Tuesday’s ruling said Sonoma County had not properly considered the effects of new rules it issued for increased pumping from the Russian River By Bob Egelko,Staff WriterAug 5, 2026 In a challenge by environmental groups to the pumping of groundwater from rivers to fill wells for farmers, homes and businesses in Sonoma County, a state appeals […]
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People who come in contact with water with elevated levels of E. coli are at an increased risk of becoming ill. Published on July 21, 2026 by Shelley Ho The Abridged version: Lake Natoma visitors looking for relief from the heat may want to reconsider swimming in the water after recent samples continue to show high […]
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by: Katie ChavezPosted: Jul 21, 2026 (FOX40.COM) — Despite multi-million-dollar efforts to combat an invasive species’ impact on a key California water source, Yolo County was forced to declare a local emergency in its latest attempt to slow the spread. The Yolo County Board of Supervisors proclaimed a local emergency Tuesday as golden mussels continue to threaten […]
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Pelicans, grebes, loons, murres and ‘tremendous numbers’ of Brandt’s cormorants have been found sick or dead By Rachel Fobar | rfobar@scng.com PUBLISHED: June 26, 2026 UPDATED: June 28, 2026 Between disease, pesticide contamination and starvation, seabirds are fighting multiple battles along the California coastline this year. Since March, beachgoers have discovered dozens of sick or dead seabirds along the coastal stretch […]
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The State Water Board is actively developing numeric water quality objectives to protect the MUN and REC-1 beneficial uses from four cyanotoxins: microcystins, cylindrospermopsin, anatoxin-a, and saxitoxins. In addition, they are working on a narrative water quality objective for harmful algal blooms, along with a program of implementation to achieve both the numeric and narrative […]
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As 2025 drew to a close, the big news on California’s Eel River was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins’ unhinged and weird letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) opposing Pacific Gas and Electric’s (PG&E) License Surrender Application for the Potter Valley Project. Rollins demanded the commission reject PG&E’s application, contrary to FERC precedent and […]
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by Yuba Water Agency March 4, 2026 OREGON HOUSE, Calif. (Mar. 3, 2026) – Yuba Water Agency and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response are close to completing oily debris containment and removal at Englebright Lake following the recent rupture of Yuba Water’s penstock pipe. Today, the same excavator that […]
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Native wisdom and ancient rock paintings save the day. kat hong Upworthy Staff01.17.26 Checking in on California’s beaver project. Deep in the Sierra Nevada foothills on the Tule River Indian Reservation, tribal member Kenneth McDarment had passed by an ochre-red pictograph countless times throughout his life—a simple yet unmistakable image of a beaver with four paws and a distinctive […]
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by Mandela Linder January 24, 2026 MENDOCINO CO., 1/24/26 — After decades of decline, endangered coho salmon have returned to the coast in numbers that more than double the targets set by habitat restoration projects. In 2008, just 5,000 coho were estimated across the entire state, one percent of their historic numbers; over the winter of 2024-25, […]
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by William McKinnon First, an IntroductionEyes On Napa is pleased to share this article with you as we start the New Year and consider the needs of our beautiful Napa Valley and everyone who lives here. Our guest author is William McKinnon, an attorney for Water Audit California, a Public Benefit Corporation with highly regarded top advisors, including Dr Peter […]
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The federal government announced Monday that it will not list Western Coast Chinook salmon as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Following a petition to protect the species and designate critical habitat, the National Marine Fisheries Service conducted a comprehensive 12-month review. The agency ultimately determined that populations along the Oregon Coast and […]
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By Lyric Aquino (Underscore Native News + Report for America)Oct. 14, 2025 1:54 p.m. Despite the hopeful strides the river has taken in healing, scientists say federal funding cuts pose a setback to continued scientific monitoring. This story originally appeared on Underscore Native News. At a virtual press conference on Thursday, Oct. 9, Klamath River scientists announced […]
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The Southern California coast has become an ‘extreme danger zone’ for marine mammals amid the worst toxic algae bloom in years. Paige Austin, Patch Staff Posted Mon, Apr 28, 2025 LOS ANGELES, CA — Hundreds of sick and dying dolphins, sea lions and whales have been washing up on the Southern California shoreline in what environmental […]
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In a few short years, a diverse, thoughtful group of committed citizen activists, national park supporters, environmental groups and animal protection groups, has resulted in the federal government officially changing this national park’s policy of fencing in its population of wild tule elk inside a 2,600-acre “Reserve.” In December of 2024 and January 2025, their […]
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In the sea as on land, climate change is driving shifts in the abundance and distribution of species. Scientists are just beginning to focus on why some fish predators and prey — like striped bass and menhaden on the U.S. East Coast — are changing their behavior as waters warm. By Andrew S. Lewis • January 21, 2025 For decades on the […]
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Landmark deal will secure water reliability for people and agriculture in the Russian River while returning Eel River water rights to Round Valley Indian Tribes and restoring salmon California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton H. Bonham today joined with the Round Valley Indian Tribes, supervisors […]
Read More![The Middle Fork of the Eel River [Photo by Matt LaFever]](https://criverwatch.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/middle-fork-eel-river.webp)
The following is a press release issued by the Office of U.S. Representative Jared Huffman: Today, U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02) announced that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has awarded Round Valley Indian Tribes and the Sonoma County Water Agency $15 million toward implementing the Two-Basin Solution. The funds through the Inflation Reduction Act will […]
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On the U.S. West Coast, conservationists for the world’s largest dam-removal project are both celebrating initial successes and encountering short-term obstacles. VOA’s Matt Dibble has our story from the Klamath River on the border between California and Oregon.
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NOAA FisheriesDelta scienceScienceJuly 10, 2024 0 174 A recent Endangered Species Act 5-year review shows water use, habitat loss, and climate change continue to compromise recovery. By NOAA Fisheries Northern California steelhead require continued protection as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, according to a recent 5-year review by NOAA Fisheries. State and federal […]
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Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary will protect waters off San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara counties By Paul Rogers | progers@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News GroupUPDATED: September 12, 2024 at 12:20 p.m. A long-running effort by native tribes and environmentalists to establish the first new national marine sanctuary along California’s coastline in 32 years — the aquatic version of a new […]
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By Ian JamesStaff Writer June 18, 2024 In the face of climate change and worsening cycles of drought, California water managers have been increasingly focused on the precise tracking of water resources. Snowpack in the Sierra Nevada is measured with sensors and aerial images, reservoir levels are electronically logged, and the movement of water through aqueducts […]
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May 26, 2024 In another recent report, researchers with the Public Policy Institute of California assessed the dire threats to freshwater biodiversity in the state. Studies have found that about half of California’s native aquatic species are highly vulnerable to extinction this century, and the researchers said with climate change accelerating, the state needs to quickly […]
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The largest-ever dam removal is underway, a milestone in the nation’s reckoning over its past attempts to bend nature to human will
It was a small moment, with little fanfare, in one of the most remote patches of northern California. Just the rat-a-tat of three Caterpillar excavators gnawing through concrete signaled the beginning of the largest dam removal project in the history of the country, and perhaps the world.
There was no ribbon cutting or ceremonial dynamite detonation. But the demolition on that June day arrived only after decades of argument and activism.
The Klamath River dams, built between the early 1900s and 1960s, fundamentally reshaped one of the West’s most […]
Read MoreThe State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board or Board) has posted a revised notice of availability and opportunity for public comment, hearing, and staff workshops on the draft Staff Report in support of possible Sacramento River and Delta updates to the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary (Bay-Delta Plan) to its […]
Read MoreYou are receiving this email because you have signed up on the North Coast Water Board’s email distribution list to receive regular updates on the Gualala River Watershed Sediment Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) project. This is the first in a series of quarterly information updates that will be sent throughout the development of this […]
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By: Cristen Hemingway JaynesPublished: November 20, 2023 “Nonstick,” “waterproof” and “stain-resistant” are all commonplace terms that are self-explanatory. But the “forever chemicals” behind the coatings that give products the ability to resist grease, water and oil are not so well-known, it turns out. A new study conducted by AgriLife scientists at Texas A&M University is the first generalized survey in […]
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By: Cristen Hemingway JaynesPublished: November 17, 2023 Microplastics — tiny fragments of plastic products and industrial waste — are now so pervasive in Earth’s environment that they are found everywhere from the highest mountain peaks to the deepest parts of the ocean. According to a new report, all aquatic species in the mouths of rivers that flow into the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea are contaminated with microplastics; mollusksare […]
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By: Bridget Reed MorawskiPublished: November 9, 2023Edited by Chris McDermott Often when we talk about the health implications of particular chemicals, the conversation tends to focus on the human impact, yet animals also suffer when harmful chemicals accumulate in their bodies and ecosystems. A new map highlights how pervasive the problem is for wildlife around the world by showcasing the […]
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Much has been made — and rightly so — about the potential impact on human health and the Japanese fishing industry if Japan moves forward with its proposal to dump 1.2 million cubic meters — that’s 1.3 million tons —of radioactively contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean from the destroyed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant site.
Unfortunately, this looks likely to happen sometime this month or next despite the worldwide outcry. But when I say “happen”, that rather suggests a one-off dump. Instead, the discharge of these liquid nuclear wastes could […]
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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 […]
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