Get Tips on Applying for 2026 Colorado River Water Leader Cohort; Layperson’s Guide to the Delta Hot Off the Press; Calif. Water Leaders Release Water Rights Modernization Recommendations
Are you an emerging water leader in
the Colorado River Basin? Consider applying for our 2026 Colorado
River Water Leaders cohort.
The biennial program, which will run from March to September next year, selects about a dozen rising stars from the seven states that rely on the river – California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico – Mexico and tribal nations.
The seven-month program is designed for working professionals who explore issues surrounding the iconic Southwest river, deepen their water knowledge, and build leadership and collaborative skills.
Listen to a recording of our virtual Q&A session where executive director Jenn Bowles and other Foundation staff provided an overview on the program and tips on applying.
Apply by Jan. 26, 2026. You can find all the application instructions here.
Layperson’s Guide to the Delta Hot Off the Press!
The Water Education Foundation’s
11th edition of the Layperson’s Guide
to the Delta is hot off the press and available
for purchase.
Updated and redesigned, the 24-page publication provides an overview of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, examining this significant water hub and its myriad challenges.
The largest freshwater tidal estuary on the West Coast, the Delta provides a portion of the drinking water for approximately 30 million Californians, serves a $32 billion agricultural industry and is home to 750 animal and plant species.
The Layperson’s Guide to the Delta is available for $18. The Guide is also available bundled with our Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Map for $35.
For questions and bulk orders at a discounted price, email Marilyn Lapkass.
California Water Leaders Unveil Recommendations to Modernize Water Rights System
Our 2025 California Water
Leaders cohort completed its year with a report on its
policy recommendations for modernizing California’s water-rights
system for 21st century challenges such as floods and droughts.
Adopting the recommendations, the report says, would create a system in California that’s transparent, accessible, equitable and resilient, with clear decisions, barrier-free collaboration, built-in environmental and community protections, and institutions nimble enough to lead through ever-changing climate, social and regulatory conditions.
Among the cohort’s recommendations:
- Bring the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA)’s collaborative spirit to surface water to prepare for times of drought and excess water.
- Enact program-level California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) coverage and standard playbooks that can accelerate the benefits of key tools for conjunctive water management, groundwater recharge in wet years and water transfers in dry years.
- Improve certainty in groundwater management to avoid conflict between Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) that manage groundwater for sustainability (without the authority to modify water rights) and court adjudications that determine water rights via a targeted legislative package.
The Water Leaders cohort of 21 up-and-coming leaders worked collaboratively and had full editorial control on the report.
You can read the cohort’s full report here.
