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.

On Monday, September 16, the State Water Resources Control Board “denied without prejudice” the water quality certification for the Sites Reservoir...

After years in the making, the process to decide whether to issue a water rights permit for one of California’s biggest water boondoggles has begun. In August, the first hearings for the proposed Sites Reservoir were held by the State Water Resources Control Board’s Administrative Hearings Office. These proceedings, will ultimately determine whether or not the proposed reservoir is granted a water right, and, if so, under what operational conditions...

California makes its state water right decisions in the CalEPA building in Sacramento, the home of the State Water Resources Control Board. In a water-rights proceeding, you get to speak “on the record” to the Board or it Administrative Hearing Office by “protesting” the new or modified right. In the last year, FOR has protested the water rights of two major water projects…

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.

It’s silly season in the California legislature. It’s the time for spot bills (bills introduced with the intention of being amended later) to materialize — and some are pretty ugly. One of those is ACA 2, the Water Resiliency Act of 2024, introduced by Assemblyman Juan Alanis (R-Modesto). This bill would give billions of dollars per year to a water project slush fund…

Governors Brown and Newsom have made no secret of their strong support for the construction of another west-side off-stream reservoir to park Sacramento River water. Such a giant reservoir would exist in the seismically prone valleys of the Coast Range west of the Central Valley…

Recent updates on Sites Reservoir: A rushed application for regulatory streamlining, and more news about Sites greenhouse gas emissions.

Friends of the River and the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA), along with a coalition of tribes and environmental organizations submitted a formal protest against the water rights application of the Sites Project Authority for the proposed Sites Reservoir. This protest is part of a legally required process to ensure public concerns are addressed when granting water rights in California…

Several pending dam projects throughout the state have had some slight movement recently. Read Senior Policy Advocate Ron Stork’s report out on current dam happenings.