Water and energy are interconnected. A frequent term to describe
this relationship is the “water-energy nexus.”
Energy for Water: Energy is needed to store water, get it where
it is needed and also treat it to be used:
* Extracting water from rivers and streams or pumping it
from aquifers, and then conveying it over hills and into storage
facilities is a highly energy intensive process. The State Water
Project (SWP) pumps water 700 miles, including up nearly 2,000
feet over the Tehachapi Mountains. The SWP is the largest single
user of energy in California. It consumes an average of 5 billion
kWh per year. That’s about 2 to 3 percent of all electricity
consumed in California
* Water treatment facilities use energy to pump and process
water for use in homes, businesses and industry
* Consumers use energy to treat water with softeners or
filters, to circulate and pressurize water and to heat and cool
water
* Wastewater plants use energy to pump wastewater to
treatment plants, and also to aerate and filter it at the plant.
Different end uses require more electricity for delivery than
others. Water for residential, commercial and industrial end-use
needs the most energy (11 percent), followed by agricultural
end-use (3 percent), residential, commercial and industrial
supply and treatment (3 percent), agricultural water supply and
treatment (1 percent) and wastewater treatment (1 percent),
according to the California Energy Commission.
Water for Energy: Water is used to generate electricity
* Water is needed either to process raw materials used in a
facility or maintaining a plant,or to just generate electricity
itself.
Overall, the electricity industry is second only to agriculture
as the largest user of water in the United States. Electricity
production from fossil fuels and nuclear energy requires 190,000
million gallons of water per day, accounting for 39 percent of
all freshwater withdrawals in the nation. Coal, the most abundant
fossil fuel, currently accounts for 52 percent of U.S.
electricity generation, and each kWh generated from coal requires
withdrawal of 25 gallons of water.
It started out like a typical whitewater rafting trip on the
North Fork of the Kern River. Boaters paddled through churning
rapids, gliding past boulders and crashing through breaking
waves. But after a few miles, as they approached a dam, the
group drifted to the bank and lifted their blue raft out of the
water to begin an eight-hour journey on land. Their plan: to
hold an unusual protest by carrying the raft on foot for 16
miles beside a stretch of river that is rendered impassable
where the dam takes much of its water and reroutes it far
downstream. … [W]hitewater enthusiasts, including some who
run rafting businesses, are demanding changes in the [Southern
California Edison’s Kern River No. 3] hydroelectric plant’s
operations to leave more water in the river. They are calling
for measures to ensure flows for boating as Edison seeks to
renew its license for the hydroelectric plant from the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission.
The Imperial County Board of Supervisors approved another
increase to the contract for the Lithium Valley Specific Plan
on Tuesday, July 1, adding more than $170,000 to the project’s
budget as both costs and frustrations continue to climb. The
board’s carrying vote brings the total contract amount to just
over $3.2 million. … The project, funded through Senate
Bill 125, includes the development of the Lithium Valley
Specific Plan, a Programmatic Environmental Impact Report, and
a supporting infrastructure assessment for the area surrounding
the Salton Sea’s southern edge. State
lawmakers approved $5 million for Imperial County in 2022 to
help prepare for lithium and renewable energy development in
the region. … In addition to the traffic modeling, Dudek
completed a hydrogeological study earlier this year to evaluate
groundwater availability and potential impacts
from industrial development in the area.
President Donald Trump’s push to expand domestic oil and gas
production may bring new drilling to California’s Central Coast
— including parts of Santa Barbara County. More than
400,000 acres of federal land — managed by the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) and stretching from Fresno to Ventura counties
— are now being eyed for new oil and gas leasing and
development, as the president calls for “Unleashing American
Energy.” … The BLM announcement itself acknowledged that
preliminary issues may include, but are not limited to,
negative effects on air and water quality and
untold impacts on “special status species, archaeology, oil and
gas resources, and social and economic conditions.” However, it
also noted that resuming oil and gas leasing may “provide for
additional economic growth and jobs associated with the oil and
gas development within the planning area” as well as generate
additional revenues from oil and gas production.
The role of water in the high-growth data center market is fast
becoming a critical factor in site selection, design, and
operations. By 2030, annual water-related capital and
operational expenditures are forecasted to reach US$797.1M,
representing a 31.4% increase from today. According to a new
report from Bluefield Research, U.S. Water for Data Centers:
Market Trends, Opportunities, and Forecasts, 2025–2030, this
surge in activity is accelerating—driven by artificial
intelligence (AI)-fueled growth, mounting local concerns over
water availability, and the tech sector’s urgent push to
safeguard operational resilience amid growing environmental
scrutiny. Hyperscale data centers, which currently represent
51.4% of total market demand, are forecasted to withdraw 150.4
billion gallons of water between 2025 and 2030. This volume is
equivalent to the annual water withdrawals of 4.6 million U.S.
households.
Oil and gas companies are running out of options for disposing
of polluted water they generate every day, a problem for the
Trump administration’s “energy dominance” agenda. EPA is
offering the industry a hand by promoting reuse of that
wastewater. The effort worries environmentalists, but it could
draw crucial political allies in oil-producing states. The
agency plans to update rules for what can be done with water
that emerges from the ground during oil and gas extraction. The
goal is to allow the chemical-laden, super-salty brine to be
substantially cleaned and reused for power generation,
water-guzzling data centers and irrigating
rangeland. Reusing the water could
address a major industry challenge and help ease crippling
drought in parts of Texas and New Mexico, two of the nation’s
most prolific oil-producing states. A growing body of research
suggests that the water — which is three or more times saltier
than seawater — can now be safely treated for certain
applications, from industrial cooling to growing alfalfa and
other non-food crops, proponents say.
… Known as floating photovoltaics, or floatovoltaics, the
devices bob on simple floats, generating power while providing
shade that reduces evaporation. … As floatovoltaic systems
rapidly proliferate — the market is expected to grow an average
of 23 percent each year between 2025 and 2030 — scientists are
investigating how the technology might influence ecosystems.
The shading, for instance, might stunt the growth of algae that
some species eat — but at the same time, it might also prevent
the growth of toxic algae. The floats might prevent waterbirds
from landing — but also might provide habitat for them to hide
from predators. By better understanding these dynamics,
scientists say that if companies are willing, they can work
with manufacturers to customize floatovoltaics to produce as
much electricity as possible while also benefiting wildlife as
much as possible.
The Colorado River runs over 1,450 miles through seven US
states, carving dramatic canyons and providing drinking water
for 40 million people before it crosses into Mexico. … Now,
in some of the region’s driest stretches, tech companies are
bringing a massive influx of water-guzzling data centers. …
Documents reviewed by Business Insider show that some of these
large data centers, football-field-size warehouses filled with
computer servers that power the artificial intelligence
revolution, could each demand millions of gallons of water a
day, enough for tens of thousands of Americans. Business
Insider found that 40% of the nation’s planned and existing
data centers are in areas that the nonprofit World Resources
Institute, which focuses on sustainability research, has
characterized as experiencing “extremely high” or “high” water
scarcity. … We found 24 of the largest centers, and 379
smaller ones, in the four states now negotiating over Colorado
River allotments.
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said his vote approving potential wind
development on state land in Niobrara and Converse counties
isn’t a slight to the state’s other industries, but a nod to
private property rights and economic development. The wind
projects garnering headlines and causing tension among
neighbors will produce energy to convert to clean
hydrogen. … The larger issue for many
is water, Gordon said. “What I’ve hear
more from Niobrara County folks is that our water is really
precious, and if we’re going to be turning it into hydrogen,
it’s going to be one more use and it’s going to take water away
from us and we already don’t have enough water,” he said. “I
understand that issue as well. People are forgetting that
water rights are sacred in Wyoming, and you
can’t just show up and build something and expect to get the
water.” That portion of the project, he said, is still in
development and wasn’t within the scope of what the state land
board voted upon.
… Data centers are central to the internet’s environmental
impact. While they consume a lot of electrical energy, massive
amounts of water and have harmful pollutants, those levels have
been relatively stable in the past decade. … Since AI servers
run much hotter than a typical server, they require much more
water for cooling. In 2023, Google’s data centers consumed over
23 billion liters of freshwater for cooling its servers; for
context, that’s just one billion liters shy of PepsiCo.’s
reported overall freshwater consumption for the same
year. … AI’s environmental impact has been a topic of
increasing concern for researchers like Ren and Mohammad Islam,
a computer science and engineering professor at the University
of Texas, Arlington, who co-authored a paper on “making AI less
thirsty.” “GPT-3 needs to ‘drink’ (i.e., consume) a 500ml
bottle of water for roughly 10 to 50 medium-length responses,
depending on when and where it is deployed,” Ren and Islam’s
paper reports.
The Trump administration is moving forward with plans to
abolish California’s two newest national monuments, Sáttítla
Highlands National Monument in the state’s far north and
Chuckwalla National Monument near Joshua Tree. The push to
eliminate the designations, issued earlier this year by former
President Joe Biden, was revealed in a U.S. Justice Department
memo this week, responding to legal questions from the
administration about rolling back the California
monuments. Sáttítla Highlands monument was established in
January to protect a remote 224,000-acre volcanic landscape
northeast of Mount Shasta, known for lava beds and caves. The
designation was sought by Northern California’s Pit River Tribe
to prevent geothermal power production at
tribally sacred sites. … In a statement, White House
spokesperson Harrison Fields cited the president’s pledge to
“liberate our federal lands and waters to oil, gas, coal,
geothermal and mineral leasing.”
Wyoming may be home to the famous bubbling geothermal features
in Yellowstone National Park, but that doesn’t mean the state
is a hot spot for generating electricity using heat from inside
the earth. A new federal assessment identified Wyoming as
part of a massive underground geothermal energy resource that
could generate electricity equal to 10% of America’s current
power supply, though state-specific research suggests only
modest potential for Wyoming. A May U.S. Geological
Survey’s report on geothermal systems in the Great Basin found
that the arid lands of Nevada and adjoining parts of
California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and a sliver of
Wyoming’s western border with Idaho contain enough
geothermal energy to generate 135 gigawatts of electricity from
the upper 6 kilometers of the Earth’s crust.
Santa Clara leaders are raising concerns about how the city’s
dozens of data centers affect residents and the environment.
Santa Clara has more standalone data centers than any other
California city — 55 in operation and three in the pipeline,
according to the city. Demand is growing as more people use the
internet and digitally demanding technology advances, such as
artificial intelligence. With data centers providing the city
with millions in revenue, officials are questioning impacts to
water and the electrical grid. … (Planning
Commissioner Priya) Cherukuru, who is the executive director of
space planning for Stanford Health Care, said Santa Clara needs
to conduct a deeper study on the strain data centers put on
city resources, such as electricity and water. Data centers use
water to cool their densely packed servers. Ahmed Aly, the
city’s principal engineer for water and sewer utilities, said
more data centers are starting to use water efficient cooling
systems, and 31 data centers in the city use recycled
water.
*IMPORTANT* In anticipation of high demand, the Foundation will be allocating tickets via a lottery method with a maximum of 3 entrants per organization. To enter, please thoroughly review the tour details below so you’re fully aware of the time and financial commitments, then complete this entry form.
Entrants selected via the ticket lottery will be contacted beginning on June 12 with an opportunity to register for the tour. Tickets will be released in batches over time, so you may not hear right away.
This special, first-ever Foundation water tour will not be offered every year! Join us as we examine water issues along the 263-mile Klamath River, from its spring-fed headwaters in south-central Oregon to its redwood-lined estuary on the Pacific Ocean in California.
Running Y Resort
5500 Running Y Rd
Klamath Falls, OR 97601
This tour explored the lower Colorado River firsthand 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 some 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states, 30 tribal nations 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.
Hilton Garden Inn Las Vegas Strip South
7830 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89123
Learn the history and challenges facing the West’s most dramatic
and developed river.
The Layperson’s Guide to the Colorado River Basin introduces the
1,450-mile river that sustains 40 million people and millions of
acres of farmland spanning seven states and parts of northern
Mexico.
The 28-page primer explains how the river’s water is shared and
managed as the Southwest transitions to a hotter and drier
climate.
This tour explored the lower Colorado River firsthand 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 some 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states, 30 tribal nations 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.
Hilton Garden Inn Las Vegas Strip South
7830 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89123
This special Foundation water tour journeyed along the Eastern Sierra from the Truckee River to Mono Lake, through the Owens Valley and into the Mojave Desert to explore a major source of water for Southern California, this year’s snowpack and challenges for towns, farms and the environment.
This tour explored the lower Colorado River firsthand 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 some 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states, 30 tribal nations 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.
Hyatt Place Las Vegas At Silverton Village
8380 Dean Martin Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89139
The lower Colorado River has virtually every drop 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, 30 tribal nations 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.
Hyatt Place Las Vegas At Silverton Village
8380 Dean Martin Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89139
This event 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.
The majestic beauty of the Sierra
Nevada forest is awe-inspiring, but beneath the dazzling blue
sky, there is a problem: A century of fire suppression and
logging practices have left trees too close together. Millions of
trees have died, stricken by drought and beetle infestation.
Combined with a forest floor cluttered with dry brush and debris,
it’s a wildfire waiting to happen.
Fires devastate the Sierra watersheds upon which millions of
Californians depend — scorching the ground, unleashing a
battering ram of debris and turning hillsides into gelatinous,
stream-choking mudflows.
This tour 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 is the focus of this tour.
Silverton Hotel
3333 Blue Diamond Road
Las Vegas, NV 89139
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
This three-day, two-night tour 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 is the focus of this tour.
Best Western McCarran Inn
4970 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89119
This 30-minute documentary-style DVD on the history and current
state of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program includes an
overview of the geography and history of the river, historical
and current water delivery and uses, the genesis and timeline of
the 1988 lawsuit, how the settlement was reached and what was
agreed to.
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.
20-minute DVD that explains the problem with polluted stormwater,
and steps that can be taken to help prevent such pollution and
turn what is often viewed as a “nuisance” into a water resource
through various activities.
Many Californians don’t realize that when they turn on the
faucet, the water that flows out could come from a source close
to home or one hundreds of miles away. Most people take their
water for granted; not thinking about the elaborate systems and
testing that go into delivering clean, plentiful water to
households throughout the state. Where drinking water comes from,
how it’s treated, and what people can do to protect its quality
are highlighted in this 2007 PBS documentary narrated by actress
Wendie Malick.
A 30-minute version of the 2007 PBS documentary Drinking Water:
Quenching the Public Thirst. This DVD is ideal for showing at
community forums and speaking engagements to help the public
understand the complex issues surrounding the elaborate systems
and testing that go into delivering clean, plentiful water to
households throughout the state.
Water truly has shaped California into the great state it is
today. And if it is water that made California great, it’s the
fight over – and with – water that also makes it so critically
important. In efforts to remap California’s circulatory system,
there have been some critical events that had a profound impact
on California’s water history. These turning points not only
forced a re-evaluation of water, but continue to impact the lives
of every Californian. This 2005 PBS documentary offers a
historical and current look at the major water issues that shaped
the state we know today. Includes a 12-page viewer’s guide with
background information, historic timeline and a teacher’s lesson.
This beautiful 24×36-inch poster, suitable for framing, displays
the rivers, lakes and reservoirs, irrigated farmland, urban areas
and Indian reservations within the Klamath River Watershed. The
map text explains the many issues facing this vast,
15,000-square-mile watershed, including fish restoration;
agricultural water use; and wetlands. Also included are
descriptions of the separate, but linked, Klamath Basin
Restoration Agreement and the Klamath Hydroelectric Agreement,
and the next steps associated with those agreements. Development
of the map was funded by a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
A companion to the Truckee River Basin Map poster, this
24×36-inch poster, suitable for framing, explores the Carson
River, and its link to the Truckee River. The map includes the
Lahontan Dam and reservoir, the Carson Sink, and the farming
areas in the basin. Map text discusses the region’s hydrology and
geography, the Newlands Project, land and water use within the
basin and wetlands. Development of the map was funded by a grant
from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Mid-Pacific Region, Lahontan
Basin Area Office.
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.
The Water Education Foundation’s second edition of
the Layperson’s Guide to The Klamath River Basin is
hot off the press and available for purchase.
Updated and redesigned, the easy-to-read overview covers the
history of the region’s tribal, agricultural and environmental
relationships with one of the West’s largest rivers — and a
vast watershed that hosts one of the nation’s oldest and
largest reclamation projects.
The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to California Water provides an
excellent overview of the history of water development and use in
California. It includes sections on flood management; the state,
federal and Colorado River delivery systems; Delta issues; water
rights; environmental issues; water quality; and options for
stretching the water supply such as water marketing and
conjunctive use. New in this 10th edition of the guide is a
section on the human need for water.
The construction of Glen Canyon Dam
in 1964 created Lake Powell. Both are located in north-central
Arizona near the Utah border. Lake Powell acts as a holding tank
for outflow from the Colorado River Upper Basin States: Colorado,
New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
The water stored in Lake Powell is used for recreation, power
generation and delivering water to the Lower Basin states of
California, Arizona, and Nevada.
Every five years the California Department of Water Resources
updates its strategic plan for managing the state’s water
resources, as required by state law.
The California Water Plan, or Bulletin 160, projects the
status and trends of the state’s water supplies and demands
under a range of future scenarios.
This printed issue of Western Water looks at hydraulic
fracturing, or “fracking,” in California. Much of the information
in the article was presented at a conference hosted by the
Groundwater Resources Association of California.
The connection between water and energy is more relevant than
ever. After existing in separate realms for years, the maxim that
it takes water to produce energy and energy to produce water has
prompted a re-thinking of management strategies, including an
emphasis on renewable energy use by water agencies.
This printed issue of Western Water looks at the energy
requirements associated with water use and the means by which
state and local agencies are working to increase their knowledge
and improve the management of both resources.
This printed issue of Western Water examines
desalination – an issue that is marked by great optimism and
controversy – and the expected role it might play as an
alternative water supply strategy.
This printed copy of Western Water examines climate change –
what’s known about it, the remaining uncertainty and what steps
water agencies are talking to prepare for its impact. Much of the
information comes from the October 2007 California Climate Change
and Water Adaptation Summit sponsored by the Water Education
Foundation and DWR and the November 2007 California Water Policy
Conference sponsored by Public Officials for Water and
Environmental Reform.
Hydropower generation is prevalent in the West, where rapidly
flowing river systems have been tapped for generations to produce
electricity. Hydropower is a clean, steady and reliable energy
source, but the damming of rivers has exacted a toll on the
environment, affecting, among other things, the migration of fish
to vestigial spawning grounds. Many of those projects are due to
be relicensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The California power crisis has made international headlines. But
what is the link between water and power in California? How is
the state’s dry spell affecting its hydropower generation? How
has the electric crisis affected water users in the state? These
questions and others are addressed in this issue of Western
Water.
