On the heels of a snow season that alarmed water managers across the Colorado River Basin, the Bureau of Reclamation is taking action to keep levels stable in Lake Powell....more
A new solar project in Kern County will help power the Edmonston Pumping Plant, which provides water to 27 million people in Southern California. The plant is one of the single biggest electricity users in the state....more
On March 12, 2026, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced via press release and bulletin the release of its California Groundwater: Bulletin 118 – Update 2025 (2025 Update). Bulletin 118 represents “the State’s...more
In a 7-page Order filed January 28, 2026, the Third District Court of Appeal denied Appellant DWR’s request for rehearing and modified its partially published opinion in Department of Water Resources v. Metropolitan Water...more
On January 21, 2026, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) published its Best Management Practices of the Sustainable Management of Groundwater – Land Subsidence (Subsidence BMPs). The press release details the...more
The California Court of Appeal has ruled that preliminary work can begin on the Delta Conveyance Project, a controversial proposal to build a 14-mile underground tunnel to transport water from Northern California southward....more
In a published opinion filed October 17, 2025, the Third District Court of Appeal reversed the trial court’s preliminary injunction orders in five related actions prohibiting preconstruction geotechnical work to be undertaken...more
As climate variability and drought continue to challenge California’s water supply, the state is renewing its focus on seawater desalination as part of a diversified water portfolio. While only a handful of large-scale...more
Stakeholders should stay informed as state and federal officials advance plans and policies for water conservation, water quality, and climate resilience in California....more
ExxonMobil sued by California AG and environmental nonprofits over plastic waste - California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a coalition of environmental nonprofit entities sued ExxonMobil on Monday, accusing the company...more
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a decision on August 22, 2024, authorizing the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to procure up to 10.6 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy resources, including up to 7.6...more
Climate change threatens to dramatically shrink the amount of water California can deliver over the next 20 years and could significantly reduce supplies available from the State Water Project according to new projections...more
Two laws enacted in 2023 as part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s infrastructure streamlining package are intended to facilitate development of certain energy, water resources, transportation, semiconductor manufacturing, and other...more
This year marks the 10th anniversary of a major milestone in California water law history: the enactment of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in 2014. This landmark legislation signaled a critical step toward...more
Powerful pumps that supply much of California’s population with water have killed several thousand threatened and endangered fish this year, prompting environmental groups to demand that state and federal agencies take...more
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
The Biden administration issued a final rule this Wednesday aimed at curbing methane leaks from oil and gas drilling on federal and tribal lands. Adoption of the rule is its latest action to crack down on emissions of...more
The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) last Thursday asked federal regulators for permission to cancel its annual interconnection study process for any interconnection requests submitted this year so it can deal...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
Top water officials for the seven Colorado River Basin states met in December 2023 at the Colorado River Water Users Association conference to resume negotiating a new compromise for how they will share — and cut back on —...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
The San Pedro Alliance (“Alliance”) submitted a September 20th document to the Arizona Department of Water Resources (“ADWR”) styled: Petition for a Rule to Designate the Upper San Pedro Basin as an Active Management...more
Governor Newsom, on October 7, 2023, signed AB 1373 into law. The bill authorizes the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to serve as a central procurement entity to procure diverse clean energy resources in order to help the...more
Contrary to the catastrophic picture painted by news sources around the country, Arizona is not out of water, construction has not been suspended, and a construction moratorium has not been issued by the Governor. The real...more
Chemours Co., E.I. DuPont de Nemours, Inc., and Corteva, Inc. on Friday said they had reached an agreement in principle to pay $1.19 billion to settle claims that they contaminated U.S. public water systems with...more