The Water Summit is the Water Education Foundation’s premier event of the year, with leading policymakers and experts addressing critical water issues in California and across the West.

The 2025 event was held Wednesday, October 1, at The Sawyer Hotel in downtown Sacramento and included lunch and an evening reception to network with speakers and fellow attendees. Conversations revolved around this year’s theme, Embracing Uncertainty in the West, with a focus on how to move forward with critical decisions despite myriad unknowns facing the West’s most precious natural resource.

Speakers:

The Water Summit’s keynote address was provided by 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.

Among the speakers were 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; Tamara Wilson, research geographer at the USGS Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center; and Jerred Dixon, director of Conservation Farms & Ranches. 

You can view the full agenda here. The day was filled with lively discussions on topics such as:

• Reckoning with the variability of climate change forecasts
• Managing the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta with imperfect predictive capacity
• Developments in state & federal water management decisions
• Reflecting on how the West has navigated past uncertainty

Now in its 41ˢᵗ year, the Water Summit was 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.

Exclusive Sponsorship Opportunities:

Why sponsor the Water Summit?

• Gain recognition for your organization at one of California’s premier water conferences, attended by decision-makers; water agency staff & board members; state & federal agency representatives; and many more
• Receive complimentary tickets to attend the event for members of your organization and/or your guests
• Enjoy several exclusive sponsor benefits including increased visibility during networking portions of the event

Exclusive sponsorships were available for the breaks, lunch and evening reception, all of which were prime networking opportunities for the water professionals in attendance. View details of the various sponsorship levels and benefits here. 

Location & Timing Details:

Our 2025 Water Summit was hosted in person at The Sawyer Hotel, 500 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.

Check-in began at 9 a.m. and the program started at 9:30 a.m. The conference concluded with a networking reception, starting at 5 p.m. 

Pricing Details:

Registration included refreshments and materials, gourmet lunch and a hosted reception.

Foundation members, either individual or organizational, received a $100 discount on registration for this event. Not a member of the Foundation? Become a member now and receive the registration discount in addition to all the great benefits of Foundation membership! Contact Marilyn Lapkass via email with any membership status questions.

• General Admission: $375
• Foundation Member: $275

Lodging:

A variety of guest room options were available at The Sawyer Hotel as well as many other downtown hotel locations.

Continuing Education Credits:

Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) credit hours were available only to California attorneys for an additional fee. 

Cancellation & Refund Policy:

Deadline to cancel and receive a refund was two weeks prior to the event. Substitutions were allowed up to three business days before the event. Credit card processing fees were nonrefundable and the remaining refund amount may be subject to additional fees.