Headlines

May 11, 2025

Why a contentious project to raise California’s Shasta Dam could move forward under Trump

CalMatters
Enlarging the dam would deliver more Sacramento River water to Central Valley farmers but a tribe could lose sacred sites and endangered salmon could lose habitat in wet years.

Near the southern flank of Mount Shasta, springs and snowmelt converge to form the McCloud River. This Sacramento River tributary, held sacred by the Winnemem Wintu tribe, teemed with Chinook salmon before Shasta Dam, built in the 1940s, blocked their annual migrations.…

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Shasta Dam may grow under Trump, sparking concern

CalMatters
Though President Donald Trump has yet to explicitly order the Shasta Dam to be enlarged — something Republican lawmakers have been considering for decades — recent actions by his administration signal that he is moving in that direction.

As CalMatters’ Alastair Bland explains, the prospect of raising the dam underscores the ongoing dispute between farmers, environmentalists and other key stakeholders over California’s water supply and its effect on the state’s fragile ecosystems.…

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Solar canal pilot may one day help California achieve its ambitious climate, energy goals

stocktonia.org
As you drive through the Central Valley, it is hard to miss the iconic California Aqueduct, which moves millions of gallons of irrigation water through a large canal in the middle of the state. The canal is visible because it’s open on top — a fact that also allows a sizable percent of the water to evaporate, as the region now faces increasingly high temperatures for much of the year.

A few years ago, scientists began asking: What if we covered the canal with solar panels?…

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Spring SGMA Snapshot: Plans, Probation, Litigation, and Legislation

aalrr.com
This alert provides an overview of the ongoing implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). It details the status of Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs), recent and pending actions by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB or State Board) concerning probationary designations, developments regarding fee and reporting exclusions, SGMA-related litigation, and pertinent legislative activity.

I. SGMA Implementation: A Critical Juncture…

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Opinion: U.S and Mexico must collaborate to manage water supply amid climate change

timesofsandiego.com
The water treaty between Mexico and the United States has been in place since 1944. It has been a fundamental pillar in the shared management of transboundary water resources. However, the realities of the 21st century, marked by climate change, growing agricultural demand, and prolonged droughts, are putting its validity and adequacy to the test.

The drought in northern Mexico has hampered compliance with the treaty during the current cycle, which ends on Oct. 24. It is worth mentioning that Mexico has not defaulted on deliveries but is delivering low percentages of the scheduled quota from the Rio Grande. This situation has generated diplomatic tensions, such as the United States’ refusal to supply Colorado River water to Tijuana, affecting border communities.…

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Field-scale mapping of California crop water productivity to inform water management in critically overdrafted groundwater basins

researchgate.net
Crop water productivity metrics can reveal how the dynamics of crop production and water use change across space and time. We use field-scale satellite inputs from 2016-2021 to estimate potential water savings for four crops (almonds, grapes, walnuts, and citrus—which collectively account for approximately one-third of California’s cropland area), within critically overdrafted groundwater sub-basins of California’s San Joaquin Valley. These annual estimates of field-level water savings potential are based on locally achievable crop water productivity (CWP) values for each crop type. Our findings show considerable spatial variation in CWP and potential water savings within each sub-basin. We find that increasing CWP to peak efficiency (defined as improving fields to the 95th percentile of observed CWP) for four crops could meet up to 36% of the estimated annual overdraft in San Joaquin Valley. For comparison, fallowing 5% of the four crop type fields in the same study area could potentially reduce annual overdraft by 11%. By delivering results at the field scale, our work can inform targeted interventions by irrigation district managers and more efficient allocation of state incentives for improved water management. For example, we estimate that state grant funding for water efficiency upgrades could have amplified potential water savings threefold by targeting investments to the least efficient fields.…

Read the full article at researchgate.net