Nevada 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 The Sacramento Bee...

05/09/2025
As the warm weather season begins, a warning to beware of jumping into lakes, rivers and streams.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

05/07/2025
Image for display with article titled Tahoe Boating Season Kicks Off With Stronger Protections

Lake Tahoe watercraft inspection stations, boat launches, and marinas are opening for the 2025 boating season and aquatic invasive species management agencies are encouraging boaters and paddlers to stay up to date with strengthened procedures to protect the lake from the spread of aquatic invasive species.

Sierra Sun logo From Sierra Sun...

05/06/2025
Image for display with article titled North Tahoe PUD Awarded $1.25 Million for 2025 Kings Beach Watermain Replacement Project

This summer, the North Tahoe Public Utility District will replace and upgrade more than a half mile (2,700 feet) of watermain pipeline and install five new fire hydrants in the Kings Beach grid neighborhood on Trout and Brook Avenues.

Sierra Sun logo From Sierra Sun...

04/16/2025
Image for display with article titled Donner Lake Litter Seminar Yields Actionable Resolutions for a Cleaner Future

Clean Up The Lake hosted its first Donner Lake Litter Seminar this spring, bringing together environmental leaders, community members, and agency partners to address litter reduction and data-driven stewardship at Donner Lake. The event focused on infrastructure improvements, behavior change strategies, and sustainable funding solutions to preserve the lake's natural beauty.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

04/10/2025
Image for display with article titled What Does Our Water Picture Look Like After This Winter?: ‘This Year Is a Lesson’

April 1 marks an important milestone for snowpacks and water supply forecasts as the date basin snowpacks typically reach a peak before melting. However, a wave of warm temperatures late March started the melt early, adding a caveat to April 1 measurements.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/10/2025
The pipeline caused a major oil spill a decade ago, fouling the ocean off Santa Barbara County. The new owners say they don’t need new permits for repairs. The fine is the Coastal Commission’s largest.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/08/2025
The Delta faces a funding crisis to repair and maintain an aging network of 1,100 miles of levees. These earthen berms, mostly on private land, could rupture and endanger half a million people and flood thousands of acres of farmland.

California Local Pin Marker From YubaNet...

04/05/2025
A look behind the scenes as Nevada Irrigation District hydrographers conduct snow surveys, including an informative video explaining their work.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

03/28/2025
At 90% of the state historical average, the Sierra Nevada snowpack is far better than last year. But it’s nothing like the record-smashing 2023.

Sierra Sun logo From Sierra Sun...

03/27/2025
Image for display with article titled SWEP Honored by TTUSD for 30 Years of Environmental Education and Action

For three decades, Sierra Watershed Education Partnerships has been at the forefront of environmental education in the Tahoe-Truckee region, fostering stewardship and hands-on learning for students. This year, their dedication was recognized with a Certificate of Recognition from the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District, celebrating SWEP's lasting impact on local schools and the broader community.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

03/18/2025
Billions of state and federal dollars are spent on Lake Tahoe. But is all this attention actually protecting this unique treasure? Pollutants pour in, while development continues. Funding has shifted in focus to tourism and traffic projects, while money spent directly on fixing the lake has declined.

California Local Pin Marker From The Union...

03/12/2025
Read on to learn about the latest in the ongoing and seemingly never ending problems with PG&E infrastructure at Spaulding Reservoir and measures to be taken by the Nevada Irrigation District in coming months.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

03/12/2025
The governor’s planned $20 billion tunnel to divert more water south and bypass the Delta would bring years of construction noise, pollution and traffic. Residents worry their rural farm towns will never be the same.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

03/12/2025
Read on to learn the story behind the Army Corps of Engineers abrupt release of billions of gallons of water from two California dams despite pushback from water managers and state elected officials.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

03/11/2025
A new conservancy will oversee work to improve vegetation, water quality and natural habitat in the Salton Sea. Will nearly half a billion dollars in projects be enough?

California Local Pin Marker From YubaNet...

03/08/2025
A lot of work goes into your clean drinking water. Read on to take a peek behind the scenes of a seemingly mundane but important task regularly performed by Nevada Irrigation District crews.

California Local Pin Marker From YubaNet...

03/07/2025
A survey of the snowpack of the Nevada Irrigation District watersheds is looking good following a cold, wet February. Read on for details.

California Local Pin Marker From The Union...

03/07/2025
Read on for an update on the progress by PG&E on repairs to the Spaulding 1 powerhouse.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

03/03/2025
Oakland Democrat Buffy Wicks said lawmakers will soon see 20 bills to speed up housing construction, along with more on energy, water and transit.

California Local Pin Marker From Local News Matters...

02/28/2025
State and federal water managers have announced significant increases to water allocations across California thanks to early February storms and healthy reservoir levels.