On January 24, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14181 (“EO 14181”), entitled “Emergency Measures to Provide Water Resources in California and Improve Disaster Response in Certain Areas.” While alluding to...more
On October 23, 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $276 million in available funding for California water infrastructure projects. When combined with the $269 million it announced on October 8, 2024,...more
On September 6, 2024, EPA announced $7.5 billion in available loan funding through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA). From that total, $6.5 billion is available through WIFIA loans and $1 billion is...more
Water Agencies Beware Before Proceeding with Forced Municipalization -
California’s state water system serves roughly 40 million people and irrigates nearly 10 million acres of farmland. The 2023 water year was ranked as...more
5/24/2024
/ California ,
Condemnation ,
Construction Contracts ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Infrastructure ,
Municipalities ,
New Regulations ,
PFAS ,
Public Contracts ,
Public Entities ,
State Water Boards ,
Storm Water ,
Utilities Sector ,
Water ,
Water Quality ,
Water Supplies
On April 10, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its final National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This regulation represents a key...more
4/10/2024
/ Biden Administration ,
Contamination ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Final Rules ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Infrastructure ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Exposure
On April 4, 2024, Governor Newsom and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Bureau) announced that the Bureau awarded California $15 million for the Delta-Mendota Canal floating solar project. The project, which is funded through...more
4/9/2024
/ Biden Administration ,
Bureau of Reclamation ,
California ,
Climate Change ,
Electricity ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Projects ,
Federal Funding ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Infrastructure ,
Inland Waterways ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
Water Supplies
On April 2, 2024, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) released the California Water Plan Update 2023 (CWP 2023 Update). DWR’s press release dubs the plan “A Roadmap to Water Management and Infrastructure for a...more
On January 4, 2024, the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) issued its statutorily-mandated report – “Assessing Early Implementation of Urban Water Use Efficiency Requirements” – analyzing the implementation of the “Make...more
After releasing the final environmental report (EIR) for the Delta Conveyance Project on December 8, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) certified it on December 21, 2023. The certification of the final EIR is a...more
If there is one truism in California water, it is that there is not enough of it. In part to try to help address that issue, on December 19, 2023, the California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) adopted...more
1/2/2024
/ California ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Policies ,
Infrastructure ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
State and Local Government ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Wastewater ,
Water ,
Water Resources Control Board ,
Water Supplies
On October 8, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 389 (“SB 389”), which amended § 1051 of the Water Code to expand the investigatory authority of the State Water Resources Control Board (“Water Board”)....more
10/20/2023
/ Enforcement Authority ,
Environmental Policies ,
Infrastructure ,
Investigations ,
New Legislation ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
State and Local Government ,
Water ,
Water Resources Control Board ,
Water Rights ,
Water Supplies
On January 10, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom announced his $297 billion budget proposal for 2023-2024, which includes a $22.5 billion budget deficit. Despite environmental/climate change programs facing $6 billion in cuts,...more
1/12/2023
/ California ,
Climate Change ,
Drought ,
Environmental Policies ,
Flood Management ,
Infrastructure ,
PFAS ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Water ,
Water Rights ,
Water Supplies ,
Watershed
On December 19, 2022, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps), Sacramento District released its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Delta Conveyance Project. The Army Corps is the federal agency tasked...more
On December 6, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a bipartisan vote of 350-80. The NDAA includes the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022, which includes...more
On December 6, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a bipartisan vote of 350-80. The NDAA includes the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022, which includes...more
12/16/2022
/ Drinking Water ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Funding ,
Flood Control ,
Infrastructure ,
NDAA ,
Pending Legislation ,
PFAS ,
Pollution Control ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Water Resources Development Act ,
Water Supplies
On November 10, 2022, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that he had filed a lawsuit against 3M, DuPont, and sixteen other companies for their roles in manufacturing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)....more
11/15/2022
/ 3M Company ,
Contamination ,
Drinking Water ,
DuPont ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Infrastructure ,
Manufacturers ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Exposure
On May 12, 2022, at the conclusion of a ten-hour hearing, the California Coastal Commission voted to deny Poseidon Water’s application to site and operate a desalination plant in Huntington Beach, in what could be a fatal...more
At a board meeting on April 26, 2022, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (“the Met”) announced it would be requiring reductions in water usage from retail water suppliers that are dependent on water from...more
The past few weeks have been active ones for California in assessing the severity of its current drought and how it plans to manage its water during the third year of that drought. On top of other, more localized action,...more