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After two winters of La Niña, an official “El Niño Watch” is underway, the National Weather Service Climate Protection Center said Thursday. In its latest ENSO Alert System Status report, the Climate Protection Center said there’s a 61% chance that an El Niño is “likely to emerge” between this May and June, and “persist through at least the end of 2026.” The agency’s outlook also notes there’s a 25% chance that the Pacific seasonal variation could develop into a “strong” or “very strong” El Niño this winter. …  [I]t’s hard to predict if the emergence of El Niño this year will lead to a wet winter. … [O]ne of California’s worst drought years occurred during an El Niño in 1976-1977, but then the following year, still during an El Niño, the state had more than double its average rainfall with nearly 31 inches of rain. Other El Niño news: Time: Is a Super El Niño coming in 2026? Here’s what scientists are saying Scripps News: ‘Super’ El Niño could shape global weather, bring record heat The Guardian: Are we heading for ‘super El Nino’ – and what could we expect? View Original Article read more

… Nutria, a creature with the body of a small beaver, webbed feet like a platypus, and the tail of a rat, reappeared in the state’s wetlands a few years ago, nearly four decades after it was considered eradicated. California has been battling the rodent ever since, and recent research by wildlife officials suggests the rodent’s sudden return may have been intentional. The study, released Tuesday by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, found that the state’s nutria populations share a close genetic match with nutria from Oregon. The distance between the states makes it nearly impossible for them to have migrated on their own, according to researchers, which means they were likely transported here intentionally. Other invasive species news: Stocktonia (Stockton, Calif.): Assemblymember Ransom warns state is running out of time to stop spread of golden mussels South Tahoe Now (South Lake Tahoe, Calif.): Community meeting for Meyers Aquatic Invasive Species Boat Inspection Station View Original Article read more

A spring Sierra storm dropped more than a foot of snow in parts of the northern Sierra, according to a report from the California-Nevada River Forecast Center. Snow totals from automated gauges showed the heaviest snowfall in Alpine County, where Leavitt Lake recorded 15 inches and Ebbetts Pass measured 13 inches. Carson Pass and Monitor Pass each saw 9 inches. In Placer County, Palisades Tahoe reported 14 inches of snow, while the Central Sierra Snow Lab measured 12 inches. … The snowfall totals are based on provisional data from automated gauges and have not yet been fully verified, according to the forecast center. Other California storm news: KCRA (Sacramento, Calif.): Northern California weekend storm: Rain and snow totals The Washington Post: A snowy, rainy storm is hitting California. Will it curb the coming fire risk? CBS Sacramento (Calif.): Northern California spring storm brings lightning in Sacramento, Sierra snow View Original Article read more

The Trump administration is tightening its grip over EPA’s scientific enterprise as it prepares to relocate employees from its once esteemed research arm. The agency’s new, smaller science office has laid out its policies on how EPA will approve new research and publish its work for the public, according to internal memos obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News. Further, EPA’s remaining scientists from the now-dissolved Office of Research and Development received reassignments earlier this week, including many who will have to move if they want to continue working at the agency. … Research office staffers who remained at EPA were expecting to be reassigned last month, as the agency officially closed the program. Many had already been transferred into the air, chemical and water programs. Other EPA news: Food & Wine: Microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and your tap water — inside the EPA’s new plan The New York Times: How Lee Zeldin shifted the mission — and the message — of the E.P.A. The National Law Review: EPA publishes updated drinking water contaminant list View Original Article read more

In the months before Nevada’s top water regulator was fired, major mining companies and others complained about him to Gov. Joe Lombardo’s office, accusing him of “coercion” and slow-walking communications as the state inched to a nuclear option in water policy — curtailing rights in Nevada’s largest basin. The complaints, which came in the form of nearly 200 emails, letters, attachments and meetings reviewed by The Nevada Independent, largely centered around a draft order to reduce groundwater pumping in the Humboldt River Basin. It’s an overappropriated watershed in Northern Nevada where the state is undertaking its first major, large-scale application of conjunctive water management; a strategy to coordinate surface and groundwater use.  Other mining and water news: High Country News (Paonia, Colo.): ‘Energy dominance’ agenda sidelines tribes Invisible Waters: Blog: Digging to mine, digging into groundwater View Original Article read more

… [Khara] Boender is the senior manager of state policy for the Data Center Coalition, the industry group that represents data centers owners and their interests. She’s been extremely busy in recent weeks, wading through the many, many new proposals targeting their members. The bevy of new bills is linked to the explosion of artificial intelligence, which has spurred a nationwide race to build out the digital infrastructure needed to support new AI models. And while data centers are nothing new — they expanded in lockstep with the growth of the internet — state officials expect them to use huge amounts of electricity and water in coming years. … POLITICO caught up with Boender to hear more about why her industry is against the proposals, and its ideas on how regulations should work. Other data center and water news: Nevada Current: Democratic candidate for governor slams data center tax breaks Arizona Public Media: Cochise County will regulate data centers, but some residents want more View Original Article read more

Commercial fishing crews will be permitted to catch salmon along the California coast this year for the first time since 2022 as regulators end a three-year shutdown after seeing an increase in the struggling salmon population. The Pacific Fishery Management Council, a body established by Congress that manages ocean fishing along the West Coast, voted Sunday to approve a plan to reopen the salmon fishing season under strict limits in California. … Fishermen in the San Francisco region will be allowed to catch a maximum of 160 Chinook per vessel during several open periods in May and August, and 100 on additional dates in September. … The plan also includes limits on the total number of fall-run Chinook salmon that may be caught during the season. Other salmon news: AP News: Commercial salmon fishing to open in California for the first time since 2022 as population rebounds CalMatters (Sacramento, Calif.): California salmon fishing poised to finally reopen. Can the industry recover? Northwest Sportsman Magazine: 2026 West Coast ocean salmon recommendations adopted California Department of Fish and Wildlife: News release: Ocean salmon fishing comeback continues View Original Article read more

Efforts to strengthen water storage and delivery systems in California’s Central Valley are gaining momentum, as federal and local leaders emphasize the need for groundwater recharge projects and long-overdue infrastructure upgrades. For communities like Arvin and Lamont, water largely comes from underground sources, making stable groundwater levels essential. … [T]he Arvin Community Services District is partnering with the Arvin-Edison Water Storage District on a $2 million project to expand groundwater recharge capacity. The project is funded through federal dollars secured by Rep. David Valadao and is one of several water infrastructure efforts across the 22nd Congressional District. Other infrastructure news: SFGate: Cal Water begins infrastracture upgrades In Sunnyvale, Los Altos Monterey Herald (Calif.): $950M water project on drafting table San Mateo Daily Journal (Calif.): Vista Grande Drainage Basin Improvement Project in Daly City to receive $34M loan from EPA California Department of Water Resources: News release: DWR increasing releases for flood protection View Original Article read more