California Water Science Center

Scientists have traced the history of lead and mercury contamination in tidal wetlands of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey article published in Science of the Total Environment.

Scientists from visited the Califonia Water Science Center to discuss California water issues as part of their national tour.

How reservoirs, snowpack and rainfall help California survive droughts.

This year, groundwater levels in many wells in California’s Central Valley are at or below historical low levels. In addition, from 2007 through 2015, land subsidence that correlates to areas with large groundwater level declines has strongly increased in two large agricultural areas near the towns of El Nido and Pixley, according to a new article by the U.S. Geological Survey.

The rising temperatures in many of California's rivers have become potentially lethal to anadromous fish, and other fish species. Even in rivers controlled by reservoirs, where operators have traditionally been able to help control river temperature by timed releases, the combination of low flows, reduced cold-water pools in reservoirs and high air temps has resulted in elevated river temps....

The type of precipitation falling from the sky matters, especially for delicate mountain ecosystems.

With California experiencing its worst drought in over a century, 2013 is in the record books as the driest calendar year in the state’s 119-year recorded history.