Tahoe Truckee Region 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.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

02/10/2025
Image for display with article titled ‘Snow Drought’ Plagues Mountains Despite Recent Storms

Hydrologists aren't holding their breath for a normal snowpack this winter. The Nevada Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) says the Lake Tahoe Basin and surrounding regions are experiencing a snow drought in more than one way.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

02/04/2025
Image for display with article titled TRPA Sends Barton a Cease-and-Desist During Weekend Storm

After a winter storm dumped more rain into the Basin after a relatively dry winter, Barton Hospital's new site on Highway 50 had increased stormwater runoff—a major concern for both those in the nearby neighborhood and the health of the lake.

Sierra Sun logo From Sierra Sun...

02/03/2025
Image for display with article titled Tahoe City Public Utility District Expands Water Rate Assistance Program to Help More Customers

The Tahoe City Public Utility District (TCPUD) Board of Directors recently approved the expansion of its Water Rate Assistance Program. The expanded program is intended to provide water rate assistance to more TCPUD water customers, with discounts of up to 50%. 

Tahoe Guide logo From Tahoe Guide...

02/03/2025
Image for display with article titled More Than Half a Ton of Litter Removed From Donner Lake

Clean Up the Lake has removed 1,526 lbs. of submerged litter from Donner Lake over the last few months. The dive team removed more than half a ton of the litter in 18 dives conducted over 11 days, according to a press release.

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 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.

Sierra Sun logo From Sierra Sun...

01/12/2025
Image for display with article titled Truckee Rivershed Water Council Completed $8 Million Worth of Restoration in 2024

Transforming sagebrush-choked meadows and degraded land into flourishing meadows and canyons is a process that can take years to see through. From the first Truckee River Day event in 1996 to now, the Truckee Rivershed Water Council (TRWC) has partnered with organizations like the U.S. Forest Service and California State Parks to restore and revitalize the watershed and river.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

01/12/2025
Image for display with article titled 2024 Highlights From Your Water and Sewer District

The South Tahoe Public Utility District works around the clock to provide our mountain community with safe, clean drinking water, water for firefighting and reliable wastewater services to protect Lake Tahoe.

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.

Sierra Sun logo From Sierra Sun...

01/07/2025
Image for display with article titled Truckee Donner PUD Reflects on a Transformative 2024, Plans for a Resilient Future

The Truckee Donner Public Utility District, a cornerstone of the local community, capped 2024 with a series of significant achievements, laying the groundwork for a sustainable and resilient future. General Manager Brian Wright walked the Sun through a comprehensive look at the district's accomplishments, challenges, and aspirations, highlighting its role as a locally governed nonprofit dedicated to meeting the unique needs of Truckee residents.

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.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

01/03/2025
Image for display with article titled Snowpack Near Normal Levels in Tahoe Basin

The Tahoe basin snowpack is near normal levels for this time of year, but a drier forecast looms that may challenge that following Friday's storm.

Sierra Sun logo From Sierra Sun...

12/31/2024
Image for display with article titled Preparing for ‘The Big One’: How Computer Modeling Can Help Cities Plan for Massive Floods

Nearly 30 years ago, unseasonably warm rains melted the snowpack in the Truckee, Carson, and Walker Rivers, bursting over their banks and eventually covering almost 64,000 acres of land over the course of three days. While agencies disagree about how often floods of that size will occur in the area, one thing is for certain—climate change will only make it worse. Now, scientists at the University of Nevada, Reno are developing computer modeling to help cities on the Sierra Nevada front deal with these worsening flood impacts.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

12/25/2024
Image for display with article titled New Book Delves Into Tahoe Geology

A new book by award-winning author and 50-year Lake Tahoe resident David C. Antonucci brings the reader comprehensive and understandable coverage of Tahoe's ancient, diverse, and complex geology. 

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.

Sierra Sun logo From Sierra Sun...

12/19/2024
Image for display with article titled Year in Review: Protecting the Forests of the Middle Truckee Watershed

The Middle Truckee River Watershed Forest Partnership (MTRWFP) is celebrating the results of the first full year of active projects, all of which are focused on reducing the occurrence of severe wildfire within the forests of the Truckee River Watershed.

California Local Pin Marker From The Mercury News...

12/10/2024
In a December 10 press conference, Governor Newsom urged lawmakers to press forward in building the Sites Reservoir in Colusa County. Read on to learn more about the project, the largest new reservoirs to be built in California in the last 50 years.