Drought

A 2014 landmark state groundwater law did not limit new wells going in, which is why a public well that supplies water to small communities can be threatened by a new private well. Assembly Bill 2201 would protect community drinking water.

The tunnel project, which would cost billions and take decades, aims to help shore up water supplies in much of California. The new environmental impact report outlines the impacts.

Under state law, every Californian has the right to safe, clean, affordable and accessible water — but a blistering audit released Tuesday shows just how far the state is from turning that promise into reality. As CalMatters water reporter Rachel Becker and I write, Acting State Auditor Michael Tilden slammed regulators at the State Water […]

We must bolster drought resilience, and that starts with all Californians being “water wise” — understanding where water comes from and what they can do to preserve this precious resource.

State and federal water managers have drawn down California reservoirs rapidly over the past three years, leaving water in short supply. Why? To provide water to a small subset of commercial growers.

It’s no quick fix. The scaled-down tunnel — which would bypass the Delta and funnel more water south — still has to clear a gauntlet of reviews, would cost at least $16 billion and could take 20 years.

A smoldering crisis has emerged at California’s firefighting agency, Cal Fire.  As blazes intensify and California’s fire season grows longer, firefighters are increasingly fatigued, traumatized and overworked. In her stunning five-month investigation Trial by Fire, CalMatters reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner Julie Cart uncovers a severe and unaddressed mental health crisis at Cal Fire.  Despite […]

As drought intensifies, the order affects many cities and growers from Fresno to the Oregon border, including 212 public water systems.

So it begins. More than 6 million water users (that is, humans) across Southern California woke up on Wednesday to find themselves under new drought restrictions.  If you’ve been following the numbers, none of this should be surprising: As CalMatters’ tracker shows, California has been in a drought for 843 days In March, the State […]

With California’s June 7 primary election just two weeks away, political campaigns are intensifying — and getting more confusing.  Take this mailer circulating in Southern California, which reads, “We all want to protect the environment, increase recycling and reduce plastic waste, but adding billions of dollars in higher costs on the backs of working families […]