Santa Cruz County Water Digest

“Central Coast Water Board staff needs to review the water quality data and the additional information before ... we can authorize Big Basin Water Company to accept flows from additional properties,” wrote Jennifer Epp of the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Three years after the CZU Complex Lightning Fire, Big Basin Water Company can once again operate the local sewer system. Homeowners say one of the obstacles to rebuilding has been the county was not approving permits because sewer lines were not connected.

Some 7,000 square miles of ocean on California’s Central Coast could soon become the largest national marine sanctuary in the continental U.S. It could also make history as one of the first federal sanctuaries to be spearheaded by a Native American tribe.

While the toxic algae bloom that sickened California marine mammals has dissipated, rescue centers prepare for more events as oceanographic conditions continue to present challenges.

Gavin Newsom signed an executive order aimed at accelerating levee repairs and debris removal to ensure communities along the Pajaro River are prepared for the winter.

Raising Shasta Dam to increase its capacity would provide 634,000 more acre-feet of water per year, legislators say. But that assumes there will always be enough precipitation, and the move risks flooding sacred Native American lands and harming local habitats.

In the magazine Nature, a team of scientists reports that they have detected changes in ocean color that cannot be explained by natural, year-to-year variability alone. These color shifts have occurred over 56 percent of the world’s oceans.

The environmental costs of ending water diversions from Mono Lake to Los Angeles would be mixed: It might help a shore bird habitat but would require changes that increase carbon emissions.

The autonomous, water-free system captures waste in biodegradable bags and sawdust and are then taken to a central location for composting.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom had to concede defeat on trying to get the Legislature to give a very contentious water tunnel project streamlined regulatory treatment.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Montana ruled the U.S. Forest Service can continue to use aerial fire retardant to fight wildfires while waiting on a Clean Water Act permit.

Mosaic artists are working on a stained-glass art piece that is expected to be unveiled sometime in June on what is known as the River Front parking garage.

Environmentalists say it's past time for California water officials to halt Los Angeles' diversion of Mono Lake's tributaries. But L.A. officials insist that water is a tiny but vital part of the city's water supply.

Environmentalists say it’s past time for California water officials to halt Los Angeles’ diversion of Mono Lake’s tributaries. But L.A. officials insist that water is a tiny but vital part of the city’s water supply.

Living in Pajaro, California, means living at the whims of the effects of climate change on both life and property. On March 11, the Pajaro River breached the town levee, flooding the town. It's been seven weeks since the levee breach.

Fort Bragg is embarking on an innovative pilot project to desalt ocean water for the Mendocino Coast community using carbon-free wave action to power an energy-intensive process that in other cases generates climate changing greenhouse gases.

The $2.2 million in funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with funding leveraged by the Inflation Reduction Act. It aims to bring back species across an entire coastal landscape—from coastal grasslands to tidal salt marsh, eelgrass beds to native oysters.

And neither was 1952. The top honor should really go to 1983, which clinched first at 231% of normal, an analysis by the Bay Area News Group found.

The Eel River is now one of the 10 most endangered rivers in the United States, according to an annual report released by America's Most Endangered Rivers. The 50-year-old conservation group each year spotlights American waterways that are suffering but where key impending decisions could improve their fate.

One of the options would override California’s water rights and split the cuts evenly between California, Nevada and Arizona—which would be a big blow to Imperial Valley farmers.

As epic Sierra Nevada snowpack threatens to overwhelm this phantom lake bed with spring runoff, some fear the Tulare Lake Compost facility could be transformed into an environmental disaster.

Commercial fleets must pull up the last crab pots April 15.

“I am very grateful and honored to serve in this capacity and hope to bring my years of experience working in the environmental sciences,” remarked Cummings.

The council approved a resolution to allow the city to enter into a loan agreement with the EPA for water system improvement projects.

A map of California shows how trillions of gallons of water have fallen in recent months, easing the drought.

Loch Lomond is the primary water storage facility, but it sometimes relies on the reservoir during periods of heavy storms.

California was once home to the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River, but Tulare Lake disappeared as water was diverted to irrigate crops. This year, however, the lake will once again re-emerge.

In his initial climate budget proposal, the governor has cut about $561 million from local coastal resilience projects. Legislators, cities express concerns.

Supervisors unanimously approved self-nominations of Justin Cummings and Manu Koenig and reaffirmed a previous selection of Capitola City Council member Yvette Brooks.

Leisyka Parrott will oversee the management of more than 7,900 acres of public land in six onshore units in the California Coastal National Monument.

January’s relentless storms brought power outages, floods, landslides and falling trees. But Santa Cruz residents had one critical resource they never had to worry about: clean drinking water.

A $4.4 billion project on the Sacramento River to add dams and store more water that will be sent south, the Sites Reservoir is still years away from completion. The final environmental report is expected this year.