Infrastructure

Overview

Infrastructure

“Infrastructure” in general can be defined as the components and equipment needed to operate, as well as the structures needed for, public works systems. Typical examples include roads, bridges, sewers and water supply systems.Various dams and infrastructural buildings have given Californians and the West the opportunity to control water, dating back to the days of Native Americans.

Water management infrastructure focuses on the parts, including pipes, storage reservoirs, pumps, valves, filtration and treatment equipment and meters, as well as the buildings to house process and treatment equipment. Irrigation infrastructure includes reservoirs, irrigation canals. Major flood control infrastructure includes dikes, levees, major pumping stations and floodgates.

Aquafornia news Los Angeles Times

Trump administration cancels California FEMA earthquake retrofit grants

The Trump administration has canceled $33 million worth of federal funds meant to help pay for earthquake retrofits in California — sparking “grave concern” and a call to reconsider from one of the state’s highest elected officials. … FEMA issued a statement on April 4 announcing the cancellation of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, known as BRIC, that would have funded the California earthquake retrofits. … Also in jeopardy is up to $50 million in funding apiece for a Port of San Francisco coastal resilience project, a flood protection project for the Menlo Park area, a flood adaptation project in Oakland and Alameda, a Sutter Bypass levee project in the Central Valley, for water supply resiliency for the city of Riverbank in Stanislaus County, and for infrastructure resiliency for the city of Pacifica in San Mateo County.

Other flood infrastructure funding news:

Aquafornia news The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.)

State funders criticize pace and progress on $2.7 billion plan to build new reservoir in Santa Clara County

In an ominous sign for an already struggling project, state officials on Wednesday said they are unhappy with the lack of progress over plans by the Santa Clara Valley Water District to build a huge new dam near Pacheco Pass and Henry W. Coe State Park in Santa Clara County. Members of the California Water Commission, an 8-member agency appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom that tentatively committed $504 million in state bond funding seven years ago to the $2.7 billion project — and still could revoke it — expressed frustration at the district’s shifting timelines and lack of specifics and accomplishments. … On Wednesday, district officials told the water commission that they still haven’t secured major permits needed to start construction, haven’t secured water rights, and only have completed 30% of the design. They said they wouldn’t be able to break ground until 2029 and won’t complete construction until at least 2036.

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

Calif. lawmaker says he’s ‘confident’ he can kill Newsom’s water tunnel plan

Sen. Jerry McNerney is laying down the gauntlet against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal to fast-track a controversial Delta water tunnel. What happened: McNerney said he has the votes to defeat Newsom’s bid last week to speed up the permitting for a tunnel underneath the state’s main water delivery hub, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, if it came to that. “I’m confident that we do,” the former House Democrat said in an interview following a press conference on the issue. A version of the proposed project has been floating around — first as a canal, then a pair of tunnels — for more than a half-century, during which it has reliably brought out opposition from environmental groups and elected officials in the Delta region concerned about habitat loss and construction impacts.

Other Delta tunnel news:

Aquafornia news CNN

Democrats sound alarm as Trump cuts flood prevention projects in blue states

The Trump administration significantly cut funding for flood prevention projects in blue states across the country while creating new water construction opportunities in red states, undoing a Biden-era budget proposal that would have allocated money more evenly, according to a data analysis prepared by Democratic staffers. California and the state of Washington lost the most funds, with the administration cutting water construction budget for those states by a combined $606 million, according to the analysis, which was shared with CNN. Texas, meanwhile, gained $206 million. … Collectively, states with Democratic senators lost over $436 million in funding compared to what they would have received under the last proposed budget of President Joe Biden’s administration, the data analysis shows. Republican-led states gained more than $257 million, the analysis shows.

Other flood prevention infrastructure news:

Aquafornia news Record Searchlight (Redding, Calif.)

Whiskeytown warns guests to avoid Lower Clear Creek on holiday weekend

Memorial Day weekend guests at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area should be on alert for fast moving, deep and very cold water, the park’s rangers cautioned. The Bureau of Reclamationis releasing more water through Whiskeytown Dam and into the park through June 24, boosting water levels. Expect highest flows this week, peaking Thursday, according to an announcement issued by the park. … Increasing the amount of water flowing into Clear Creek and the Trinity River will benefit fish species, including salmon, by mimicking natural springtime runoff. These fish need a lot of water, “particularly cold water if you are (a) Chinook salmon,” the park said. Sacramento River spring-run Chinook live in Clear Creek, and are under federal protection.

Aquafornia news California Water Association

News release: Water Affordability Framework

Across California, water utility managers, elected officials, and state regulators are working to address a critical challenge: funding essential water infrastructure investments that deliver public health through the provision of reliable water service, while minimizing customer rate impacts. To tackle this issue, the California Water Association (CWA) has developed the Water Affordability Framework to guide efforts in maintaining affordability and sustainability for the six million Californians our member utilities serve. … Over the next 5 years, CWA members plan to invest up to $5 billion in new water infrastructure projects, including pipeline replacements and meter upgrades. Our members remain committed to minimizing costs and exploring strategies to keep water service affordable, while navigating the financial implications of future regulations.

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

Monday Top of the Scroll: Democrats slam ‘utterly partisan’ Army Corps funding plan

Democrats bashed the Trump administration Friday for cutting funding for water infrastructure in several blue states, calling the move politically motivated. The Army Corps of Engineers has zeroed out of its budget hundreds of millions of dollars for ports, dams and other projects in California, Washington state and Hawaii, while giving projects in some red states a funding boost, according to top Democrats on the House and Senate Appropriations committees. The shuffling of funds was revealed this week in the Army Corps’ work plan for this year. Because of the continuing resolution that Congress passed in March, President Donald Trump has more discretion on spending decisions than would normally be allowed.

Related articles:

Aquafornia news Los Angeles Times

Thursday Top of the Scroll: Newsom seeks to short-cut process to accelerate proposed water tunnel

Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing to accelerate his administration’s plan to build a $20-billion water tunnel beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta by short-cutting permitting for the project and limiting avenues for legal challenges. Newsom urged the Legislature on Wednesday to adopt his plan to “fast-track” the tunnel, called the Delta Conveyance Project, as part of his revised May budget proposal. …The tunnel would create a second route to transport water to the state’s pumping facilities on the south side of the Delta, where supplies enter the aqueducts of the State Water Project and are delivered to 27 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland. … Newsom said his proposal would: simplify permitting by eliminating certain deadlines from water rights permits; narrow legal review to avoid delays from legal challenges; confirm that the state has authority to issue bonds to pay for the project, which would be repaid by water agencies; and accelerate state efforts to acquire land for construction.

Related articles:

Aquafornia news Arizona Republic (Phoenix)

SRP installs new dredge at Granite Reef Dam, clearing canal water

Above the shimmering waters of Salt River Project’s Granite Reef Diversion Dam, a scenic view of Red Mountain is on full display, but below the surface, a dirty problem grows. As the key piece of infrastructure diverts water from the Verde and Salt Rivers into the region’s canal system, sand and sediment continually build up until they spill into the canals. SRP now has a new tool for cleaning the dam: a state-of-the-art dredge to suck up the piles of sand. The dredge acts like a pool cleaner, stirring up the underwater sediment before vacuuming it to the surface. By removing the sediment, the dredge ensures that water can be delivered cleanly and efficiently into SRP’s canals, which provide water to about 2.5 million Phoenix-area residents. Without removal, the sediment can spill into the canals, increasing water treatment costs and leading to canal closures.

Related article:

Aquafornia news KSBY (San Luis Obispo, Calif.)

Los Osos water pipeline project awaiting approval from Army Corps of Engineers

The Los Osos water pipeline has been in the works for the past four years. If funded, it would connect Los Osos to the state water project, providing the town with a new source of water. The project has already been approved at the federal level, but for work to begin, the Army Corps of Engineers needs to approve the allocation of funds. A recent report from the Los Osos Community Services District’s general manager states the CSD has reached out to the Corps several times since December for an update on the project but has never received a response. 

Other pipeline news:

Aquafornia news California WaterBlog

Blog: The power of mimics in aquatic management and beyond

Humans might be the ultimate ecosystem engineers in the sense that we constantly modify ecosystems and change the processes which drive them. In some cases, this can harm biodiversity by displacing native ecosystem engineers which deliver important benefits for other species and bolster both habitat and species diversity (Romero et al. 2015). Humans also can leverage their ecosystem engineering to benefit biodiversity, such as through mimicking ecosystem engineering structures as part of restoration. Our recent paper (Goss et al. 2025) reviews how mimicked ecosystem engineer structures might help meet restoration goals, and potential risks with the use of these human-engineered structures.

Aquafornia news The Mendocino Voice (Calif.)

Opinion: Potter Valley Project decommissioning was economic; seismic concerns came afterward

PG&E mostly agrees with a recent opinion piece urging the removal of Scott Dam due to a better understanding of the seismic risks. As described in our draft decommissioning plan, PG&E considers the expedited removal of the Scott Dam to be in the best interest of PG&E customers. It is also the most appropriate long-term mitigation to address the seismic risk. In the meantime, PG&E has implemented interim measures to reduce near-term seismic risk — the most prominent being the restricted maximum reservoir storage elevation. However, contrary to the opinion piece, PG&E’s decision not to seek a new license for the Potter Valley Project — a hydroelectric facility — is based on the fact the project is not economical for PG&E’s customers.
–Written by Dave Canny, vice president of PG&E’s North Coast Region.

Aquafornia news SFGate

Tahoe’s most influential laboratory is aboard this 48-year-old repurposed fishing boat

Sunlight glimmers on Lake Tahoe on a spring morning in April as the John LeConte, the 48-year-old research vessel for the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, motors across the glassy water. The engine turns over with a rhythmic revving that eventually fades into a background hum. Gentle waves ripple out from the prow, but the water is otherwise completely still. I’m onboard the John LeConte with a group of scientists. We’re heading to the middle of Lake Tahoe to get a picture of what’s happening beneath the surface of the water, all the way down to the deepest parts of the lake. 

Aquafornia news SFGate

Swimming in this California lake has been banned since 1953. That might change.

Officials in Santa Barbara County are exploring the possibility of allowing visitors to swim in Lake Cachuma, a human-made reservoir in the Santa Ynez Valley where swimming has been banned since its creation in 1953. … Swimming is banned at the lake because it’s used as a local water source. That’s been the case since the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation created the lake in 1953 by constructing the Bradbury Dam, then called the Cachuma Dam, thereby blocking the flow of the Santa Ynez River. The lake is still owned by the Bureau of Reclamation, though it’s managed by the county. Bantilan said the county is in touch with local water agencies about allowing swimming at the lake, a move that’s already taken place at other reservoirs in the state. 

Aquafornia news The Sacramento Bee

Monday Top of the Scroll: Yuba River ‘fishway’ project faces pushback from anglers

An agreement to build a waterway allowing fish to swim freely past a dam on the lower Yuba River has moved forward as part of an initiative that also includes returning a threatened salmon species to another part of the watershed. Federal, state and local agencies have partnered on the potentially $100 million project and tout its goal of restoring access for a variety of fish species to parts of the river system walled off for more than a century. … But local anglers have raised concerns about the project, fearing that the free-flowing bypass will allow predatory fish, particularly striped bass, to access a section of the river seen as a haven for certain species.

Related articles:

Aquafornia news Daily Mail (London, U.K.)

Terrifying ticking timebomb crisis that could hit 600,000 California residents

A major California water lifeline serving more than 600,000 residents is on the brink of being shut down by one of America’s largest utility companies – and now its fate may lie in the hands of Donald Trump. Since 1922, the century-old Potter Valley Project has diverted water from Northern California’s Eel River into the Russian River, serving as a critical source of water for farms and communities across Mendocino, Sonoma, Marin and Lake counties. However, PG&E announced plans to fully dismantle the project, citing financial losses and aging infrastructure – a move that sparked controversy across the region, SF Gate reported. In a rare twist, the federal government is now stepping into the local water battle, as the Trump administration reviews whether or not to block the shutdown.

Aquafornia news Local News Matters (Berkeley, Calif.)

Raising height of Lake Mendocino dam could benefit water customers, help environment

A new partnership between three organizations will explore options for raising the dam at Lake Mendocino to boost the water supply supporting agriculture and recreation. State and local politicians, tribal officials and representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers met this past Friday at Lake Mendocino to formalize a cost-sharing agreement for the Coyote Valley Dam General Investigation Study. According to the Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission, Lake Mendocino provides drinking water for over 650,000 people in Mendocino, Sonoma and Marin counties and plays a role in flood control. The study, led by a partnership between the commission, the Lytton Rancheria and the Corps of Engineers will assess the prospects of greater water supply and potential federal interest in reducing flood risks.

Other North Coast dam news:

Aquafornia news Marin Independent Journal (San Rafael, Calif.)

MMWD approves $9.7M to advance Sonoma-to-Marin water pipeline

The Marin Municipal Water District took another step this week in pursuit of what the agency says is its largest supply and drought resiliency project in 40 years. The district board voted unanimously on Tuesday to authorize spending $9.7 million to design a pipeline that would tap into an existing aqueduct system to get Sonoma County water to Marin reservoirs. The pipeline project was selected in February as the district’s priority effort to boost supply. If completed, it would be the largest water supply project since Kent Lake was expanded in 1982, according to the district. … Estimated at $167 million, the proposed project would construct a 13-mile, 36-inch pipeline and a pump station to redirect some of that (excess) water into the Nicasio Reservoir for storage. The pipeline could yield 3,800 to 4,750 acre-feet of water a year.

Publication

Layperson’s Guide to Water Recycling
Updated 2024

Layperson's Guide to Water Recycling

Cities across California and the Southwest are significantly increasing and diversifying their use of recycled wastewater as traditional water supplies grow tighter.

The 5th edition of our Layperson’s Guide to Water Recycling covers the latest trends and statistics on water reuse as a strategic defense against prolonged drought and climate change.

Aquafornia news The Sacramento Bee

Opinion: Sites Reservoir would cause negative environmental impacts to Sacramento River

As the permitting battle over the proposed Sites Reservoir Project in Northern California heats up, it’s become clear that the project would further heat up the atmosphere as well. Just as California has made bold commitments to achieve carbon neutrality in the next few decades, the state seems ready to approve a dam project that would put that progress in jeopardy. A new report, “Estimate of Greenhouse Gas Emissions for the Proposed Sites Reservoir Project Using the All-Res Modeling Tool,” created by a science team at my organization, Tell The Dam Truth, exposes the climate impacts caused by this massive dam and reservoir system.
-Written by Gary Wockner, PhD, who directs Tell The Dam Truth

Aquafornia news SJV Water

Residents below Isabella Dam again swamped by seepage after new pump runs out of gas

Residents living below the Isabella Auxiliary Dam were thrilled earlier this month with a temporary fix that finally dried up excessive seepage from the dam that had been swamping septic systems and breeding forests of mosquito-infested weeds around their homes. The didn’t realize how temporary the fix would be, however. After only 12 days without a river cutting through his land, rancher Gerald Wenstrand woke up to see the seepage back on Saturday.

California Water Agencies Hoped A Deluge Would Recharge Their Aquifers. But When It Came, Some Couldn’t Use It
WESTERN WATER IN-DEPTH: January storms jump-started recharge projects in badly overdrafted San Joaquin Valley, but hurdles with state permits and infrastructure hindered some efforts

An intentionally flooded almond orchard in Tulare CountyIt was exactly the sort of deluge California groundwater agencies have been counting on to replenish their overworked aquifers.

The start of 2023 brought a parade of torrential Pacific storms to bone dry California. Snow piled up across the Sierra Nevada at a near-record pace while runoff from the foothills gushed into the Central Valley, swelling rivers over their banks and filling seasonal creeks for the first time in half a decade.    

Suddenly, water managers and farmers toiling in one of the state’s most groundwater-depleted regions had an opportunity to capture stormwater and bank it underground. Enterprising agencies diverted water from rushing rivers and creeks into manmade recharge basins or intentionally flooded orchards and farmland. Others snagged temporary permits from the state to pull from streams they ordinarily couldn’t touch.

As New Deadline Looms, Groundwater Managers Rework ‘Incomplete’ Plans to Meet California’s Sustainability Goals
WESTERN WATER IN-DEPTH: More than half of the most critically overdrawn basins, mainly in the San Joaquin Valley, are racing against a July deadline to retool their plans and avoid state intervention

A field in Kern County is irrigated by sprinkler.Managers of California’s most overdrawn aquifers were given a monumental task under the state’s landmark Sustainable Groundwater Management Act: Craft viable, detailed plans on a 20-year timeline to bring their beleaguered basins into balance. It was a task that required more than 250 newly formed local groundwater agencies – many of them in the drought-stressed San Joaquin Valley – to set up shop, gather data, hear from the public and collaborate with neighbors on multiple complex plans, often covering just portions of a groundwater basin.

New EPA Regional Administrator Tackles Water Needs with a Wealth of Experience and $1 Billion in Federal Funding
WESTERN WATER Q&A: Martha Guzman says surge of federal dollars offers 'greatest opportunity' to address longstanding water needs, including for tribes & disadvantaged communities in EPA Region 9

EPA Region 9 Administrator Martha Guzman.Martha Guzman recalls those awful days working on water and other issues as a deputy legislative secretary for then-Gov. Jerry Brown. California was mired in a recession and the state’s finances were deep in the red. Parks were cut, schools were cut, programs were cut to try to balance a troubled state budget in what she remembers as “that terrible time.”

She now finds herself in a strikingly different position: As administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 9, she has a mandate to address water challenges across California, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii and $1 billion to help pay for it. It is the kind of funding, she said, that is usually spread out over a decade. Guzman called it the “absolutely greatest opportunity.”

MWD’s Jeff Kightlinger Reflects On Building Big Things, Essential Partnerships and His Hopes For the Delta
WESTERN WATER Q&A: Veteran Water Boss, Retiring After 25 Years With SoCal Water Giant, Discusses ‘Permanent’ Drought, Conservation Gains & the Struggling Colorado River

Jeff Kightlinger, longtime general manager of Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.When you oversee the largest supplier of treated water in the United States, you tend to think big.

Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for the last 15 years, has focused on diversifying his agency’s water supply and building security through investment. That means looking beyond MWD’s borders to ensure the reliable delivery of water to two-thirds of California’s population.

Pandemic Lockdown Exposes the Vulnerability Some Californians Face Keeping Up With Water Bills
WESTERN WATER IN-DEPTH: Growing mountain of water bills spotlights affordability and hurdles to implementing a statewide assistance program

Single-family residential customers who are behind on their water bills in San Diego County's Helix Water District can get a one-time credit on their bill through a rate assistance program funded with money from surplus land sales.As California slowly emerges from the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, one remnant left behind by the statewide lockdown offers a sobering reminder of the economic challenges still ahead for millions of the state’s residents and the water agencies that serve them – a mountain of water debt.

Water affordability concerns, long an issue in a state where millions of people struggle to make ends meet, jumped into overdrive last year as the pandemic wrenched the economy. Jobs were lost and household finances were upended. Even with federal stimulus aid and unemployment checks, bills fell by the wayside.

Aquafornia news The Sacramento Bee

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: Red alert sounding on California drought, as farmers get less water

A government agency that controls much of California’s water supply released its initial allocation for 2021, and the numbers reinforced fears that the state is falling into another drought. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said Tuesday that most of the water agencies that rely on the Central Valley Project will get just 5% of their contract supply, a dismally low number. Although the figure could grow if California gets more rain and snow, the allocation comes amid fresh weather forecasts suggesting the dry winter is continuing. The National Weather Service says the Sacramento Valley will be warm and windy the next few days, with no rain in the forecast.

Related articles: 

In the Heart of the San Joaquin Valley, Two Groundwater Sustainability Agencies Try to Find Their Balance
WESTERN WATER SPECIAL REPORT: Agencies in Fresno, Tulare counties pursue different approaches to address overdraft and meet requirements of California’s groundwater law

Flooding permanent crops seasonally, such as this vineyard at Terranova Ranch in Fresno County, is one innovative strategy to recharge aquifers.Across a sprawling corner of southern Tulare County snug against the Sierra Nevada, a bounty of navel oranges, grapes, pistachios, hay and other crops sprout from the loam and clay of the San Joaquin Valley. Groundwater helps keep these orchards, vineyards and fields vibrant and supports a multibillion-dollar agricultural economy across the valley. But that bounty has come at a price. Overpumping of groundwater has depleted aquifers, dried up household wells and degraded ecosystems.

Western Water Layperson's Guide to Groundwater Douglas E. Beeman

Water Resource Innovation, Hard-Earned Lessons and Colorado River Challenges — Western Water Year in Review
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK-Our 2019 articles spanned the gamut from groundwater sustainability and drought resiliency to collaboration and innovation

Smoke from the 2018 Camp Fire as viewed from Lake Oroville in Northern California. Innovative efforts to accelerate restoration of headwater forests and to improve a river for the benefit of both farmers and fish. Hard-earned lessons for water agencies from a string of devastating California wildfires. Efforts to drought-proof a chronically water-short region of California. And a broad debate surrounding how best to address persistent challenges facing the Colorado River. 

These were among the issues Western Water explored in 2019, and are still worth taking a look at in case you missed them.

Western Water Layperson's Guide to Climate Change and Water Resources Gary PitzerDouglas E. Beeman

As Wildfires Grow More Intense, California Water Managers Are Learning To Rewrite Their Emergency Playbook
WESTERN WATER IN-DEPTH: Agencies share lessons learned as they recover from fires that destroyed facilities, contaminated supplies and devastated their customers

Debris from the Camp Fire that swept through the Sierra foothills town of Paradise  in November 2018.

By Gary Pitzer and Douglas E. Beeman

It’s been a year since two devastating wildfires on opposite ends of California underscored the harsh new realities facing water districts and cities serving communities in or adjacent to the state’s fire-prone wildlands. Fire doesn’t just level homes, it can contaminate water, scorch watersheds, damage delivery systems and upend an agency’s finances.

Western Water California Water Map Gary Pitzer

Often Short of Water, California’s Southern Central Coast Builds Toward A Drought-Proof Supply
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Water agencies in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo counties look to seawater, recycled water to protect against water shortages

The spillway at Lake Cachuma in central Santa Barbara County. Drought in 2016 plunged its storage to about 8 percent of capacity.The southern part of California’s Central Coast from San Luis Obispo County to Ventura County, home to about 1.5 million people, is blessed with a pleasing Mediterranean climate and a picturesque terrain. Yet while its unique geography abounds in beauty, the area perpetually struggles with drought.

Indeed, while the rest of California breathed a sigh of relief with the return of wet weather after the severe drought of 2012–2016, places such as Santa Barbara still grappled with dry conditions.

Western Water Colorado River Basin Map Gary Pitzer

‘Mission-Oriented’ Colorado River Veteran Takes the Helm as the US Commissioner of IBWC
WESTERN WATER Q&A: Jayne Harkins’ duties include collaboration with Mexico on Colorado River supply, water quality issues

Jayne Harkins, the U.S. Commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission.For the bulk of her career, Jayne Harkins has devoted her energy to issues associated with the management of the Colorado River, both with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and with the Colorado River Commission of Nevada.

Now her career is taking a different direction. Harkins, 58, was appointed by President Trump last August to take the helm of the United States section of the U.S.-Mexico agency that oversees myriad water matters between the two countries as they seek to sustainably manage the supply and water quality of the Colorado River, including its once-thriving Delta in Mexico, and other rivers the two countries share. She is the first woman to be named the U.S. Commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission for either the United States or Mexico in the commission’s 129-year history.

Announcement

A Bounty of San Joaquin Valley Crops on Display During Central Valley Tour
Act now, our April 3-5 tour is almost sold out!

The San Joaquin Valley, known as the nation’s breadbasket, grows a cornucopia of fruits, nuts and other agricultural products.

During our three-day Central Valley Tour April 3-5, you will meet farmers who will explain how they prepare the fields, irrigate their crops and harvest the produce that helps feed the nation and beyond. We also will drive through hundreds of miles of farmland and visit the rivers, dams, reservoirs and groundwater wells that provide the water.

Western Water California Water Map Layperson's Guide to the State Water Project Gary Pitzer

As He Steps Aside, Tim Quinn Talks About ‘Adversarialists,’ Collaboration and Hope For Solving the State’s Tough Water Issues
WESTERN WATER Q&A: Tim Quinn, retiring executive director of Association of California Water Agencies

ACWA Executive Director Tim Quinn  with a report produced by Association of California Water Agencies on  sustainable groundwater management.  (Source:  Association of California Water Agencies)In the universe of California water, Tim Quinn is a professor emeritus. Quinn has seen — and been a key player in — a lot of major California water issues since he began his water career 40 years ago as a young economist with the Rand Corporation, then later as deputy general manager with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and finally as executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies. In December, the 66-year-old will retire from ACWA.

Western Water Douglas E. Beeman

What Would You Do About Water If You Were California’s Next Governor?
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Survey at Foundation’s Sept. 20 Water Summit elicits a long and wide-ranging potential to-do list

There’s going to be a new governor in California next year – and a host of challenges both old and new involving the state’s most vital natural resource, water.

So what should be the next governor’s water priorities?

That was one of the questions put to more than 150 participants during a wrap-up session at the end of the Water Education Foundation’s Sept. 20 Water Summit in Sacramento.

Western Water California Water Map Gary Pitzer

As Decision Nears On California Water Storage Funding, a Chairman Reflects on Lessons Learned and What’s Next
WESTERN WATER Q&A: California Water Commission Chairman Armando Quintero

Armando Quintero, chair of the California Water CommissionNew water storage is the holy grail primarily for agricultural interests in California, and in 2014 the door to achieving long-held ambitions opened with the passage of Proposition 1, which included $2.7 billion for the public benefits portion of new reservoirs and groundwater storage projects. The statute stipulated that the money is specifically for the benefits that a new storage project would offer to the ecosystem, water quality, flood control, emergency response and recreation.

Western Water Colorado River Basin Map Gary Pitzer

As Colorado River Levels Drop, Pressure Grows On Arizona To Complete A Plan For Water Shortages
WESTERN WATER IN-DEPTH: A dispute over who speaks for Arizona has stalled work with California, Nevada on Drought Contingency Plan

Hoover Dam and Lake Mead

It’s high-stakes time in Arizona. The state that depends on the Colorado River to help supply its cities and farms — and is first in line to absorb a shortage — is seeking a unified plan for water supply management to join its Lower Basin neighbors, California and Nevada, in a coordinated plan to preserve water levels in Lake Mead before they run too low.

If the lake’s elevation falls below 1,075 feet above sea level, the secretary of the Interior would declare a shortage and Arizona’s deliveries of Colorado River water would be reduced by 320,000 acre-feet. Arizona says that’s enough to serve about 1 million households in one year.

Announcement

Central Valley Tour Offers Unique View of San Joaquin Valley’s Key Dams and Reservoirs
March 14-16 tour includes major federal and state water projects

Get a unique view of the San Joaquin Valley’s key dams and reservoirs that store and transport water on our March Central Valley Tour.

Our Central Valley Tour, March 14-16, offers a broad view of water issues in the San Joaquin Valley. In addition to the farms, orchards, critical habitat for threatened bird populations, flood bypasses and a national wildlife refuge, we visit some of California’s major water infrastructure projects.

Western Water Excerpt Jenn Bowles

Enhancing California’s Water Supply: The Drive for New Storage
Spring 2017

One of the wettest years in California history that ended a record five-year drought has rejuvenated the call for new storage to be built above and below ground.

In a state that depends on large surface water reservoirs to help store water before moving it hundreds of miles to where it is used, a wet year after a long drought has some people yearning for a place to sock away some of those flood flows for when they are needed.

Aquapedia background

One Hundred Year Flood

Risk Assessment, Not a Timeline

Contrary to popular belief, “100-Year Flood” does not refer to a flood that happens every century. Rather, the term describes the statistical chance of a flood of a certain magnitude (or greater) taking place once in 100 years. It is also accurate to say a so-called “100-Year Flood” has a 1 percent chance of occurring in a given year, and those living in a 100-year floodplain have, each year, a 1 percent chance of being flooded.

Western Water Excerpt Jenn Bowles

Outdated Dams: When Removal Becomes an Option
Summer 2016

Mired in drought, expectations are high that new storage funded by Prop. 1 will be constructed to help California weather the adverse conditions and keep water flowing to homes and farms.

At the same time, there are some dams in the state eyed for removal because they are obsolete – choked by accumulated sediment, seismically vulnerable and out of compliance with federal regulations that require environmental balance.

Aquapedia background California Water Map

Sites Reservoir

Location for the proposed Sites ReservoirThe proposed Sites Reservoir would be an off-river storage basin on the west side of the Sacramento Valley, about 78 miles northwest of Sacramento. It would capture stormwater flows from the Sacramento River for release in dry years for fish and wildlife, farms, communities and businesses.

The water would be held in a 14,000-acre basin of grasslands surrounded by the rolling eastern foothills of the Coast Range. Known as Antelope Valley, the sparsely populated area in Glenn and Colusa counties is used for livestock grazing.

Video

A Climate of Change: Water Adaptation Strategies

This 25-minute documentary-style DVD, developed in partnership with the California Department of Water Resources, provides an excellent overview of climate change and how it is already affecting California. The DVD also explains what scientists anticipate in the future related to sea level rise and precipitation/runoff changes and explores the efforts that are underway to plan and adapt to climate.

Maps & Posters

Water Cycle Poster

Water as a renewable resource is depicted in this 18×24 inch poster. Water is renewed again and again by the natural hydrologic cycle where water evaporates, transpires from plants, rises to form clouds, and returns to the earth as precipitation. Excellent for elementary school classroom use.

Maps & Posters

Colorado River Basin Map
Redesigned in 2017

Redesigned in 2017, this beautiful map depicts the seven Western states that share the Colorado River with Mexico. The Colorado River supplies water to nearly 40 million people in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and Mexico. Text on this beautiful, 24×36-inch map, which is suitable for framing, explains the river’s apportionment, history and the need to adapt its management for urban growth and expected climate change impacts.

Publication

Layperson’s Guide to the State Water Project
Updated 2013

The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the State Water Project provides an overview of the California-funded and constructed State Water Project.

The State Water Project is best known for the 444-mile-long aqueduct that provides water from the Delta to San Joaquin Valley agriculture and southern California cities. The guide contains information about the project’s history and facilities.

Publication

Layperson’s Guide to Integrated Regional Water Management
Published 2013

The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) is an in-depth, easy-to-understand publication that provides background information on the principles of IRWM, its funding history and how it differs from the traditional water management approach.

Publication

Layperson’s Guide to the Central Valley Project
Updated 2021

The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the Central Valley Project explores the history and development of the federal Central Valley Project (CVP), California’s largest surface water delivery system. In addition to the project’s history, the guide describes the various facilities, operations and benefits the water project brings to the state along with the CVP Improvement Act (CVPIA).

Western Water Magazine

Ante Up: Funding California’s Water
May/June 2014

This printed issue of Western Water looks at how water use is paid for and the push to make public financing more flexible.

Dams

Folsom Dam on the American River east of Sacramento

Dams have allowed Californians and others across the West to harness and control water dating back to pre-European settlement days when Native Americans had erected simple dams for catching salmon.

Western Water Magazine

Are We Keeping Up With Water Infrastructure Needs?
January/February 2012

This printed issue of Western Water examines water infrastructure – its costs and the quest to augment traditional brick-and-mortar facilities with sleeker, “green” features.

Western Water Excerpt Gary Pitzer

Are We Keeping Up With Water Infrastructure Needs?
January/February 2012

Everywhere you look water infrastructure is working hard to keep cities, farms and industry in the state running. From the massive storage structures that dot the West to the aqueducts that convey water hundreds of miles to large urban areas and the untold miles of water mains and sewage lines under every city and town, the semiarid West would not exist as it does without the hardware that meets its water needs.

Western Water Magazine

Mimicking the Natural Landscape: Low Impact Development and Stormwater Capture
September/October 2011

This printed issue of Western Water discusses low impact development and stormwater capture – two areas of emerging interest that are viewed as important components of California’s future water supply and management scenario.

Western Water Magazine

Saving it For Later: Groundwater Banking
July/August 2010

This printed issue of Western Water examines groundwater banking, a water management strategy with appreciable benefits but not without challenges and controversy.

Western Water Magazine

A ‘New Direction’ for Water Decisions? The California Water Plan
May/June 2010

This printed issue of Western Water examines the changed nature of the California Water Plan, some aspects of the 2009 update (including the recommendation for a water finance plan) and the reaction by certain stakeholders.

Western Water Magazine

Changing the Status Quo: The 2009 Water Package
January/February 2010

This printed issue of Western Water looks at some of the pieces of the 2009 water legislation, including the Delta Stewardship Council, the new requirements for groundwater monitoring and the proposed water bond.

Western Water Excerpt Gary PitzerRita Schmidt Sudman

Dollars and Sense: How We Pay For Water
September/October 2009

It’s no secret that providing water in a state with the size and climate of California costs money. The gamut of water-related infrastructure – from reservoirs like Lake Oroville to the pumps and pipes that deliver water to homes, businesses and farms – incurs initial and ongoing expenses. Throw in a new spate of possible mega-projects, such as those designed to rescue the ailing Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and the dollar amount grows exponen­tially to billion-dollar amounts that rival the entire gross national product of a small country.

Western Water Magazine

Dollars and Sense: How We Pay for Water
September/October 2009

This printed issue of Western Water examines the financing of water infrastructure, both at the local level and from the statewide perspective, and some of the factors that influence how people receive their water, the price they pay for it and how much they might have to pay in the future.

Western Water Excerpt Gary PitzerRita Schmidt Sudman

Small Systems, Big Challenges
May/June 2008

They are located in urban areas and in some of the most rural parts of the state, but they have at least one thing in common: they provide water service to a very small group of people. In a state where water is managed and delivered by an organization as large as the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, most small water systems exist in obscurity – financed by shoestring budgets and operated by personnel who wear many hats.

Western Water Magazine

Pumps, Pipes and Plants: Meeting Modern Water Infrastructure Needs
July/August 2006

This issue of Western Water looks at water infrastructure – from the large conveyance systems to the small neighborhood providers – and the many challenges faced by water agencies in their continuing mission of assuring a steady and reliable supply for their customers.

Western Water Excerpt Gary Pitzer

Pumps, Pipes and Plants: Meeting Modern Water Infrastructure Needs
Jul/Aug 2006

Chances are that deep within the ground beneath you as you read this is a vast network of infrastructure that is busy providing the necessary services that enable life to proceed at the pace it does in the 21st century. Electricity zips through cables to power lights and computers while other conduits move infinite amounts of information that light up computer screens and phone lines.

Western Water Magazine

Does California Need More Surface Water Storage?
September/October 2003

This issue of Western Water explores the question of whether the state needs more surface storage, with a particular focus on the five proposed projects identified in the CALFED 2000 ROD and the politics and funding issues of these projects.