“Dry, hot and on fire” is how the
California Department of Water Resources described Water Year
2018 in a recent report.
Water Year 2018 – from Oct. 1, 2017 to Sept. 30, 2018 -
marked a return to dry conditions statewide following an
exceptionally wet 2017, according to DWR’s Water
Year 2018 report. But 2017 was exceptional as all but two of
the water years in the past decade experienced drought.
Was Water Year 2018 simply a single dry year or does it
signal the beginning of another drought? And what can
reliably be said about the prospects for Water Year 2019? Does El
Niño really mean anything for California or is it all washed up
as a predictor?
Attendees found out at this one-day event Dec. 5 in
Irvine, Water Year 2019: Feast or
Famine?
Beckman Center
Auditorium - Huntington Room
100 Academy Way
Irvine, California 92617
Participants of this tour snaked along the San Joaquin River to
learn firsthand about one of the nation’s largest and most
expensive river restoration projects.
The San Joaquin River was the focus of one of the most
contentious legal battles in California water history,
ending in a 2006 settlement between the federal government,
Friant Water Users Authority and a coalition of environmental
groups.
This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries
through a scenic landscape as participants learned about the
issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of
California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State
Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project. Tour
participants got an on-site update of repair efforts on the
Oroville Dam spillway.
The 2018 Water Summit, the Water Education Foundation’s premiere
event of the year, featured critical conversations about water in
California and the West revolving around the theme:
Facing Reality from the Headwaters to the Delta.
The summit was held Sept. 20 in
Sacramento along California’s largest and longest
river, the Sacramento River, where we networked at the reception
outside.
The Westin Sacramento
4800 Riverside Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95822
Sixty percent of California’s developed water supply
originates high in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Our water
supply is largely dependent on the health of our Sierra forests,
which are suffering from ecosystem degradation, drought,
wildfires and widespread tree mortality.
We headed into the foothills and the mountains to examine
water issues that happen upstream but have dramatic impacts
downstream and throughout the state.
GEI (Tour Starting Point)
2868 Prospect Park Dr.
Rancho Cordova, CA 95670.
We explored the lower Colorado River where virtually every drop
of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad
sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and
climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in
the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin
states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this
water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial
needs was the focus of this tour.
Hampton Inn Tropicana
4975 Dean Martin Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89118
The 2-day, 1-night tour traveled along the river from Friant
Dam near Fresno to the confluence of the Merced River. As it
weaved across an historic farming region, participants learn
about the status of the river’s restoration and how the
challenges of the plan are being worked out.
The Water Education Foundation marked it 40th Anniversary at the
Sterling Hotel in Sacramento. The celebration was kicked off with
a reunion reception celebrating the 20th anniversary of
our popular Water Leaders
program.
This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries
through a scenic landscape as we learned about the issues
associated with a key source for the state’s water supply. All
together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of
California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State
Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project. This year,
special attention was paid to the flood event at Oroville Dam and
the efforts to repair the dam spillway before the next rainy
season.
The Santa Ana River Watershed Conference examined pressing issues
key to the watershed that spans Orange, Riverside and San
Bernardino counties.
The daylong event was held on May 25 at the Ontario Convention
Center in the city of Ontario.
Participants heard about the importance of the Santa Ana River
Watershed and how, through powerful partnerships, the
region can find resilient solutions to improve the
quality and reliability of the local water supply.
Ontario Convention Center
2000 E Convention Center Way
Ontario, CA 91764
This 3-day, 2-night tour traveled the length of the Sacramento
Valley, a major source of water for California.
Experts talked about the history of the Sacramento River as the
tour wends through riparian woodland, crop fields and nut
orchards. The 3-day, 2-night tour tracks important water
issues for farming and environmental uses, visits potential
storage sites, discusses innovative programs for flood
management, groundwater management and salmon restoration.
This 2-day, 1-night tour traveled from the Sacramento region to
rural Capay Valley to view sites that explore groundwater, a key
resource in California.
The tour examined groundwater monitoring stations where
participants learned how this precious resource is measured,
tracked and evaluated. Visited local farms and wineries that
mitigate groundwater needs through innovative irrigation
techniques. Learned about groundwater contamination and ways to
prevent it at a local dairy.
Participants had an opportunity to learn from top experts at our
popular Water 101 Workshop in the Sacramento area, held on
February 4-5, 2016. This daylong workshop with an optional
second, half-day offered the opportunity to learn about
California water basics, hot topics and water district board
member governance.
This 2-day, 1-night tour traveled through the San Joaquin Valley
to explore the impacts of California’s unprecedented four-year
drought on the nation’s breadbasket and what steps are being
taken to avert disaster.
This 3-day, 2-night tour featured experts who discussed the
issues and controversies with this important resource, farmers
who grow produce and environmentalists who are trying to bolster
declining fish populations.
What attendees say about this tour:
What did you like best?
“Seeing the Delta with my own eyes. Getting a better handle on
issues & complexity of the Delta. Thoughtful, informative
speakers. The Bay Model!”
This 2-day, 1-night tour traveled through Inland
Southern California to learn about the region’s efforts in
groundwater management, recycled water and other drought-proofing
measures.
This 2-day, 1-night tour traveled from the
Sacramento region to Napa Valley to view sites that explore
groundwater issues. Topics included groundwater quality,
overdraft and subsidence, agricultural use, wells, and regional
management efforts.
This 3-day, 2-night tour followed the course of the
lower Colorado River through Nevada, Arizona and California, and
included a private tour of Hoover Dam.
This 3-day, 2-night tour, which we do every spring,
travels the length of the San Joaquin Valley, giving participants
a clear understanding of the State Water Project and Central
Valley Project.
This 3-day, 2-night tour, which we do every year,
takes participants to the heart of California water policy – the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Bay.
Just fill out the form below to submit your event to our staff
for review. Please note that we will not publish the “submission
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need to contact you with questions.
