
2 years, 5 months ago

California is finally reducing water use, but it’s not enough amid severe drought

LA Times  

Environmentalist Zan Dubin-Scott has started placing a watering can in her shower to capture the water as it heats up, then uses it to water her potted plants. With reservoirs at record lows and Lake Mead inching closer to “dead pool” levels, Californians are beginning to heed the state’s urgent calls for water conservation — but not fast enough, officials …

Governor signs $1.2B water plan as Arizona faces cutbacks
2 years, 5 months ago

Governor signs $1.2B water plan as Arizona faces cutbacks

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Climate change and a nearly 30-year drought forced the move, which comes as Arizona faces cutbacks in its Colorado River water supply and more loom. “So today we are taking action to do what the men and women of Arizona hired us to do — position our state for success today, tomorrow and for generations to …

California cuts grass watering down as drought dries West
2 years, 6 months ago

California cuts grass watering down as drought dries West

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Grass in office parks, on college campuses or in some California neighborhoods will go brown this summer after state water officials adopted a ban Tuesday on watering certain green spaces as the state’s drought drags on. Stacy Taylor, water policy manager at Mesa Water District in Orange County, said many local districts have already achieved major water …

California just adopted new, tougher water restrictions: What you need to know
2 years, 6 months ago

California just adopted new, tougher water restrictions: What you need to know

LA Times  

California water regulators strengthened the state’s drought rules this week, ordering local suppliers to take steps to reduce water usage to stretch limited supplies this summer. Gavin Newsom warned that more stringent statewide water restrictions could come if the state doesn’t make more progress on conservation soon. Water agencies that haven’t yet turned in a contingency plan are required to …

Californians could see mandatory water cuts amid drought
2 years, 7 months ago

Californians could see mandatory water cuts amid drought

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened Monday to impose mandatory water restrictions if residents don’t use less on their own as a drought drags on and the hotter summer months approach. Despite calls for conservation, the state’s water use went up dramatically in March — 19% compared to the same month in 2020 — and now Newsom is …

California bans watering ‘nonfunctional’ grass in some areas, strengthening drought rules
2 years, 7 months ago

California bans watering ‘nonfunctional’ grass in some areas, strengthening drought rules

LA Times  

The California water board is proposing a ban on watering ‘nonfunctional’ grass in some areas. “We need to activate Californians and really lean into the conservation that we’re needing to see,” said Joaquin Esquivel, chair of the state water board. “However, water agencies and golf courses need to evaluate whether other turf on a golf course property is functional or …

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