A judge has temporarily blocked a plan by a California state water board to take over monitoring groundwater use in a portion of the crop-rich San Joaquin Valley, according to a copy of the decision obtained on July 16. Kings...more
Like much of the western and southwestern U.S., California has experienced drought conditions on and off for decades. Fortunately, the regulatory landscape is starting to catch up with water treatment technology, paving the...more
State and federal officials move forward plans and policies for water conservation, conveyance, and climate resilience. The winter of 2022-23 brought historic levels of precipitation to California after years of deep...more
In a new study, researchers from NYU, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Defend Our Health have estimated the costs of plastic exposure on the U.S. healthcare system. In 2018, several common endocrine disruptors, a...more
California legislators have passed a bill articulating the scope of the State Water Resources Control Board’s authority to investigate water rights. Senate Bill 389, which will go to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk for a final...more
With torrential rains drenching California, state water regulators have endorsed a plan to divert floodwaters from the San Joaquin River to replenish groundwater that has been depleted by heavy agricultural pumping during...more
On Monday, September 12, 2022, a California Court of Appeal upheld a decision that the State Water Resources Control Board (the “Board”) lacks jurisdictional authority to issue curtailment notices to pre-1914 appropriative...more
California legislators reject bill to curb agricultural groundwater pumping - The Bakersfield Californian – September 4 - California lawmakers have rejected proposed legislation seeking to rein in agricultural...more
On September 12, 2022, the Court of Appeal for the Sixth District issued its opinion in the California Water Curtailment Cases, No. 1-15-CV285182 (2022). The court held that the State Water Resources Control Board (State...more
On May 24, 2022, the California State Water Resources Control Board announced emergency drought restrictions resulting from Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-7-22. The regulations are the latest in a series of attempts by...more
Ramifications for Urban Water Suppliers and Non-Functional Turf - The State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) has adopted an emergency regulation (Regulation) requiring urban water suppliers to implement the...more
THE DROUGHT CRISIS - 2021 was the driest year California has experienced in a century. At the end of the water year, spanning October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021, the State received only 11.87 inches of precipitation,...more
Limited water supply, restrictions on use, and higher costs may be in store for next year if the state’s drought conditions persist. This year has been critically dry and hot for California, resulting in déjà vu as the...more
EPA to propose first-ever PFAS discharge limits - The Hill – September 8 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Wednesday that it will propose a rule to set the first-ever limits on the...more
California water managers vote to cut off farmers as statewide drought intensifies - Courthouse News Service – June 15 - Citing severe drought conditions, the California State Water Resources Control Board on Tuesday sent...more
This week was a busy week at the Arizona State legislature. Several bills were dropped in order to meet deadlines placed by the federal government to have agreement on a drought contingency plan “DCP” by January 31, 2019. ...more
New California Laws Stress Efficient Water Use for Cities and Farms - From 2012 to 2016, California endured its worst drought on record, drier than any four-year period in the last 450 years. ...more
The Arkansas Natural Resources Commission (“ANRC”) issued a June 5th document titled: Drought Contingency Response Network Report (“Report”) ...more
Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 1668 and Senate Bill 606 yesterday, which are jointly designed to overhaul California’s approach to conserving water. ...more
On Thursday, May 17th, the California Legislature took a big step forward on the path towards making conservation a California way of life by passing two key bills – Senate Bill 606 and Assembly Bill 1668 – that, together,...more
The State Water Resources Control Board exceeded its jurisdictional authority under Water Code section 1052 when it issued curtailment notices to pre-1914 and riparian water rights holders, a Santa Clara County Superior Court...more
The State Water Resources Control Board released this week a formal proposal to extend the emergency statewide drought regulations that have been in effect for California in various forms since early 2015. Cities, counties,...more
Despite objections from many water suppliers that drought conditions have ended, the State Water Resources Control Board this week voted unanimously to extend emergency water conservation regulations throughout California....more
The struggle to allocate scarce water resources between endangered and threatened fish and humans is not new. But droughts in the Southwest, which lower stream flows, and population increases, which raise demand, have...more
On May 18, 2016, the California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) adopted new emergency conservation regulations that repeal and replace its prior drought regulations. The new regulations, which are...more