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.
Calling all future water leaders! Are you an emerging leader
passionate about shaping the future of water in California
or across the Colorado River Basin?
The Water Education Foundation will
be hosting two dynamic water leadership programs in 2026 – one
focused on California water
issues and the other on the Colorado River
Basin. These competitive programs are designed for
rising stars from diverse sectors who are ready to deepen their
water knowledge, strengthen their leadership skills and
collaborate on real-world water challenges.
Are you an
up-and-coming leader in the water world? The application
window is now open for our 2026 California Water
Leaders cohort, and submissions are due no later than Dec.
3, 2025.
If interested in applying, start by checking out the
program
requirementsand look at the
frequently asked questions and mandatory
dates on
the application page. Make sure you have the time to
commit to the program next year and approval from your
organization to apply.
Then sign
up here to join a virtual Q&A
session on Nov. 5 at noon with Jenn Bowles,
our executive director, and other Foundation team members to get
an overview of the program and advice on applying.
California legislators considered dozens of bills related to
artificial intelligence this year. That’s a number that’s
climbed quickly over the last couple years as lawmakers grapple
with the technology’s increasing presence — and possible
negative impacts. And one growing point of concern
involves generative AI’s relationship with state resources as
the technology becomes everyday life for Californians. Experts
say generative AI is driving up energy and water
demands at data centers. But the question is: By
how much?
Progress appears to be happening in the high-stakes
negotiations over the future of the Colorado River. Ahead of a
Tuesday deadline by the Trump administration for a deal in
principle, the Colorado River Commissioner for Utah said in a
statement to FOX 13 News that they may get there. … “We’re
making steady progress on key issues the federal government has
identified, aiming to reach broad alignment by November 11—even
if the finer details come later,” said Gene Shawcroft.
… Despite the uncertainty, there is growing confidence that a
storm will impact much of California by
Thursday, potentially the rainiest of any storm so far
this season. … One potential outcome of the complex
weather pattern is a prolonged period of wet weather, not only
in Northern California, but across the entire state. … The
[National] weather service highlights two areas of California
for the greatest chances of heavy precipitation: the Sierra
Nevada and the Southern California coastline. It’s too early to
speculate whether precipitation will fall as rain or snow in
Tahoe, but the agency also predicts heavy snow in the
highest elevations of the Sierra.
Other weather and water supply news across the West:
A state legislative committee failed to pass a bill draft last
week that would have placed a 10-year moratorium on all cloud
seeding activities in the state. During the moratorium, the
Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality would have been
tasked with completing a study of cloud seeding impacts
compared to baseline conditions, according to the initial bill
proposal – but University of Wyoming Atmospheric Science
Department Head Jeff French said that plan wouldn’t be
“scientifically sound.” … “The only way I could see us
actually being able to measure the effectiveness of cloud
seeding is by doing a focused study that includes cloud
seeding.”
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.
