By Carson Jeffres Consider for a moment the identity of the Pacific Northwest as a Salmon Society. When you fly into an airport in the Pacific Northwest, salmon are on the floors and walls as art. This art is an expression of societal values in which salmon are important. In contrast, when you fly into Sacramento you see art of a river, birds, agriculture, but the salmon are missing.

By Nicholas Pinter A US federal government shutdown is looming, potentially starting Oct. 1, with broad impacts across the government and across the country. The scope of these unfolding events is beyond the wheelhouse of the California Water Blog. But pulled into the slipstream of this potential budget impasse is an important water issue. If Congress does not – or did not – act by midnight on Sept.

By Jay Lund October 1 marks the beginning of California’s new Water Year (WY). Water years here run from October 1 until September 30 of the next calendar year and are named for the calendar year of the bulk of the water year (January-October). October 1 is also the nominal beginning of California’s wet season. California’s hydrology has two basic seasons, wet and dry, with the wet season nominally from October 1 – April 1 (Figure 1).

By Nicholas Pinter and Sarah Yarnell In late June and July of this year, UC Davis convened an Advanced Studies Institute (ASI) on “International Approaches to Freshwater Management,” bringing 11 top graduate students from across the US to study rivers and management systems in California, Italy, and the Netherlands. ASIs are funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to engage US grad students in emergent global issues and collaborative international research.  

By Kathleen Schaefer Photograph: Brandon Bell/Getty Images In the wake of recent tragic events, such as the devastating floods in Texas, it's become clear that our current approach to flood management and disaster preparedness is falling short. The Associated Press reported that a flood warning system, which could have potentially saved lives, was left unfunded due to budget constraints (

By Peter B. Moyle Figure 1. Eagle Lake, Lassen Co. * This is a re-post of a blog originally published 11/26/2023. When Californians talk of lakes, they usually mean reservoirs, the 1500 or so artificial bodies of water behind dams. Alternately, they may be referring to the 4,000 or so natural lakes in the Sierra Nevada or to one of the few large natural lakes in the state, such as Lake Tahoe or Clear Lake.

By Andrew L. Rypel “Way back in the days when the grass was still green and the pond was still wet and the clouds were still clean, and the song of the Swomee-Swans rang out in space...one morning, I came to this glorious place. And I first saw the trees! The Truffula Trees! The bright-colored tufts of the Truffula Trees! Mile after mile in the fresh morning breeze.” …

Deadly floods like Texas’ are rare in California, but climate change-fueled storms could make them more likely, climate scientists say — even in the Bay Area.

By Karrigan Börk Readers of the California Water Blog (Blog) may have noticed some changes over the past year. The Blog is a product of the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences (CWS), and after many years of dedicated service, longtime CWS leaders Dr. Andrew Rypel (Director) and Dr. Cathryn Lawrence (Assistant Director) are transitioning to new chapters.

By Christopher Mouawad This blog provides a glimpse into the complexity of permitting for large water projects like Sites. California water law is as intricate and varied as the systems it governs. What begins as a seemingly simple doctrine, such as “first in time, first in right,” can quickly spiral into a labyrinth of layered principles, regulatory frameworks, and practical tradeoffs.

The International Society for River Science (ISRS) will hold the 7th International Symposium on River Science at the University of California, Davis on October 6-9, 2025. We invite you to attend! The first river symposium was held in 1979 in Norway, and rivers conferences have continued through the decades since, across the globe. Recent conferences have been held in La Crosse, Wisconsin (2015), Hamilton, New Zealand (2017), and Vienna, Austria (2019).

“Where are they now:” is a blog series on the California WaterBlog, written by our alumni. The series will celebrate the many alumni who got their start at the Center for Watershed Sciences (CWS) and have now gone on to bigger and better things. Blog posts from the “Where are they now:” series will be peppered throughout our regularly scheduled line up blogs, and they will highlight both former students and past employees of CWS.

Registration is now open for the 7th International Symposium on River Science, held in Davis, California from Oct 6-9, 2025! Early Bird Registration will remain open until 15 August 2025. “Where are they now:” is a new blog series on the California WaterBlog, written in the voices of our alumni. The series will celebrate the many alumni who got their start at the Center for Watershed Sciences (CWS) and have now gone on to bigger and better things.

The Registration Portal is now OPEN!Early Bird Registration will remain open until 15 August 2025.

By Leslie Sanchez and Eric C. Edwards Stark power disparities between Native American tribes (tribes) and nontribal entities in California have shaped tribes’ legal standing to assert water rights claims, bargaining power in resolving claims, and the ability to assert meaningful control over water rights. This post outlines the status of tribal water rights in California and explains why they differ from other states.

"Microplastic Pollution: Impact on the SF Bay Delta and Remediation Strategies" Symposium with Delta Stewardship Council and Coastal Marine Sciences Institute By Miranda Bell-Tilcock In May, I had the privilege of attending the Microplastic Pollution: Impact on the SF Bay Delta and Remediation Strategies symposium hosted by the Coastal Marine Sciences Institute (CMSI) and the Delta Stewardship Council (DSC).

By ChatGPT prompted by Jay Lund I was playing with ChatGPT and had some fun and insightful replies.  (I’d interpret these insights, but I am no Professor of Literature, and it would probably get me into trouble.  Please add your interpretations below in the replies.) 1) Prompt: Write a buzzword sentence on California water management. ChatGPT replied: "Our integrated, stakeholder-driven water management strategy leverages adaptive frameworks and scalable, nature-based solutions to optimize multi-benefit outcomes, ensuring climate resilience and equitable resource allocation across the hydrological nexus."

“Where are they now:” is the first in a new blog series on the California WaterBlog, written in the voices of our alumni. The series will celebrate the many alumni who got their start at the Center for Watershed Sciences (CWS) and have now gone on to bigger and better things. Blog posts from the “Where are they now:” series will be peppered throughout our regularly scheduled line up blogs, and they will highlight both former students and past employees of CWS.

By Lauren G. Hitt, Malte Willmes, Mackenzie C. Miner, Max Stevenson, Carson A. Jeffres, Robert A. Lusardi, Nann A. Fangue, and Andrew L. Rypel Figure 1. Putah Creek during salmon spawning season in 2021. (Credit: LG Hitt) For the third year in a row, regulators have canceled California’s commercial Chinook salmon fishing season.Poor spawning salmon returns in 2024 and low predicted numbers of salmon in the ocean during 2025 prompted the decision.

By Peter B. Moyle McCloud River near mouth on Shasta Reservoir. / PC Peter B. Moyle There are about 130 fish species (as defined by the federal Endangered Species Act) native to the fresh waters of California. Most (80%) are arguably on trajectories to extinction. Seven species are already extirpated from the state (Thicktail Chub, Clear Lake Splittail, High Rock Springs Tui Chub, Bull Trout, Tecopa Pupfish, Humpback Chub, Colorado Pikeminnow).

Data for Lunch: Developing Drought Early Warning Systems in CaliforniaJoin us on Tuesday, June 17, 12-1:30pm PT for "Developing Drought Early Warning Systems in California", a virtual seminar by Cente...

UC Davis Professor of Law Emeritus Harrison (“Hap”) Dunning based away at the end of March 2025 at the age of 86. You can read the details of his life in the Davis Enterprise Obituary, including the story of his extensive work in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, but he is best known in the UC Davis community for his work on water law and the public trust doctrine.

By Nicholas Corline, Emilio Grande, Ate Visser, Jean Moran, Jory Lerback, Tyanna Blaschak, Damon Goodman, Jake Harm, Lauren Tolley-Mann, Dylan O’Ryan, Valerie Muenker, Rollie Nearhood, Amber Lukk, Sarah Howe, and Robert Lusardi Imagine a giant sponge made of volcanic rock. That’s what scientists have recently discovered in the central Cascades of Oregon, an aquifer that holds fourteen times the volume of water of Shasta Reservoir (

By Jay Lund The circles of jargon hell move from “lazy and less effective communication of ideas” to a general audience, to a narrower already-expert audience, to a substitute for substantive communication, to intentionally harmful and pretentious obfuscation, all of which disrupt the reader’s comprehension and eventually destroy all interest in communication. Lazy jargon – occasional unexplained specialized terms for a more general audience…

By Sarah Sarfaty Epstein Groundwater has long been the unseen lifeblood of irrigators across the state, and some are now taking an active role in replenishing it. When and where surface water has been insufficient, Californians have drilled down, steadily depleting the aquifer, as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1: Groundwater Diagram (Credit: USGS) California’s cumulative groundwater overdraft is over 100 km³, equivalent to almost 18 Shasta Reservoirs at full capacity…