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.
Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation that would have given
Native tribes a greater role in California water policy
decisions, saying the state is already making this a priority.
The bill would have directed state agencies to
recognize historical inequities affecting tribes, and to
consult with them on water projects, plans and
policies. Newsom said in his veto message Wednesday
that his administration has worked to address wrongs committed
against tribes and has prioritized respectful
“government-to-government dialogue.” He said, however, that
California “must streamline its water policies to
protect our water supply from the reality of climate
change.” … Opponents of the bill included the
Assn. of California Water Agencies, which argued it was vague,
lacked clear standards, and could expose agencies to more legal
disputes and delays.
On the shores of Playa del Rey sits L.A.’s last line of defense
against sewage streaming into the Santa Monica Bay — and a
jacked El Niño this winter threatens to be more than a match
for it. Built in 1950, the Hyperion Water Reclamation
Plant handles roughly 95% of the city’s sewage on any
given day — up to 800 million gallons of effluent from toilets,
washing machines, sinks, industrial operations and more. Storms
can overwhelm the aging facility, which suffered an
equipment breakdown in 2021 that led to 17 million gallons of
raw sewage gushing into the Santa Monica Bay. Los
Angeles officials are bracing for more trouble if the forecast
“super” El Niño brings heavy rains and flooding.
… L.A.’s stormwater and wastewater systems are separate,
but when it rains, water seeps into the ground and can
sneak into the cracks of aging wastewater pipes.
The multi-state agreements managing the Colorado River for
decades now have officially expired. When the clock struck
midnight on October 1, the agreements ended. In their absence,
the Trump administration is now managing the water for
more than 40 million people across the American West until the
states can get a deal together. … Water will
still flow to Utah and other states along the Colorado River (a
portion from the Colorado River system is pumped into the
Wasatch Front through the Central Utah Project for drinking
water needs). But there will be noticeable
changes. For example, FOX 13’s sister-station KTNV
reported on Thursday that Nevada will begin taking
reductions in how much water it gets from the river over the
next two years.
Denver Water customers are banned from watering their lawns
starting Thursday, and the state’s largest utility is
threatening steep fines for those who break the drought-induced
rule. The prohibition outlaws lawn watering and the
use of spray irrigation at the start of October for the rest of
the warm season, though customers can still hand-water trees,
shrubs, flowers and vegetables. Residential customers
who break the rule once will face a $500 fine. The
fine increases to $1,000 for each subsequent violation and,
if the watering does not stop, Denver Water says it
will shut off the customer’s water service. The
utility — which serves 1.5 million people across metro Denver —
has sent postcards to customers warning them about the ban and
the potential fines. Those postcards served as warnings,
according to a Denver Water press release.
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.
