For the first time, growers in one of California’s most acutely water-stressed areas have to tell the state how much groundwater they are pumping. https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-05-01/california-farms-tule-tulare-groundwater
Remote
Ian James
@ianjames@journa.host
mastodon 4.7.3Reporter focusing on water and climate change in California and the West, Los Angeles Times
901 Followers
203 Following
32 Posts
Joined November 18, 2022
"It’s a huge, huge win for a grassroots movement." Three months after residents began waging a campaign on Instagram saying herbicides are poisoning creeks, officials announced they are halting spraying of the chemicals, for now, in waterways throughout Orange County. https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-05-15/orange-county-stops-spraying-herbicides-creeks
“This is democracy.” Responding to residents who waged a social media campaign against the spraying of herbicides in local creeks, Orange County officials announced they will halt the practice in waterways near Doheny State Beach.
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-03-06/orange-county-herbicide-spraying-halted
How much water lies beneath our feet? After years of research, scientists have an answer, and a new, detailed national map of groundwater.
https://www.latimes.com/environment/newsletter/2026-04-09/mapping-groundwater
Rainfall in much of the world, including California and the western U.S., has become more concentrated in heavier storms, with longer dry spells in between. "The more concentrated rainfall you get, the drier you become." https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-05-13/rainfall-study
Extreme heat is rapidly melting California's snowpack. As of today, the snowpack measures just 38% of average and is continuing to shrink fast.
"Because of climate change, it is impacting the way the water cycle is behaving." https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-03-15/extreme-heat-california-snowpack
Thirty-two years after a landmark decision called for L.A. to limit its taking of water to help Mono Lake recover, its water level is still far lower than what’s required. Some are calling for L.A. to pause its use of water to allow the lake to rise. https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-03-21/california-water-regulators-reexamine-mono-lake
The Trump administration plans to increase the water it’s sending to Central Valley farmlands from Shasta Lake this year. Environmental and fishing groups say this threatens to harm salmon by depriving them of vital cold water. https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-05-21/california-water-salmon-trump-dam-plan
In May, the Leona Valley is usually bustling with families who arrive from across Southern California for an annual tradition: U-pick cherries. But climate change is bringing warmer winters, and this year has been so warm that the trees produced no cherries. https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-05-19/cherry-season-record-warmth
The dire ‘math problem’ of the Colorado River
I asked Anne Castle how far western states’ leaders are from really addressing the crisis.
Her answer: Nowhere near.
https://www.latimes.com/environment/newsletter/2026-05-14/boiling-point-colorado-river-math-problem
With the Colorado River’s reservoirs declining toward critically low levels, negotiators for California, Arizona and Nevada announced a new water-saving plan for the next two years. https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-05-02/california-new-colorado-river-plan
The warm winter has left very little snow in California’s Sierra Nevada, and now an extreme heat wave is accelerating the rapid melt in the mountains.
I spoke with Stanford researcher Newsha Ajami about what warming winters mean for the future of California's water: https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-03-15/extreme-heat-california-snowpack
Commercial fishing for salmon is set to resume along the California coast for the first time since 2022. After a three-year shutdown, regulators plan to allow a fishing season with strict limits.
I spoke with people who fish for a living about what it means: https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-04-12/california-salmon-fishing-resuming
Splashdown: Artemis II astronauts safely return after historic moon mission https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2026-04-10/artemis-ii-san-diego-splashdown
A coalition of cities and water agencies led by the Central Arizona Project has started rolling out TV ads: "Arizona is being unfairly targeted for reductions of Colorado River water that would cripple our state." https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-environment/2026/02/23/colorado-river-cuts-unfairly-target-arizona-coalition-says/88783916007/
Climate “superfund” bills, based on the principle that oil companies should pay costs associated with climate change, are gaining ground in state legislatures. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/climate/climate-superfund-laws-bills.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
Recharging groundwater: New research highlights areas around the world that have managed to halt groundwater declines and boost aquifer levels. One California farm water agency shows what decades of recharge efforts can accomplish.
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-03-21/groundwater-recharge
San Diego County's water situation is unusual in California. Because of its big investments in getting more water, it now has an oversupply — and some of the state's highest rates. The agency is selling some of its water to keep its rising rates in check. https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-03-20/san-diego-county-water-deal
The United Farm Workers is voicing support for victims, reckoning with Cesar Chavez sexual abuse revelations
California, Arizona and Nevada are criticizing how the Trump administration is dealing with the Colorado River's crisis. They are warning that the Interior Department’s outline of options for water cutbacks ignores the 1922 agreement that divided the water. https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-03-04/trump-administration-rethink-colorado-river-plans
The Colorado River quagmire boils down to a simple question, John Fleck writes: "Secretary Burgum: Tell us what you’re going to do." https://www.inkstain.net/2026/02/in-which-my-colleagues-and-i-share-thoughts-on-the-future-of-colorado-river-governance/
California’s snowpack remains far smaller than average during a winter that has brought record warmth across the West
Sierra Nevada: 66% of average
Upper Colorado River: 66% of average
Oregon: 34% of average
"Projections show that our winters are going to look a lot more like this in the future."
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-02-27/california-march-sierra-snow-survey
The crisis on the Colorado River — six things to know
https://www.latimes.com/environment/newsletter/2026-02-26/boiling-point-things-to-know-colorado-river-crisis
Will California ever build the Delta tunnel? "You’ve got some pretty tough hurdles ahead." https://calmatters.org/environment/2026/05/newsom-california-delta-tunnel-water/
Along the shores of the shrinking Salton Sea, desert winds regularly kick up dust and send it drifting through nearby neighborhoods. New research indicates that children who live close to the lake have diminished lung development compared with kids farther away. https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2026-04-09/salton-sea-dust-children-health
Most of the snow in California’s Sierra Nevada has melted after a record-breaking heat wave.
“Climate change is influencing California’s water system quickly and severely.” @petergleick@fediscience.org
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-04-01/extreme-heat-california-snow
The record warmth this winter, with some states seeing seasonal temperatures more than 3 degrees F above average, brought “the classic signature of a warming climate on mountain snowpack,” @weatherwest@mastodon.social says https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-03-15/extreme-heat-california-snowpack
With desert cities like Phoenix and Tucson bracing for their allotments of Colorado River water to be slashed dramatically, San Diego County’s water agency could for the first time sell some of its water to other states by drawing on its ample supplies from the nation’s largest desalination plant. https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-03-03/california-desalination-water-transfer-deal
At least eight skiers died in the avalanche, and one person is missing. https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/live/rescuers-search-for-nine-skiers-missing-after-lake-tahoe-avalanche
‘We’re in shock’: Farmworkers grapple with Cesar Chavez sex abuse allegations
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-03-19/farmworkers-cesar-chavez-sex-abuse-allegations
The water crisis along the Colorado River has gotten so serious that the Trump administration is responding with emergency measures to prop up Lake Powell, the nation’s second largest reservoir. https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-04-17/colorado-river-trump-administration-dams
Does California have a blind spot in its tracking of climate-warming gases? Several environmental groups say it's reservoirs. They're urging state air regulators to start tracking how much methane they emit. https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-04-15/california-reservoirs-methane