Water Pollution

Large numbers of young Chinook salmon were found dead two days after being released from a state hatchery. Biologists say they were shocked by the die-off — but it was a predictable aftermath of human efforts to restore nature.

The state’s environmental tool skews which communities are designated as disadvantaged, researchers say. Some immigrant neighborhoods could be left out, while other groups are overrepresented.

Waste would undergo extensive treatment and testing before it’s piped directly to taps, providing a new, costly but renewable water supply. The state’s new draft rules are more than a decade in the making.

Nitrate contamination of well water has been a decades-long problem in the San Joaquin and Salinas valleys — and now stormwater has flushed more fertilizer and manure into aquifers.

From CalMatters’ health reporter Kristen Hwang and political reporter Alexei Koseff: Gov. Gavin Newsom and a cadre of Democratic lawmakers want to be clear: They will protect medication abortion in California no matter what the U.S. Supreme Court decides on the issue — they’re just not entirely sure how. In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, […]

From capturing stormwater runoff to transforming agriculture, here are some ways for drought-prone California to get more water.

The state is the first in the world to require monitoring for tiny pieces of plastic, which contaminate people and wildlife globally.

Plastics recycling has largely failed us, and the consequences for our environment and health are significant. California leaders are considering ways to curb the use of polluting plastics.

California’s proposed limit for hexavalent chromium — the first in the nation — would raise water rates in many cities. The contaminant, linked to cancer, was made infamous by Erin Brockovich.

As we approach the 50th anniversary of the federal Clean Water Act, it is time for the state to get on track toward ensuring swimmable, fishable and drinkable waters for all Californians.