News & Analysis as of

Environmental Policies Water Supplies California

Allen Matkins

Special Water Supply Edition: California Environmental Law & Policy Update 7.25.25

Allen Matkins on

Beginning January 1, 2025, the “Making Conservation a California Way of Life” regulatory framework requires urban retail water suppliers — not individual households or businesses — to adopt a series of “urban water use...more

Allen Matkins

DWR and Water Board Propose Key Updates to Desalination Policy Framework

Allen Matkins on

As climate variability and drought continue to challenge California’s water supply, the state is renewing its focus on seawater desalination as part of a diversified water portfolio. While only a handful of large-scale...more

Allen Matkins

Every Drop Counts: Urban Water Retailers and the Future of California Water Conservation

Allen Matkins on

Beginning January 1, 2025, the “Making Conservation a California Way of Life” regulatory framework requires urban retail water suppliers — not individual households or businesses — to adopt a series of “urban water use...more

Nossaman LLP

Diverting Flood Flows – Details on the Opportunity to Utilize Wasted Water

Nossaman LLP on

Earlier this year, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order (EO) N-16-25. That order is designed to facilitate the diversion and storage of flood flows and aligns with the Governor’s broader water supply strategy, which is...more

Nossaman LLP

California Water Views – 2025 Outlook

Nossaman LLP on

Water is simple. Water issues are complex. To provide more clarity, we asked our attorneys who are committed to the water sector to identify the pivotal issues they’re watching now and for the year ahead. Their perspectives...more

Nossaman LLP

The Making Conservation a California Way of Life Framework – What It Is and What It Means

Nossaman LLP on

In 2024, after years of deliberation, California water officials adopted landmark rules that will guide future water use and conservation in the state. The “Making Conservation a California Way of Life” framework went into...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update - Special Water Supply Edition

Allen Matkins on

President Donald Trump on Monday issued a memorandum directing the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the Interior to develop a new plan within 90 days “to route more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to...more

Allen Matkins

Special Water Supply Edition: California Environmental Law & Policy Update 10.25.24

Allen Matkins on

California officials have joined a legal effort to restore water to the Kern River after an abrupt shutoff of water dried up the river and killed thousands of fish in Bakersfield....more

Nossaman LLP

New California Legislation on Water Issues – Updated with Signings and Vetoes

Nossaman LLP on

The time for Newsom to sign or veto bills has now passed. Of the nine bills discussed herein, Newsom signed seven and vetoed two. Please see the update below each bill that discusses its resolution....more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update 9.20.24

Allen Matkins on

Farmers in southern Tulare County will face greater scrutiny for groundwater pumping after the state placed the region on probation following a lengthy hearing in Sacramento on Tuesday....more

Nossaman LLP

New California Legislation on Water Issues

Nossaman LLP on

The 2024 legislative session ended on August 31, meaning the legislature passed all bills for this year. All of the bills are currently with Governor Newsom. He has until September 30 to sign or veto any bills. Any bills not...more

Downey Brand LLP

Ninth Circuit Hands Major Victory to Senior Water Right Holders on the Sacramento River

Downey Brand LLP on

On May 23, 2024, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a published opinion in Natural Resources Defense Council et al. v. Debra Haaland et al. (Case No. 21-15163) (“NRDC v. Haaland”) rejecting the plaintiffs’ challenges...more

Nossaman LLP

California Water Views - 2024 Outlook

Nossaman LLP on

Water Agencies Beware Before Proceeding with Forced Municipalization - California’s state water system serves roughly 40 million people and irrigates nearly 10 million acres of farmland. The 2023 water year was ranked as...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

How Construction Attorneys Can Help Entities Benefit From California’s Newly Adopted Potable Water Regulations

Troutman Pepper Locke on

Like much of the western and southwestern U.S., California has experienced drought conditions on and off for decades. Fortunately, the regulatory landscape is starting to catch up with water treatment technology, paving the...more

Nossaman LLP

California Focuses on Water Supply Resiliency in Updated Water Plan

Nossaman LLP on

On April 2, 2024, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) released the California Water Plan Update 2023 (CWP 2023 Update). DWR’s press release dubs the plan “A Roadmap to Water Management and Infrastructure for a...more

Downey Brand LLP

Sacramento County Superior Court Rules in Favor of the State Water Board’s Substitute Environmental Document for Phase I of the...

Downey Brand LLP on

Introduction - On March 15, 2024, the Sacramento County Superior Court found that the State Water Board’s substitute environmental document did not violate the Porter-Cologne Act, the California Environmental Quality Act...more

Nossaman LLP

LAO Issues Report Criticizing the “Make Conservation a California Way of Life” Framework – Are Changes Coming?

Nossaman LLP on

On January 4, 2024, the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) issued its statutorily-mandated report – “Assessing Early Implementation of Urban Water Use Efficiency Requirements” – analyzing the implementation of the “Make...more

Nossaman LLP

DWR Certifies EIR for Delta Conveyance Project – Advancing Controversial Project and Setting Up Likely Legal Showdown

Nossaman LLP on

After releasing the final environmental report (EIR) for the Delta Conveyance Project on December 8, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) certified it on December 21, 2023. The certification of the final EIR is a...more

Nossaman LLP

Toilet-to-Tap or the Future of California Water?

Nossaman LLP on

If there is one truism in California water, it is that there is not enough of it. In part to try to help address that issue, on December 19, 2023, the California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) adopted...more

Nossaman LLP

Resource Optimization and Endangered Species Management

Nossaman LLP on

On December 21, 2023, I published a post on the Center for California Water Resources Policy and Management’s DeltaCurrents blog discussing integration of resource optimization into endangered species policy to improve...more

Nossaman LLP

California Water Policy: What Happened in 2023 and Where Are We Going?

Nossaman LLP on

The year started with a bang, with a lot of new Members of the Legislature, and more seasoned Members, invigorated and motivated to tackle some major water policy and funding issues for California. While some significant...more

Nossaman LLP

The Impact of Governor Newsom’s Proposed Budget on Water Projects

Nossaman LLP on

On January 10, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom announced his $297 billion budget proposal for 2023-2024, which includes a $22.5 billion budget deficit. Despite environmental/climate change programs facing $6 billion in cuts,...more

Nossaman LLP

Bureau of Reclamation and Local Water Agency Have Discretion to Release Water from Dam to Avoid Take of Endangered Steelhead Trout

Nossaman LLP on

Reversing the district court, a divided panel of the Ninth Circuit held that that the Bureau of Reclamation and a local water agency have discretion to release water from Twitchell Dam on the Santa Maria River on the Central...more

Nossaman LLP

California Becomes First Government in World to Require Microplastics Testing for Drinking Water

Nossaman LLP on

On September 7, 2022, California became the first government in the world to require microplastics testing for drinking water, an emerging contaminant that is found throughout the environment. The State Water Resources...more

Nossaman LLP

Ninth Circuit Reverses Previous Decision on RCRA Liability for Water Supplier

Nossaman LLP on

On July 1, 2022 a panel of the Ninth Circuit issued a superseding opinion in California River Watch v. City of Vacaville, Appeal No. 20-16605, withdrawing its previous opinion in the same case and reaching the opposite...more

28 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 2

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide