Our 41ˢᵗ annual Water Summit, an engaging day of discussions addressing critical water issues in California and across the West, will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 1, in Sacramento with the theme, Embracing Uncertainty in the West.

Speakers and conversations will explore how to move forward with critical decisions despite myriad unknowns facing our most precious natural resource, including updates and insights from leadership at both the state and federal levels in shaping water resource priorities in California and across the West.

Lively panel discussions will focus on topics such as:

• Reflecting on how California and the Colorado River Basin have navigated past uncertainty and the lessons those experiences might offer. Speakers include Brenda Burman, former Bureau of Reclamation commissioner and now general manager of the Central Arizona Project; Tim Quinn, former executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies; and Jeff Mount, senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California’s Water Policy Center.
   
• Reckoning with the variability of climate change forecasts and hydrological models that both inform and complicate water management decisions. Speakers include Tamara Wilson, research geographer at the USGS Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center; Andrew Schwarz, climate action manager for the California Department of Water Resources; and Christine Albano, associate research professor of ecohydrology at the Desert Research Institute.
   
• Moving forward with efforts in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta despite the constraints caused by political and hydrological uncertainty. Speakers include Jerred Dixon, director of Conservation Farms & Ranches; Morgan Chow, senior environmental planner with the Delta Stewardship Council; Josh Israel, science division chief for Reclamation’s Bay-Delta Office.

As previously announced, the day will open with a keynote address from California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot. Crowfoot oversees an agency charged with stewarding California’s rivers and water supplies, including billions of dollars of public investment to protect people and natural places from climate change impacts.

The Water Summit is also a fantastic networking opportunity for the water professionals in attendance and an ideal event for water district managers and board members, state and federal agency officials, city and county government leaders, farmers, environmentalists, attorneys, consultants, engineers, business executives and public interest groups. Foundation members receive a $100 discount on registration but space is limited, so reserve your spot here.

Seize a Coveted Sponsor Spot at the Water Summit!

Current Foundation member organizations receive access to sponsorship opportunities for the conference, including exclusive support for the breaks, lunch and evening reception. General sponsorship of the Water Summit is also an option. View details of the various sponsorship levels and benefits here.

Last Call for Klamath River Tour . . .

Registration for our first-ever and only Klamath River Tour Sept. 8-12 ends this week. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to examine water issues along the 263-mile Klamath River, from its spring-fed headwaters in south-central Oregon to its redwood-lined estuary on the Pacific Ocean in California, including a look at the nation’s largest dam removal project. This special water tour will not be offered again so grab a ticket here while they last!