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C-Win: Big Tunnel, Big Taxes: Newsom’s Gigantic Water Project Would Spike Property Taxes

/in , /by /Maven's Notebookby Tom Stokely and Max Gomberg
Rising costs are squeezing Californians. Groceries, rent, gas—everything—are on a skyward trajectory. And now, water costs are adding to the affordability crisis. In San Diego, cumulative drinking water and wastewater rates are going up 93%. Other communities across the state are not far behind. But the worst could be yet to come.
Governor Newsom has been pushing to build a $60-$100 billion tunnel to deliver more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to Kern County agriculture and Southern California cities. However, the tunnel would likely end up as a “stranded asset”—a capital investment with no chance of fulfilling its goals or justifying its costs. It would fail to provide water during dry periods, and its deliveries would lack demand in wet years. Moreover, if this mega-project gets approved, it will be financed by bonds supported both by water rates and by spikes in property taxes for most Californians.
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Betterfleet to Power EV Charge Management at Helix Water District’s Electric Vehicle Depot

/in , /by /Clean Truckingby Jay Traugott

BetterFleet has announced it’s been selected by Helix Water District in San Diego, California to provide its proprietary Charge Management System (CMS) as part of the District’s broader effort to transition to a zero-emission fleet. The system will support the development of what is expected to be one of the most advanced electric vehicle charging depots operated by a U.S. water utility.

The project includes the deployment of 87 high-power DC charging dispensers powered by electricity from San Diego Gas & Electric and managed through BetterFleet’s EV fleet operations SaaS platform. The software will centrally control the charging infrastructure and coordinate vehicle dispatch, functioning as the primary operational layer for the depot.

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Billions Of Dollars In Play As Communities Tackle Aging Water Infrastructure

/in , /by /Water Onlineby Mary Scott Nabers

America’s water and wastewater infrastructure is entering a period of reinvestment, and because of that, opportunities for collaboration between private sector firms and public entities will be abundant in 2026.

Decades-old treatment plants, pump stations, and collection systems are being pushed beyond their original design lives by population growth, tighter environmental regulations, and volatile weather patterns. Public officials are moving to protect and upgrade the nation’s critical water infrastructure, and demand for experienced partners will be high demand for the next several years.

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Snow Survey Shows California’s Snow Levels Below Average Sparking Concerns

/in , /by /ABC 7by Niku Kazori

California’s snowpack is shrinking after a rather dry January. The Department of Water Resources says new measurements show snow levels below average for this time of year.

“Although today’s results are below average, we still have some time to catch up before the critical April 1st measurements. Current forecasts don’t show any significant precipitation or snow for the next two weeks,” DWR Snow Survey Manager Andy Reising said.

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Western Governors Hold Historic Meeting in Washington, D.C. Over Management of Colorado River

/in , /by /CBS Newsby Christa Swanson

A historic meeting took place at the nation’s capital on Friday as Colorado Gov. Jared Polis joined governors from across the Colorado River Basin.

He joined the governors of Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, California, Nevada and Arizona in talks centered on how to reach an agreement that protects the Colorado River. Polis said the discussion focused on next steps, timelines and a commitment from all of the states involved to avoid litigation.

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California’s Largest New Reservoir in Decades Secures Federal Approval

/in , , /by /SFGateby Madilynne Medina

The U.S. Department of the Interior approved a major California water project on Friday, clearing a key obstacle for a massive new reservoir.

The proposed 1.5 million acre-foot Sites Reservoir would store water from the Sacramento River and distribute it during droughts to several parts of California, including the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, Southern California and the Bay Area. Stretching about 4 miles across and 13 miles north to south, it’s meant to provide water to approximately 24 million people, and it would mark California’s first major reservoir project since 1979, when New Melones Lake was completed.

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Trump Is Winning His Water Tug-Of-War With Newsom

/in , /by /Politicoby Camille von Kaenel

President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom are so in sync on California water that they’re in a race to capture as much of it as possible — even at each other’s expense.

Trump and Newsom’s relative alignment on water issues has been good news all around for farmers and cities that draw from both sides of the state’s main water hub: the federally run Central Valley Project, and the aptly named State Water Project, which is state-run.

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Heated Debate Over California Water Plan as Environmentalists Warn of ‘Ecosystem Collapse’

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

The question of how to protect fish and the ecological health of rivers that feed California’s largest estuary is generating heated debate in a series of hearings in Sacramento, as state officials try to gain support for a plan that has been years in the making.

“I am passionate that this is the pathway to recover fish,” said state Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot. “This is the paradigm we need: collaborative, adaptive management versus conflict and litigation.”

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Cheaper Recycled Water Is Coming. But Your Water Bill Will Still Go Up. Here’s Why.

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Lucas Robinson Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Three communities – San Diego, Oceanside and parts of East County – are entering the era of recycled water, at a crucial moment for local water politics. How that gets sorted out will be reflected in San Diegans’ water bills.

A decade ago, amid worries about the impact of drought on water supplies, those San Diego municipalities turned to recycled water, that is, turning sewage into drinking water. One local city, Carlsbad, also has a desalination plant, which turns seawater into drinking water.

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SDSU’s One Water Lab Brings Real-Time River Water Research to the San Diego River

/in , /by /CBS 8 by Vanessa Paz

A groundbreaking water research facility is taking shape along the San Diego River, giving scientists access to something they’ve never had before: real water, in real time.

The project, called the One Water Lab, is being developed by San Diego State University, steps from the river itself. Unlike traditional labs confined to classrooms, this facility is designed to study water exactly where it flows, bringing research out into the environment it’s meant to protect.

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