A drive along the I-5 corridor between Mount Shasta and Redding will quickly let even the casual observer know that California is experiencing a severe drought. The sight of a bare Mount Shasta and the exposed banks of Shasta Lake serve as stark and constant reminders of the situation unfolding throughout the North State.  »

California’s new water year started Wednesday with sunny skies and Folsom Lake storage at about half of average for this time of year. »

Hoping to keep streams and groundwater cleaner, the people who run sewage plants around California want to change the way we get rid of old medicines. »

There's more than just muddy flip-flops and busted lawn chairs emerging from the depths of Lake Shasta as the reservoir drops to its lowest levels in 16 years. Old bridges, train trestles, tunnels and the foundations from towns long-drowned have begun to pop out of the lake's muddy depths. »

When rain follows catastrophic fire, water quickly saturates the exposed topsoil and hits the hydrophobic layer about two inches underground. Since the water cannot seep into the ground any farther, the topsoil, ash and debris gets washed away. Mud fills nearby watercourses, devastating wildlife habitat and polluting drinking water. »

At Nevada Irrigation District's recent board meeting, General Manager Ron Nelson announced that the state does not plan - at this time - to take any property tax revenues normally allocated to agencies like NID. But that doesn't guarantee when the governor sits down with his advisors early next year to reanalyze the newly approved budget that these revenues won't once again become a tantalizing target. »

District officials are recommending that the Sacramento Area Sewer District board spend millions of dollars installing new hardware and cleaning lines to prevent costly sewage overflows. »

Bottled water brands do not always maintain the consistency of quality touted in ads featuring alpine peaks and crystalline lakes and, in some cases, contain toxic byproducts that exceed state safety standards, tests show.  »

The snowballing credit crunch has hit an El Dorado County water agency, leaving customers wondering when critical water supply projects will be built. »

In collaboration with the San Francisco Estuary Institute, UC Davis researchers have made headway in understanding the sources of toxic mercury in the San Francisco Bay and Delta. The findings, revealed in SFEI's annual report of the Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality (RMP), indicate that changes in current habitat management techniques could prevent mercury from entering the food web and threatening the health of wildlife and humans. »

“It’s a manufactured drought,” she’d told me. Dorothy Green said “It’s being staged so that Big Ag can take control of the water supply and sell it back to consumers at a profit.” I asked if we could set up an interview. “Sure,” she said, “but you’d better hurry. Because, you know, I’m dying.” »

California’s drought isn’t going away any time soon, even if the state experiences a record-setting wet year, a state Department of Water Resources official said. »

The seven states that draw water from the overtapped Colorado River sponsored a 2008 study that analyzed options for supplementing the river’s flow. This article lists the most intriguing. »

A state multi-agency taskforce today unveiled a guidebook to help water managers and recreationalists take part in the fight against invasive Quagga and Zebra mussels. The “Invasive Mussel Guidebook” outlines how aquatic mollusks can devastate waterways and why local governments and water users should encourage all Californians not to move a mussel.  »

The Environmental Protection Agency is failing to stem the pollution washing into waterways from cities and suburbs, the National Academy of Sciences reported Wednesday. »

The current system of governing water in California – letting more than 220 government agencies, federal, state and local, independently operate in the Delta – just does not work and needs to be changed. »