Leaders and Experts

The Foundation’s Central Valley Tour at the end of April is nearing capacity and while there’s still some space on the tour, there’s another very exciting opportunity on the horizon this summer to engage directly with groundwater experts from California and across the world. Toward Sustainable Groundwater in Agriculture: June 18-20 The 3ʳᵈ International Groundwater Conference Linking Science & Policy returns to San Francisco for the first time since 2016 and you won’t want to miss this opportunity to hear about the latest scientific, management, legal and policy advances for sustaining our groundwater resources in agricultural regions around the world. Learn how you can attend, sponsor or exhibit at this amazing event!

After being sanctioned by federal regulators for plowing up protected wetlands on his California farm, a U.S. lawmaker is now spearheading an effort to roll back federal water protections — including the very same provisions that he once paid penalties for violating. If the scheme is successful, environmental groups say industrial polluters could more freely contaminate wetlands, rivers, and other waters, harming both the nation’s water resources and the communities depending on them. It could also benefit the lawmaker spearheading the attack, since he still owns the farm where he was found to be destroying wetlands.

Pasadena Water and Power (PWP) has launched a new multi-year campaign called “The Ripple Effect” aimed at promoting water sustainability and resilience in the community. Acting General Manager David Reyes urged all PWP customers to become local water stewards for Pasadena and the region by participating in the campaign. “We invite every member of our community to embrace their role as local water stewards,” said Reyes. “Each one of us holds a vital place in shaping Pasadena’s water future.” About one-third of Pasadena’s water supply comes from local groundwater, with the remaining two-thirds imported from other sources. PWP emphasized that understanding where the community’s water comes from helps foster a greater appreciation for this critical resource.

California lawmakers want to establish the state’s position on environmental health, taking a first step Monday in their proactive approach to ensure processes for the state’s environmental management remains secure, regardless of any federal changes. … The Los Angeles Democrat is propositioning a constitutional amendment that would enshrine into law the Californian’s right to clean air, water and the environment. Assembly Constitutional Amendment 16, authored by Bryan, passed Monday out of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee and into his chamber’s Appropriations Committee. It must pass both houses by at least two-thirds and then secure a majority vote at the polls.

Related article:

• KCRA – Sacramento: California considers right to clean air, water for state’s constitution

… This marked the second year in a row with above-average snowfall and was a huge turnaround from conditions at the beginning of 2024, when the snowpack across the state was barely a quarter of the historic average. … The relationship between snowfall and climate change is not as simple as it might first appear. Though rising temperatures will cause some would-be snow to fall as rain, this is partly balanced out by the fact that precipitation will become more intense overall, since warmer air can hold more water vapor. Some parts of Alaska and Northern Canada have seen increases in snowfall over the last 40 years; in these frigid locales the amount of snow is more limited by cold weather, which decreases the amount of moisture in the air.
-Written by Ned Kleiner, a scientist and catastrophe modeler at Verisk. ​

Microplastics are tiny, nearly indestructible fragments shed from everyday plastic products. As we learn more about microplastics, the news keeps getting worse. Already well-documented in our oceans and soil, we’re now discovering them in the unlikeliest of places: our arteries, lungs, and even placentas. Microplastics can take anywhere from 100 to 1,000 years to break down and, in the meantime, our planet and bodies are becoming more polluted with these materials every day. Finding viable alternatives to traditional petroleum-based plastics and microplastics has never been more important. New research from scientists at the University of California San Diego and materials science company Algenesis shows that their plant-based polymers biodegrade — even at the microplastic level — in under seven months. 

Phoebe works to investigate how the endangered fish can thrive. The Little Colorado River has a brilliant turquoise-blue color due to the calcium carbonate minerals suspended in the water. Travertine, a chalky limestone that settles out of the water and coats the riverbed with a white hue, adds to the river’s amazing color.  The Little Colorado River can be divided into the upper and lower reaches, with the boundary between the two marked by a series of travertine waterfalls. The river is one of the last remaining places where you can find the endangered humpback chub. Science Moab talked with Phoebe Brown, a river guide and researcher who as an undergraduate was part of a larger study looking at the growth rates of the humpback chub.

Canals in California may soon feature a new look — solar panel canopies, designed to stop evaporation and soak up the sun’s rays, created under a new project funded with help from the federal government to boost green energy infrastructure. Governor Gavin Newsom joined staff from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on Thursday to highlight a new “solar-over-canal” project along one of the state’s primary aqueducts. The pilot project proposes placing a solar canopy to “float” over a major waterway as a source of renewable energy that can also prevent loss of precious water through evaporation. Adam Nickels, Deputy Regional Director at the Bureau of Reclamation, said that the Biden Inflation Reduction Act helped make it possible to pick a portion of the Delta-Mendota Canal for placement of a solar panel in Merced County.

Related articles: 

• Fox 26 – Fresno: San Luis & Delta-Mendota Authority gets $15M for floating solar project
• Office of Gov. Gavin Newsom: More power, more water: Solar-over-canal projects are coming to California 

Water access in California has seen growing scrutiny as the climate shifts from more extreme dry to wet swings. This results in increasing year-to-year uncertainty for both commercial and residential water availability. One area getting more attention from an ethical and practical application is the system of water rights, which first took shape in the late 1800s.