Profile May 23, 2014

Jenn Bowles
Executive Director

A veteran journalist, Jenn directs the development of Western Water news, the Layperson’s Guide series on key water topics, the Foundation’s Colorado River project, poster maps and tours, and various workshops and conferences. She oversees the Water Leader programs and leads fund-raising, external communications, and website and social media efforts.

In December 2016, she led an international journalism workshop on water issues for UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Held in Tehran, the workshop included participants from Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Oman and Malaysia. You can read her blog about the experience here.

For much of her career, Jenn was an award-winning journalist who covered water issues across California and the West along with renewable energy, endangered species, public lands and other natural resources.

Prior to joining the Foundation in 2014, Jenn served as a writer and communications strategist at Best Best & Krieger LLP where she worked with some of California’s leading water law attorneys. Previously, she worked as the environmental/water reporter at The Press-Enterprise based in Riverside and as a reporter and editor at The Associated Press in Los Angeles.

Jenn received her bachelor’s degree in journalism and history from the University of Southern California, and completed the yearlong Ted Scripps Fellowship for Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where she focused her studies on water and environmental law and policy.

In her free time, Jenn tries to do as many outdoor adventures as possible, from hiking, cycling and backpacking to kayaking, boogie boarding and ocean swimming.

To reach Jenn, you can email her here.

Referring Pages

Foundation Event October 27, 2022 - 9:00am - 6:00pm Author Highlighting New Ways to Think About Water to be Keynote Speaker at Water Summit Jenn Bowles Nick Gray

Water Summit 2022
38th Annual Event Returned In-Person October 27 in Sacramento

Our 2022 Water Summit, the Water Education Foundation’s premier event of the year, featured engaging conversations about critical issues impacting water statewide and across the West revolving around the theme: Rethinking Water in the West.

The in-person event was hosted on Thursday, October 27, at The Westin Sacramento and included lunch and an evening reception along California’s largest and longest river, the Sacramento River, for an opportunity to network with speakers and other attendees.

The Westin Sacramento
4800 Riverside Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95822

View map

Foundation Event February 23, 2023 - 8:30am - 5:00pm University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law Nick Gray Jenn Bowles Explore a Watershed by Land & Water on our Optional Water 101 Tour California Water Rights, History and Groundwater Among Water 101 Workshop Topics Water 101 Workshop Offers Rookies & Veterans Alike a Chance to Gain a Deeper Understanding of California Water

Water 101 Workshop: The Basics & Beyond
One-day workshop included optional watershed tour the next day

One of our most popular events, our annual Water 101 Workshop detailed the history, geography, legal and political facets of water in California as well as hot topics currently facing the state.

Taught by some of the leading policy and legal experts in California, the one-day workshop on February 23 gave attendees a deeper understanding of the state’s most precious natural resource. View the workshop agenda by clicking here.

The workshop, hosted at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, was beneficial to water district directors, water resource industry staff, engineering and environmental firm personnel, city council members, county supervisors, legislators, legislative staff, press, advocates, attorneys, environmentalists, public interest organizations and others.

McGeorge School of Law
3327 5th Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95817

View map

Foundation Event April 8, 2022 - 8:30am - 4:30pm University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law Last Chance to Sign Up for Water 101; Meet our Team at an Open House; Explore Drought and Other Issues on Central Valley Tour Latest in Drought, Water Rights Curtailments Among Hot Topics Explored at Water 101 Workshop Jenn Bowles Nick Gray

Water 101 Workshop: The Basics and Beyond
One-day workshop included optional groundwater tour the day before

One of our most popular events, our annual Water 101 Workshop detailed the history, geography, legal and political facets of water in California as well as hot topics of the moment.

Taught by some of the leading policy and legal experts in California, the one-day workshop on April 8 gave attendees a deeper understanding of the state’s most precious natural resource.

The workshop, held at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, was beneficial to water resource industry staff, engineering and environmental firm personnel, city council members, county supervisors, legislators, legislative staff, press, advocates, attorneys, environmentalists, public interest organizations, water district directors and others.

McGeorge School of Law
3327 5th Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95817

View map

Post November 10, 2021 Jenn Bowles Nick Gray

2021 Winter Outlook Workshop

The Winter Outlook Workshop, organized by the California Department of Water Resources and the Water Education Foundation, is an online event that will explore the latest in forecasting science and research to provide participants background for future planning.

Announcement October 14, 2021 Jenn Bowles Brian Brown Layperson's Guide to Climate Change and Water Resources

Water Education Foundation Honored Nationally for Program that Trains Teachers in Climate Change Science
The Foundation’s teacher training program was recognized for its innovative partnership with the California Department of Water Resources

The Water Education Foundation has won a national award for its innovative partnership with the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to train schoolteachers across the state on climate science and how they can bring hands-on activities into their classrooms connected to local examples of climate change impacts.

The award was presented today by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions and The Climate Registry during their virtual Climate Leadership Series and Awards Showcase, Oct. 13-15. The Climate Leadership Awards is a national program that recognizes exemplary corporate, organizational and individual leadership in response to climate change. In all, 24 organizations nationwide were honored this year.

Tour November 9, 2021 - 2:30pm - 5:30pm Nick Gray Jenn Bowles

Headwaters Tour 2021
A Virtual Journey - November 9

Thirty 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, widespread tree mortality and other climate change impacts.

This virtual journey into the foothills and the mountains examined water issues that happen upstream but have dramatic impacts downstream and throughout the state.

Tour October 14, 2021 - 2:30pm - 5:30pm Nick Gray Jenn Bowles

Northern California Tour 2021
A Virtual Journey - October 14

This tour guided participants on a virtual exploration of the Sacramento River and its tributaries and learn 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 September 9, 2021 - 2:30pm - 5:30pm Nick Gray Jenn Bowles Layperson's Guide to the Delta

Bay-Delta Tour 2021
A Virtual Journey - September 9

This tour guided participants on a virtual journey deep into California’s most crucial water and ecological resource – the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The 720,000-acre network of islands and canals support the state’s two major water systems – the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project. The Delta and the connecting San Francisco Bay form the largest freshwater tidal estuary of its kind on the West coast.

Post July 16, 2021 Jenn Bowles Nick Gray

The Water Education Foundation’s 2021 Colorado River Symposium
A Virtual Forum: Navigating Through Crisis

The Water Education Foundation hosted an online event on the afternoon of Sept. 23 as a supplement to our biennial Colorado River Symposium typically held in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

With the theme, Navigating Through Crisis, the virtual forum provided participants with an opportunity to hear the latest news on challenges facing this important river and to meet new federal and regional leadership in the Basin.

Foundation Event October 28, 2021 - 12:45pm - 4:30pm River Garden Farms Jenn Bowles Nick Gray

Water Summit 2021
A Virtual Forum: Pivoting Today’s Pain into Tomorrow’s Gain

The 2021 Water Summit, our annual premier event, was hosted as an engaging virtual experience on the afternoon of Oct. 28, 2021, and was followed by an optional in-person reception cruise in Sacramento aboard an open-air yacht on the Sacramento River.

The 37th Water Summit featured top policymakers and leading experts who provided the latest information and viewpoints on issues affecting water across California and the West.

Post December 17, 2020 Water Leaders Colorado River Project Jenn Bowles

Colorado River Water Leaders

Known for our Water Leaders program in California, we launched a Colorado River Water Leaders program in 2022, the 100th anniversary of the Colorado River Compact and the 25th anniversary of our California Water Leaders program.

The biennial Colorado River Water Leaders program selects rising stars from the Upper and Lower basins (California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming) and eventually will include Mexico. Participants are up-and-coming leaders in their early to mid-career at state and federal agencies, including the Bureau of Reclamation, water and irrigation districts, tribal nations, environmental groups, agricultural interests, private companies and non-governmental organizations.

Announcement April 7, 2020 Jenn Bowles

Bidding Adieu to a Giant in the California Water World
Bill Gianelli paved the way for generations of water leaders

Last week, we lost a giant in the California water world.

Bill Gianelli wasn’t just a director of the state’s Department of Water Resources, he was a key founding figure of the Water Education Foundation.

In the 1990s he left an endowment to help launch our Water Leaders program. Today there are more than 400 graduates across California and beyond.

Announcement January 8, 2020 Jenn Bowles

Ringing in 2020 With Exciting New Efforts and Projects at the Water Education Foundation
Read about new tours and other upcoming changes in Executive Director's letter

Happy New Year to all the friends, supporters, readers, and tour and workshop participants of the Water Education Foundation! We’re grateful to each and every person who interacted with us in 2019 and supported our mission.

As we turn the page to 2020, we’re looking ahead to a few changes.

Western Water December 13, 2019 Jenn Bowles Jennifer Bowles

Exploring Different Approaches for Solving the Colorado River’s Myriad Challenges
EDITOR’S NOTE: We examine a debate that emerged from our Colorado River Symposium over whether incrementalism or grand vision is the best path forward

Every other year we hold an invitation-only Colorado River Symposium attended by various stakeholders from across the seven Western states and Mexico that rely on the iconic river. We host this three-day event in Santa Fe, N.M., where the 1922 Colorado River Compact was signed, as part of our mission to catalyze critical conversations to build bridges and inform collaborative decision-making.

Foundation Event February 20, 2020 - February 21, 2020 University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law Jenn Bowles Nick Gray

Water 101 Workshop: The Basics and Beyond

The Water Education Foundation’s Water 101 Workshop, one of our most popular events, offered attendees the opportunity to deepen their understanding of California’s water history, laws, geography and politics.

Taught by some of the leading policy and legal experts in the state, the one-day workshop held on Feb. 20, 2020 covered the latest on the most compelling issues in California water.

McGeorge School of Law
3327 5th Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95817

View map

Send message

Announcement January 3, 2019 Jenn Bowles

What’s a New Year Without a Few Changes at the Water Education Foundation?
Read about new tours, new Water 101 focus and new Aquafornia curator in Executive Director's letter

Happy New Year to all the friends, supporters, readers, and tour and workshop participants of the Water Education Foundation!

As we turn the page on 2018, we are looking ahead to a few changes for 2019.

Western Water December 7, 2018 Jenn Bowles Jennifer Bowles

Women in Water: Making Inroads But Still More to Tread
EDITOR'S NOTE: As more women take on leadership roles, old attitudes are gradually fading

When I first wrote a column about women in water in the Spring 2017 issue of Western Water, I noted that the water world had its own stable of leaders recognized by their first names alone, just like Cher, Madonna, Beyoncé and Rihanna.

These names, as I noted then, were Lois (Krieger), Pat (Mulroy), Maureen (Stapleton) and Felicia (Marcus). A little more than a year later, and I’m happy to say I can add so many more names now: Brenda (Burman), Karla (Nemeth), Gloria (Gray) and Jennifer (Pierre), among them. You can read about the influx of women leaders in the water world in the most recent Western Water article. We also note a recent survey by Texas A&M University that found there are “subtle but consistent” gender disparities in attitudes toward water. You can read the article here.

Overview November 20, 2018 Jenn Bowles

Become a Member
Donate and receive water maps, guides on key water issues and more!

As a nonprofit, we are grateful for donations of any size. They are all tax-deductible.

Our Giving Back Contribution Plan with multiple levels of support kicks in with a $100 donation. You can see the benefits of donation levels as you scroll down this page.

Our work would not be possible without your support!

* Please note, after you submit you donation in the box below, it will take you to PayPal to complete the transaction but you can still check out as a guest.

Foundation Event February 7, 2019 University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard Roster of Speakers, Agenda Unveiled for Feb. 7 Water 101 Workshop Jenn Bowles Nick Gray

Water 101 Workshop: The Basics and Beyond
One-day workshop included optional groundwater tour

One of our most popular events, our annual Water 101 Workshop details the history, geography, legal and political facets of water in California as well as hot topics currently facing the state.

Taught by some of the leading policy and legal experts in the state, the one-day workshop on Feb. 7 gave attendees a deeper understanding of the state’s most precious natural resources.

Optional Groundwater Tour

On Feb. 8, we jumped aboard a bus to explore groundwater, a key resource in California. Led by Foundation staff and groundwater experts Thomas Harter and Carl Hauge, retired DWR chief hydrogeologist, the tour visited cities and farms using groundwater, examined a subsidence measuring station and provided the latest updates on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.

McGeorge School of Law
3327 5th Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95817

View map

Send message

Western Water June 15, 2018 Jenn Bowles Colorado River Basin Map Layperson's Guide to the Colorado River Jennifer Bowles

Domino Effect: As Arizona Searches For a Unifying Voice, a Drought Plan for the Lower Colorado River Is Stalled
EDITOR'S NOTE: Finding solutions to the Colorado River — or any disputed river —may be the most important role anyone can play

Nowhere is the domino effect in Western water policy played out more than on the Colorado River, and specifically when it involves the Lower Basin states of California, Nevada and Arizona. We are seeing that play out now as the three states strive to forge a Drought Contingency Plan. Yet that plan can’t be finalized until Arizona finds a unifying voice between its major water players, an effort you can read more about in the latest in-depth article of Western Water.

Even then, there are some issues to resolve just within California.

Western Water April 20, 2018 Jenn Bowles Jennifer Bowles

EDITOR’S NOTE: Assessing California’s Response to Marijuana’s Impacts on Water

As we continue forging ahead in 2018 with our online version of Western Water after 40 years as a print magazine, we turned our attention to a topic that also got its start this year: recreational marijuana as a legal use.

State regulators, in the last few years, already had been beefing up their workforce to tackle the glut in marijuana crops and combat their impacts to water quality and supply for people, fish and farming downstream. Thus, even if these impacts were perhaps unbeknownst to the majority of Californians who approved Proposition 64 in 2016, we thought it important to see if anything new had evolved from a water perspective now that marijuana was legal.

Western Water February 23, 2018 Jenn Bowles

EDITOR’S NOTE: A New Era for Western Water
Western Water’s online format bridges gap in water resource journalism, gives readers easier access to important stories

Welcome to the reinvented version of our Western Water magazine! After more than 40 years of churning out a printed magazine, which was a quarterly publication in its last iteration, we turned to the internet this month to launch Western Water in an online format.

While it’s not easy for veteran journalists like me and others at the Water Education Foundation to give up the familiar printed newspaper or magazine, we’ve known for some time that people are changing the way they get information. In the last few years, we ramped up our social media efforts, especially on Twitter and Facebook, to reach people interested in water resource issues.

Post February 7, 2018 Jenn Bowles Kayla Sergent

California Water Leaders
Program Overview

Led by Executive Director Jenn Bowles, the Water Leaders class brings together 20 or so participants in their early to mid-career from across California and various stakeholder groups. The program deepens knowledge on water, enhances individual leadership skills and prepares class members to take an active, cooperative approach to decision-making about water resource issues. Each class member is paired up with a mentor from a leading stakeholder group or who works as a policymaker.

Announcement January 9, 2018 Jenn Bowles

New Year, New Changes at the Water Education Foundation

Happy New Year to all the friends and supporters of the Water Education Foundation!

As we turn the page on 2017 and the year that the Foundation celebrated its 40th anniversary, we are looking ahead to exciting changes for 2018.

To start, our popular Water 101 Workshop in February will for the first time include an optional field trip. This year, we will be delving into the Delta for a one-day tour to give participants a close-up view of one of the most pressing and controversial places in water.

Our flagship publication, Western Water magazine, will soon become a completely online news resource free for anyone to get up to speed on the critical water issues facing California and the West. Pulled together by veteran journalists at the Foundation, Western Water has been the trusted source for coverage of the policy, science and legal issues surrounding water since 1977. You can sign up here to get notified via email of our latest articles. If you already get our digital magazine you will automatically be signed up.

Press release December 12, 2017 Jenn Bowles

Water Education Foundation Hires Veteran Journalist to Lead Online News Effort

The Water Education Foundation has hired veteran journalist Douglas E. Beeman as its news & publications director as it prepares to move more of its journalism online, announced Jennifer Bowles, the Foundation’s executive director.

Starting in 2018, the Foundation’s premiere water resources magazine, Western Water, will join the world of online media where it will increase the pace of its coverage and expand its reach via social media. Western Water currently is a quarterly print magazine.

Western Water Excerpt November 27, 2017 Jenn Bowles

The Colorado River: Living with Risk, Avoiding Curtailment
Fall 2017

There is a timelessness to the Colorado River as it makes its ancient run from the headwaters in the Upper Basin through the arid Lower Basin states and to the farm fields, wildlife habitat and urban environment that make up the Southwest.

There also is a sense of urgency regarding how an overallocated river is managed for its many competing uses in the face of looming shortages and a grim climate change forecast that predicts much less river flow in the years to come.

Western Water Excerpt August 18, 2017 Jenn Bowles

Now Comes the Hard Part: Building Sustainable Groundwater Management in California
Summer 2017

After more than two years of intense activity, there is a new layer of local groundwater management agencies in California; agencies that are beginning the task of bringing their basins to a level of sustainability.

The impetus is the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), the landmark 2014 law that aims to repair the effects of decades of unmanaged groundwater pumping, which have left some parts of the state in what the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) calls “critical” overdraft. Fifteen of the 21 critically overdrafted basins are in the south-central San Joaquin Valley.

Western Water Excerpt May 15, 2017 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.

Western Water Excerpt February 15, 2017 Jenn Bowles

Preservation and Restoration: Salmon in Northern California
Winter 2017

Protecting and restoring California’s populations of threatened and endangered Chinook salmon and steelhead trout have been a big part of the state’s water management picture for more than 20 years. Significant resources have been dedicated to helping the various runs of the iconic fish, with successes and setbacks. In a landscape dramatically altered from its natural setting, finding a balance between the competing demands for water is challenging.

Foundation Event October 26, 2017 - 5:00pm - 10:00pm Get Your Ticket to Our 40th Anniversary Celebration on Oct. 26 in Sacramento Follow us on Social Media as We Countdown to our 40th Anniversary with #TBT Posts MWH, now part of Stantec Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard Nossaman LLP Northern California Water Association CH2M Ellison Schneider Harris & Donlan LLP Environmental Defense Fund Association of California Water Agencies Irvine Ranch Water District Duane Morris LLP 40th Anniversary Bronze Sponsors Jenn Bowles

Water Education Foundation’s 40th Anniversary Celebration Dinner
Event included a Water Leaders reunion

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.

The program featured talks by:

Sterling Hotel
Sacramento, CA

View map

Western Water January 19, 2017 Jenn Bowles Jennifer Bowles

Teaching About Water on the Other Side of the World

About this time last month I was on the other side of the world, leading an international journalism workshop on how to cover water issues. I didn’t think I’d ever go to Tehran, but when UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) called, I didn’t hesitate.

Announcement January 4, 2017 Jenn Bowles

Happy 2017 From the Water Education Foundation – A Letter from the Executive Director
Water 101, Headwater Tours, our 40th Anniversary and more!

Happy New Year to the supporters and followers of the Water Education Foundation!

This will be a big year for the Foundation as we celebrate our 40th anniversary! We began in 1977 in the second year of a drought. Jimmy Carter was in the White House and Jerry Brown was governor of California. Some things never change!

We are planning a few events to mark the milestone – a picnic in the summer for attendees of our tours no matter how long ago you joined us for an outing, and a special dinner in the fall.

Announcement November 17, 2016 Jenn Bowles

Thanks for your support this year; see what’s on tap for 2017
A letter from the executive director

Dear Friends and Supporters,

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I and the staff at the Water Education Foundation want to extend our deep gratitude to everyone who came on a tour with us this year, attended one of our conference or Project WET workshops, and read Western Water magazine or any of our other publications on key water topics.

Western Water Excerpt November 10, 2016 Jenn Bowles

Two Countries, One River: Crafting a New Agreement
Fall 2016

As vital as the Colorado River is to the United States and Mexico, so is the ongoing process by which the two countries develop unique agreements to better manage the river and balance future competing needs.

The prospect is challenging. The river is over allocated as urban areas and farmers seek to stretch every drop of their respective supplies. Since a historic treaty between the two countries was signed in 1944, the United States and Mexico have periodically added a series of arrangements to the treaty called minutes that aim to strengthen the binational ties while addressing important water supply, water quality and environmental concerns.

Western Water Excerpt August 16, 2016 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.

Western Water Excerpt May 26, 2016 Jenn Bowles

The Delta at a Crossroads
Spring 2016

Many Californians are not aware of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta but its significance to the state’s water supply picture has never been more magnified. A transformed region of sunken islands and crisscrossed sloughs and channels protected by earthen levees that perform more like dams, the Delta is the hub of the state’s water system.

Western Water Excerpt March 4, 2016 San Diego Tour 2016 Jenn Bowles

Tapping the Ocean: What’s the Role of Desalination?
Winter 2016

Nestled along the picturesque Southern California coastline at Carlsbad, the complex of buildings that abut the Encina Power Station next to the Agua Hedionda Lagoon belies the significance of the annals of water supply in California.

Western Water Excerpt January 15, 2016 Jenn Bowles

Historic Drought and the Colorado River: Today and Tomorrow
November/December 2015

The dramatic decline in water levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell is perhaps the most visible sign of the historic drought that has gripped the Colorado River Basin for the past 16 years. In 2000, the reservoirs stood at nearly 100 percent capacity; today, Lake Powell is at 49 percent capacity while Lake Mead has dropped to 38 percent. Before the late season runoff of Miracle May, it looked as if Mead might drop low enough to trigger the first-ever Lower Basin shortage determination in 2016.

Read the excerpt below from the Sept./Oct. 2015 issue along with the editor’s note. Click here to subscribe to Western Water and get full access.

Western Water Excerpt August 21, 2015 Jenn Bowles

Allocating Water in a Time of Scarcity: Is it Time to Reform Water Rights?
July/August 2015

California’s severe drought has put its water rights system under scrutiny, raising the question whether a complete overhaul is necessary to better allocate water use.

(Read the excerpt below from the July/August 2015 issue along with the editor’s note. Click here to subscribe to Western Water and get full access.)

Introduction

California’s severe drought has put its water rights system under scrutiny, raising the question whether a complete overhaul is necessary to better allocate water use.

Western Water Excerpt December 23, 2014 Jenn Bowles

The Next Steps of the Colorado River Basin Study
November/December 2014

After much time, study and investment, the task of identifying solutions to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Colorado River is underway. People from the Upper and Lower basins representing all interest groups are preparing to put their signatures to documents aimed at ensuring the river’s vitality for the next 50 years and beyond.

Western Water Excerpt October 21, 2014 Jenn Bowles

Finding the Right Balance: Managing Delta Salinity in Drought
September/October 2014

In wet years, dry years and every type of water year in between, the daily intrusion and retreat of salinity in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a constant pattern.

The cycle of ebb and flood is the defining nature of an estuary and prior to its transformation into an agricultural tract in the mid-19th century, the Delta was a freshwater marsh with plants, birds, fish and wildlife that thrived on the edge of the saltwater/freshwater interface.

Western Water Excerpt August 27, 2014 Jenn Bowles

Does California Need a Water Court?
July/August 2014

Before attorneys wrangled in courtrooms over questions of water rights, people typically took matters into their own hands. If your neighbor up river was damming water that affected your supply, it wasn’t unheard of that you would simply sneak up in the middle of the night and blow up the dam.

Western Water Excerpt July 16, 2014 Jenn Bowles

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

The water people use every day is free. It falls from the sky as rain or snow, free of charge.

It is the capture, storage, moving, and treatment of the water that incurs substantial costs. In the middle of a historic drought, California and its water suppliers must seek funding for water storage projects with greater urgency. The demand for action echoes from Washington, D.C. to Sacramento. Paying for it is a bit more complicated.

Western Water Excerpt July 16, 2014 Jenn Bowles

Dry Times Ahead: California’s Drought
March/April 2014

Living in the semi-arid, Mediterranean climate of California, drought always lingers on the horizon. People believe they are ready to face the next dry period, then conditions arrive testing whether that is the case.

Announcement June 9, 2014 Jenn Bowles

In the News
Executive Director Jennifer Bowles Discusses Ocean Desalination with CNN

(CNN) — It’s been a cruel irony for ancient mariners and any thirsty person who has ever gazed upon a sparkling blue ocean: Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink.

Overview February 7, 2014 Water Leaders Program Pairs Class Members with Experts in Policy, Management and Science Water Leaders Program Gives Big-Picture View of California, Informative Tours and Invaluable Contacts Jenn Bowles

Water Leaders

Since 1997, the Water Education Foundation has hosted California’s premier water leadership program, the William R. Gianelli Water Leaders Class, aimed at up-and-coming community leaders from diverse backgrounds, including members of minority and ethnic communities, who show a committed interest in water.

In 2022, the Foundation launched the inaugural Colorado River Water Leaders program on the 100th anniversary year of the Colorado River Compact.

Overview January 27, 2014 Jenn Bowles

About Us

Who We Are

Facing the challenges of sustainably managing and sharing water, our most precious natural resource, requires collaboration, education and outreach. Since 1977, the Water Education Foundation has put water resource issues in California and the West in context to inspire a deep understanding of and appreciation for water.

Overview January 22, 2014 Jenn Bowles

Become a Member
Donate and receive water maps, guides on key water issues and more!

As a nonprofit, we are grateful for donations of any size. They are all tax-deductible.

Our Giving Back Contribution Plan with multiple levels of support kicks in with a $100 donation. You can see the benefits of donation levels as you scroll down this page.

Referring Pages

Share this page

Related Links

Jenn Bowles Executive Director

Referring Pages

Our work would not be possible without your support!

Optional Groundwater Tour

Introduction

Who We Are

Share this page

Related Links

Quicklinks

Log in

Commands

Jenn Bowles
Executive Director