Header link June 22, 2020

LinkedIn

  • Read more
Header link September 15, 2014

Cart

  • Read more
Header link November 3, 2015

Donate Now

  • Read more
Header link May 15, 2014

Twitter

  • Read more
Header link May 15, 2014

Facebook

  • Read more
Instagram
Header link May 15, 2014

Instagram

  • Read more
Header link May 15, 2014

Contact Us

  • Read more
More options
Water Education Foundation
Home
Water Education Foundation
Everything about California water that matters
  • Water Academy
    • Agriculture
      • Agricultural Conservation
      • Agricultural Drainage
    • Background Information
      • Legislation — California and Federal
      • Regulations — California and Federal
      • Water History
      • Water Rights
    • Bay-Delta
      • Bay Delta
      • Bay Delta Conservation Plan
      • Delta Issues
      • Delta Smelt
      • Sacramento San Joaquin Delta
      • San Francisco Bay
      • Suisun Marsh
    • Dams, Reservoirs and Water Projects
      • California Aqueduct
      • Central Valley Project
      • Folsom Dam
      • Friant Dam
      • Hetch Hetchy
      • Hoover Dam
      • Infrastructure
      • Lake Mead
      • Lake Powell
      • Oroville Dam
      • San Luis Dam
      • Shasta Dam
      • State Water Project
    • Environmental Issues
      • Anadromous Fish Restoration
      • Ecosystem
      • Endangered Species Act
      • Invasive species
      • Lake Tahoe
      • Mono Lake
      • Public Trust Doctrine
      • Salmon
      • San Joaquin River Restoration
      • Watershed
      • Wetlands
    • Leaders and Experts
    • Regions
      • Central Coast
      • Central Valley
      • Mexico
      • Nevada
      • North Coast
      • Pyramid Lake
      • Sacramento Valley
      • Salton Sea
      • San Joaquin Valley
      • Sierra Nevada
      • Southern California
      • Tulare Lake Basin
    • Rivers
      • Carson River
      • Colorado River
      • Klamath River
      • New River
      • North Coast Rivers
      • Russian River
      • Sacramento River
      • Truckee River
      • San Joaquin River
    • Water Issues
      • Climate Change
      • Coronavirus
      • Drought
      • Earthquakes
      • Energy and Water
      • Floods
      • Fracking
      • Growth
      • Hydropower
      • Levees
      • Tribal Water Issues
      • Water Conservation
      • Water Equity
    • Water Quality
      • Drinking Water
      • Nitrate contamination
      • Pollution
      • Stormwater
      • Wastewater
      • Water Quality
    • Water Supply and Management
      • Acre Foot
      • Aquifers
      • California Water Plan
      • Conjunctive Use
      • Desalination
      • Grey water
      • Groundwater
      • Integrated Regional Water Management
      • Recreation
      • Surface Water
      • Water Marketing and Banking
      • Water Rates
      • Water Recycling
      • Water Supply
      • Water Transfers
  • Tours & Events
    • Water Tours
      • 2023 Tour Sponsors
    • Events
    • Event Calendar
    • Past Tours & Events
      • Anne J. Schneider Fund Lecture Series
  • Specialized Programs
    • Water Leaders
      • Class Rosters
      • Yearly Class Reports
      • Your Alumni Network
      • Alumni Profiles
    • Project WET
      • Workshops
      • Special Workshops & Events
      • Supplementary Materials
      • California Content Standard Correlations
      • Facilitator's Trainings
      • Foundation School Programs
        • Elementary Programs
        • Secondary Programs
      • Water Kids
      • California Project WET Gazette
      • Gazette Archives
    • Colorado River Project
    • GRA Scholastic Fund Program
  • Maps & Guides
    • Maps & Posters
    • Layperson's Guides
    • Map & Guide Bundles
    • Books
    • Colorado River Materials
    • California Runoff Rundown
    • Other Publications
    • Water Awareness Materials
    • Downloadable Publications
    • Videos and DVDs
      • Video Clips
    • School Age Publications
    • Stickers
    • Free Programs and Publications
  • Newsroom
    • Western Water News
    • Aquafornia
      • About Aquafornia
    • Information Desk
    • Western Water Magazine Archive
      • Full Print Edition
      • Print Edition Excerpts
    • River Report Archive
  • Aquapedia
    • Alphabetical List of Subjects
      • A
      • B
      • C
      • D
      • E
      • F
      • G
      • H
      • I
      • J
      • K
      • L
      • M
      • N
      • O
      • P
      • Q
      • R
      • S
      • T
      • U
      • V
      • W
      • X
      • Y
      • Z
    • Historical Water People
    • Where Does My Water Come From?
      • Northern California
      • Sacramento
      • North Bay
      • South Bay
      • Central Valley
      • Los Angeles
      • Inland Empire
      • San Diego
      • All California Water Sources
    • Timelines
    • Videos
    • Image Gallery
    • Water Directory
      • Federal Agencies
      • State Agencies in California
      • Environmental Organizations
      • Other California Organizations
      • State and Federal Legislative Committees
      • Water Associations and Groups
      • Western States Water Agencies and Districts
    • Online Resources
    • Useful Acronyms
    • About Aquapedia
  • About
    • About Us
      • Board of Directors
      • Staff Biographies
      • Job Openings
    • Announcements
    • Support Our Mission
      • Become a Member
      • Donate in Honor/Memory
      • Donate to Aquapedia or Aquafornia
      • Shop Amazon
      • Planned Giving
    • Contact Us

Topic: Shasta Dam

Overview April 24, 2014

Shasta Dam

Shasta Dam creates the largest storage reservoir in the state, Shasta Lake. In years of normal precipitation, the Shasta system stores and distributes about 20 percent of the state’s developed water — about 7 million acre-feet —through its massive system of reservoirs and canals.

Located 12 miles north of Redding, Shasta traps the cold waters of the Pit and McCloud rivers and the headwaters of the Sacramento River behind its 602-foot curved, concrete face.

Water is transported 450 miles from Lake Shasta in Northern California to the San Joaquin Valley.  Along the way, the Central Valley Project has long-term agreements with more than 250 contractors in 29 of California’s total 58 counties.

  • Read more
Aquafornia news May 17, 2023 USA Today

CA lakes close to full capacity amid elevated flood risk from snowmelt

As California agencies brace for possible summer floods, officials are warning visitors of Northern waterways to take precaution as record-breaking snow packs built up from winter storms continue to liquify. Both Lake Oroville and Lake Shasta reported near-full capacity Monday. Shasta Reservoir, the state’s largest man-made lake located on the upper Sacramento River near the city of Redding, is now higher than it has been in years.  As of May 15, Lake Shasta is 98% full and just a few feet shy of its 2019 high, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. Water levels have risen nearly 150 feet since the start of 2023.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 16, 2023 SJV Sun

Opinion: Breaking down ‘grocery bliss’ might be key to winning Calif.’s fight for water storage

Friant Water Authority Chief Operating Officer Johnny Amaral spoke with The Sun for an upcoming episode of Sunrise FM to discuss the lack of necessary water storage in California, among many other issues. … While simply raising Shasta Dam by 18.5 feet would provide an additional 634,000 acre-feet of water storage capacity, gathering enough support for the project could feel seemingly impossible at times. There’s one project, however, that Amaral thinks could possibly stand a chance: Sites Reservoir – an off-stream storage project that would not dam a river. Water would be pumped in and out at need. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 16, 2023 Chico Enterprise-Record

Shasta, Lake Oroville rise to the top

California when it rains: water cooler talk. Both Lake Oroville and Lake Shasta reported near-full capacity Monday with plenty of snow in the northern mountains anticipated to melt. Shasta Lake reached 1,063 feet elevation on May 1 with four feet of capacity remaining and Lake Oroville reached 890 feet on May 13 with 10 feet left of capacity — each holding steady since. Lake Oroville is at 96% capacity and is expected to be filled into the spring. Oroville last reached capacity in 2017 and in the last 30 years reached capacity in 2017, 2012, 2011, 2006, 2005, 2003, 1998, 1996 and 1993, according to an email from DWR Information Officer Jason Ince.

Related articles: 

  • ABC 10 – Sacramento: Where reservoir levels stand in Northern California after record winter
  • SJV Sun: “Conditions are ripe” for intense run-off after storms, Friant water official says.
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 15, 2023 Record Searchlight

Why Shasta Lake is nearly full but Trinity Dam’s water level is so low

While Lake Shasta is brimming with water, Trinity Lake is less than half full. There are several reasons why that happened this year, according to the Bureau of Reclamation, and why the situation at Trinity Dam may not be as dire as it sounds. Winter rainstorms filled Lake Shasta to 98% of its capacity, 116% of its historic average for this time of year, according to the California Department of Water Resources. The water level at the dam is lapping a little more than three feet from the top, Bureau of Reclamation Area Manager Donald Bader said.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 9, 2023 Newsweek

Lake Shasta water levels rise close to capacity

Thanks to heavy rainfall across northern California over the past few days, Lake Shasta’s water level is now higher than it has been in years. As of May 9, the lake is at 1,063.77 feet above water level, having risen nearly 150 feet since the start of 2023. … The lake’s current levels are therefore only just 3.2 feet shy of its 1,067-foot capacity. … Lake Shasta, located in Shasta County, California, is the biggest reservoir in the state. Its increased water levels are due in large part to the heavy rainfall that battered the state during the early spring, refilling many of the dried-up reservoirs. 

Related articles: 

  • KTVU – Oakland: California’s reservoirs are brimming
  • ABC 10 – Sacramento: California Drought – Full reservoirs, stubborn snowpack and the critical role of urban forestry
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 4, 2023 Los Angeles Times

Seeking to save salmon, tribe signs pact with California

A California tribe has signed agreements with state and federal agencies to work together on efforts to return endangered Chinook salmon to their traditional spawning areas upstream of Shasta Dam, a deal that could advance the long-standing goal of tribal leaders to reintroduce fish that were transplanted from California to New Zealand more than a century ago and still thrive there. Members of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe have long sought to restore a wild salmon population in the McCloud River north of Redding, where their ancestors once lived. The agreements that were signed this week for the first time formally recognize the tribe as a partner participating in efforts to save the endangered winter-run Chinook salmon.

Related articles: 

  • Daily Kos: Winnemem Wintu and state and federal partners join to return endangered salmon to historic habitat
  • NOAA Fisheries news release: Central California Coast Coho Salmon Need Restored Habitat to Improve Resilience to Climate Change
  • NOAA Fisheries news release: South-Central California Coast Steelhead Maintain Threatened Listing Status
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 3, 2023 CBS - San Francisco

Historic partnership penned to help save endangered salmon

Over the past year we’ve been showing you California’s effort to save the winter run chinook salmon – a fish that has almost been lost to dammed rivers and warming waters. It’s part of a growing partnership between state and federal wildlife agencies – and a small California tribe that’s been fighting to save those fish for years, and bring them back home. On Monday, a historic pact was signed to expand on those efforts … For Sisk and the Winnemem Tribe this day would have seemed improbable, or impossible, just a few years ago. A tiny California tribe without federal recognition, signing a formal agreement with state and federal partners. When the moment arrived to actually sign the documents, the tribe’s spiritual leader couldn’t help but acknowledge generations of mistrust.

Related articles: 

  • Northern California Water Association: Ricelands Salmon Project Update
  • Record Searchlight: California, federal agencies and Native tribe sign agreement
  • KPCW – Park City, Utah: Healing the Eel River
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 2, 2023 CA Department of Fish and Wildlife

News release: Tribe, state and federal partners join to return endangered salmon to historic habitat

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, NOAA Fisheries and the Winnemem Wintu Tribe signed agreements to restore Chinook salmon to the mountains north of Redding, California, on May 1, 2023. The agreements support a joint effort to return Chinook salmon to their original spawning areas in cold mountain rivers now blocked by Shasta Reservoir in northern California. The goal is ecological and cultural restoration which will one day renew fishing opportunities for the tribe that depended on the once-plentiful salmon for food and much more. The tribe signed a co-management agreement with CDFW and a co-stewardship agreement with NOAA Fisheries, reflecting the way the two agencies describe accords with tribes. This three-way collaboration is a historic achievement that advances our common goals.

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news May 2, 2023 SJV Sun

Valadao’s sweeping water legislation advances out of committee

A sweeping overhaul of California’s water policy, specifically the rules that govern water throughout the Central Valley, took one step closer to becoming reality.  Last week, the House Committee on Natural Resources passed the Working to Advance Tangible and Effective Reforms (WATER) for California Act, which was introduced by Rep. David Valadao (R–Hanford).  The backstory: Valadao initially introduced the WATER for California Act last December and brought it back for the new Republican-controlled House in January. … Part of the legislation centers on the 2019 biological opinions that govern the state’s water usage. President Joe Biden’s administration has been working to throw out the Trump-era rules and revert back to the previous biological opinions administered in 2008 and 2009.

Related article: 

  • MyMotherLode: Mountain Counties Water Board Takes Stance On Legislative Proposals 
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news April 27, 2023 KCRA - Sacramento

Here’s where Northern California reservoir levels stand

Snowmelt season is well underway, and as water flows down the west slope of the Sierra, some of it is destined to end up in Northern California’s reservoirs. Here’s an update on water storage around the region. … Lake Shasta is currently at 96% of capacity. At the start of April, the reservoir was at 83% of capacity. As of Wednesday afternoon, inflow from runoff is estimated to be around 12,000 cfs. … Lake Oroville is also nearing capacity. On April 1, storage was at 82%. As of Wednesday, storage is up to 90% with 19,000 cfs of runoff inflow. Water is being released at about 15,000 cfs to maintain space in the lake.

Related articles: 

  • Patch – Petaluma: Drought Update From The City Of Petaluma - What To Know
  • ABC News: This year’s 100% water allocation in California does not mean the water crisis is over, experts say
  • Foothills Sun-Gazette: Feds top off water allocations for Central Valley Project
  • Ag Alert: Two key projects to give full water supplies to farms
  • Mercury News: Peak snowpack - PG&E measures 211 inches of snow in final Lassen Peak survey
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news April 26, 2023 NOAA Fisheries

News release: Sacramento River pulse flow expected to increase survival of juvenile salmon traveling to the ocean

Researchers from NOAA Fisheries and University of California Santa Cruz will tag several groups of juvenile salmon in the Sacramento River system. The tags will help us measure the benefits from the river’s first “pulse flow.” A pulse flow is a rapid increase and decrease in dam released water designed to resemble natural spring runoff. The researchers want to know if the pulse flow increases the survival of juvenile salmon and improves their chances of returning to the river as an adult to spawn. They plan on measuring this by implanting tags into juvenile salmon migrating downriver before, during, and after the pulse. They will compare their speed and survival on the way to the ocean.

Related articles: 

  • KEZI – Eugene: Low Chinook Salmon numbers lead delegates to request federal disaster declaration 
  • KRCR – Redding: Increased releases at Keswick Dam part of spring pulse flows
  • US Bureau of Reclamation: Federal agencies announce schedule for Clear Creek spring pulse flows
  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Aquafornia news April 21, 2023 U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

News release: Federal agencies announce schedule for Sacramento River spring pulse flows

The Bureau of Reclamation, NOAA Fisheries, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the plan for two pulse flow releases from Keswick Dam into the Sacramento River. Pulse flows are rapid increases and decreases in dam-released flows, occurring over a short time frame. The release of water helps improve survival rates for out-migrating juvenile spring-run Chinook salmon smolts through the Sacramento River in addition to the planned releases of more than 10 million fall and winter-run Chinook salmon from the Coleman National Fish Hatchery. Pulse flows releases from Keswick Dam will be targeting flows at Wilkins Slough of 11,000 cubic feet per second. The flow release for the first pulse is scheduled to begin around April 24 and reach a peak of around 9,000 cfs. Flow rates will reduce to around 7,000 cfs by April 29. The second pulse flow will begin on or around May 8 and may reach a peak of around 12,000 cfs. 

  • Read more
  • View Original Article
Tour October 12, 2022 - 7:30am - October 14, 2022 - 6:30pm Nick Gray Northern California Tour Explores Water Resources Across Sacramento Valley to Shasta Dam

Northern California Tour 2022
Field Trip - October 12-14

This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries through a scenic landscape while learning 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.

Water Education Foundation
2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205
Sacramento, CA 95833
View map
  • Read more
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.

  • Read more
Announcement September 11, 2019

Northern California Tour to Include Update on Camp Fire Impacts to Paradise Water System
Paradise Irrigation District general manager will discuss the challenges to recovery on Oct. 2-4 tour

The deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history had a severe impact on the water system in the town of Paradise. Participants on our Oct. 2-4 Northern California Tour will hear from Kevin Phillips, general manager of Paradise Irrigation District, on the scope of the damages, the obstacles to recovery and the future of the water district.

The Camp Fire destroyed 90 percent of the structures in Paradise, and 90 percent of the irrigation district’s ratepayer base. The fire did not destroy the irrigation district’s water storage or treatment facilities, but it did melt plastic pipes, releasing contaminants into parts of the system and prompting do-not-drink advisories to water customers.

  • Read more
Western Water April 25, 2019 California Water Map Gary Pitzer

California’s New Natural Resources Secretary Takes on Challenge of Implementing Gov. Newsom’s Ambitious Water Agenda
WESTERN WATER Q&A: Wade Crowfoot addresses Delta tunnel shift, Salton Sea plan and managing water amid a legacy of conflict

Wade Crowfoot, California Natural Resources Secretary.One of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s first actions after taking office was to appoint Wade Crowfoot as Natural Resources Agency secretary. Then, within weeks, the governor laid out an ambitious water agenda that Crowfoot, 45, is now charged with executing.

That agenda includes the governor’s desire for a “fresh approach” on water, scaling back the conveyance plan in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and calling for more water recycling, expanded floodplains in the Central Valley and more groundwater recharge.

  • Read more
Western Water April 11, 2019 Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Map Gary Pitzer

Bruce Babbitt Urges Creation of Bay-Delta Compact as Way to End ‘Culture of Conflict’ in California’s Key Water Hub
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Former Interior secretary says Colorado River Compact is a model for achieving peace and addressing environmental and water needs in the Delta

Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt gives the Anne J. Schneider Lecture April 3 at Sacramento's Crocker Art Museum.  Bruce Babbitt, the former Arizona governor and secretary of the Interior, has been a thoughtful, provocative and sometimes forceful voice in some of the most high-profile water conflicts over the last 40 years, including groundwater management in Arizona and the reduction of California’s take of the Colorado River. In 2016, former California Gov. Jerry Brown named Babbitt as a special adviser to work on matters relating to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the Delta tunnels plan.

  • Read more
Western Water January 4, 2019 Douglas E. Beeman

Women Leading in Water, Colorado River Drought and Promising Solutions — Western Water Year in Review

Dear Western Water readers:

Women named in the last year to water leadership roles (clockwise, from top left): Karla Nemeth, director, California Department of Water Resources; Gloria Gray,  chair, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California; Brenda Burman, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner; Jayne Harkins,  commissioner, International Boundary and Water Commission, U.S. and Mexico; Amy Haas, executive director, Upper Colorado River Commission.The growing leadership of women in water. The Colorado River’s persistent drought and efforts to sign off on a plan to avert worse shortfalls of water from the river. And in California’s Central Valley, promising solutions to vexing water resource challenges.

These were among the topics that Western Water news explored in 2018.

We’re already planning a full slate of stories for 2019. You can sign up here to be alerted when new stories are published. In the meantime, take a look at what we dove into in 2018:

  • Read more
Tour October 2, 2019 - 7:30am - October 4, 2019 - 6:30pm Nick Gray Northern California Tour Explores Water Resources Across Sacramento Valley to Shasta Dam

Northern California Tour 2019
Field Trip - October 2-4

This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries through a scenic landscape as participants learned about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.

All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project. Tour participants got an on-site update of Oroville Dam spillway repairs.

  • David Guy Presentation
  • Willie Whittlesey Presentation
  • Kevin Phillips Presentation
  • Mark Oliver Presentation
  • Read more
Western Water September 21, 2018 Colorado River Basin Map California Water Map Gary Pitzer

Despite Risk of Unprecedented Shortage on the Colorado River, Reclamation Commissioner Sees Room for Optimism
WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Commissioner Brenda Burman, in address at Foundation’s Water Summit, also highlights Shasta Dam plan

Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda BurmanThe Colorado River Basin is more than likely headed to unprecedented shortage in 2020 that could force supply cuts to some states, but work is “furiously” underway to reduce the risk and avert a crisis, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman told an audience of California water industry people.

During a keynote address at the Water Education Foundation’s Sept. 20 Water Summit in Sacramento, Burman said there is opportunity for Colorado River Basin states to control their destiny, but acknowledged that in water, there are no guarantees that agreement can be reached.

  • Read more
Tour October 10, 2018 - October 12, 2018 New Stop Announced for Northern California Tour: Salmon Rearing Structures in the Sacramento River

Northern California Tour 2018

This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries through a scenic landscape as participants learned about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.

All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project. Tour participants got an on-site update of repair efforts on the Oroville Dam spillway. 

  • David Guy
  • Christopher Williams
  • Carson Jeffres
  • Curt Aikens
  • Kelly Peterson
  • Mark Oliver
  • Read more
Tour October 21, 2015 - October 23, 2015 Images from the Northern California Tour

Northern California Tour 2015
Field Trip (past)

This 3-day, 2-night tour traveled the length of the Sacramento Valley, a major source of water for California.

  • Draft Itinerary
  • Tour Brochure - Learn More
  • Presentation: Butte County and SGMA
  • Presentation: Iron Mountain. Superfund Site
  • Presentation: Sacramento Valley
  • Read more
Publication May 20, 2014 California Water Map

Layperson’s Guide to California Water
Updated 2021

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. 

  • Read more
Tour October 22, 2014 Images from the Northern California Tour

Northern California Tour 2014
Field Trip (past)

The 2014 tour took place October 22-24.

This 3-day, 2-night tour travels the length of the Sacramento Valley, a major source of water for California.

  • Curt Aikens, Yuba County Water Agency
  • Curtis Anderson, DWR, maps
  • Curtis Anderson, DWR, Integrating Water Management
  • Thad Bettner, Glenn Colusa ID
  • Peter Buck, SAFCA, Habitat Mitigation
  • Peter Buck, SAFCA
  • Jeff Davids Sac Valley Groundwater
  • Michelle Dooley, DWR, Groundwater
  • Steve Emmons, USFWS
  • Ron Ganzfried, USBR, Shasta Enlargement
  • David Guy, NCWA, Overview
  • David Guy, NCWA, Informational Posters
  • Diana Jacobs, Sacramento River Preservation Trust
  • Kisanuki and Brown, Clear Creek
  • David Vogel, Natural Resources Scientists Inc.
  • Read more
Western Water Magazine November 1, 2008

Dealing with the ‘D’ Word: The Response to Drought
November/December 2008

This printed copy of Western Water examines California’s drought – its impact on water users in the urban and agricultural sector and the steps being taken to prepare for another dry year should it arrive.

  • Read more
Video May 27, 2014

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.

  • Read more
Maps & Posters May 20, 2014

Water Cycle Poster

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

  • Read more
Maps & Posters May 20, 2014

California Water Map, Spanish

Spanish language version of our California Water Map

Versión en español de nuestro mapa de agua de California

  • Read more
Publication May 20, 2014

Layperson’s Guide to the Central Valley Project
Updated 2021

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

  • Read more
Photo gallery May 16, 2014

Images from the Northern California Tour

Shasta Dam
  • Read more
Publication April 17, 2014 Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Map

Layperson’s Guide to the Delta
Updated 2020

The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the Delta explores the competing uses and demands on California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Included in the guide are sections on the history of the Delta, its role in the state’s water system, and its many complex issues with sections on water quality, levees, salinity and agricultural drainage, fish and wildlife, and water distribution.

  • Read more
Maps & Posters April 17, 2014 California Water Bundle

California Water Map
Updated December 2016

A new look for our most popular product! And it’s the perfect gift for the water wonk in your life.

Our 24×36 inch California Water Map is widely known for being the definitive poster that shows the integral role water plays in the state. On this updated version, it is easier to see California’s natural waterways and man-made reservoirs and aqueducts – including federally, state and locally funded projects – the wild and scenic rivers system, and natural lakes. The map features beautiful photos of California’s natural environment, rivers, water projects, wildlife, and urban and agricultural uses and the text focuses on key issues: water supply, water use, water projects, the Delta, wild and scenic rivers and the Colorado River.

  • Read more
Aquapedia background February 11, 2014 Dams Layperson's Guide to the Central Valley Project California Water Map

Shasta Dam

Image shows Shasta Dam from a distance, with the reservoir largely filled.Shasta Dam forms California’s largest storage reservoir, Shasta Lake, which can hold about 4.5 million acre-feet.

As the keystone of the federal Central Valley Project, Shasta stands among the world’s largest dams. Construction on the dam began in 1938 and was completed in 1945, with flood control as the highest priority.

  • Read more

Water Academy

  • Agriculture
  • Background Information
  • Bay-Delta
  • Dams, Reservoirs and Water Projects
    • California Aqueduct
    • Central Valley Project
    • Folsom Dam
    • Friant Dam
    • Hetch Hetchy
    • Hoover Dam
    • Infrastructure
    • Lake Mead
    • Lake Powell
    • Oroville Dam
    • San Luis Dam
    • Shasta Dam
    • State Water Project
  • Environmental Issues
  • Leaders and Experts
  • Regions
  • Rivers
  • Water Issues
  • Water Quality
  • Water Supply and Management
Footer pod May 20, 2014

Water Education Foundation

Copyright © 2023 Water Education Foundation. All rights reserved.

The Water Education Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, 501(c)3 organization, federal tax ID #942419885.

Privacy Policy

Donor Privacy Policy

  • Read more
Footer pod May 20, 2014

Contact Information

2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205
Sacramento CA 95833

Telephone (916) 444-6240

Contact Us via email

  • Read more

Quicklinks

Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Contact Us

  • Read more
Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Donate Today

  • Read more
Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Tours

  • Read more
Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Newsletter Signup

  • Read more
Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Foundation News

  • Read more
Footer quicklink May 20, 2014

Calendar

  • Read more

Log in

  • Create new account
  • Request new password

Commands

  • Support portal
  • Log in