California Seeing an Above Average Water Year
Zoe Mintz reports on water levels throughout California being above average, as snow levels hit below average levels
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California, Other States Blast Federal Playbook for Colorado River Options
The sluggish Colorado River negotiations have entered a new phase: long and fiery letter-writing.
Politicians, water negotiators and environmental groups recently submitted hundreds of pages of comments on the Interior Department’s playbook for how to manage the waterway. There are currently five possible options to deal with the river in the absence of a deal between the seven states in the basin.
Why Thinning a Forest Could Get You More Drinking Water
You might appreciate snowpack as something to sled, ski, or snowboard on. But beyond the slopes, vast masses of snow melt as winter turns to spring, feeding rivers and streams, which go on to hydrate towns and cities and crops. We’re talking incredible amounts of water: California, for instance, gets 30 percent of its supply from the snowpack in its Sierra Nevada mountains.
But across the American west, that bounty is in trouble as the climate quickly changes: The region is currently in the grip of a severe snow drought, as more precipitation falls as rain. At the same time, higher temperatures are desiccating the landscape, fueling massive wildfires once all that snow melts away. Not helping matters is a long history of fire suppression — quickly stamping out blazes has allowed dry vegetation to accumulate, adding yet more fuel to the flames.
OPINION: Building the Abundant Water Coalition
If enough people in California agreed on a state water strategy, the political obstacles would be overcome. If every major water agency, every farming association, and a critical mass of environmental groups were all committed to a specific set of policies and projects, then elected politicians would be bound to adhere to those priorities. Regulatory relief, legislative actions, executive orders, agency directives, and sources of funding would all align.
So what would it take for Californians to rediscover a consensus so durable that the state could embark on a water project for the 21st century that rivals the massive projects of the 20th century?
California, Arizona and Nevada Press Trump Administration To Rethink Colorado River Water Cuts
Leaders of California, Arizona and Nevada are criticizing the Trump administration’s proposals for water cutbacks along the Colorado River, urging it to take a different approach and avoid a court battle.
The three downstream states said in letters to the Interior Department this week that the agency’s preliminary outline of five options for cuts ignores the foundational “Law of the River” that has underpinned how seven western states operate for more than a century.
California Pushes for Statewide Water-Conservation Plan in Fight Against Climate Change
State officials in California have announced the implementation of a statewide water-saving plan meant to conserve water resources amid worsening climate change.
“Climate change is reshaping life in California through historic droughts and record storms that threaten the farms that feed the nation, communities that depend on reliable water, and the environment we all share,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a news release on Feb. 25. “The 2028 Water Plan is a commitment to every Californian that we will capture, store, and conserve the water our state — the 4th largest economy in the world — needs to thrive, no matter what climate change throws at us.”
Head of L.A.’s Department of Water and Power Resigns
The head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is stepping down to become chief executive of an electric company in her native Puerto Rico.
Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement Wednesday that Janisse Quiñones, the DWP’s top executive since 2024, brought “steady leadership and engineering expertise” to the utility. In her new job, Quiñones will work on modernizing Puerto Rico’s electric grid.
Arizona Water Leaders Push Back on ‘Unacceptable’ Draft Colorado River Plans
Arizona water leaders had some harsh words about a draft of federal plans for managing the Colorado River. Brenda Burman, general manager of the Central Arizona Project, wrote in a statement that those plans would “disproportionately harm Arizona and are unacceptable.”
The Colorado River is managed according to agreements between the seven states that use it. The current management plan expires this year, and those states have failed to agree on a new deal for sharing water. With states at an impasse, the federal government proposed its own series of options for river management.
California Snowpack Still Below Average Despite Winter Storms
Despite the recent onslaught of winter storms in California, the state’s snowpack is still below average, according to state officials. During the third snow survey of the season, Department of Water Resources officials “recorded 28 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 11 inches, which is 47% of average for this location,” the agency said in a Feb. 27 news release.
Statewide, the snowpack is 66% average for this time of year, officials said.
California Warns Federal Government: Proposed Colorado River Plans May Violate Century-Old Water Compact
California water officials issued a formal warning to the federal government Monday, asserting that current draft plans for managing the Colorado River after 2026 lack a sound legal basis and unfairly shift the burden of drought onto Lower Basin states.
In a detailed comment letter submitted to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, JB Hamby, California’s Colorado River Commissioner, argued that the government’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) fails to analyze whether its proposed “shortage” scenarios actually comply with the 1922 Colorado River Compact—the foundational “Law of the River.”
