California officials said Thursday they will sue the federal government over proposed rules managing the state’s scarce water, arguing its conclusions are not scientifically adequate and fall short of protecting species and the state’s interests.

California’s water policy can be complex, and—let’s be honest—often polarizing. Water decisions frequently get distilled into unhelpful narratives of fish versus farms, north versus south, or urban versus rural. Climate change-driven droughts and flooding threats, as well as our divided political climate, compound these challenges.

For decades, Nevada has fought to update the 1922-vintage Colorado River Compact so that our state can receive its fair allotment of water from the river.

The Department of the Interior wants us to know that Interior Secretary David Bernhardt has had nothing to do with a contract that will give one of his former lobbying clients, the giant Westlands Water District, permanent access to lucrative federal irrigation water supplies.

In an effort to expedite its water right permitting process, the State Water Resources Control Board announced today it has streamlined requirements for applicants seeking to divert surface water to underground storage during floods and other high flow conditions.

As plans for a single tunnel in the Delta take shape, a new committee has been created to inform planners of the Delta Conveyance Project’s (DCP) expected impacts across a broad range of interests.

Stockton is a city simultaneously in recovery and under stress. The municipality of about 300,000, some 50 miles south of Sacramento and 80 miles east of San Francisco on California’s extraordinary inland delta, became the largest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy in 2012 (Detroit followed in 2013).

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) recently ruled that California does not need to provide water quality certification for the Middle Fork American Hydroelectric Project (Middle Fork Project) in Placer and El Dorado counties, operated by Placer County Water Agency (PCWA).

In a devastating blow to the San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta estuary last week, the Trump administration eliminated science-based protections for five of this ecosystem’s endangered fish species.

A draft report by the National Marine Fisheries Service concluded in July that giving farmers in California’s Central Valley more water would harm salmon, steelhead trout and killer whales.

The DCA Board of Directors today announced members of DCA Stakeholder Engagement Committee (SEC), approved by the DCA Board after recommendations were made by an Ad Hoc Selection Committee.

In a move that would boost water deliveries to San Joaquin Valley agriculture and Southern California cities, federal fishery agencies are weakening decade-old endangered species protections for some of the state’s most imperiled native fish populations.

Gov. Gavin Newsom hasn’t flinched in fighting President Trump when it comes to loosening pollution rules in a smoggy state or punishing immigrants seeking protection.

President Donald Trump’s administration rolled out an aggressive plan Tuesday to ship more water from the Delta to farmers in the San Joaquin Valley, a move that’s certain to trigger lawsuits by environmentalists concerned about endangered fish species.

The U.S. government today is announcing plans to alter operations of California’s water system, potentially resulting in less water flowing through the Delta into San Francisco Bay and more to cities and San Joaquin Valley farms.

California is providing health care to undocumented immigrants while President Donald Trump wants to build a border wall, and Gov. Gavin Newsom circumvented the White House with a side deal on auto emissions standards.

Water is at the center of California’s economic and environmental health. The need to maintain reliable water supply for California’s farms, families and cities while protecting the environment has been at the forefront of our minds as we have worked to review and finalize a new operations plan for the federal Central Valley Project and the State Water Project.

We are all sinners. At least, that’s the impression Mark Arax leaves in The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California. What’s bold, and distinguishes this book from others about California, is that Arax grapples with a history that we’re still in the midst of creating, rather than reflecting on sins long past and easily put away as the transgressions of others.

On October 22 the Trump Administration is expected to release new Endangered Species Act permits, known as biological opinions, that are almost certain to significantly weaken and/or eliminate existing federal protections for salmon and other endangered species in California’s Bay-Delta watershed.

Just how far will Gov. Gavin Newsom go in his high-profile fight with the Trump administration over environmental protections?

California’s senators have asked the Environmental Protection Agency’s watchdog to investigate whether the agency abused its enforcement powers when it accused San Francisco of improperly dumping waste into the ocean.

The report was prepared in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s solicitation for comments, recommendations, and proposals for creating a water resilience portfolio for the State of California (Executive Order N-10-19).

“Mother nature is changing fast, and we need to change along with her,” California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot told an audience of climate scientists, water managers, and other stakeholders at a climate change conference on September 17 in Sacramento.

The Trump administration has retreated on a plan to push more water through the Delta this fall after protests from California officials on the harmful impacts on endangered Chinook salmon and other fish.

A September 19, 2019 Los Angeles Times Op Ed urged that Governor Gavin Newsom sign Senate Bill 1. One of the reasons given was that by affirming the Endangered Species Act protections in the bill, Newsom would signal that standards for the Voluntary Agreements on Delta flows would be kept high:

Last week, the Delta Stewardship Council (DSC) held a public hearing to review proposed changes to how spending decisions on the maintenance of Delta levees are made, and the plan — known as the Delta Levee Investment Strategy (DLIS) — has drawn criticism from several sources.

Contra Costa Environmental Health says if you plan on enjoying the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta this holiday weekend, to watch out for dangerous algae blooms.

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is continuing to work on the environmental planning and permitting to modernize State Water Project infrastructure in the Delta.

The impacts of climate change on water use and how the state can address them represent a significant change in the new 5-year update of the California Water Plan.

California has a vast water supply not just in its lakes, rivers, and estuaries, but also underground. For years, California’s cities and farms have depended on this unseen resource, especially in the southern part of the state where rainfall is low, surface water is scarce, and demand is high. In fact, underground aquifers provide about 40 percent of California’s water supply in a normal year and significantly more in dry years.

Can a big city be truly sustainable in the age of climate change? Los Angeles is trying to find out.

Gov. Gavin Newsom started his Valley tour Tuesday night (July 23), appearing at a fundraiser in Coalinga at the business of a noted Republican donor.

At the July meeting of Metropolitan’s Water Planning and Stewardship Committee meeting, the bulk of the meeting was taken up by a visit from Secretary of Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot who discussed the Governor’s water resilience portfolio and reiterated the Newsom Administration’s support for modernized conveyance in the Delta.

The California Water Plan (Water Plan) is the State’s strategic plan for sustainably managing and developing water resources for current and future generations.

The Portfolio Recommendations Group is an ad hoc gathering of leaders from over 80 urban water districts, ag water districts, tribes, environmental justice groups, business groups, environmental groups, flood agencies, fire agencies and watershed groups.

The Delta Conveyance Design and Construction Authority (DCA) is a Joint Powers Authority created in 2018 by Metropolitan Water District, Santa Clara Valley Water District, Kern County Water Agency, and the State Water Contractors.

Want to be safe from earthquakes in California? You’d need to endure summer scorchers, winter flood threats and full-time politicians. But temblors don’t threaten people living in Sacramento.

Groundwater overdraft is a major problem globally and has been a persistent and growing problem in California for decades.

After rushing forward on a plan to send more water to California’s Central Valley, the Trump Administration has unexpectedly hit the brakes and ordered the work already done by federal scientists to be completed by a different team.

A project to pump billions of gallons of water out from under the Mojave Desert and sell it to people in Southern California could be slowed by a bill approved for the first time on Thursday by the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

The San Joaquin Valley—California’s largest agricultural region—has the largest groundwater deficit in the state. However, water scarcity is not experienced equally across the valley. Some areas receive abundant surface water to support cropland irrigation and drinking water supplies.

Two strong earthquakes, a day apart, jolted many residents in the Golden State to think about preparing for the so-called Big One in their backyard. But as many Californians sought tips for preparing for an earthquake, state insurance officials said considering earthquake insurance was an often-overlooked part of the equation.

The battle over the state’s eminent domain plan for the Delta was reignited in June, ending with Sacramento County seeking a restraining order against DWR.

Three years ago, presidential candidate Donald Trump got right to the heart of Central Valley agriculture’s fight over its most precious resource.

A coalition of 55 conservation, fishing, recreation, water policy, and environmental justice groups from throughout California, representing hundreds of thousands of Californians, sent a letter to state officials today thanking the Governor for his “…leadership in tackling California’s water issues.”

On June 10, 2019, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) began extensive geotechnical drilling to evaluate a single tunnel project in the WaterFix project alignment. The drilling is currently suspended, pending resolution of a Temporary Restraining Order issued by Sacramento Superior Court at the request of Sacramento County. The work is being done without required county permits to protect groundwater.

On June 10, 2019, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) began extensive geotechnical drilling to evaluate a single tunnel project in the WaterFix project alignment.

As we wrestle with our rigid rules, imperfect science and diverse views on how to best manage today’s water system, climate change is the one certainty in our future. Climate change is all about adapting. And that, hopefully, starts with adapting right now.

When scholars of California history and California water review the decisions our state leaders made to plan for the impacts from climate change, they will look back at May 2, 2019 as the pivotal date in our state’s water planning processes.

A review of 170 years of water-related successes in California suggests that most successes can be traced directly to past mistakes.

Supervisor Skip Thomson views the decision to end the twin tunnels Delta project as a major battle won, but warns the water war continues.

In his first 100 days in office, California Gov. Gavin Newsom quickly set about launching parts of the progressive agenda he promised during his campaign.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a plan to cut back on the use of water from the Colorado River, which serves 40 million people in the U.S. West.

The Interior Department has acknowledged that Secretary David Bernhardt’s staff intentionally left controversial meetings with representatives of fossil fuel, timber and water interests off his public calendar, citing “internal protocol” governing his schedules.

California is leading the world when it comes to climate action and environmental sustainability. The fifth largest economy in the world is already deriving more than half of its energy on a daily basis from renewable energy. In terms of electrification and electrifying transportation, that movement is happening and being led in California. About half of electric vehicle sales in the country are generated here.

When it comes to California water policy, the federal-state relationship has always been both strained and challenging. That intergovernmental tension harkens back at least to the Reclamation Act of 1902. In section 8 of this iconic federal statute that transformed the American West, Congress declared that the federal government “shall proceed in conformity with” state water rights law.

For years, David Bernhardt worked for a law and lobbying firm to try to influence the federal government on behalf of his clients. Now the firm, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, is seeing a big payday — only after Bernhardt left.

Governor Newsom sent reverberations through the California water community when he announced during his state of the state address: “I do not support the Water Fix as currently configured,” said Governor Newsom. “Meaning, I do not support the twin tunnels. But we can build on the important work that’s already been done. That’s why I do support a single tunnel.”

Political leaders from the valley are urging the Environmental Protection Agency to closely scrutinize new water quality standards proposed for the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta.

Attorneys for counties, DWR agree that downsized California WaterFix still calls for massive intakes, industrial construction zones along the Sacramento River.

Governor Newsom inherited a mess from Governor Brown with the California High Speed Rail project.

The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta is a major source of water for cities and farms across the state, and a major source of water conflict.

Governor Newsom announced in his State of the State speech that he will scrap a controversial $19 billion plan to build two tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to carry water southward.

California’s wet winter has dumped an estimated 18 trillion gallons of rain in February alone. But much of it is simply going down the drain.

L.A. Times writer George Skelton writes about what he calls a grand compromise with the twin tunnels proposed under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. As he says, "The battle has been over whether to bore two monster water tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta or to build none at all. The solution: Duh. One tunnel."

It’s becoming clear that the voluntary settlement agreements presented to the State Water Board last December as part of the so-called “grand bargain” were nothing more than smoke and mirrors.

A potential grand compromise to settle a decades-long water fight has been obvious for years but blown off. Now Gov. Gavin Newsom is forcing all combatants to consider it seriously. California’s water future hinges on the ultimate deal.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to downsize a controversial Delta waterway project is a step in the right direction, but more progress needs to be made to satisfy critics who say even the modified proposal does more harm than good, Rep. John Garamendi – whose district includes communities that would be affected by the project – said in a wide-ranging interview Wednesday with the Daily Republic.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, diving into one of California’s most contentious water issues, said Tuesday he wants to downsize the Delta tunnels project.

Facing pressure from farm interests, Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared poised Monday to replace Felicia Marcus as chair of the State Water Resources Control Board

Governor Gavin Newsom announced several key appointments to help tackle some of the most urgent challenges facing California, as outlined in his State of the State Address earlier today — meeting California’s diverse water needs, boosting economic development across the state and bolstering the education system.

American Canyon will continue looking to the proposed, massive Sites reservoir in Colusa County to someday help slake its thirst.

Recognizing the failure of the existing biological opinions issued a decade ago by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for Delta smelt and by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for salmon, the Bureau of Reclamation released a new biological assessment which serves as the basis for new biological opinions that will be released within 135 days.

Despite many high priority issues on his plate, one of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s first tests will be how he deals with California’s water challenges and opportunities. Unfortunately, in the last days of his term Gov. Jerry Brown made a bad bargain with the Trump administration and special interests. It’s yet another mess for the new governor to mop up.

While campaigning for president in 2016, Donald Trump promised a cheering Fresno crowd he would be “opening up the water” for Central Valley farmers who’d been victimized by “insane” environmental rules to protect fish.

The Bureau of Reclamation released late last week the Biological Assessment for the re-initiation of consultation on the coordinated long-term operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project.

President Donald Trump on Monday nominated David Bernhardt, the former top lobbyist for a powerful Fresno-based irrigation district, to run the Department of the Interior, raising renewed questions about whether he’d try to steer more California water to his former clients.

Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, introduced legislation today that will help protect California’s precious water supply and ensure the vitality of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta by requiring more legislative oversight and public scrutiny of the state’s twin-tunnels project known as WaterFix.

The Bureau of Reclamation, the Interior Department's Western water bureaucracy that saw its dam‐building heyday in the 1960s, has risen in stature once again in the Trump administration.

On January 31, the Trump Administration is scheduled to release its new proposal for the operations of the federal Central Valley Project and State Water Project under the Endangered Species Act (known as a biological assessment).

Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Creek, has been appointed to four key subcommittees on the House Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which he was already a senior member of.

As his term as governor drew to a close last month, Jerry Brown brokered a historic agreement among farms and cities to surrender billions of gallons of water to help ailing fish species.

In the final weeks of Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration, his appointees on a state board ordered some powerful water districts to cut their historic river diversions to protect endangered salmon populations.

The new person in charge of delivering water to one in 17 Americans has two big goals: seeing through a controversial public works project to build two new California water tunnels and ensuring her agency is represented by a more diverse group of people.

The foundational agreement between DWR and the Bureau announced on December 12 is the Addendum to the Coordinated Operation Agreement Central Valley Project/State Water Project.