From the Sierra Nevada to the Pacific, California’s rivers are on the move, shaping ecosystems and communities alike. This round up of river news will take you on a journey through these dynamic waters, bringing you the latest updates from across the state.

Exciting things are happening on the Lower Kern River. After more than half a century of being dewatered in most years, there’s a serious chance of getting the lower river flowing again.

The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) supplies electricity to much of northern California. It also has a somewhat diminishing large fleet of hydroelectric dams in the north state.

It’s also been going broke a lot, first because of the ill-advised energy deregulation under Governor Gray Davis some two decades ago, and second because in recent years its equipment has been burning down whole national forests and small mountain communities.

So, to raise some cash, PG&E proposed to create a subsidiary…

Didn’t we just win some significant victories defending the state and tribal role (and our influence) to ensure that federal projects, licenses, and permits meet state/tribal clean water standards?… Nevada Irrigation District is taking another swing at state Clean Water Act Authority…

This month we’ve created a compiled edition of Currents (CA water policy news), to keep you in the loop on recent happenings that affect California Rivers. Read on for updates about this water year, the California State Legislature, PG&E’s efforts to spin off its hydropower assets, and Sites Reservoir.

I confess. It’s hard to keep up with the state of play in the nationwide and California efforts to defend Clean Water section 401, which gives states and some tribes authority to ensure that federal actions meet state and tribal water quality standards…

Some folks just won’t quit. Some years ago, the Nevada Irrigation District (NID) asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to supersede the State of California’s authority to protect its waters under the Clean Water Act (CWA). FERC obliged. We responded by taking the issue to court. NID is now trying again…

The issues with the poor foundation conditions under the Oroville Dam spillways became apparent as far back as 2005, when Friends of the River led a coalition of environmental organizations in asking FERC to confront these problems…

We’ve been talking about the importance of the Clean Water Act in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) hydropower dam licensing for years. The Clean Water Act gives states and certain tribes substantial influence related to operations of hydroelectric dams…

A group of environmental organizations active in hydropower relicensing (including Friends of the River) in collaboration with hydro industry players (collectively, the “Uncommon Dialogue”) have arrived at a set of reforms to the Federal Power Act…

Friends of the River litigation regarding state authority under the Clean Water Act may reach the Supreme Court…

The perennially bankrupt PG&E has made a proposal to the California Public Utilities Commission to form a subsidiary with a 49% non-PG&E stake to own its non-nuclear generation assets. The reason — to raise some cash from investors in the new subsidiary…

After a generation of intense work and controversy, the removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River has begun with the initiation of construction staging for the removal of the Copco 1 Dam…

President Trump’s Clean Water Act rules have been reinstated by the federal 9th Circuit Appeals Court until a trial on the merits…