California and the U.S.

The latest news and analysis covering water issues in Caliornia and the rest of the United States.

Weekend Power Shutoffs Lead To Water Shortage In Vallejo

As much of Vallejo struggles without power, officials have planned for such a problem by installing a backup generator at the city’s water treatment facility. That plant turns raw water from Northern California lakes into potable drinking water but over the weekend there was a water emergency that had nothing to do with Vallejo at […]

Here’s How $500M New Reservoir Planned Near Patterson Would Work

A proposed reservoir in Del Puerto Canyon, just west of Patterson, promises reliable water deliveries for farms in western Stanislaus County and nearby counties. It could serve to recharge groundwater for Patterson, a city of 23,750 residents, while other proposed benefits are water deliveries for wildlife refuges and flood control on occasions when storms threaten […]

Wall Street Spends Millions to Buy Up Washington State Water

Follow the water and you’ll find the money. That’s how it often works in the dusty rural corners of Washington, where a Wall Street-backed firm is staking an ambitious venture on the state’s water. Crown Columbia Water Resources since 2017 has targeted the water rights of farms on tributaries of the mighty Columbia River.

Winter Floods Are Coming: Here’s How to ‘Be Flood Ready’

SACRAMENTO — The California Department of Water Resources is encouraging Californians to prepare for a wide variety of potential flooding in the coming months, as the winter storm season quickly approaches. More than seven million Californians in rural communities, urban areas and along the coast are at risk of flooding. Flooding can occur throughout the […]

Opinion: We Must Press California, Federal Officials to Clean Up Toxic Rivers

Contamination of soil and groundwater takes a huge toll on California’s environment. In 2017, the amount of untreated sewage and industrial waste dumped into Southern California rivers was equal to at least 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools. More than 100 million gallons of untreated sewage were dumped into the Tijuana River near Imperial Beach in September […]

Farmland Owners Look to Solar As Groundwater Restrictions Loom

New solar energy installations may be headed to the valley portion of Kern County as investors, government officials and advocacy groups weigh options for reusing land that will have to be taken out of production as a result of state restrictions on groundwater pumping. Photovoltaic solar arrays, for years an attractive investment for local farmland […]