Monterey County Local News: Water


All Local Water News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: Since the Gold Rush era, land reclamation has cost California 90 percent of its wetlands.
How Land Reclamation Hurts California’s Environment

Since the Gold Rush era, land reclamation projects have helped to build California, but they are also damaging the state’s environment for people, plants and animals by eliminating essential wetlands.

Image caption: How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland

California has used reclamation districts to turn millions of acres of unusable swamps into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush. Here’s how it happened.

Image caption: From nitrates to arsenic to “forever chemicals,” California’s water supply faces a serious pollution threat.
Dirty Water: California Faces a Water Contamination Crisis

Almost one million California residents are forced to drink from contaminated water supplies, or pay for bottled water. Economic inequality makes the crisis worse. What is the state doing to fix it?

Image caption: Just because record rains have been falling, the state’s water crisis remains.
What Is Drought? Probably Not What You Think

2023’s torrential rainstorms have eased California's drought conditions. But there’s a lot more to drought than the amount of rain, and this drought isn't over yet.

Image caption: There are more than 300 community service districts in California.
Community Services Districts, Explained

Community service districts can do most anything a city government can do. Here’s how they work and how to start one.

Image caption: RCDs look after the land, whether it’s used for grazing, growing, or getting out into nature.
California Dirt

What do resource conservation districts protect? Pretty much everything that’s worth saving.

Image caption: Water is a human right under California law, but it doesn’t always work out that way.
Agriculture and Water Shortages in the State’s Breadbasket, Explained

Residential wells are drying up in the state’s main agricultural region at the same time that agricultural businesses consume almost 90 percent of the water there.

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

02/08/2025
The Committee of Monterey County Mayors made a contentious appointment to the LAFCO board with implications for the fate of the acquisition of California American Water by the Monterey Peninsula Water District. Read on to learn more information.

The Pajaronian logo From The Pajaronian...

02/07/2025
Image for display with article titled A Watchful Eye on the Wetlands

Dozens of volunteers joined forces with a crew from Watsonville Wetlands Watch and the City of Watsonville on Feb. 1 for a day of tending local wetlands as part of the annual World Wetlands Day.

California Local Pin Marker From Local News Matters...

02/03/2025
Snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, which supplies about one-third of California’s water needs, was far lower than average for the end of January at one of the state’s measurement points on January 31.

California Local Pin Marker From Stocktonia...

02/01/2025
Read on to learn more about the Trump-ordered "emergency" release of water from two San Joaquin Valley reservoirs and how it is literally going down the drain (and not to preserve LA from fires as claimed).

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/22/2025
It would be impossible to overstate the complexity of water supply management in California.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/21/2025
Trump apparently wants to override new Biden-Newsom rules that have widespread support among Southern California cities and some Central Valley farmers.

California Local Pin Marker From Local News Matters...

01/21/2025
Emergency infrastructure repairs are slowly transitioning into permanent upgrades in the unincorporated Monterey County community of Pajaro, where two years ago a series of torrential storms caused a pipe to fail and a road to collapse.

Salinas Valley Tribune logo From Salinas Valley Tribune...

01/20/2025
Image for display with article titled Soledad Completes Critical Levee Repairs to Safeguard Water Reclamation Facility

City of Soledad recently announced that levee repairs have been completed in order to protect its Water Reclamation Facility from flood inundation from the Salinas River.

California Local Pin Marker From San Joaquin Valley Sun...

01/17/2025
Read on for the latest progress in the B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project to raise the dam at the San Luis Reservoir to add storage capacity.

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

01/15/2025
Founding Executive Director Julie Packard announced she was transitioning into a leadership role on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Board of Trustees. Read on to learn more about next steps.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

01/08/2025
Image for display with article titled Monterey One Water Is Upgrading Its Infrastructure So It Can Sell Renewable Natural Gas.

As the Monterey Peninsula becomes increasingly dependent on recycled water, the cost of water is going to rise, and already has. Although recycling water is cheaper than desalinating it, it’s still energy intensive. Add to that, energy from the grid can be unreliable – Monterey One Water, which treats wastewater and recycles some of it for potable use, lost power in 2022 for a total of 65.2 hours at its treatment plant in Marina, as the PG&E substation supplying energy to the plant experienced interruptions.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/08/2025
President-elect Donald Trump faulted California water policies for the devastating wildfires that are burning in Los Angeles County. The fires started because of fierce winds and extremely dry conditions.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/07/2025
Some Northern California cities have been soaked with almost twice their average rainfall, while southern cities are bone-dry. This season’s huge — possibly unprecedented — disparity works in favor of the state’s water supplies.

California Local Pin Marker From Local News Matters...

01/01/2025
People who like to fish in Monterey County are invited by state officials to grab their licenses and fishing gear and visit Lake San Antonio.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

12/24/2024
Image for display with article titled California Boater Card Is Now a Reality for All Motorized Boat Operators Starting Jan. 1.

There’s a new requirement for anyone operating a motorized boat either on the bay, sea or lake starting Jan. 1, 2025: You must carry a California Boater Card.

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

12/23/2024
Learn about the bill introduced by Rep. Jimmy Panetta which would initiate the process to designate the communities neighboring the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary as a National Heritage Area, and what that would entail.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

12/20/2024
Image for display with article titled La Niña Is Still Likely, Say Meteorologists at the National Weather Service.

Katie Rodriguez here, asking myself an oddly familiar question: What is the difference between El Niño and La Niña, and are we experiencing one, or the other?

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

12/20/2024
New operating rules for massive Delta systems will increase water deliveries to Southern California cities and some growers. Salmon numbers could drop, especially in dry years.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

12/12/2024
Image for display with article titled Elected Officials Are Watching Idly as Seawater Intrusion Continues Advancing Down the Salinas Valley. If Only Someone Could Do Something.

David Schmalz here, wrestling with a conundrum: Seawater intrusion is advancing in the northern Salinas Valley—heading toward Salinas from the coast—which has forced growers to drill deeper wells, but that’s only made the problem worse.