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.
There is no need to wait to show
your love for the Water Education Foundation! You can donate
early to our Big Day of Giving campaign and help us reach
our fundraising goal of $10,000 by May 7.
Big Day of Giving is a 24-hour online fundraising marathon
for nonprofits. Donations will benefit our programs and
publications centering on the most precious natural
resource in California and across the
West.
Mark your calendars now for our upcoming fall 2026
programs! Registration will open soon, so make sure
you’re among the first to hear by signing up for Foundation announcements!
Water Summit | October 29
Don’t miss the Water Education
Foundation’s 42ⁿᵈ annual Water
Summit in downtown Sacramento! Our premier event of
the year features leading policymakers and experts addressing
critical water issues in California and across the West.
As thirsty downstream states along the Colorado
River drainage continue to clamor for water,
Wyoming is having problems of its own, as
indicated by low levels at Fontenelle Reservoir in
Lincoln County. As of early April, Fontenelle Reservoir was at
49% of its full storage capacity, according to the Bureau of
Reclamation — despite March inflows roughly 99% of average.
Downstream from Fontenelle, Flaming Gorge Reservoir will be
drawn down between 660,000 and up to 1 million
acre-feet between now and April 2027, according to the Bureau
of Reclamation. … So far, there are not any plans for
similar drawdowns at Fontenelle Reservoir. But some Wyomingites
wonder if that’s inevitable as drought conditions persist
across the West.
A Northern California member of Congress is opening an inquiry
into the Trump administration’s bid to stop dam removal on the
Eel River, citing potential legal,
environmental, economic and water-supply problems. Rep. Jared
Huffman, D-San Rafael, wants details on why Agriculture
Secretary Brooke Rollins is advocating for a Southern
California water agency to buy the century-old Potter Valley
hydroelectric project in Mendocino and Lake counties,
including its two dams, and continue operating
it. … “My concern is that this is part of a bigger
water play,” Huffman told the Chronicle. … “There’s also a
history here that can’t be divorced from this moment: Folks in
Southern California and the Central Valley have had their eye
on Eel River water for a long time.”
San Joaquin County leaders are declaring a local state of
emergency due to the impact of golden mussels in the area. The
San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors passed a motion Tuesday
to declare the local emergency on golden mussels, an invasive
species that officials say are threatening the local
ecosystem and infrastructure in Sacramento-San Joaquin
Delta. By declaring the resolution, the board of
supervisors are requesting that Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaim a
state of emergency and multiple state agencies, including the
California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Water
of Resources and State Water Resources Control Board, provide
assistance on the issue.
… [T]he second-largest new data center being considered
statewide … would be less than half a mile from … the
center of Imperial Valley. If finished by 2028, as the
developer expects, the at least 950,000-square-foot, two-story
data center could be the largest operating statewide, taking up
17 football fields’ worth of land. The roughly $10
billion, 330-megawatt data center would require 750,000 gallons
of water a day to operate, said developer Sebastian Rucci, who
insists electricity and water costs won’t rise due to the data
center. … On top of the data center boom in California,
the hundreds of water districts, a deepening
Southwestern megadrought and the diminishing of the Colorado
River increasingly complicate water issues.
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.
During California’s 2012–2016 drought, much of the state
experienced severe drought conditions: significantly less
precipitation and snowpack, reduced streamflow and higher
temperatures. Those same conditions reappeared early in 2021
prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom in May to declare drought emergencies
in watersheds across 41 counties in California.
