The Rundown
- A federal district court denied a conservation group’s request for an injunction to prevent the National Park Service from building a road through a river bed in the remote mountains of Washington state.
- EPA proposes to grant Utah oversight authority for underground carbon dioxide sequestration in the state, except on tribal lands.
- EPA science advisers submit recommendations for improving one aspect of the drinking water regulatory process.
- USGS researchers show how water supply changes in an important Northern California basin after a wildfire.
- President Trump says a fast resolution to Camp Lejeune’s toxic water settlement is contingent on Republican victories in the midterms.
And lastly, the interior secretary says that Arizona’s Colorado River cuts are manageable over the next two years.
“The allocation that’s been made, given the constraints we have and the commitments we have to make and the Law of the River, as it’s called, that this is a very positive outcome for Arizona because it’s completely manageable for year one and year two.” – Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, speaking with KOLD, an Arizona TV station, about the government’s Colorado River plan. Arizona is slated for a 27 percent cut over the next two years, or more. In mid-October, Arizona joined a lawsuit with Nevada over the federal government’s process for determining water cuts in the basin. Burgum said, in response, “We believe the governor is wrong on this topic.”
In context: Arizona Joins Nevada’s Lawsuit Challenging Federal Colorado River Plan
By the Numbers
16 Billion Bushels: Estimated U.S. corn production for 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s statistical service. That would be the second-highest annual output on record.
News Briefs
Roadbuilding in a River
A federal district court denied a conservation group’s request for an injunction to pause a National Park Service plan to temporarily rebuild a flood-damaged road in remote Washington state in a river bed.
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington rejected the request from North Cascades Conservation Council, which worries about destruction of salmon habitat. Judge John H. Chun argued that the needs of residents had greater weight than not repairing the road.
“With the high potential for flooding, the Court finds that to preserve the status quo would likely result in preserving a dangerous situation,” Chun wrote.
The location in dispute is the Stehekin River, north of a town by the same name. The area was hit by severe floods last December and part of Company Creek Road was washed away. Some 35 residents live above the washout.
Because of trouble accessing private land, the National Park Service approved building about 300 feet of road on the river bed, dewatering that part of the river and rerouting it. The NPS issued a categorical exclusion in August that eliminated the need for an environmental review. The agency did acknowledge these impacts after a state wildlife agency noted harm to salmon spawning grounds.
Political Interference in Camp Lejeune Toxic Water
At a campaign rally in Greenville, North Carolina, President Donald Trump said that if Republicans win midterm elections, he would fast-track remaining settlement claims over water contamination at Camp Lejeune, Public Radio East reports.
“If we don’t win, there’s no money,” Trump said. “If we do win, you’re getting it. It’s gonna be finally over with that nightmare that’s been going on for so many years. We will never abandon the heroes who served America.”
A lawyer representing Camp Lejeune victims told Blue Ridge Public Radio that the president’s claims were misleading because the settlement fund does not depend on party control of Congress.
Camp Lejeune’s drinking water was contaminated with volatile organic chemicals that were discovered in the water supply in the 1980s. Officials determined that eight diseases, including Parkinson’s, liver cancer, bladder cancer, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, are strongly connected to exposure to the chemicals. Victims are seeking compensation from the federal government.
Studies and Reports
EPA Science Advisers File Report
The EPA Science Advisory Board, a group of outside experts, submitted a draft report to the agency on ways to improve one part of the federal drinking water regulatory process.
Every few years the EPA publishes a list of unregulated contaminants that are worrisome enough that they could be considered for rules limiting their appearance in drinking water. The agency published the sixth version of this Contaminant Candidate List, which is what the science advisers are commenting on.
The report noted improvement from previous CCL versions but also acknowledged ways to strengthen the process.
Suggestions include broadening the scope of health-effects data and anticipating how contamination risks might change – being forward-looking instead of reactive, in other words.
The report also calls out specific contaminants – cyanobacteria, microplastics, PFAS, and neonicotinoids, for instance – for more detailed consideration.
Post-Wildfire Streamflow Changes
Wildfires can wreck a watershed, altering water chemistry and turbidity for years. They can also result in more water flowing downstream, an important consideration for water managers as they confront a complex and shifting climate.
U.S. Geological Survey researchers assessed changes in Northern California’s upper Feather River after three fires in 2020 and 2021 burned half the watershed.
With fewer trees to be moisture consumers, the modeling showed that more water was available to flow into rivers in the three following years.
“Despite observed historical decreases in precipitation and snowpack, changes in vegetation due to wildfires or other disturbances may increase water availability,” the authors write.
In context: With Wildfire Prevention Work, Flagstaff Seeks to Avoid the Next Devastating Flood
On the Radar
Carbon Dioxide Injection in Utah
The EPA is proposing to grant Utah oversight authority for carbon dioxide injection wells in the state, except on tribal lands where the federal government retains permitting power.
Class VI wells are those that pump CO2 deep underground. Injection well regulations are intended to protect drinking water sources from contamination. The EPA thinks that Utah’s program is on equal footing with federal oversight. The state already has authority over four other types of injection wells.
The EPA has also been active in approving state applications to oversee regulatory programs for coal waste disposal, including Virginia’s, which was finalized last week.
Death Valley Water System
The National Park Service broke ground on a $69.5 million water and sewer infrastructure improvement project that will also serve the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe. The project includes some 30 miles of pipe replacement, new wells, and upgraded water and wastewater treatment facilities.
Federal Water Tap is a weekly digest spotting trends in U.S. government water policy. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.
