Watch our series of short videos on the importance of the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, how it works as a water hub for
California and the challenges it is facing.
When a person opens a spigot to draw a glass of water, he or she
may be tapping a source close to home or hundreds of miles away.
Water gets to taps via a complex web of aqueducts, canals and
groundwater.
Learn more about our team in the office and on the Board of
Directors and how you can support our nonprofit mission by
donating in someone’s honor or memory, or becoming a regular
contributor or supporting specific projects.
Unlike California’s majestic rivers and massive dams and
conveyance systems, groundwater is out of sight and underground,
though no less plentiful. The state’s enormous cache of
underground water is a great natural resource and has contributed
to the state becoming the nation’s top agricultural producer and
leader in high-tech industries.
A new era of groundwater management began in 2014 in California
with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. The landmark law
turned 10 in 2024, with many challenges still ahead.
We are gearing up for an engaging Water Summit on Oct. 29 and
also prepping our 2027 California Water Leaders program. Join a
virtual Q&A on our Water Leaders program on Nov. 10. Details
below.
Water Summit | October 29
Our 42ⁿᵈ
annual Water Summit is the Foundation’s
premier event of the year and returns to Sacramento October 29
with leading policymakers and experts addressing critical water
issues in California and across the West. Capacity is
limited and filling up quickly, so register here while
seats are available!
Conversations during the Summit will revolve around this year’s
theme, Stewarding a New Era in Western
Water, with a focus on emerging topics related to
the challenges and opportunities facing water resource
management.
The mandate to identify 9 million acre-feet of
additional water supply in California by 2040
The need for clarity in the ongoing AI/data center
discourse related to water resources management
The latest developments in desalination
efforts and their implications for the arid West
Our 42ⁿᵈ annual Water
Summit, an engaging day of discussions addressing
critical water issues in California and across the West, will be
held on Thursday, Oct. 29, in Sacramento with the theme,
Stewarding a New Era in Western Water.
Speakers and conversations will highlight emerging topics related
to the challenges and opportunities facing management of the
West’s most precious natural resource.
Lively conversations will focus on topics such
as:
The mandate to identify 9 million acre-feet of additional
water supply in California by 2040
The need for clarity in the ongoing AI/data center discourse
related to water resources management
The latest developments in desalination efforts and their
implications for the arid West
A full agenda will be posted soon, and speakers
include:
Joel Metzger | Deputy Director, Statewide
Water Resources Planning, California Department of Water
Resources
Sandi Matsumoto | California Water Program
Director, The Nature Conservancy
Cannon Michael | President, Bowles
Farming
Craig Miller | General Manager, Western
Municipal Water District
Dave Pederson | General Manager, Las Virgenes
Municipal Water District
As previously announced,
the day will open with a keynote address from Tom
Gibson, the new director of California’s Department of
Water Resources. An attorney who has held several roles in
the state’s Natural Resources Agency and its various departments,
Gibson was appointed by Gov. Newsom on June 29 and sworn in on
July 6 to lead DWR and its nearly 4,000 employees.
The House of Representatives has passed a bipartisan water
infrastructure bill that includes more than $66 million for
Central Coast water projects. The Water Resources
Development Act of 2026 now heads to the Senate for
final passage. The legislation authorizes the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers to carry out water infrastructure projects
nationwide, including flood risk reduction, ecosystem
restoration, and navigation improvements. … The
bill includes $30 million for a new septic-to-sewer project in
the Los Olivos Community Services District, $25 million for the
City of Ojai to replace aging stormwater pipes installed in the
early 1960s, and $6.3 million for the City of Lompoc to
modernize its water treatment plant and build a stormwater and
flood control system.
A Yuma desalting plant would be restored under
federal legislation introduced by Congressman Andy Biggs of
Arizona, Republican state government leaders said late last
week. The GOP Arizona State Legislators announced their support
for the bill they said would authorize $19 billion to
increase the water supply for people living in the
Colorado River basin. Republicans say the bill, the
Colorado River Basin Water Security and Infrastructure Act,
would develop additional water. One way the bill would help is
to direct the U.S. Department of the Interior to restore the
Yuma Desalting Plant within 180 days and authorize $1 billion
for the project. The plant would allow treated
agricultural drainage water to reduce the amount of Colorado
River water that must be delivered from the U.S.,
Republican leaders said.
California leaders officially declared a State of Emergency on
Monday. The reason? El Niño and its potential to
influence a stormier than normal winter on the West
Coast. This declaration allows emergency
response resources to be readied and allocated ahead
of any storm damage. … In general, the impacts of a
major El Niño pattern are felt more strongly in Southern
California than in Northern California. … The
combination of El Niño and a marine heat wave closer to the
California coast has ocean temperatures running much warmer
than normal. That warmer water takes up more space than cooler
water, so water levels at the coast are also running
higher than normal. That is likely to be the case
through winter.
Gilbert leaders want strict rules on data
centers, making it as hard as possible for the massive
server farms to set up shop in town. Councilmembers were
expected to take up those new rules in September. However, a
town spokesperson said the new rules won’t be addressed until
sometime in October or November. The move comes amid
pushback from residents across the Valley and the
country about data center development raising concerns about
pollution, water and energy use. Arizona Attorney
General Kris Mayes called for a halt to new data center
development in late August, citingColorado River water cuts, and a new state law
in June that put a three-year moratorium on tax breaks for data
center development.
Operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the
Bay Model is a giant hydraulic replica of San Francisco
Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin
Delta. It is housed in a converted World II-era
warehouse in Sausalito near San Francisco.
Hundreds of gallons of water are pumped through the
three-dimensional, 1.5-acre model to simulate a tidal ebb
and flow lasting 14 minutes.
As part of the historic Colorado
River Delta, the Salton Sea regularly filled and dried for
thousands of years due to its elevation of 237 feet below
sea level.
The most recent version of the Salton Sea was formed in 1905 when
the Colorado River broke
through a series of dikes and flooded the seabed for two years,
creating California’s largest inland body of water. The
Salton Sea, which is saltier than the Pacific Ocean, includes 130
miles of shoreline and is larger than Lake Tahoe.
Drought — an extended period of
limited or no precipitation — is a fact of life in California and
the West, with water resources following boom-and-bust patterns.
No portion of the West has been immune to drought during the last
century and it occurs with much greater frequency in the West
than in any other region of the country.
