Main Article Archive – California River Watch

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 […]

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 […]

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)

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 […]

EPA Administrator Michael Regan in March 2023. Credit: U.S. EPA

“This is the most significant step the EPA has taken in years to increase transparency about pesticides’ harms,” one advocate said. by Johnathan Hettinger, Investigate Midwest July 27, 2023 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency posted searchable databases of pesticide harm for the first time in agency history on Thursday. The databases, which include reports of harm to people, pets, […]

The sun shines through the mist of Running Eagle Falls in the Two Medicine portion of Glacier National Park.

By Dana DrugmandAugust 15, 2023 “Game-changer ruling” has implications for future climate change lawsuits in the US and around the world. A Montana court ruled in favor of 16 young people who put their state government on trial in June in the first constitutional climate trial in U.S. history. In an order issued Monday, Judge Kathy Seeley […]

The wood products industry is massively undercounting its impact on the climate, a new study has found. Through its production of paper, pulp, pellets and lumber, the industry releases at least 3.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide every year, according to a study published last week in Nature. That is a large number in its own right: more than […]

Because concrete and steel used to construct buildings are a major source of global greenhouse gas emissions, there is growing interest in “mass timber” — a supposedly lower-carbon option — to replace them. New ways of gluing pieces of wood together to form strong beams and structural panels provide opportunities to use wood even in tall buildings. But new research finds that using wood in construction is likely to increase emissions for many decades, […]

In January 2022, the State Water Resources Control Board launched a new project called Updating Water Rights Data for California (UPWARD California) to improve how the state collects and manages its water rights data and information. […]

Tao Orion, author of “Beyond the War on Invasive Species”

Tao Orion is the author of “Beyond the War on Invasive Species: A Permaculture Approach to Ecosystem Restoration.” She is a permaculture designer, teacher, homesteader, and mother living in the southern Willamette Valley of Oregon. I interviewed her on May 18, 2020, for my podcast, “Voices for Nature & Peace.” What follows is a partial transcript of that conversation, edited for clarity. […]

Trumpeter swans breed and nest in wetlands, and are found throughout much of the Great Lakes basin. (Courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

The Supreme Court just severely weakened the Clean Water Act. Its ruling in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency drastically limits the kinds of wetlands that the law protects from pollution. More than half of the 118 million acres of wetlands in the United States are threatened by this ruling. Here’s what you […]

From article "Pesticides creating an Ecocide"

A terrifying study found that one in three Americans have detectable levels of a toxic pesticide made from the same ingredient in Agent Orange. This pesticide – 2,4-D – is linked to cancers, birth defects, and hormonal imbalances – and could wipe out hundreds of endangered species. It’s now sold as a chemical cocktail alongside glyphosate, […]

From article "Dental Director Buried Data Linking Fluoride to IQ Defects"

A new study led by a California public health official and long-time advocate of water fluoridation omitted data that contradicted its conclusion that fluoridated water is not associated with reduced IQ, according to documents obtained through Public Records Act requests. Attorney Michael Connett has provided the unearthed documents to the National Toxicology Program (NTP) so […]

A just-released study by University of Calgary researchers found “poorer inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility” in preschool children whose mothers were pregnant during times when the water was fluoridated in Calgary, Canada (Dewey 2023). The authors said their tests measured “executive function deficits […]

California’s Forests Targeted As Feedstock for Global Wood Bioenergy Industry – Civil Society Responds With United Force to Oppose Massive Wood Pellet Export Project The opening of the environmental review of the Golden State Natural Resources wood pellet manufacture and export scheme in California received a robust response from civil society environmental and environmental justice organizations from […]

A trail courses through an old growth forest along the Ohanapecosh River in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington, USA

Published: March 9, 2023 8.40am EST Forests are critically important for slowing climate change. They remove huge quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – 30% of all fossil fuel emissions annually – and store carbon in trees and soils. Old and mature forests are especially important: They handle droughts, storms and wildfires better than young trees, […]

The project area for the Carmel River restoration project as seen from the air. (Courtesy Big Sur Land Trust)

Funding Will Help Communities Implement Groundwater Recharge, Flood Management, Water Conservation and Water Supply Reliability Projects May 17, 2023 “California’s changing climate presents unique challenges to our regions across the state,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “These projects meet multiple needs including constructing new water infrastructure, improving water quality, protecting wildlife and preparing for a […]

Brian Nguyen 1 , Dominique Claveau-Mallet 1 , Laura M Hernandez 1 , Elvis Genbo Xu 1 , Jeffrey M Farner 1 , Nathalie Tufenkji 1 March 29, 2023 Abstract The vast amount of plastic waste emitted into the environment and the increasing concern of potential harm to wildlife has made microplastic and nanoplastic pollution a growing environmental concern. Plastic pollution has the potential to cause both physical and chemical harm […]

An annual report highlights 10 waterways that have arrived at forks: where public support could determine whether they receive protection. By: EosApril 20, 2023By Saima May Sidik America’s waterways need help. Threats such as industrial pollution, poorly planned development, and climate change are widespread. In some cases, help could be imminent—but only with support from the public […]

Melting Glaciers threaten ocean circulation systems

“It’s way faster than we thought these circulations could slow down,” said one researcher. “We are talking about the possible long-term extinction of an iconic water mass.” Julia ConleyMar 30, 2023 Scientists from the United States and Australia on Wednesday warned in a new study that the current rate of greenhouse gas emissions and the resulting rapid […]

A very large salmon caught during a research cruise

California’s commercial and recreational salmon season was officially canceled late Thursday — and Gov. Newsom quickly announced he’s seeking a federal fishery disaster declaration to ease the pain for fishing communities.

As CalMatters’ Alastair Bland reported last month, California’s commercial and recreational fishing fleet landed about 300,000 salmon last year. But crashing populations are forcing this drastic move by the Pacific Fishery Management Council, something that hasn’t been done since 2009. The closure is expected to take effect in mid-May. And on May 17, […]

Officials vow to push for speedy action to support a salmon fishing industry facing full season closure. MARY CALLAHANTHE PRESS DEMOCRATApril 7, 2023, 11:54AM State and federal officials are vowing to move quickly to secure disaster aid for Californians affected by the closure of this year’s commercial and recreational salmon season, which could have an […]

Napa County has work to do to get Napa Valley wine country groundwater supplies in balance for the long haul. Groundwater pumping in 2021-22 was 18,790 acre-feet, according to a new report. It was the third consecutive year that pumping exceeded the Napa Valley sub-basin’s sustainable yield of 15,000 acre-feet, coinciding with a three-year drought. […]

Forest Carbon Coalition and John Muir Project presents Biomass Logging: Bad for Communities, Climate & Forests Please join our esteemed panelists Katherine Egland of Mississippi’s Education, Economics, Environmental, Climate and Health Organization (EEECHO), Dr. Shaye Wolf, of Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and biologist, author, and filmmaker Maya Khosla for an in-depth discussion of biomass logging. Katherine […]

20 May 2021 Intense storms and flooding triggered three times more displacements than violent conflicts did last year, as the number of people internally displaced worldwide hit the highest level on record. There were at least 55 million internally displaced people (IDPs) by the end of last year, according to figures published by the Norwegian Refugee […]

Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken denied the request of 18 Republican attorneys general to intervene as defendants in the Juliana case. Judge Aiken indicated that when her ruling comes down on the plaintiffs’ motion for leave to amend, the states could attempt to refile their motion, suggesting a ruling in Juliana v. United States – where a favorable decision would put the youth back on the path to trial – may be imminent! After we notify our […]

2023 Water Supply Demand Balance - One Water and Stewardship Committee

What a difference 11 atmospheric rivers make. Metropolitan, as recently as January facing a 574,000-acre deficit, is now anticipating putting 119,000 acre-feet or more into storage this year, the first time since 2019. Metropolitan staff delivered the good news at the One Water Committee meeting on March 14. The big change is attributed to the […]

National Toxicology Program U.S. Deportment of Health and Human Services

The final report of a 6-year National Toxicology Program (NTP) review of fluoride neurotoxicity was blocked from public release by the Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Administrator in May 2022 according to the Fluoride Action Network (FAN). But under an agreement reached in an ongoing lawsuit against the EPA, the report was made public today […]

Large old growth redwood with man sized tunnel

(Complying with President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14072 directing federal agencies to define and conduct an inventory of them for conservation purposes.)

Image from Fluoride Associated with Hypothyroidish in pregnancy article from Fluoride Action Network

“Researchers say healthy thyroid function is crucial for fetal brain development and their latest research may explain earlier findings looking at fluoride and children’s IQ” A new study (Hall, et al., 2023) led by scientists from Toronto’s York University in the journal Science of the Total Environment linked fluoride exposure with an increased risk of hypothyroidism in […]

Category: Main Article Archive

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

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

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

California Coastal Commission OKs desalination plant in Orange County

EPA posts databases of pesticide harm to people, pets and wildlife for first time in agency history

Montana Youth Activists Win Historic Climate Change Lawsuit

The wood industry releases more carbon than Russia — and we’re not counting its emissions: study

Wood Is Not the Climate-friendly Building Material Some Claim it to Be

UPWARD project: Bringing California water rights data into the digital domain

Beyond the War on Invasive Species

Supreme Court Catastrophically Undermines Clean Water Protections

Pesticides creating an Ecocide

Dental Director Buried Data Linking Fluoride to IQ Defects

New Study Links Child Neurodevelopmental Deficits to Fluoridated Water in Calgary

California’s Forests Targeted As Feedstock for Global Wood Bioenergy Industry

The Biden administration has called for protecting mature US forests to slow climate change, but it’s still allowing them to be logged

DWR Delivers $143.7 Million to Local Communities to Address Regional Water Supply Challenges and Build Climate Resilience State

Separation and Analysis of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Complex Environmental Samples

10 Rivers Facing Pollution, Development, and Climate Change — And Policies That Can Help

Rapidly Melting Glaciers Threaten Collapse of Crucial Ocean Circulation Systems: Study

Salmon season officially off

State, federal officials vow to take quick action on Federal Fishery Disaster Declaration for salmon fishing industry

Napa Valley groundwater pumping exceeds sustainable yield

Biomass Logging: Bad for Communities, Climate & Forests

Climate disasters ‘caused more internal displacement than war’ in 2020

Big things are happening in Juliana v. United States!

Southern California water supply improves dramatically; Metropolitan directors vote to rescind regional drought emergency

Suppressed Government Report Finding Fluoride
Can Reduce Children’s IQ Made Public Under EPA Lawsuit

Assessing carbon stocks & accumulation potential of mature forests and larger trees in U.S. federal lands

Fluoride Associated with Hypothyroidism in Pregnancy

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