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AI Data Centres Causing Water Concerns

A new report by Black & Veatch reveals the data centre industry’s urgent need for reliable water solutions as AI continues to drive cooling demands The expansion of data centres across the US is prompting water utilities to reconsider how they will manage increasing water requirements, according to the Black & Veatch 2025 Water Report.

This 'rainy day fund' for the Colorado River incentivizes saving more water

Negotiations continue between the seven Colorado River basin states over new rules dealing with use of the overallocated river, and the clock is ticking. But one area of those talks that’s not getting a lot of attention is the idea of setting some water aside, and the details of how that might happen.

Managing California’s Scarce Water Resources

Over the last decade, California has faced droughts, wildfires, and rising temperatures that all underscore the importance of carefully managing the surface and groundwater that irrigates more than 9 million acres of California farmland and supplies water to 40 million Californians. In a new special issue of ARE Update, the authors assess the current impacts of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), analyze competition for scarce water allocations throughout the Colorado River Basin and the successes of federal water conservation projects in the basin, and consider how the history of tribal water rights for surface water in California differs from that of other western states, with implications for future groundwater policy.

Torturing California's almonds and pistachios to survive climate change

California is a national and global powerhouse when it comes to nuts. Recent data shows that the Golden State produces roughly 80% of the world's almonds and 60% of the world's pistachios. It's a lot of nuts and a lot of money. But changing climate conditions are challenging nut growers. With warming winters and a propensity for drought, crops that did well 20 years ago might not make it 20 years from now.

Southern California Reservoirs May Get a Boost

After an underwhelming early winter season, concerns grew that California's reservoirs—key to managing drought and water supply for millions—would struggle to meet demands. However, recent storms helped change the outlook. The April snow survey of the year was conducted on March 28 by the DWR, and snowpack was measured at 90 percent of average statewide. But Northern and Central California received more snow than Southern California, which remained "exceptionally dry," according to DWR officials. Despite this, reservoir levels across California, including Southern California facilities, are trending above historical norms for this time of year.

The Colorado River is drying up and scientists finally know what the mystery is

The Colorado River is one of the few perennial water supplies for some of the hottest and driest zones of the United States. It provides water for over 40 million people in its catchment area and five million acres of farmland in Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming. Some areas, such Las Vegas, are almost entirely dependent on the river.

Making Recharge a “Win-Win” for Landowners and Groundwater Agencies

The tenth anniversary of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) last year put a spotlight on the challenges of implementing this landmark legislation. Agencies in both the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys have scaled up efforts to replenish aquifers in recent years, but they still need ways to better harness the water received in wet years. Spreading water on privately owned land so it can penetrate the soil and refill below-ground aquifers—a process known as groundwater recharge—is one way to make the most of surplus water when it’s available. This can include methods such as spreading water on farmland or on land that’s set aside solely for recharge. Landowners may recharge using their own water and land, an irrigation district’s water on their private land, or their own water on an irrigation district’s land.

Microsoft & FluxGen: Using AI to Conserve Water in India

With support from Microsoft, Bengaluru’s FluxGen is using AI and IoT to tackle India’s water crisis, cutting usage and boosting efficiency in hospitals It is estimated that 70% of India’s water supply is polluted and 600 million people in the country are facing water stress. Bengaluru, India’s third-largest city, is attempting to tackle the negative effects of urbanisation that are being accelerated by climate change.

What Next for California's Salton Sea After $540Bn 'White Gold' Discovery

A massive lithium discovery beneath California's Salton Sea has set off a high-stakes push for what some have implied could be America's best shot at lithium self-sufficiency. The U.S. Department of Energy confirmed in late 2023 that an estimated 18 million metric tons of lithium—often called "white gold" on account of its silvery-white appearance and economic importance—valued at roughly $540 billion is trapped in the geothermal brine beneath the Salton Sea, a shrinking lake in Southern California's Imperial Valley.

AMWA requests information on AI action plan; urges water considerations

The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) said it submitted comments to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) regarding the development of a national artificial intelligence (AI) action plan.

What California Could Learn from the Restoration of a Nevada Lake

California is not alone in its struggles to save its freshwater biodiversity. Across the West, rivers and lakes have been tapped to supply water to farms and cities—and ecosystems have paid the price. One project has been restoring water to a Nevada lake through an unusual mechanism: environmental water acquisitions. We spoke with the Walker Basin Conservancy’s Carlie Henneman and Peter Stanton to learn more.Between the urgent need to upgrade decades-old systems and the rising impacts of climate-driven weather extremes, the vast networks of pipes, treatment plants, and drainage systems across the U.S. are under immense strain.

How to future-proof water systems in an era of extreme weather

These wildfires shone a light on whether our water systems are equipped to handle disasters. As wildfires grow more frequent and intense, it becomes even more urgent to adapt our water infrastructure to meet this new reality. Much of the nation’s water infrastructure is nearing the end of its lifespan. And yet, modernizing drinking and wastewater systems could exceed $744 billion in costs over the next 20 years. Between the urgent need to upgrade decades-old systems and the rising impacts of climate-driven weather extremes, the vast networks of pipes, treatment plants, and drainage systems across the U.S. are under immense strain.

The future of groundwater is digital

Water is the lifeblood of our economies, societies, and ecosystems. Yet, for decades, we’ve undervalued and mismanaged it. Today, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The Global Commission on the Economics of Water (GCEW) has sounded the alarm: water scarcity, climate change, and biodiversity loss are destabilising the hydrological cycle that sustains life on Earth. At the same time, the European Union is doubling down on water resilience as a cornerstone of its sustainability agenda.

Utah approves plan to pay farmers to leave water in the Colorado River

Utah is launching a plan to pay farmers to leave some of their irrigation water in the Colorado River system. The Colorado River Authority of Utah board has approved the first round of applicants for the state’s new Demand Management Pilot Program. It includes more than a dozen projects along Colorado River tributaries in eastern and southeastern Utah. The program will use up to $4.2 million of state money to compensate farmers who temporarily forgo using some of their water in 2025 and 2026. The practice of leaving a field unplanted and unwatered is known as fallowing. This allows water that would have normally been sprayed on crops to flow downstream instead. Utah leaders hope quantifying the water those projects save will help the state avoid mandatory cutbacks as it looks toward a renegotiated Colorado River agreement in 2026.

Water is about to get a lot more expensive for millions of Californians

Millions of Californians are set to see significant water rate hikes over the next few years, with prices for essential water supplies jumping by double-digit percentage points. In one large city, cumulative increases could see prices jump about 70% just in the next five years.

San Diego water rates are about to go up despite water surplus

Water rates in San Diego are set to rise, and many residents and business owners are voicing their frustrations. On Tuesday, the San Diego City Council voted 6-3 to approve a 5.5% water rate increase, with additional hikes expected in the coming years. For businesses like El Carrito, a restaurant in Barrio Logan, water is a daily expense. “Washing dishes, we use water for everything—a big amount of water,” said owner Luis Santana. Starting May 1, all residents and businesses will see their water bills increase. Santana, who currently pays about $750 per month for water, estimates his bill will rise by an additional $40 to $50.

Hunting hurricanes and atmospheric rivers

At Sacramento County’s Mather Airport, an hour’s drive south from Marysville-Yuba City, specially outfitted U.S. Air Force “Hurricane Hunter” aircraft stand by, preparing to launch into powerful storms across the Pacific. Led by the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Atmospheric River Reconnaissance (AR Recon) program sends these WC-130 Super Hercules aircraft to locations such as Japan, Guam and Hawaii.

Scientists urge caution after a carcinogen is detected in water in fire-stricken areas

Utilities in both the Eaton and Palisades fire burn scars have reported detecting the carcinogen benzene in parts of their water systems. State regulators have recommended the utilities issue “do not drink” and “do not boil” notices, which still permit residents to use the water for showers, handwashing, laundry and other daily activities. The state said the order attempts to balance safety with the need for usable water, while some scientists warned that using the water, even for purposes other than drinking or cooking, could pose a risk.

Water board delays SGMA probation for Kern County

The State Water Resources Control Board unanimously voted to continue the hearing process for the Kern County Subbasin’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act compliance today, despite community based organizations’ pleas to put the subbasin on probation.

San Jose water agency to vote on whether to help fund Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $20 billion Delta tunnel project

Silicon Valley’s largest water agency will vote Tuesday on whether to support Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to spend $20 billion to build a massive, 45-mile long tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to make it easier to move water from Northern California to Southern California.

'We need to be prepared': La Niña to bring extreme weather shifts to California

At the beginning of the new year, California’s snowpack looked promising. On Jan. 2, the state’s Department of Water Resources measured the snowpack at 108% of average, for that date. The bomb cyclone in November and a push of winter storms in December had set up California’s mountains with a better start than last year. On the same day last year, the state’s snowpack was just 28% of average, to date.

Climate crisis ‘wreaking havoc’ on Earth’s water cycle, report finds

The climate crisis is “wreaking havoc” on the planet’s water cycle, with ferocious floods and crippling droughts affecting billions of people, a report has found. Water is people’s most vital natural resource but global heating is changing the way water moves around the Earth. The analysis of water disasters in 2024, which was the hottest year on record, found they had killed at least 8,700 people, driven 40 million from their homes and caused economic damage of more than $550bn (£445bn).

Cutting-edge wastewater treatment technology provides a more sustainable water supply in Colorado, USA

The development of sustainable water treatment is a critical challenge for the growing city of Lafayette, Colorado, situated at the edge of the Rocky Mountains in the USA. Since 2022, the city has been constructing a new high-performance plant to enhance the region’s water supply using state-of-the-art wastewater treatment technologies. A central feature of this plant is the installation of 13 HYPERCLASSIC®-Mixing and Aeration Systems from INVENT, designed specifically for challenging wastewater treatment conditions.

First Snow Survey of the Season Shows Snowpack Near Average for California

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today conducted the first snow survey of the season at Phillips Station. The manual survey recorded 24 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 9 inches, which is 91 percent of average for this location. The snow water equivalent measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack and is a key component of DWR’s water supply forecast. Statewide, the snowpack is 108 percent of average for this date.

California water agency votes to spend $141 million on Delta tunnel project

The board of California’s largest urban water supplier voted on Tuesday to spend $141.6 million for a large share of the preliminary planning work on the state’s proposed water tunnel in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. With the decision, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California will continue covering nearly half of the preconstruction costs for the proposed 45-mile tunnel beneath the Delta, which Gov. Gavin Newsom says the state needs to protect the water supply in the face of climate change and earthquake risks.

Rethinking Responses to the World’s Water Crises

The world faces multiple water crises, including overextraction, flooding, ecosystem degradation and inequitable safe water access. Insufficient funding and ineffective implementation impede progress in water access, while, in part, a misdiagnosis of the causes has prioritized some responses over others (for example, hard over soft infrastructure). We reframe the responses to mitigating the world’s water crises using a ‘beyond growth’ framing and compare it to mainstream thinking. Beyond growth is systems thinking that prioritizes the most disadvantaged. It seeks to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation by overcoming policy capture and inertia and by fostering place-based and justice-principled institutional changes.

Where California stands in the multistate negotiations over the Colorado River

What happens at the Colorado River conference in Las Vegas stays at the Colorado River conference in Las Vegas — because nothing really happened. A multistate effort to lock in long-term plans for conserving vital shared water from the struggling Colorado River remains stalled. The conference is typically an opportunity for the seven states that rely on the river — California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming — to come to the table and make progress on a deal. But not this year.

Arizona's Water Woes, Semiconductor Facilities and Data Centers Spark Debate on Sustainability

As Arizonans face hotter, drier conditions, new semiconductor facilities sprawling across the Valley are raising concerns about their impact on the state's water resources. Semiconductors are vital for powering technology but they're also thirsty – requiring vast amounts of water for their manufacturing processes. While these plants claim to reclaim much of the water used, questions linger about the sustainability of their practices in a water-scarce region.

California tears down levee in 'largest tidal habitat restoration in state history'

A piece of heavy construction equipment called a backhoe loader dug into a levee in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Wednesday, breaking down a portion of the earthen embankment and allowing tidal waters to flow across 3,400 acres of land for the first time in 100 years, officials said.

California cracks down on another Central Valley farm area for groundwater depletion

California water regulators are cracking down on a second farming area in the San Joaquin Valley for failing to take adequate steps to curb overpumping that is depleting groundwater, causing the land to sink and damaging a canal that transports water for 1 million acres of farmland and more than 250,000 people.

Californians’ water usage is down 9% and other takeaways from The Times’ updated water tracker

California residents are using about 8 fewer gallons of water per day than they did during the last drought emergency, according to newly released state data. Between April 2023 and last April, urban water users consumed an average of 77 gallons per person per day. That comes out to a 9% decrease since the drought emergency ended in March 2023. This period includes the effects of two consecutive wet winters, the first of which relieved the years-long historic drought that had gripped the western United States since 2021.

New Scientific Strategy Helps Make Case For Holistic Management Of California Rivers

Of California’s many tough water challenges, few are more intractable than regulating how much water must be kept in rivers and streams to protect the environment. Attempts to require enough water at the right time and temperature to sustain fish and other aquatic life run smack against a water rights system developed more than 150 years ago for farmers, miners, industries and cities – but not wildlife. Federal and state endangered species laws have been instrumental in establishing such “environmental flows” on some California streams, but those requirements are usually tailored for an endangered or threatened fish – a single-species approach that critics say has little progress to show for the resulting disruption of irrigation and urban water supplies serving nearly 40 million residents.

California to receive half a billion federal dollars for water infrastructure improvement projects

Water is essential to many of our daily activities, but aging infrastructure jeopardizes these systems. According to the EPA, the country has underinvested in water infrastructure, a sentiment Jerry Burke, who is part of the American Society of Civil Engineers, also shares. "There have not been enough investments into the water infrastructure since it was constructed. In 1977, 63% of the capital budget went to fund infrastructure repairs and by 2017 9% was going toward water, infrastructure and repairs. That is the biggest reason why we're seeing issues on our existing infrastructure and more investment needs to be made now before the results become catastrophic," said Burke, director of engineering at Inland Empire Utilities Agency. Those issues range from constant water main breaks to decades-old water pipes, and they are just two of the reasons why the ASCE gave the country a C in its latest infrastructure report card.

Cadiz Subsidiary ATEC Water Systems Awarded $5.2 Million Contract, Increases ATEC 2024 Revenue Forecast to $15 Million from $12 Million

Cadiz, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDZI / CDZIP) ("Cadiz" or the "Company"), a California water solutions company, is pleased to announce today that the Company's water treatment operating subsidiary ATEC Water Systems, LLC ("ATEC"), a leading producer of specialized water filtration solutions for groundwater, was the successful bidder to supply water treatment filtration systems for the Cascade Groundwater Alliance treatment project in Gresham, Oregon ("Cascade Project"). Under the terms of the award, ATEC will manufacture 140 filters to remove manganese from local groundwater for a total gross contract value of approximately $5.2 million. The filters are anticipated to be delivered over the next 12 months.

Los Angeles County captured 96 billion gallons of water during storm season

After a historic amount of rainfall fell in Los Angeles County from late 2023 through early spring, officials say there was a benefit for the region. L.A. County’s reservoirs captured and stored a little more than 96.3 billion gallons of water since October of last year when storm season began, which is enough to supply an estimated 2.4 million people for a year. The water that is captured by the reservoirs is sent to spreading grounds for the recharge of the county’s aquifers.

California reports the first increase in groundwater supplies in 4 years

After massive downpours flooded California’s rivers and packed mountains with snow, the state reported Monday the first increase in groundwater supplies in four years. The state saw 4.1 million acre-feet of managed groundwater recharge in the water year ending in September, and an 8.7 million acre-feet increase in groundwater storage, California’s Department of Water Resources said. Groundwater supplies are critical to growing much of the country’s fresh produce.

Biden-Harris Administration Delivers $147 Million from Investing in America Agenda for Drought Resiliency and Water Supply Reliability Across the West

The Department of the Interior today announced a $147.6 million investment from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to help communities prepare and respond to water reliability challenges due to drought and other water scarcity concerns. The funding will support 42 projects in ten states.

Six Upper Basin tribes gain permanent foothold in Colorado River discussions at key interstate commission

Six tribes in the Upper Colorado River Basin, including two in Colorado, have gained long-awaited access to discussions about the basin’s water issues — talks that were formerly limited to states and the federal government Under an agreement finalized this month, the tribes will meet every two months to discuss Colorado River issues with an interstate water policy commission, the Upper Colorado River Commission, or UCRC. It’s the first time in the commission’s 76-year history that tribes have been formally included, and the timing is key as negotiations about the river’s future intensify.

California water managers advise multipronged approach in face of climate change

State water management officials must work more closely with local agencies to properly prepare California for the effects of climate change, water scientists say. Golden State officials said in the newly revised California Water Plan that as the nation's most populous state, California is too diverse and complex for a singular approach to manage a vast water network.

California’s 2023 snowy rescue from megadrought was a freak event. Don’t get used to it

Last year’s snow deluge in California, which quickly erased a two decade long megadrought, was essentially a once-in-a-lifetime rescue from above, a new study found. Don’t get used to it because with climate change the 2023 California snow bonanza —a record for snow on the ground on April 1 — will be less likely in the future, said the study in Monday’s journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Murray-Darling stakeholders to scrutinise basin plan

The federal government in December introduced the Restoring our Rivers legislation to set out how water is shared along the river system after it was recognised the decade-old plan was failing and too much water was being extracted. The plan allows for more voluntary water buybacks and water-saving infrastructure projects and is designed to secure a healthy, sustainable river, but it's fiercely opposed by some farmers and regional communities.

Hedge Funds Including Millennium Are Shorting UK Water Companies

Hedge funds including Millennium Management and Arrowstreet Capital are shorting the assets of UK water companies after a crisis at Thames Water spotlighted high debt levels across the industry. Millennium has disclosed a short position on United Utilities Group Plc, which provides water and wastewater services in the north west of England. ArrowStreet has a short position on Pennon Group Plc, which owns three water utilities in the south west of England.

Metropolitan Water commits up to $250 million for previously untapped water sources

The Metropolitan Water District plans to spend up to $250 million on four non-traditional water projects that, combined, could supply up to 100,000 Southern California households over the next few years.

Arbol executes unique parametric risk transfer in water risk management

Arbol, the global climate risk coverage platform, has executed an innovative parametric risk transfer on the NASDAQ Veles California Water Index NQH2O. A first-of-its-kind trade, which has a call spread option that expires on June 20, 2024, represents a major step in managing climate-related financial risks, particularly within the water sector. The NASDAQ Veles California Water Index, – also known as NQH2O – is an essential tool that helps track the changing water prices in California. The tool takes the volume weighted average price of actual water trades in California, which helps to give a clear picture of the actual cost of water. The tool is a helpful resource for understanding water prices, and it is especially useful for creating financial options too. From what we understand, Arbol executed the trade in strategic collaboration with Veles Water Limited, a financial products company that specializes in water pricing, designing bespoke financial products, and economic methodologies. At the same time, Arbol has also structured this unique deal with John Dolan, a renowned Veles Water futures market maker on the CME. This parametric risk transfer marks a significant step within environmental financial products, as it offers a new way to manage the risks associated with water scarcity and pricing.

Nation’s largest dam removal marks milestone: the freeing of a major California river

The nation’s largest dam-removal project is reaching a major milestone this month as work crews release the water behind three dams on the Klamath River, leaving the storied waterway in Northern California and southern Oregon to flow freely for the first time in a century. The drawdown of the reservoirs and the unleashing of the river, which began Thursday at the 189-foot-high Iron Gate Dam, is a necessary — and hugely transformative — step before the three hydroelectric facilities in the remote Siskiyou Mountains are fully removed. Last fall, workers took out a smaller, fourth dam on the river.

New 4-year cloud-seeding pilot program hopes to make it rain in Santa Ana River watershed

Using meteorology and chemistry to help prod Mother Nature, water officials have begun seeding storm clouds throughout the Santa Ana Watershed to boost regional water supplies by enhancing the rain and snowfall produced during storms. Started in November as a four-year pilot under the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority — a joint powers authority comprising five public agencies, including Orange County Water District and others in the Inland Empire, San Bernardino and Riverside — the project aims to increase precipitation levels anywhere from 5% to 15%. Officials estimated in a 2020 feasibility study that, on the southwest end of the watershed in Orange County, cloud seeding could add .59 inches of seasonal rainfall, amounting to nearly 450 additional acre-feet of natural streamflow, or a 9.7% increase.

How Imperial Valley Became a Target for Water

The hornet’s nest was kicked when the Bureau of Reclamation made an announcement in June of 2022 calling the users of the Colorado River to collectively and immediately conserve an additional 2 to 4 million acre-feet (MAF) of water to stabilize the river’s supply amidst the drought. Since then, from San Diego and Los Angeles to Las Vegas and Denver, and even Washington, D.C., eyes have been on the Imperial Valley, even if most of us here haven’t noticed.

The deal that’s shaping the future of the American West

The future of the American West is quietly being hashed out in the conference rooms of a Las Vegas casino this week. Just across the strip from the Bellagio’s fountains, in the shadow of an enormous Eiffel Tower-knock-off, negotiators from the seven states that share the Colorado River are racing to reach a deal on how to share the West’s most important — and shrinking — waterway. Climate change has shriveled the river’s flows by more than 20 percent over the past two decades, and the only question now is how much worse things will get. The negotiations over how to share the pain of bringing water use in line with the shrunken waterway will have huge implications for the 40 million people who rely on it at their taps in metro areas from Denver to Phoenix to San Diego, as well as for the powerhouse farming operations that use roughly three-quarters of the river’s water to irrigate some of the country’s most productive agricultural land. Also on the line are the interests of 30 federally-recognized tribes along the river and the 11 national parks and monuments it courses through, including the Grand Canyon.

Three key water projects mean new supplies for San Joaquin Valley farmers

Water is the lifeblood of California, and the state has always faced unique challenges in managing its precious water resources. In recent years, a series of ambitious projects spearheaded by the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority have been undertaken to restore California’s critical water infrastructure and to begin to address some of its members most pressing supply issues. San Luis and Delta-Mendota is a joint powers authority of 27 agencies providing federal water supplies to 1.2 million acres of irrigated agriculture in the San Joaquin, Santa Clara and San Benito valleys, more than 2.5 million Californians, and more than 135,000 acres of managed wetlands of importance to millions of migratory waterfowl traversing the Pacific Flyway.

Final Environmental Impact Report for Delta Conveyance Project Released

A Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Delta Conveyance Project has been released by the Department of Water Resources (DWR). This initiative, backed by Governor Gavin Newsom, marks a shift to a single tunnel design, responding to public input and the need for an environmentally and water-supply efficient solution. The Delta Conveyance Project serves as a critical component of California’s strategy to protect water supplies and is aimed at modernizing overall water infrastructure. Delta Conveyance The project would include strategic measures such as enhanced water capture during wet seasons and minimizing losses from weather extremes. It also seems to address earthquake preparedness and compliance with water quality regulations. Additionally, the project incorporates a Community Benefits Program to ensure local communities receive tangible and lasting benefits. Governor Newsom stresses the necessity of action in the face of climate change, emphasizing the project’s role in updating the water system for millions of Californians. The redesigned approach aligns with the Water Resilience Portfolio and the Governor’s Water Supply Strategy.

Murray-Darling water buybacks won’t be enough if we can’t get water to where it’s needed

When it was clear the Murray-Darling Basin Plan could not be completed on time, Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek announced a new agreement (without Victoria) to deliver in full the plan’s aim of restoring the health of this vast river system. The new agreement required changes to the Water Act to allow more water for the environment to be purchased from irrigators (water buybacks). Concerns about these changes prompted a Senate inquiry. The report from that inquiry, released on Friday, supports buybacks but also makes key recommendations to remove “constraints” to water delivery. These are physical constraints or limits to the movement of water through the river system. Managers can only deliver so much water before it spills out of the river onto private land.

Model predicts saltwater intrusion into groundwater

Researchers have developed a new model that can not only predict saltwater intrusion over the next 75 years, but also pinpoint the main sources of salt contamination today, according to a press release from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

San Diego Selling Back Some Pricey Colorado River Water for Cheaper Met Water

A trade deal is brewing between major southern California water agencies to help restock a major reservoir on the drought-stricken Colorado River and meet federal demands to cut back use. San Diego, Los Angeles and Imperial Valley are the major players trying something that’s never been done before using a water trading agreement inked 20 years ago as a guiding light. Under the proposal, San Diego is going to give up some of its Colorado River water it fought so hard to secure so more can be saved in the larger river system. But instead, it would lean on supplies from northern California, a source that was virtually unavailable to the region due to drought just last year.

First of its kind tribal water institute

On November 13, the Native American Rights Fund and the Walton Family Foundation announced the creation of the Tribal Water Institute. It will provide Tribal Nations resources and training to advocate for their water rights and develop water policy solutions. The Walton Family Foundation is making a three-year, $1.4 million commitment to launch the Institute. It will be housed within the Native American Rights Fund.

California faces first fall rains in what could be a stormy season

The first Pacific storm of the season is set to sweep into California this week. The wet weather arrives on the heels of a drought-busting year and during a building El Niño, the climate pattern that is often associated with increased storminess in California.

Cost to rebuild major California reservoir rises to $2.3 billion, tripling from two years ago

The cost to bring Anderson Dam, which holds back the largest reservoir in California's Santa Clara County, up to modern earthquake standards has increased to $2.3 billion, water officials said Monday. That’s double what was estimated a year ago, triple the price tag from two years ago, and nearly certain to drive water rates higher next year across Silicon Valley.

Biden announces funding to combat climate change, raises campaign money, during swing through California

On his first trip to California since announcing his reelection campaign, President Biden on Monday announced $600 million in federal funding to fight the effects of climate change after touring a Northern California nature reserve with Gov. Gavin Newsom.

As the Colorado River Declines, Water Scarcity and the Hunt for New Sources Drive up Rates

Across the Southwest, water users are preparing for a future with a lot less water as the region looks to confront steep cuts from the Colorado River and states are forced to limit use to save the river. Farms are being paid to not farm. Cities are looking to be more efficient and find new water supplies. And prices are starting to go up.

Digital Technologies Key to Addressing Global Water Challenges

There is a convergence of trends taking place that provide an opportunity to address the world's most urgent water challenges. The most significant of those is the increasingly rapid adoption of digital technologies.

Here is the first step to a sustainable water policy

Water that is promised in a contract but can’t be delivered is called “paper water” – shorthand for water that does not exist except in legal documents. During its mid-20th century frenzy of dam and canal construction, California allocated much more water than it actually had. These paper water commitments far exceed the amount of water than is available in our reservoirs and rivers. According to a study from the University of California, Davis, “appropriative water rights filed for consumptive uses are approximately five times greater than estimated surface water withdrawals.” What this restrained academic language reveals is a management crisis: no matter how much it rains and snows in California, we will always have a chronic water shortage because of overallocation.

New study improves understanding of Southern California's intense winter rains

New research looks to improve prediction of brief but intense rainstorms that can cause devastating flash floods and landslides. The storms, called narrow cold-frontal rainbands, are long strips of rain that can stretch for tens to hundreds of kilometers in length but are only a few kilometers wide. They form along many of the world's coasts, including both coasts of the U.S.

Why the Hot New Shade for Green Bonds Could Be Blue

Few places in the world have greater need for financing to fund water projects and protect the oceans than the Indo-Pacific region, with its vast coastlines and countless islands, many at risk from rising sea levels due to climate change. Enter so-called blue bonds -- similar to wildly popular green bonds but focused on such challenges as sustainable fishing and reducing plastic waste.

Southern California Water Price Jumps 48% In 3 Weeks As Rainy Season Disappoints

Californians received a double dose of not so happy water news last month; cutbacks were made to water allocations and a key water price index surged higher. Drought fears are heightening due to low reservoir levels and below normal snowpack.

The Importance of Water to the U.S. Economy

Water is essential to life, making its total economic value immeasurable. At the same time water is a finite resource, and one for which competition is likely to increase as the U.S. economy grows

The Economic Benefits of Investing in Water Infrastructure Report

At a national level, a one-day disruption in water service can lead to a loss of $43.5 billion in sales and $22.5 billion in GDP.

The new oil: how investors can keep water flowing

The new oil: how investors can keep water flowing. A growing population and climate change puts pressure on mankind’s essential resource

Water set to become more valuable than oil

Water set to become more valuable than oil as rising demand from people, industries and agriculture puts pressure on supplies.

Value of Water: EPA Studies Importance of Water to U.S. Economy

Water is vital to a productive and growing economy in the U.S., directly and indirectly affecting the production of goods and services. For most consumers, water costs less than a penny per gallon at the tap, and buried infrastructure is out of sight and mind as long as the water is flowing.