California Department of Water Resources (DWR) director Karla Nemeth left the department last month after nearly nine years of service. Before she takes over as the director of the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), we sat down with her to talk about how DWR changed during her tenure, what (still) keeps her up at night, and what advice she’d offer California’s next governor. … [Nemeth:] If I could sit down with the next governor, I would first urge him to become familiar with the incredibly dynamic nature of California’s hydrology and how we manage it. … Second, get behind the backbone infrastructure projects: large-scale groundwater recharge, large-scale water recycling, the tunnel, and Sites Reservoir. They are big, but they are the most affordable solutions over the long haul. 

Other water leadership news:

• California WaterBlog (UC Davis): UC Davis Alumnus Kaveh Madani wins the 2026 Stockholm Water Prize