Several news sources featured in the Daily Digest may limit the number of articles you can access without a subscription. However, gift articles and open-access links are provided when available. For more open access California water news articles, explore the main page at MavensNotebook.com.

In California water news today …

State officials say federal cuts threaten California’s environment

“Budget cuts, staff reductions and other sweeping changes from the federal government are posing real threats to California’s environment and progress against climate change, state officials said Thursday. At a gathering of the state’s top leaders in wildfire response, water resources, natural lands and clean energy, they underscored the ways the Golden State has long worked together with federal agencies — and how actions by the Trump administration are putting that cooperative work in jeopardy. “We want federal agencies to succeed, and in fact we need them to succeed,” said Wade Crowfoot, California’s natural resources secretary, noting that 48% of the state’s land is owned and managed by the federal government. “Because if they fail, it impacts the prosperity and safety of Californians.” … ” Read more from the LA Times.

San Joaquin Valley Water Blueprint pushes for bold water reforms

“The San Joaquin Valley Water Blueprint, a diverse coalition of agricultural, municipal, and community stakeholders, is stepping up efforts to improve water supply reliability in California’s Central Valley. At the heart of their advocacy is support for Executive Order 14181, originally issued under the Trump administration, which lays the groundwork for modernizing water management and increasing overall water deliveries statewide. The Blueprint has formally reached out to several influential leaders—including former President Donald Trump, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, and California Governor Gavin Newsom—urging them to coordinate on water policy reforms. Their goal: to align regulatory frameworks and accelerate infrastructure improvements that could unlock up to 9 million acre-feet of additional water per year by 2040. … ” Read more from Ag Net West.

Neutral ENSO conditions likely to last into winter

“Neutral conditions dominating large parts of the eastern and central Pacific are likely to persist throughout the rest of the year and into the upcoming winter, according to a recent NOAA outlook. In the agency’s most recent update, researchers noted that much of the Pacific has anomalies between 0.5 °C to -0.5 °C, meaning neither El Niño nor La Niña is in control. Once surface temperature anomalies reach at least -0.5 °C or colder, a La Niña is considered underway, which has global implications for weather patterns. The agency said that if the status of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or what is commonly referred to as the ENSO, were to reach the cool phase later in the year, the changeover would likely not mean a whole lot of change, because the La Niña would be weak. … ” Read more from Fox Weather.

UC Merced breakthrough could transform how California monitors toxic algal blooms

“The San Luis Reservoir in Merced County — one of California’s largest artificial lakes — not only irrigates Central Valley farmland and supplies drinking water across the Silicon Valley and the South Bay, but also draws swimmers, boaters and anglers year-round. Yet for months at a time, forest-green blankets of algae spread across the lake’s surface. Despite their calm appearance, these harmful algal blooms (HABs) can disrupt water supplies, ecosystems and recreation activities — and pose serious health risks. … While earning her graduate degree in environmental systems at the University of California, Merced, Brittany Barreto Martinez, now a postdoctoral research fellow at the Disturbance Hydrology Lab at San Diego State University, saw an opportunity to improve HAB monitoring, which has typically relied on shoreline water samples. “One day I went out to sample on Labor Day weekend, and naturally people took their boats to fish and swim,” said Barreto Martinez. “At the time, the lake was very green, at a warning level at least. It’s valuable to determine the algal bloom patterns further into the lake rather than just at the lake’s edges, especially if boating and fishing is allowed.” … ” Read more from CITRIS.

Almond crop booms after rough weather in bloom

“All things considered, Chico, Calif., farm manager Lee Heringer is happy with this season’s almond crop. Heavy deluges during bloom flooded orchards at M&T Chico Ranch, but mild spring temperatures helped the crop rebound. “This’ll be the third year in a row we’re really happy with our crop,” Heringer, the farm’s co-manager, told Farm Press. “I do hear statewide that there are some spots that aren’t as shiny, but I hear there are spots that are loaded as well. It’s certainly variety specific as well.” The mild spring appeared to bolster almond yields statewide. The USDA’s 2025 California almond production forecast has risen to 3 billion meat pounds, up 7% from May’s subjective forecast and 10% higher than last year’s crop of 2.73 billion meat pounds. The forecast is based on 1.39 million bearing acres, explains the National Agricultural Statistics Service office in Sacramento. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press.

Microsoft-partnered project funds improved irrigation in CA

“In early summer, Kilimo — a Latin America-based climatech company focused on improving agricultural water security — announced it had launched an irrigation improvement project in California’s Central Valley in partnership with Microsoft and Netafim. According to Kilimo, the farms participating in the new Central Valley project raise forage crops such as winter grass and summer silage corn, wheat and tomatoes. Like previous similar projects with Microsoft in Chile and Mexico, the new project will transition participating farmers currently using flood irrigation to drip irrigation. “The conversion to drip irrigation is going to be fully financed by us and the corporate partner,” says Jairo Trad, CEO and co-founder of Kilimo. He stresses that this partnership is quite unique: “This is a private stakeholder financing another private stakeholder without the government intervening.” … ” Read more from The Packer.

As L.A. bakes, duration of heat waves is accelerating faster than climate change, UCLA study shows

“As sizzling temperatures sweep across Southern California this week, UCLA researchers have released a new finding that the duration of heat waves is increasing faster than global warming. Researchers found that heat waves are not only getting hotter, but also becoming longer at a rate that will accelerate as the planet continues to warm. “Each fraction of a degree of warming will have more impact than the last,” said UCLA climate scientist David Neelin, who helped lead the study. This means that even relatively modest warming can significantly boost the risk of powerful, enduring heat waves — underscoring the need to develop strategies to help keep people, agriculture and infrastructure safe in extreme heat, he said. … ” Read more from the LA Times.

Bipartisan clean water bill SB 601 heads to Assembly

“Senator Ben Allen’s SB 601, the Right to Clean Water Act, is a critically important bill that aims to strengthen California’s clean water law, the Porter Cologne Act, by ensuring that waterways previously protected under federal law would continue to be protected under state law. In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Sackett decision, the Court severely narrowed the types of streams and wetlands covered under the federal Clean Water Act, leaving millions of miles of rivers and streams and millions of acres of wetlands vulnerable to unregulated pollution. If passed, SB 601 would safeguard the state’s streams and wetlands from further federal rollbacks that put public health and our shared waters at risk. California has already lost over 90% of its ecologically valuable wetlands. In San Diego, many of our small creeks and streams, and even the Otay and Tijuana Rivers, are potentially vulnerable without the added protection of this bill. … ” Read more from the OC Coastkeeper.

Partners advance forest health on fire-impacted landscape, protecting communities and State Water Project headwaters

“Blue Forest joins the Sierra Institute for the Community and Environment (Sierra Institute), USDA Forest Service, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan Water District), Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) to launch the North Feather I Forest Resilience Bond (FRB). This FRB represents a strategic alignment of organizations and governmental agencies to finance the acceleration of forest restoration activities, known as treatments, bringing a comprehensive approach to address wildfire and watershed risks in California. The FRB treatments, including fuels removal and thinning, aim to restore forest health, protect communities, and create a more resilient landscape and water supply. … ” Read more from the Associated Press.

Nature’s recovery after wildfire begins with the birds

“Wildfires can leave utter devastation in their wake. But, when it comes to nature’s recovery, it’s often the birds that make the first notable impact. This year’s Wildfire and Earthquake Safety Expo was all about keeping your family, property, and animals safe. So what about wildlife recovery after a wildfire? That is where Kimberly Lemons, a volunteer with the Bird Rescue Center of Sonoma County, chimed in. It’s often apex predators like coyotes, bears, and foxes get displaced by fire, but she said, they aren’t the first to re-populate a charred area. “It’s probably going to be your insects, your bugs,” she said. Next to repopulate will be, “birds that can fly in, to take advantage of the insects and fly back to a spot where they can get food and water,” Lemons said. … ” Read more from NorCal Public Media.

Return to top

In regional water news and commentary today …

NORTH COAST

Free Rivers Symposium kicks off in Klamath ahead of the First Descent kayakers return

“The Klamath River Dam Removal First Descent youth kayaking trip will come to an end on Friday in Klamath for the First Descent Reception. The group will participate in some reflection on their adventure as well as speak about the importance of global river justice and its effect. Friday will be the 30th day of the group’s source-to-sea journey, becoming the first group to navigate through the recently undammed Klamath River. Friday’s event is also the beginning of the Free Rivers Symposium, a four-day event in Klamath with tribal leaders, scientists and environmental organizations highlighting the ecological and cultural significance of the restored Klamath River. In the Free Rivers Symposium, experts will highlight the impacts of wildlife and river ecosystems, the impact on the water and habitat restoration. … ” Read more from the Times-Standard.

MOUNTAIN COUNTIES

Truckee River rafting season thrives despite early challenges

“The Truckee River rafting season is booming as warm temperatures draw hundreds of visitors, overcoming initial delays due to dam construction. On Thursday, visitors and employees alike were enjoying a cool and picture-perfect day on the river. “We had to push our start date a little bit, like kind of towards the beginning of July because of the construction on the dam up the river, but the construction’s going well, and they just opened the flow back up to 300 cubic feet per second, which is our perfect flow level,” said Claire Alonso from Truckee River Rafting. … ” Read more from KCRA.

SACRAMENTO VALLEY

Invasive mussel prevention at Lake Oroville

“The Oroville Recreation Advisory Committee convened on Wednesday, July 9 for the first time since the California Department of Water Resources initiated a watercraft inspection program at Lake Oroville. The program aims to prevent the spread of the invasive golden mussel, which has been detected in various bodies of water across California. “Once they take hold, they’ll start to clog pipes,” said Andy Bambauer, DWR senior engineer. “They attach to the outside wall and start to constrict further inward until they’ll completely clog the pipe.” … ” Read more from KRCR.

BAY AREA

Even after Texas floods, S.F. has no plans to fix its defunct tsunami warning sirens

“Disastrous flooding along Texas’ Guadalupe River raised the question of whether a system of warning sirens could have saved lives. In San Francisco, where a network of sirens once stood ready to warn residents of tsunami risk, there are no plans to revive the old technology. Though the system has been defunct since 2019 and officials have discussed whether to fix or replace the sirens, Mayor Daniel Lurie did not include funding for it in his budget proposal that the Board of Supervisors is set to approve within weeks. The cost of repair or replacement has been estimated as high as $20 million, and cell phone alerts, while far from a perfect warning system, is the primary technology the city relies on. Still, the deadly Texas floods and the lack of a siren system there stirred debate online. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Judge readies San Francisco radioactive waste suit for trial

“Land developer Five Point Holdings moved one step closer to trial on Thursday in its lawsuit against Tetra Tech EC for its role in the 2018 Hunters Point Naval Shipyard scandal, where the company was accused of improperly cleaning up radioactive contamination. At a hearing, a federal judge resolved multiple motions to dismiss and for summary judgment in the multiple related lawsuits around the scandal without much explanation. “I will not issue judgment without a trial on the basis of the law here,” U.S. District Judge James Donato told attorneys. The Barack Obama appointee verbally denied the defendants’ motions, not indicating when he would issue a written ruling on the matter. However, Donato also confirmed that the U.S. government, one of the defendants, wouldn’t be heading to trial in the case in October, as it is currently awaiting the approval of a settlement with the parties on claims that it violated the False Claims Act. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service.

Water rate increase less than projected for Brentwood

“Brentwood residents can expect the city’s water savings to trickle down to them following a special meeting of the City Council on July 1 in which it determined that a previously approved 6.5% increase to water rates would be lowered to a 4% increase instead. “Thanks to favorable weather conditions and improved water quality from the Delta, the City’s water treatment costs were lower than expected,” a press release from the public works department explaining the lower rate stated. “City staff closely monitors the financial health of the City’s enterprise funds, and when cost savings are identified, we act on them.” … ” Read more from the Brentwood Press.

CENTRAL COAST

Engineering of Los Osos pipeline gets green light

“On July 10, the Los Osos Community Service District (CSD) Board of Directors approved a request by general manager Ron Munds to provide $630,000 in funding to design and pre-engineer the proposed intertie pipeline for the community. The pipeline would connect to the State Water Project in Morro Bay and bring 200 to 600 acre-feet of water to supplement the community’s groundwater supply. The basin pumps about 1800 acre feet of water annually to provide both domestic and ag users with water. Munds expressed some urgency to provide a new source of water for the town of 15,000 after a bombshell hydrologist study showed pumping of groundwater in town is “not sustainable” at the current level. The study was supported by 5 hydrologists in peer reviews, says Munds. … ” Read more from Sierra 2 the Sea.

Here’s why commercial water users in North SLO County may soon pay more

“On Wednesday, July 9, 2025, Paso Robles Area Groundwater Authority (PRAGA) held an open house to discuss the possibility of implementing a new fee for commercial groundwater users. This added charge will be used to fund the county’s Groundwater Sustainability Plan in the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin area. The meeting was held to inform the public of the upcoming changes while also encouraging questions from them ahead of the formal hearing scheduled on August 1. The agency says the fee will help fund the implementation of the Groundwater Sustainability Plan, a requirement under California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The collected revenue will contribute to the management of the basin to achieve long-term water balance in the region. … ” Read more from Edhat.

SEE ALSO: Paso Robles Groundwater Authority proposes groundwater fee for large pumpers, from the Paso Robles Daily News

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY

The tankhouse: a rapidly vanishing icon of the Central Valley

“They were once a common and iconic part of the Central Valley landscape, but they’re growing increasingly rare. Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the story of the tankhouse – a key technology that made the valley bloom, over 100 years ago. Drive through the rural areas on the east side of the Valley and chances are at some point you’ll come across an old farmhouse from the 19th century. In many cases, you’ll see an odd shaped outbuilding, shaped kind of like a giant wooden milk carton, two or three stories tall. Some have sloping walls at the base, while others are boxy rectangles. They’re known as tankhouses, and while they can be found in places ranging from Texas to the Northwest, they’re especially identified with California, and the Central Valley. … ” Read more from KVPR.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

How Los Angeles learned to save water

“A decade ago, Jerry Brown, then California’s governor, imposed the state’s first mandatory restrictions on water use. Years of drought had brought about a harsh confrontation with reality: Californians would have to change their relationship with water. “You just can’t live the way you always have,” Mr. Brown said to his fellow Californians at the time. But in California — and most notably in Los Angeles, the state’s most populous metropolitan area — a quiet revolution was already underway, Michael Kimmelman reported for Headway in June: Over the last half century or so, millions more people have moved to greater Los Angeles, settling in increasingly far-flung reaches of the desert and in the mountains, requiring more faucets, toilets and shower heads, producing more garbage and more gridlock on the 405 freeway, reinforcing all the clichés about excess and sprawl. And during this same time, Angelenos have been consuming less water. … ” Read more from the New York Times.

Ontario says regional water recycling project will cost customers too much

“Ontario and other Inland Valley cities are questioning the price tag of a long-planned water storage project and demanding more information on behalf of ratepayers. The Chino Basin Project, a long-gestating plan managed by the Inland Empire Utilities Agency, would recycle more water in western San Bernardino County to reduce demand for water imported from Northern California. “This is a huge, huge public expense. How is IEUA going to pay for this? We don’t know, because they’re not telling anybody,” said Scott Burton, Ontario’s utilities general manager. The city, and some of IEUA’s other partners, are raising concerns about the price tag and benefits of the program, which has been approved by the agency’s board over the objection of some members. “We’re in search of how the program will work, what the costs are, and what the benefits will be,” Burton said. … ” Read more from the Inland Daily Bulletin.

Long live the fire fish

“As some of the worst fires in Los Angeles history swept through the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods in January 2025, Rosi Dagit, who was herself evacuated from her home in Topanga, couldn’t stop thinking about the fish. Rosi is the Principal Conservation Biologist with the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, and the fish keeping her up at night were small Northern Tidewater gobies and Southern Steelhead trout, both federally-listed endangered species in the Topanga Creek watershed, which was on fire. To be clear, Rosi wasn’t concerned about the fish catching on fire. She was concerned with suffocation. Almost the entire Topanga Creek watershed had burned, from ridgeline to ridgeline and down to Topanga lagoon abutting the ocean. As hillsides burn, they begin to destabilize as the vegetation and roots that normally hold the sediment in place disappear. The combination of the water used by fire crews to put out the fires and one of the first significant rainfall events of the 2025 season caused the hillsides to start sliding away in a muddy torrent funneled down through the watershed creeks and streams, burying anything swimming beneath the surface or even washing them out to sea. … ” Continue reading from USC Dornsife.

Palisades Fire victims accuse LADWP of altering records and changing policies in amended lawsuit

“As we mark six months since the devastating January wildfires, there are troubling new allegations by thousands of Palisades Fire victims in their lawsuit against the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). They claim the utility tampered with records for a reservoir that was empty at the time of the fire, as well as power lines in the area. The new allegations accuse LADWP of failing to comply with its own policy, then changing the policy and altering a computer log to erase an over four-hour delayed arrival to shut off power to the Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7. … ” Read more from ABC 7.

Beaches show signs of recovery six months after devastating fires

“Six months after devastating wildfires swept through Los Angeles communities, comprehensive testing shows Santa Monica Bay beaches are largely safe for recreation, while successful conservation efforts have returned endangered fish to their natural habitats. Water and sand analysis conducted by Heal the Bay and regional authorities found that fire-related contaminants, including heavy metals like mercury, barium, chromium, arsenic and lead, “appear to be below the risk-thresholds for human health,” according to the organization’s latest safety assessment. “The data we have shows that LA beach water and sand do contain certain heavy metals and other fire-related chemicals, but these contaminants largely appear to be within safe levels for recreation,” said Tracy Quinn, CEO of Heal the Bay, who was kayaking in Antarctica when the January 7 fires began. … ” Read more from the Santa Monica Daily Press.

SEE ALSO: L.A. has never experienced loss on this scale. Measuring progress six months after the fires is hard and painful, from the LA Times

SAN DIEGO

Lawmakers call for federal action on Tijuana River pollution crisis

“California lawmakers on Thursday re-introduced the Border Water Quality Restoration and Protection Act to combat ongoing pollution from the Tijuana River. San Diego Democrats Juan Vargas and Scott Peters introduced the bill in the House of Representatives. Two fellow members of San Diego’s House delegation, Sara Jacobs and Mike Levin are cosponsors on the bill, along with Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-La Quinta. On the Senate floor, both California senators. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, introduced the bill. “This is an environmental crisis, a public health crisis, and an economic crisis for San Diegans. The federal government should treat it as such,” Peters said in a press release. … ” Read more from the Times of San Diego.

Return to top

Along the Colorado River …

Colorado River water guidelines expire soon. What comes next?

“From its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains until it runs dry in Mexico, the Colorado River has nourished those living in the region for thousands of years. That remains true to this day, with more than 80% of Arizona’s population receiving water from the river’s flow. But as supplies dwindle and a high stakes negotiation looms, the future of the Colorado River is murky. Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and Mexico all receive an allotment from the Colorado River based on intricate legal arrangements. Today, the Grand Canyon State is granted 2.8 million acre-feet of water, 60% of which is managed by the Central Arizona Project (CAP). For context, Tempe Town Lake holds approximately 3,000 acre-feet of water. Due to shortages, CAP’s 336-mile canal system is taking 512,000 acre-feet less water from its share, but the current framework governing how and when those reductions occur is set to expire at the end of next year. … ” Read more from Arizona Big Media.

Has the Colorado River reached a turning point? Not yet

Opinion columnist Joanna Allhands writes, “Have we reached a turning point on the Colorado River? Could it be that the river on which 40 million people rely is no longer headed for certain doom after 2026, when its current operating rules expire? There are two reasons to be cautiously optimistic: The feds — who for far too long chose to stay out of the fray — have finally told warring states to come up with a deal by a certain date, or they’ll make one for them; and state-appointed negotiators — who have been at loggerheads for months — are now working on a potential framework for that deal. The idea is to distribute water not based on how much is stored in Lake Mead or Lake Powell — which is how the current rules work — but rather on how much water flows into the river each year. … ” Read more from the Arizona Republic.

Why planting more trees may not be the ‘silver bullet’ to combat extreme heat in Las Vegas

“In Las Vegas, the shade from a lush tree can make a world of difference on a scorching summer day in one of the nation’s fastest-warming cities. Trees intercept the sun’s intense rays, reducing radiant temperatures by up to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. But do trees always cool the air? While they do in many places, Las Vegas is an exception, according to a new study from scientists at the Desert Research Institute (DRI). While trees do help cool the air in more temperate areas, the study shows Las Vegas experiences little daytime cooling from trees. Relying on simulations using drought tolerant and non-drought tolerant trees, scientists demonstrated that in hot, arid climates such as Las Vegas’, trees provide shade but do little to actually cool the air around them. … ” Read more from the Nevada Independent.

Data centers pushing Phoenix area’s power grid to the limit

“The Phoenix area is a hub for a new kind of high-tech business. They are called data centers, and they serve as storage facilities for online information, including photos, videos, spreadsheets, files, and nearly everything that modern humans don’t store on their own phones or computers. “All of that data that we’re using has to be stored somewhere,” said Kevin Thompson, who is the chairman of the Arizona Corporation Commission. He says the speed at which data centers began popping up across the Valley and the state is alarming. “I think it took everyone by surprise,” said Thompson. Roughly 140 are operating today, with dozens more waiting in the wings. … ” Read more from Arizona Family.

‘Ag-to-urban’: Gov. Katie Hobbs signs water bill

“Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has signed SB 1611, also known as the “ag-to-urban” bill. The new law allows farmers to sell farm land and groundwater rights to housing developers, and it comes at a time when there is a housing shortage. The biggest piece of water legislation since the Groundwater Management Act of 1980 required developers in ‘active-management areas’ to show the water supply lasted at least 100 years in order to build. In some areas, like Queen Creek, that was not possible. Now, SB 1611 has provided an alternative path. … ” Read more from Channel 10.

PFAS settlement secures $4.8M for Tucson’s water safety

“Tucson is taking significant steps to secure its water supply amidst ongoing PFAS contamination challenges. The City of Tucson has received an initial $4.8 million payment from a national legal settlement aimed at addressing the impacts of PFAS products used as Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF). In an effort that began in 2018, Tucson joined a nationwide lawsuit alongside hundreds of other water departments, including those from Southern Arizona. This settlement is expected to bring nearly $30 million to the city over the coming years. PFAS contamination has forced Tucson to shut down nearly 40 drinking water production wells and incurred substantial costs. To combat this, Tucson Water is constructing advanced water treatment facilities to restore some of the affected wells. … ” Read more from KVOA.

Great Salt Lake’s mystery islands

“As Great Salt Lake’s levels continue to sag, yet another strange phenomenon has surfaced, offering Utah scientists more opportunities to plumb the vast saline lake’s secrets. Phragmites-covered mounds in recent years have appeared on the drying playa off the lake’s southeast shore. After several years of scratching their heads, University of Utah geoscientists, deploying a network of piezometers and aerial electromagnetic surveys, are now finding out what’s going on under the lakebed that is creating these reed-choked oases. Bill Johnson, a professor in the Department of Geology & Geophysics, suspects the circular mounds have formed at spots where a subsurface plumbing system delivers fresh groundwater under pressure into the lake and its surrounding wetlands. “Water in the lake has spent a significant time underground on its way to the lake. But where that happened, we don’t know,” said Johnson during a recent visit to one of the mounds, a research site known as Round Spot 9. “Did that happen somewhere in the uplands where the water spent time in the ground and emerged in the stream before going to the lake? Or was it transmitted directly to the lake?” … ” Read more from the University of Utah.

Colorado is heading into prime time for flash flooding events; North American Monsoon season is underway

“With the recent deadly flash floods in Texas and New Mexico, it’s important to remember that monsoon season has begun for the southwestern part of our country and flooding is one of the hazards that comes along with it. And that includes Colorado, where many areas of our state are susceptible to flash flooding given the right weather patterns. Some of the most at-risk areas include those in and around burn scars from former wildfires. The North American Monsoon officially starts June 15 and runs through Sept. 30. In Colorado, the prime time for monsoon storms typically runs from mid-July through early September. The monsoon is just a reversal of the overall wind pattern that can bring up copious amounts of moisture to Colorado and neighboring states from the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of California and even the Pacific Ocean. … ” Read more from CBS News.

Trump administration cancels millions in agriculture funding for Western states, including Colorado ranchers and farmers

“William Vogl grew up near a 600-acre cattle ranch in El Paso County, helping his parents raise beef cattle that they’d sell directly to customers. But in 2001, as an epic drought spread through Colorado, Vogl said part of his family’s ranch saw no rain for nine months. “I watched their cattle operation just come to a screeching halt and collapse,” he said. Vogl started his own homestead around 12 years ago, east of Colorado Springs, and became interested in “regenerative agriculture,” which can improve soil health and make farms more drought-resistant. “So that’s where it tied back to me being a kid, and watching what can happen,” he said of his attempt to build a more resilient farm in a climate-changed world. … ” Read more from Colorado Public Radio.

$4 million in federal funds released for Upper Colorado River Basin watershed restoration

“Millions of dollars in federal funding have been released to continue restoring lands and streams in the fire-scarred Upper Colorado River Basin watershed in and around Grand Lake and Rocky Mountain National Park. The roughly $4million was frozen in February and was released in April, according to Northern Water, a major Colorado water provider and one of the agencies that coordinate with the federal government and agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service to conduct the work. Esther Vincent, Northern Water’s director of environmental services, said the federal government gave no reason for the freeze and release of funds. The amounts and timing of the freeze and release are being reported here for the first time. … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun.

Destructive Zebra mussels keep turning up in the Colorado River and Western Slope lakes

“The spread of invasive zebra mussels has continued on Colorado’s Western Slope this summer, with additional discoveries made in recent weeks in the Colorado River, Highline Lake, Mack Mesa Lake and a private body of water in Western Eagle County. In May, Colorado Parks and Wildlife ramped up testing for the aquatic nuisance species — known for its rapid reproduction rate and highly destructive impact on water ecosystems and infrastructure — in northwest Colorado’s waterways following the discovery of the species’ free-floating larvae or veligers in the Colorado River last summer. Despite increased testing last summer and fall, the agency and its partners were unable to detect any additional zebra mussel adults or veligers in 2024. However, this year’s sampling efforts have turned up several zebra mussel veligers around Glenwood Springs, officially marking the river — from its confluence with the Roaring Fork River to the Utah border — as “positive” for the invasive species. … ” Read more from the Post Independent.

Return to top

In national water news today …

He seeded clouds over Texas. Then came the conspiracy theories.

“Augustus Doricko knew when he founded a cloud-seeding start-up in 2023 that he’d have to contend with misunderstandings and conspiracy theories surrounding the technology. Still, he wasn’t quite prepared for the sheer volume of online fury he has faced in the wake of the catastrophic Texas floods that have killed more than 100 people, with almost twice that many missing. “It has been nonstop pandemonium,” Doricko said in a phone interview Wednesday. Doricko and his company, Rainmaker, have become a focal point of posts spiraling across social media that suggest the floods in Kerr County were a human-made disaster. An array of influencers, media personalities, elected officials and other prominent figures — including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) and former Trump adviser Michael Flynn — have publicly raised the possibility that cloud-seeding operations like Rainmaker’s might have caused or at least exacerbated the historic deluge. … ” Read more from the Washington Post.

No, chemtrails are not real or causing floods, E.P.A. says

“No, chemtrails are not real, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday, in a notable instance of the Trump administration debunking a conspiracy theory that gained traction amid catastrophic flooding in Central Texas. For decades, scientists have sought to shut down the chemtrails conspiracy theory, which asserts that the federal government is spraying harmful chemicals into the sky to control the weather, population or food supply. On Thursday, their efforts got a major boost from an unexpected source: two new E.P.A. websites that seek to “provide clear, science-based information” on chemtrail claims as well as on geoengineering, or efforts to intentionally alter Earth’s climate. The websites generally endorse the scientific consensus, according to scientists who reviewed them. … ” Read more from the New York Times.

SEE ALSO: Zeldin confronts furor over weather tampering, vows ‘total transparency’, from E&E News

Trump administration yanks $15m in research into Pfas on US farms: ‘not just stupid, it’s evil’

“The Trump administration has killed nearly $15m in research into Pfas contamination of US farmland, bringing to a close studies that public health advocates say are essential for understanding a worrying source of widespread food contamination. Researchers in recent years have begun to understand that Pfas-laden pesticides and sewage sludge spread on cropland as a fertilizer contaminate the soil with the chemicals, which then move into crops and nearby water sources. Sludge is behind a still unfolding crisis in Maine, where 84 farms have been found to be significantly contaminated with Pfas, and some were forced to close. Advocates say farms across the nation are almost certainly contaminated at similar levels, but Maine is the only state with a robust testing program. The impacts on members of the public who eat from the farms in Maine and beyond is unclear. … ” Read more from The Guardian.

Trump’s climate research cuts are unpopular, even with Republican voters

“As the Trump administration takes steps to dismantle climate research across NASA, NOAA, the EPA, and other agencies, recent polling shows that this move is deeply unpopular. In May 2025, registered voters were asked whether they supported or opposed government orders that would halt research on global warming. Voters were also asked if they supported directives that would stop federal agencies from sharing information about global warming with the public. Overwhelmingly, voters said they oppose efforts to shut down climate science and communication. This polling is part of ongoing research on Americans’ views of climate change conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (the publisher of this website) and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication. … ” Read more from Yale Climate Connections.

Return to top