A year of average precipitation gave California’s groundwater supplies a significant boost, according to a state analysis released Tuesday.
California’s aquifers gained an estimated 2.2 million acre-feet of groundwater in the 12 months that ended Sept. 30, the state’s 2024 water year. That’s about half the storage capacity of Shasta Lake, California’s largest reservoir.
THERE’S NOTHING LIKE A GOOD CRISIS: The situation on the Colorado River — the water supply for 40 million Westerners and half of all Californians — is dire. The waterway’s flows have shrunk 20 percent since the turn of the century and climate scientists say it’s not unreasonable to think that another 20 percent could be lost in the coming decades. To cities, farmers, tribes and industries from Wyoming to Mexico — but especially in legally vulnerable Arizona — that looks like pain. To the Los Angeles-based water company Cadiz Inc., that looks like opportunity.
Jason and Taylor McAllister may just have the most beautiful landscaping on their cul-de-sac block in Santee. For Jason in particular, being able to show off the couple’s home is particularly meaningful because he grew up in it and had helped work on the yard as a teenager. Jason moved away in December 2000 but returned for good in February 2020, the year his mom died and he inherited the home. She had been sick for quite a while and the house clearly needed updating. The landscape — both front and back — had gone to nothing but weeds and also needed a lot of love.
On June 26, San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) will vote on a staff recommendation (link is external) to end its sponsorship and funding for the Water Conservation Garden (link is external). The Garden says accessibility to the public is at risk if SDCWA withdraws, and started an online petition(link is external) campaign to request that an option to stay, be added to the Committee’s agenda. The petition has received 1,319 signatures in its first 24 hours. One can also send an email (link is external) addressed to committee members via their clerk.
Olivenhain Municipal Water District has completed construction of several recycled water pipelines in Carlsbad and Encinitas. The installation of over 5,600 feet of new pipelines will allow several HOA communities in the project area to convert their irrigation systems to recycled water, resulting in more than 12.5 million gallons of drinking water saved every year, according to a news release. “Converting our irrigation system to recycled water was the right decision,” said Paul Heller, Summerhill HOA board president, in the news release.
The Colorado River Board of California (CRB), tasked with safeguarding the state’s water rights and interests in the Colorado River since its establishment in 1937, will continue its operations through July 1, 2026, under a newly proposed one-year funding extension. The amendment was approved through the consent calendar at the Tuesday, June 17, Imperial Irrigation District (IID) board meeting. It extends the existing financial agreement among the Six Agency Committee (SAC) without altering the cost-sharing structure.
Lake Oroville is nearing its full capacity, a stark contrast to its all-time low of 643 feet above sea level nearly four years ago. The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is closely monitoring the water levels and operations of Lake Oroville. According to DWR spokesperson Raquel Borrayo, the lake is currently at 98% capacity.
Golden State officials have said the Delta Conveyance Project will pump 3,000 cubic feet of water per second, strengthening water resources in Southern California. To Malissa Tayaba, it’s a project that will desecrate her ancestors’ graves. Tayaba, vice chair of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, spoke Wednesday outside of the California Capitol against the project that’s been estimated to cost $20 billion.
The organizations representing critical networks that keep the lights on, the water running and transportation systems humming across the U.S. are bracing for a possible surge of Iranian cyberattacks. Virtually every critical infrastructure sector is on high alert amid a deepening conflict between Iran and Israel, though no major new cyber threat activity has been publicly reported so far. As these groups proactively step up their defenses, it’s unclear whether Washington is coordinating with them on security efforts — a change from prior moments of geopolitical unrest, when federal agencies have played a key role in sounding the alarm.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the department that oversees water management, could have its next leader come from Arizona. President Donald Trump nominated Ted Cooke to be the agency’s next commissioner. The big picture: Trump nominated Cooke for commissioner on Monday. The nomination was received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Driving the news: Cooke was the manager for the Central Arizona Project from 2015 to 2023 and has over two decades of experience with the agency.
