When it rains…it pours
After months of persistent dry conditions, Southwest Colorado saw one of the most dramatic hydrologic reversals in recent memory. In early October, much of the San Juan and Animas River Basins remained in moderate to severe drought, with depleted soil moisture and low late-season streamflow. Then, the remnants of Tropical Storm Priscilla swept across the […]
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The dry heat of summer has brought to mind visuals of the old “Westerns” where the landscape was desolate and gritty, as were the characters. So saddle up for this edition of the Water Current where we provide a few news stories that caught our attention this past month. The Good A research paper […]
Investments in alternative water supplies continues to be needed
There is a continued need to invest in municipal and regional water supply solutions that don’t look like the dams and river diversions of the early 20th century. Modern water supply solutions often involve water recycling and reuse, groundwater storage and banking, and advanced water treatment technologies. Some examples of these alternative water supply investments […]
Southern California water agencies reach agreement
In early June, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) and the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) entered into an agreement that resolves long-standing legal disputes around the conveyance of conserved water. Through water conservation programs that were initiated as part of the 2003 Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA), SDCWA funds conservation projects in the Imperial […]
Expect Low Reservoir Storage by Year End
The water outlook for 2025 is hot and dry, but water supply availability should not be an issue this year, thanks to the reservoir storage that has been built up over the past two years. However, our water supply savings account will likely be drawn down significantly, such that the snowpack next winter will be […]
Rising Water Costs of Land Development
Many communities in the Western U.S. are grappling with a reality that has been brewing for a while: it is becoming increasingly challenging and expensive to secure new water supplies to support new housing development. Most municipalities follow a policy that “growth pays its own way”, which means that any proposed development project must secure […]
Historic Water Rights Settlement Marks New Chapter for Agua Caliente Tribe
Last week, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians entered into a water rights settlement agreement with two local water districts that ends over a decade of litigation regarding Tribal water rights and groundwater management in the Coachella Valley. This historic settlement provides a pathway for cooperative water management on Reservation lands and secures a 20,000 acre-foot water […]
Introducing “The Water Current”
Water is increasingly a topic in the news and tuning into various media outlets is an important piece of keeping current on water policy, management, and conflict. Our team regularly tracks new water stories and shares articles related to the places we work and the services we provide. We hope to share some of these […]
B.F. Sisk Dam expansion represent first approval of a major water storage project in California since 2011
This week, the Department of the Interior and San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority approved plans to enlarge the San Luis Reservoir by 130,000 acre-feet. The additional storage capacity will provide important water supply reliability to California farms, municipalities, and the environment. WestWater, through CDM Smith, served as the lead economics firm for the project […]
Local governments face challenge of rising water costs
Issuers, if they’re not already doing so, will soon have to pay much more to supply water to their constituents, turning to ever more inventive ways of procuring and treating water as fresh water supplies run down. That was the focus of one of the panels at the National Federation of Municipal Analysts’ 2023 Annual […]