Support measures that will provide for the development and management of water resources in ways that are beneficial to the environment, economy, and the quality of life in Butte County, and that recognize that hydro-geologic boundaries do not follow political subdivisions.

 

The LWVC Water Interest Group, around 40 people from all over the state, is producing brief articles on different aspects of California’s water issues.  We believe these issues demand close attention from all League members and all Californians, especially given the challenges of climate change.   

Future articles will be announced and posted as they appear. 

September 2026   Restoring and Managing CA’s Watersheds

The landscapes of a watershed vary according to size, topography, climate, and human activities. Healthy watersheds sustain healthy aquatic and terrestrial environments by filtering pollutants, directing the movement of water, nutrients, and sediment, and providing water to sustain life.

August 2026   Advancing Water Equity in CA Requires Continued Commitment

Water equity in California is grounded in the principle that all people have the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water for human consumption, cooking and sanitary purposes regardless of income, race, geography, or other factors.  How California is working on actually helping individuals and families is detailed in this article.

June 2026   Water Rights: From Time Immemorial

Allocating and managing today’s precious water resources according to a centuries-old prior appropriation/riparian water-rights system implicates principles of social and environmental justice as well as 21st century hydrologic knowledge. In this month's Water Spotlight we uncover some thorny issues and present-day water availability problems.

May 2026   Protecting the Public Trust: Mono Lake and Beyond

In 1983, the California Supreme Court decided, based on the public trust doctrine, that water levels at Mono Lake must be prevented from falling to a point that would cause the loss of this natural treasure. This doctrine continues to be used as a potent legal tool to protect the environment. 

April 2026 California’s Surface Water Development

For a century, Californians have relied on moving inconceivably large amounts of water from where Nature deposited it and storing it behind massive dams until the water was moved. The backup has been to pump it out of the ground, treating that source as inexhaustible and often causing the land to subside.  Click for an overview of California surface water development.