Topic: Energy and Water

Overview

Energy and Water

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.

Aquafornia news High Country News (Paonia, Colo.)

Nukes and AI require 1.4 million gallons of water a day at New Mexico lab

… Los Alamos National Laboratory is facing its biggest expansion since the World War II-era Manhattan Project, the top-secret government effort to produce the world’s first atomic weapons. The current expansion will require a colossal use of resources, including one that New Mexico has in short supply these days — water. Last month, the U.S. Department of Energy projected that the Los Alamos expansion would require around 504 million gallons of water annually — about 1.4 million gallons of water per day — for at least another decade. … Plans include building a new 100,000-square-foot facility dedicated solely to artificial intelligence supercomputers, along with one or more microreactors, a compact nuclear reactor designed to generate small-scale power and facilities for staging nuclear waste.

Other industrial and AI water use news:

Aquafornia news The Salt Lake Tribune

Utahns send state a deluge of concerns about Box Elder data center’s impact on the Great Salt Lake

Across the country, data centers are drawing backlash from across the political spectrum as Americans raise concerns over drained water supplies and spiking energy costs. The recently unveiled Stratos data center in Box Elder County, backed by celebrity investor Kevin O’Leary, shows many Utahns share the same sentiment. Days after a crowd packed the historic courthouse in Brigham City to decry a potential vote that would allow the project to proceed, the Utah Division of Water Rights received a deluge of protests over a water rights application submitted by the developer for the project, totaling nearly 400 as of Thursday evening.

Other data center water use news:

Aquafornia news FOX26 (Bakersfield, Calif.)

First-of-its-kind solar canal project completed in Central Valley

Governor Gavin Newsom announced the completion of California’s first solar-covered canal in the Central Valley [Turlock], launching a first-of-its-kind pilot project aimed at saving water, generating renewable energy and reducing maintenance costs. Known as Project Nexus, the $20 million initiative places solar panels directly over irrigation canals to test whether the approach can help California better manage water resources while expanding clean energy production. State officials say the project is designed to evaluate whether covering canals with solar infrastructure can reduce water lost to evaporation before it reaches farms, homes and businesses.

Related articles:

Aquafornia news Inside Climate News

California will soon have more than 300 data centers. Where will they get their water?

… [T]he second-largest new data center being considered statewide … would be less than half a mile from … the center of Imperial Valley. If finished by 2028, as the developer expects, the at least 950,000-square-foot, two-story data center could be the largest operating statewide, taking up 17 football fields’ worth of land. The roughly $10 billion, 330-megawatt data center would require 750,000 gallons of water a day to operate, said developer Sebastian Rucci, who insists electricity and water costs won’t rise due to the data center. … On top of the data center boom in California, the hundreds of water districts, a deepening Southwestern megadrought and the diminishing of the Colorado River increasingly complicate water issues

Other data center water use news:

Aquafornia news Wyoming Public Media

New bill forces Utah data centers to disclose water use estimates

Utah has taken steps to rein in water use by large data centers but conservationists and other advocates said more needs to be done to protect the state’s dwindling water resources. Lawmakers recently passed the Data Center Water Transparency Amendments, which require server farm developers to provide an estimate of future water use. The facilities often need massive amounts of water to cool their servers, particularly for artificial intelligence systems. … Utah is a rapidly growing hub for data centers, featuring 48 operational facilities with more than 900 megawatts of capacity.

Other data center water use news:

Aquafornia news USA Today

California farmers want to turn water‑starved land into solar power

California’s largest agricultural water district wants to turn a growing water crisis into an economic pivot. The Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan aims to repurpose tens of thousands of acres of water‑starved farmland in California’s San Joaquin Valley into a massive solar‑and‑battery network, producing power for the state’s grid, lowering energy costs for farmers, and creating a new economic lifeline as groundwater rules force fields to fallow. … Under California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, aquifers in the San Joaquin Valley must reach sustainability by the early 2040s — sharply limiting how much water farmers can pump. District officials say that could force growers to fallow hundreds of thousands of acres.

Other groundwater news:

Aquafornia news Grist

AI is a double-edged sword for Indigenous land protection, UN experts warn

… Indigenous leaders at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, or UNPFII,  are wrestling with a paradox: how to harness AI’s protective capabilities without fueling the extractive forces they’ve resisted for generations. A new study published by Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, who is Mbororo and a former chair of the permanent forum, highlighted some of the possibilities and challenges AI presents for environmental protection, as well as the impacts of the technology on Indigenous territories. These include land-grabbing, water overexploitation and land degradation due to its high energy, water and critical mineral needs.

Aquafornia news E&E News by Politico

California’s largest power user strains to meet 2035 climate goal

At the Edmonston Pumping Plant in Kern County, giant pumps lift water from an aqueduct near the Central Valley’s floor high up over the Tehachapi Mountains — roughly 2,000 feet — through a series of tunnels and tanks to the Southern California cities below. It’s part of the State Water Project, a sprawling state-run system of pumps, canals and reservoirs that delivers water to 27 million Californians. It’s also the single biggest electricity user in the state. The project’s massive energy demand makes it an early testing ground for one of California’s most aggressive climate targets: that state agencies must run on 100 percent renewable and zero-carbon electricity by 2035, a full decade ahead of the state’s broader 2045 goal.

Other water and energy news:

Aquafornia news Utah News Dispatch

Eagle Mountain 193-acre data center campus is set to be done this year with big water promises

The bones of a 193-acre data center campus in Eagle Mountain are ready after developers placed the project’s last beam on Friday in an event crowded by the about 2,000 construction workers employed at the site. … One aspect of the facilities that company executives highlighted during the event centered around the immense need for water notorious among most data centers. This one, they said, uses a closed-loop cooling system that would only need to be filled once and won’t consume any additional water for cooling systems once the project is operational. … Data centers across the country consumed about 2.66 trillion liters of water in 2025, according to the research firm Mordor Intelligence, and are estimated to increase the number to 2.97 trillion liters this year. 

Other data center water use news:

Aquafornia news San Francisco Chronicle

Bay Area city becomes first to ban data centers over power and water concerns

Oakley has become the first Bay Area city to temporarily ban new data centers, signaling a more cautious approach as other parts of Silicon Valley continue to line up projects to meet rising demand for artificial intelligence. The Oakley City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to impose a 45-day moratorium on data center projects, barring the city from accepting or processing related land-use applications. … The decision follows growing concern among residents in the eastern Contra Costa city about the impacts of large-scale data centers, particularly their heavy demand for electricity and water. 

Other data center water use news:

Aquafornia news Calo News (Los Angeles)

Arizona county will regulate data centers, but some residents want more

There are currently no active applications for a data center in Cochise County. Still, many residents wanted to ban the facilities outright. On Tuesday, the county adopted a set of data center regulations after a 3-0 vote by its supervisors. … Its new regulations ask data center developers to submit noise impact analyses and water use plans. They will also require them to show they can supply power without “adversely impacting existing users” and mostly bar them from using potable water for cooling servers. … Still, many county residents who spoke at the April 7 board meeting felt that a moratorium, not the regulations, better reflected their wishes. 

Other data center water use news:

Aquafornia news Los Angeles Daily News

LA County cities weigh the data center question in the face of AI surge

A nationwide expansion of controversial and resource-guzzling artificial intelligence data centers has reached Los Angeles County, and the wave has cities in the region grappling with questions over their impact. In addition to data centers’ energy demands, critics highlighted concerning impacts to water, pollutants from backup generators and data centers creating heat islands. … Underpinning the data center question is the amount of energy they use and the impact on the environment as they power vast servers needed for modern tech life. Many data centers use water for cooling. That same size data center may consume about 40 acre-feet of water per year, the equivalent of the water use of 120 households. 

Other data center water use news:

Aquafornia news Politico

Meet Sacramento’s data center defender

… [Khara] Boender is the senior manager of state policy for the Data Center Coalition, the industry group that represents data centers owners and their interests. She’s been extremely busy in recent weeks, wading through the many, many new proposals targeting their members. The bevy of new bills is linked to the explosion of artificial intelligence, which has spurred a nationwide race to build out the digital infrastructure needed to support new AI models. And while data centers are nothing new — they expanded in lockstep with the growth of the internet — state officials expect them to use huge amounts of electricity and water in coming years. … POLITICO caught up with Boender to hear more about why her industry is against the proposals, and its ideas on how regulations should work.

Other data center and water news:

Aquafornia news CalMatters (Sacramento, Calif.)

Trump energy chief targets California oil rules in Long Beach

Last year, Long Beach celebrated a deal Synergy Oil & Gas negotiated with a regional wetlands authority in Southern California. A former oil field, 154 acres of land in the city of Long Beach would become public wetlands; the company would gain a more valuable property and environmental credits. But a state law meant to keep wells away from homes and schools thwarted the company’s plan for more drilling – and now the wetlands deal has become fodder for the Trump administration’s war against California Democratic energy policies. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright traveled to the property, owned by Synergy Oil & Gas, on Wednesday with a message to Gov. Gavin Newsom: state policies are increasing costs for Californians, and the Trump administration will be challenging them. 

Aquafornia news Nevada Current

Conservation group appeals to 9th Circuit in Rhyolite Ridge lithium mine fight

Attorneys for conservation and Indigenous rights groups filed an appeal Wednesday in the effort to stop an open-pit lithium-boron mine from being built on the only known habitat of an endangered wildflower. … The Western Shoshone Defense Project, who are represented in the appeal by the Western Mining Action Project, said the mine’s water use could also potentially dry out Cave Spring, a sacred site less than a mile from the proposed mine quarry. According to the project’s final environmental review, if Cave Spring is fed by groundwater the mine could potentially decrease the amount of water discharged from the spring.

Other water and mining news:

Aquafornia news Public Policy Institute of California

Blog: Will data centers threaten California’s water? It’s complicated.

The explosive growth in data centers is fueling concerns in California, as well as across the country, about water and energy use. Some have gone as far as to propose a water usage fee on data centers. However, others argue that data center water use is just a drop in the bucket compared to other uses or that most data centers are moving toward less water-intensive practices, such as reusing water in closed-loop systems. To help us understand what we do and don’t know about California data centers and water use, we spoke with Dr. Marie Grimm, an environmental policy research fellow at UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy, & the Environment, about their new report “Regulating Data Center Water Use in California.”

Other data center water use news:

Aquafornia news Rocky Mountain Voice (Colo.)

As drought deepens, Colorado still has no rules for data center water use

In Aurora, data center proposals run through a simple filter. City officials compare total water use against how much of that water won’t come back—lost to evaporation. If either number gets too high, the project doesn’t move forward. When a developer wants to build in Denver, there is no matrix. That gap—two cities, two standards, nothing statewide connecting them—is the center of a question Colorado has avoided answering: who is responsible for knowing how much water AI data centers use, and when does that become too much? The question got harder to ignore this spring. On March 16, Governor Jared Polis activated Phase 2 of the state’s Drought Response Plan—the first activation in nearly six years—after federal water managers ranked this year’s snowpack 45th out of 46 years on record. 

Other data center water use news:

Aquafornia news inewsource (San Diego)

‘This data center will come.’ The fight over California’s largest AI development

… [A] group of residents is gathering signatures for a potential November 2026 ballot initiative that would block data centers in Imperial County altogether. They’re calling it the “Imperial County Data Center Prohibition Act.” … [Developer Sebastian] Rucci has proposed obtaining 6 million gallons per day of reclaimed water from Imperial and El Centro to cool a massive data center, which would use 750,000 gallons a day. Rucci said the unused water would be funneled into the Salton Sea to ameliorate environmental damage there. Reclaimed water from both cities is already channeled into the sea, though at a lesser level of treatment, so the project would ultimately result in less water in the sea.

Other data center water use news:

Aquafornia news Pasadena Now (Calif.)

Committee weighs data centers as officials cite power, water demands

City officials began weighing whether to allow data centers in the City, with discussion focusing on the facilities’ significant demands on electricity and water infrastructure as well as how they should be defined and regulated. The Housing, Homelessness and Planning Committee on Wednesday received a staff presentation outlining what data centers are, how they operate and the potential impacts they could have if permitted locally. … Officials underscored the scale of resources required to operate such facilities. A 10-megawatt data center can consume roughly the same amount of electricity as 8,000 households and use water equivalent to about 120 households annually, depending on cooling methods.

Other data center water use news:

Aquafornia news Cowboy State Daily (Cheyenne, Wyo.)

Wyoming pitches itself to data center developers at closed-door Jackson summit

… At least 36 states now offer tax incentives to attract data center projects. But a backlash is growing in tandem — at least 12 states have filed moratorium bills this legislative cycle to pause new data center construction while they sort out impacts on electric grids, water supplies and public health. Against that backdrop, the closed-door “Data x Power” summit in Jackson April 1-2 will convene about 50 senior leaders from hyperscale technology companies, energy developers, government agencies and academia to explore whether Wyoming belongs in the conversation.

Other data center water use news:

Aquafornia news SFGate

Lake Mead’s very bad year is only getting worse

Lake Mead National Recreation Area is having a very bad start to spring. The water level is dwindling in Lake Mead, America’s largest reservoir and a major supplier of drinking water to California, and soaring temperatures are driving toxic algae outbreaks in the water and prompting federal officials to close hiking trails. … As unseasonably warm winter weather scorched much of the American West over the past several weeks, Lake Mead has lost crucial opportunities for replenishment. … Meanwhile, hydroelectric power output continues to decline at Hoover Dam as Lake Mead shrinks. 

Other Lake Mead news:

Aquafornia news Nevada Current

Lawmakers in driest state weigh excessive water and energy needs of data centers they court

… Water Resource Advocates was one of more than a dozen groups that gathered Wednesday for a joint meeting of the [Nev.] interim committees on natural resources and infrastructure. The meeting focused solely on data centers and their water and energy needs. … Representatives of the data center industry suggested existing estimates related to water use are inflated because they are based on outdated technology. … Groups more critical of data centers emphasized a need for more transparency and reporting on actual water usage. … Beyond the water used on site for cooling, there remains the fact that producing electricity also requires a lot of water. 

Related articles:

Aquafornia news KSJD (Cortez, Colo.)

Rise of data centers in the Southwest raises concerns

Do you use Chat GPT? Do you talk to Siri on your phone? If so, you’ve helped fuel the rise in data centers. Now, the energy-hungry, water-thirsty centers are coming to places in the Southwest, including the lands of native peoples. That was the topic of a panel discussion Friday in Window Rock, Arizona, organized by Diné C.A.R.E., a Navajo environmental organization. Executive director of Diné C.A.R.E. Robyn Jackson said data centers have become a serious concern for the Navajo Nation. She said five centers have been proposed in and near the nation, three in Arizona and two in New Mexico. … Water required to cool the facilities is also enormous. Yet centers are being built in hot, arid states such as Arizona, even as it and six other states wrangle over how to allocate Colorado River water.

Other data center water use news:

Aquafornia news Bakersfield Californian

County board gives final OK to state’s largest solar project

California’s largest solar energy project won approval Tuesday with the Kern County Board of Supervisors’ 4-0 vote in favor of a 2-gigawatt photovoltaic installation expected to create 1,300 construction jobs at its peak and generate tax revenue of $1.5 billion during its roughly three-decade lifespan. Complete with batteries capable of delivering 16 gigawatt-hours of energy, the Buttonbush Solar and Storage project represents a significant shift, in that Kern’s other utility-scale solar farms are located in the eastern portion of the county. San Diego-based developer Avantus says it chose western Kern for its transmission capacity and because farmland there is under stress from groundwater management regulations.

Other groundwater management news:

Publication California Water Map

Layperson’s Guide to California Water
Updated 2026

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 the latest information on the state’s changing hydrology, recent water conservation legislation and the state’s efforts to stretch the available water supplies.

Tour Become a Tour Sponsor! Nick Gray

Lower Colorado River Tour 2026
Field Trip - March 11-13

Tour participants gathered for a group photo in front of Hoover DamThis 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.

Check out this highlight video of one of our recent tours!

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

Klamath River Tour 2025
Field Trip - September 8-12

On this first-ever Foundation water tour we examined 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
Tour Become a Tour Sponsor! Nick Gray

Lower Colorado River Tour 2025
Field Trip - March 12-14

Tour participants gathered for a group photo in front of Hoover DamThis 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.

Check out this highlight video of one of our recent tours!

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
Publication Colorado River Basin Map

Layperson’s Guide to the Colorado River Basin
Updated 2024

Cover of Layperson's Guide to the Colorado River Basin

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.

Tour Nick Gray

Lower Colorado River Tour 2024
Field Trip - March 13-15

Tour participants gathered for a group photo in front of Hoover DamThis 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
Tour Nick Gray

Eastern Sierra Tour 2023
Field Trip - September 12-15

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.

Grand Sierra Resort
2500 E 2nd St
Reno, NV 89595
Tour Nick Gray

Lower Colorado River Tour 2023
Field Trip - March 8-10

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
Western Water California Water Map Gary Pitzer

How Private Capital is Speeding up Sierra Nevada Forest Restoration in a Way that Benefits Water
WESTERN WATER SPOTLIGHT: A bond fund that fronts the money is expediting a headwaters restoration project to improve forest health, water quality and supply

District Ranger Lon Henderson with Tahoe National Forest points toward an overgrown section of forest within the Blue Forest project area. 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. 

Tour

Lower Colorado River Tour 2018

Lower Colorado River Tour participants at Hoover Dam.

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
Western Water Magazine

Tapping the Ocean: What is the Role of Desalination?
Winter 2016

This issue looks at the role of ocean desalination in meeting California’s water needs today and in the future.

Video

Restoring a River: Voices of the San Joaquin

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.

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.

Video

Stormwater Management: Turning Runoff into a Resource

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.

Video

Drinking Water: Quenching the Public Thirst (60-minute DVD)

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. 

Video

Drinking Water: Quenching the Public Thirst (30-minute DVD)

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.

Video

Water on the Edge (60-minute DVD)

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.

Maps & Posters

Klamath River Watershed Map
Published 2011

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.

Maps & Posters

Carson River Basin Map
Published 2006

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.

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 Klamath River Basin
Published 2023

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.

Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam

Image shows Glen Canyon Dam with Lake Powell in the background.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. 

Aquapedia background California Water Map Layperson's Guide to California Water

California Water Plan

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.

Western Water Magazine

Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Quality: A Cause for Concern?
September/October 2012

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.

Western Water Excerpt Gary PitzerRita Schmidt Sudman

Making the Connection: The Water/Energy Nexus
September/October 2010

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.

Western Water Magazine

Making the Connection: The Water/Energy Nexus
September/October 2010

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.

Western Water Magazine

Desalination: A Drought Proof Supply?
July/August 2009

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.

Western Water Magazine

A Significant Challenge: Adapting Water Management to Climate Change
January/February 2008

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.

Western Water Magazine

Turning Water into Power: Hydropower Projects Under Review
September/October 2005

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.

Western Water Magazine

Dealing with the Shock: Shedding Light on the Link Between Water and Power in California
September/October 2001

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.