Welcome to California River Watch

I find some hope for the future of our planet in the emergence of millions of unconnected environmental and social movements. The leaderless Anarchy of this mass phenomenon and its macro scale means that its cells will not be centrally controlled or turned aside by profit motives. It seems to be a genuine grass roots response to the global threat which our planet faces. —Paul Hawken «


“Fix it in your constitution that no corporation, no body of men, no capital can get possession and right to your waters. Hold the waters in the hands of the people.”

John Wesley Powell 1890 North Dakota Constitutional Convention

River Watch

A celebrity-studded L.A. water district has a very big drought idea: Seafloor desalination

BY HAYLEY SMITH STAFF WRITER SEPT. 19, 2023 UPDATED 6:57 AM PT A water district best known for supplying the celebrity-studded enclaves of Calabasas and Hidden Hills could soon become famous for a very different reason. The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District recently partnered with California-based OceanWell to study the feasibility of harvesting drinking water from desalination pods placed on […]

Low on water, but high on celebrity, Las Virgenes seeks wastewater purification facility

Dec. 15, 2022 The Las Virgenes district, which supplies about 75,000 people, is almost entirely reliant on imported water from the State Water Project, a vast network of reservoirs, canals and pipelines that feeds dozens of agencies across the state. But the district faces routine challenges during times of drought, especially when state officials are […]

Think you can cheat water restrictions? This tiny disk will tame the thirstiest water hogs

June 7, 2022 But getting the desalination project past regulators will be a significant hurdle. The California Coastal Commission, the State Lands Commission, the State Water Resources Control Board, the Division of Drinking Water, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers are just some of the agencies that could be involved […]

A storage tank at the Las Virgenes water district’s reservoir is shown. The district is almost entirely reliant on imported water supplies. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

California Coastal Commission OKs desalination plant in Orange County

Oct. 13, 2022 However, Evelyn commended the company for reaching out to the Sierra Club and other environmental groups over the last year, and for taking their feedback and concerns into account while developing the technology. “I am happy to see that there is new technology and there is less harm to marine life, and […]