Infrastructure.

A Flood of Hope  By Ted Sommer My most inspiring bike ride this past year was not on a mountain or in some exotic destination. It was sixteen flat and muddy valley miles under overcast skies. My destination was a new concrete structure designed to reconnect the Sacramento River with its adjacent…

This is not a pipe.

An owed to Delta water quality data in California. With great data comes great responsibility. mavensnotebook.com/2026/02/09/n...

My complaint about the ‘abolish vs. reform’ debate among Democrats is that it’s a reaction to what Republicans have done. Criticism is important, but more than anything Dems need to disrupt the terms of debate. Do not cede or accept the agenda; redefine it over issues that reflect democratic values.

What do you call it when a drought or flood ends, but droughts and floods continue? California. californiawaterblog.com/2026/01/25/n...

National Academies report on CVP operations. mavensnotebook.com/2025/12/11/n...

Manhole cover painting as a form of public art and civic pride. www.ktiv.com/2025/11/16/m...

Announcing the International Fish Passage Conference 2026

An appropriately wet morning in the Netherlands for the anniversary of the 1421 St Elizabeth’s Flood, which flooded parts of Holland and Zeeland — some of which are still under water today. These panel paintings from 70 years or so later depict the flooded villages and polders around Dordrecht.

happy World Toilet Day to all who celebrate.

Lectures on the physics and chemistry of San Francisco Bay sediments. Ray Krone 1991 californiawaterblog.com/2025/11/16/p...

Santa Clara Valley Water ponders options and chooses directions to improve reliability despite decreasing water use. www.mercurynews.com/2025/11/14/w...

A wonderful 1999 retirement interview of UC Davis professor Ray Krone on the history of Engineering and Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Davis. video.ucdavis.edu/media/Ray+Kr...

A new National Academies report is out - Review of the Long-Term Operations of the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/2913...

Faculty meeting? California water meeting? Recent meeting of Congress?

Faculty meeting

Saw some incredibly effective climate change messaging today @sammyroth.bsky.social Kingston, NY waterfront TIL that the Hudson River is tidal from the Atlantic Ocean to Albany. Storm surge threatens more than coastal areas

Foucault observed that a lot of life is about trying to repress the little fascist in each one of us. When people start describing politics as a fight, they are unleashing their inner fascist. Fighting is for fascists. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/o...

A story of true (not rhetorical) resilience and robustness for part of a native ecosystem. "There will always be an ecosystem," as Dr. Moyle sometimes says. This story has some lessons for us. californiawaterblog.com/2025/10/19/r...

Teacher unclear on the concept.

Two-Decade Hydropower Plunge at Big Colorado River Dams www.circleofblue.org/2025/infogra...

Yolo Bypass tour during #ISRS2025 Carson Jeffres of @ucdavis.bsky.social & Jacob Katz of @caltrout.bsky.social explain how field behind them is great habitat for juvenile chinook…just add water & turbocharged food web produces “floodplain fatties” as in poster @riversociety.bsky.social #WaterYear

Grid scale batteries are changing our electricity system. Excellent new visual story on batteries in FT today shows just how far this technology has evolved. Fasten your seatbelts, this is just the beginning. ig.ft.com/mega-batteri...

Environmental Flows: Its not just the water - its the variability! californiawaterblog.com/2025/10/12/r...

Happy New Water Year 2026! May your water year be as wet as you like when you'd like it. californiawaterblog.com/2025/09/28/h...

Making Florida More Flood Resistant Is Forcing Hard Choices for Homeowners www.nytimes.com/2025/09/27/u...

Results so stunningly clear they inspired this classic xkcd (xkcd.com/2400/):

A profound and inspiring post.

There is a common sentiment that California should have more surface reservoir capacity. But few seem willing to pay enough for such capacity, even with healthy (or unhealthy) state subsidies.

Excellent on gerrymandering.

Putting AI energy use in perspective. If you want to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, ride a bike to work. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

The cohesive sediment transport lectures of Professor Ray Krone (1991), including how SF Bay marshes work are now available on YouTube. Prepare to get deep in the mud. www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Physics will force more painful cuts eventually unless the parties make very substantial cuts in advance.

A common irony of urban water conservation. One which can usually be overcome with better rate structures - which requires care in California due to prop 218.

Sacrificing independent redistricting in California seems like a threat to democracy, California, and the Democratic Party than keeping politicians away from redistricting and not following Texas Republicans fostering corrupt elections.

Where are they now: Anna Sturrock Registration is now open for the 7th International Symposium on River Science, held in Davis, California from Oct 6-9, 2025! Early Bird Registration will remain open until 15 August 2025. “Where are they now:” is a new blog series on the California WaterBlog,…

Nice 2019 interview with Phil Isenberg on California water, done by Chris Austin. Serious California water people will benefit from this. t.co/ftDAB4vaOm

At a time when we need a Tom Lehrer most… There is a need and a vacancy. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/a...

The future of tribal water tights in California. Very interesting, especially for groundwater. californiawaterblog.com/2025/07/27/b...

Flettner Rotor xkcd.com/3119/

decimation 1. the killing or destruction of a large proportion of a group or species. 2. historical - the killing of one in every ten of a group of people as a punishment for the whole group (originally with reference to a mutinous Roman legion). --> So decimation can mean only 10% loss. (Inflation)

"Life is just like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it disappears." - an 80-year-old fishing boat captain I recently interviewed on why he refuses to retire

News anchor: and now, for a Bayesian update.

One of America’s most insightful news sources.

Spring-fed streams will have greater importance for cold-water fishes in a warming climate.

Some good news!