California’s water history during the past two centuries is
fraught with conflicts as agricultural, recreational,
environmental and urban users have fought, and continue to fight,
to secure finite water supplies for their ever-growing needs.
Colorado is awash in white this spring, with statewide snowpack
topping 140% of average this week, well above the reading a
year ago, when it stood at just 97% of normal. … Like
other Western states, mountain snowpacks in Colorado are
closely monitored because as they melt in the spring and
summer, their runoff delivers much of the state’s water. A
drought considered to be the worst in at least 1,200
years has devastated water supplies across the West. While
no one is suggesting the dry spell is over, Colorado water
officials said 2023 will likely allow for a significant
recovery in reservoirs and soil moisture.
Only two centuries ago, a shallow inland sea dominated
California’s Central Valley. In a ring of impenetrable reeds,
called tules, was Tulare Lake — then the largest body of
freshwater west of the Mississippi River. At the end of the
19th century, newly arrived settlers began draining it to
provide water for agriculture and growing cities and to defend
against destructive floods. But during wet years, as 2023 has
turned out to be, Tulare Lake seems to rise from the dead —
with some labeling it a “phantom lake.” The reality is, Tulare
Lake was never gone in the first place. Seasonal rains created
an ebb and flow of the boundaries as the shoreline shifted. In
drier years, Tulare was two lakes separated by a land bridge.
In wetter years, these lakes connected and created an
archipelago. In the driest years, the southern lake disappeared
and the archipelago became a beach. -Written by Trace Fleeman Garcia, an interdisciplinary
researcher with the Oregon Institute for Creative Research in
Portland.
As yet another major storm brings more rain and snow to
California, Mammoth Mountain has broken its historic snowfall
record — by a lot. “With 28-30 [inches] of snow since
yesterday afternoon, we just blew through our all-time season
snowfall record of 668” inches, Mammoth Mountain said in
an Instagram post. “We’ve received 695 [inches] of
snowfall to date at Main Lodge, making the 22/23 season the
biggest in our history!” Snowpack in the Southern
Sierra is already at record levels, with the statewide
record within reach. … Snowmelt will also be a
concern as the weather warms up. In a worst-case scenario,
massive snowmelt in the coming weeks could inundate towns along
U.S. Highway 395, which winds along the base of snow-clad
Sierra peaks that reach up to 14,000 feet.
[A]s California closes out a historically wet winter, Tulare
Lake has reappeared for the first time since 1997. As
runoff from several rivers drains into the valley, the homes
and streets and fields that sit on the lake bed, which covers
1,000 square miles, are being inundated once again. The
flooding will only increase over the next few months as the
state’s record snowpack melts, dousing the area with the
equivalent of 60 inches of rain. Tulare Lake has always
emerged during especially wet years, but the flooding will be
worse this time: the region’s powerful agriculture industry has
compounded flood risk around the lake by pumping enormous
amounts of subterranean groundwater, turning the region
into a giant bowl…..Even as flood risk has grown due to
subsidence, local leaders have rejected the state’s attempts to
finance new flood defenses.
For more than 100 years, the Los Angeles Aqueduct has endured
earthquakes, flash floods and dozens of bomb attacks as it
wends and weaves through the canyons and deserts of the eastern
Sierra Nevada. But earlier this month, record storms
accomplished the unthinkable when floodwaters undermined a
120-foot-long section of aqueduct in Owens Valley, causing its
concrete walls to crumble. “We’ve lost the aqueduct!” a
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power inspector told his
superiors by cellphone. As he spoke, chocolate-colored runoff
and debris undercut the aqueduct just west of Highway 395 and
the community of Olancha. It was the first time in history
that the 200-mile aqueduct had been breached by extreme
weather, threatening water deliveries to 4 million ratepayers
in Los Angeles.
By the time Erik Hansen had a moment to sit down in a Corcoran
pizza parlor on a recent afternoon, the 5th generation farmer
was tired, detached and a little defeated looking. He
talked matter-of-factly of his family’s losses so far: At least
3,000 acres are under water, some orchards will die, his
cousin’s house is destroyed and his own family had to evacuate
to his dad’s place in Visalia. And more water is coming
with the snow melt, he said. Based on his memories of the
1982-’83 flood, he anticipated water would remain on the land
for possibly a year.
After years of extreme drought and dismal
snowpack, California has had a remarkably wet winter and
is now veering into record-setting territory for
snowfall. As of Friday, the snowpack in the southern
Sierra Nevada was at 286% of normal — the highest figure
ever, easily eclipsing the region’s benchmark of 263% set
in 1969. In a tweet, the UC Berkeley Central Sierra
Snow Lab said this year recently surpassed 1982-83 as the
second-snowiest on record since measurements began in 1946.
For the first time in decades, Tulare Lake is reappearing in
the [San Joaquin] valley, reclaiming the lowlands at its
historic heart. Once the largest freshwater lake west of the
Mississippi River, Tulare Lake was largely drained in the late
19th and early 20th centuries, as the rivers that fed it were
dammed and diverted for agriculture….Tulare Lake’s sudden
reemergence has fueled conflict in one of California’s richest
agricultural centers, as the spreading waters swallow fields
and orchards and encroach on low-lying towns. In a region where
the major agricultural landowners have a history of water
disputes, the floods streaming into Tulare Lake Basin have
reignited some long-standing tensions and brought accusations
of foul play and mismanagement.
Records keep piling up across Utah this winter. Snowpack
reached a new high after Thursday night’s storms. The snow
water equivalent in Utah, or the amount of water the snow will
release when its melts, sits at 26 inches as of Friday morning.
That ties with the previous known record of 26 inches set on
April 13, 1983, according to Utah Snow Survey data. And with
the snow still falling, Friday is likely a new snowpack record.
Expect the record to keep rising — we still have 10 more days
until snowpack reaches its typical peak, and there are plenty
more storms in the forecast.
Emeryville is still digging itself out from under its
industrial past. For years, the city has cleaned up vast swaths
of land contaminated by the scores of commercial warehouses
that used to dominate the East Bay shoreline community. By the
early 2000s, Emeryville earned a reputation as “one of the
foulest industrial wastelands in the Bay Area,” according to
one news outlet, which said the soil was “so toxic that anyone
treading it had to wear a moon suit.” ….This week, city
officials kicked off the complex task of cleaning up roughly
78,000 square-feet of contaminated soil on another city-owned
property just across the railroad tracks from the popular Bay
Street Emeryville shopping center — which was also excavated
before construction.
First it was the eerie images of barrels leaking on the
seafloor not far from Catalina Island. Then the shocking
realization that the nation’s largest manufacturer of DDT had
once used the ocean as a huge dumping ground — and that as many
as half a million barrels of its acid waste had been poured
straight into the water. Now, scientists have discovered that
much of the DDT — which had been dumped largely in the 1940s
and ’50s — never broke down. The chemical remains in its most
potent form in startlingly high concentrations, spread across a
wide swath of seafloor larger than the city of San Francisco.
… With a $5.6-million research boost from Congress, at
the urging of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), numerous
federal, state and local agencies have since joined with
scientists and environmental nonprofits to figure out the
extent of the contamination lurking 3,000 feet
underwater.
Join us May 4 for an open house and reception at our office
near the Sacramento River to meet our team and learn more about
what we do to educate and foster understanding of California’s
most precious natural resource — water. At the open house, you
can enjoy refreshments and chat with our team about our tours,
conferences, maps, publications and training programs for
teachers and up-and-coming water industry professionals. You’ll
also be able to learn more about how you can support our work –
and you’ll have a chance to win prizes! The open house will be
held in the late afternoon on May 4. More details and a
sign-up are coming soon!
The protest encampment was easily visible from Highway 40
going West from Needles, California — a cluster of olive-green
Army tents that stood out from the low-lying creosote bushes
and sagebrush that cover the expanse of Ward Valley. At its
height, the camp held two kitchens (one vegetarian, one not), a
security detail, bathroom facilities and a few hundred people —
a coalition of five tribal nations, anti-nuclear activists,
veterans, environmentalists and American Indian Movement
supporters. They were there to resist a public-lands trade
between the federal government and the state of California that
would allow U.S. Ecology, a waste disposal company, to build a
1,000-acre, unlined nuclear waste dump that threatened both
desert tortoises and groundwater.
A modest proposal for western water: Turn off the spigot to the
Imperial Valley and let the farms go fallow. In return, provide
a water future for Arizona, Nevada and Southern California.
Sure, there would be a price to pay. California’s Imperial
Valley, which sits in the southeastern corner of the state,
bordered by Arizona and Mexico, produces alfalfa, lettuce, corn
and sugar beets, among other crops. It’s home to more than
300,000 head of cattle. Cutting off the water would end all of
that, along with the livelihoods of the farmers and ranchers
who produce it and the communities that depend on it. But let’s
face it, the whole valley defies nature. It’s a desert that
became an agricultural area when the All-American Canal was
built just over 100 years ago. -Written by Jim Newton, a veteran journalist,
best-selling author and teacher.
Senator Mark Kelly recently shared two photos of Lake Mead,
Arizona, and the stark contrast between the two fueled concerns
about the reservoir’s ability to recover from severe drought.
Torrential rain on the West Coast has filled some California
reservoirs to the point of overflow, and nearby states such as
Utah also saw their reservoirs benefit from the excess rain.
However, Lake Mead water levels remain relatively unchanged and
still at nearly their lowest in the reservoir’s history. On
Wednesday morning, Kelly tweeted photos of Lake Mead in 2000
compared to Lake Mead in 2022. The reservoir was visibly lower
in the more recent photo.
On Feb. 27 or 28, Lake Tahoe flipped or, more correctly, it
fully mixed vertically from top to bottom. Full mixing is an
annual event in shallower lakes, however, for Tahoe and its
1,640-foot depth, it is a less common occurrence. Lake Tahoe
last mixed during the 2018-19 winter. How do we know it
flipped? UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC)
researchers are on the lake every week sampling the water
quality, the phytoplankton and the overall health. Researchers
also maintain instruments in the lake, which take measurements
every few minutes. Typically mixing starts in the fall, with
the surface layer of the lake cooling and gradually mixing
deeper.
The medieval church of Sant Romà disappeared from view in the
1960s, when the town of Vilanova de Sau, an hour north of
Barcelona, was flooded to create a reservoir. In the past three
decades, its spectral belltower has broken the surface several
times, serving as a punctual reminder of Spain’s fragile water
resources. But today the church’s tower, its nave and the
building’s foundations are all exposed. The bare, steep ridges
of the Sau reservoir show how far its levels have receded, and
the cracked earth around the remaining pool of water is trodden
by tourists attracted by the ghost village’s reappearance.
Drought in Spain’s northeast reached “exceptional” levels last
month, menacing access to drinking water for 6 million people
in the Barcelona metropolitan area.
A divided Supreme Court confronted on Monday the question of
whether the government must do more to provide water for the
Navajo Nation in northern Arizona. And the answer, by the
narrowest majority, appeared to be yes. Most of the justices
said they were wary of even considering plans to take more
water from the mainstream of the drought-stricken Colorado
River. But five of them, led by Justices Neil M. Gorsuch and
Elena Kagan, mostly agreed with a lawyer who said there was a
150-year history of broken promises to the Navajo Nation. A
treaty signed in 1868 promised a “permanent home” where Navajo
Nation residents could farm and raise animals.
The Supreme Court will hear a major water rights dispute from
Arizona on Monday to decide whether the federal government has
broken its promises to the Navajo Nation for more than 150
years. Nearly a third of the Navajo households do not have
running water and must rely on water that is trucked in. The
Navajo Nation blames the U.S. government for having breached
its duty of trust that came with an 1868 treaty that
established their reservation in what is now northeast Arizona
and smaller portions of southeastern Utah and northeastern New
Mexico. That treaty “promised both land and water sufficient
for the Navajos to return to a permanent home in their
ancestral territory,” attorneys for the Navajo Nation told the
court. “Broken promises. The Nation is still waiting for the
water it needs.”
Water makes up 71% of Earth’s surface, but no one knows how or
when such massive quantities of water arrived on
Earth. A new study published in the
journal Nature brings scientists one step closer to
answering that question. Led by University of Maryland
Assistant Professor of Geology Megan Newcombe, researchers
analyzed melted meteorites that had been floating around in
space since the solar system’s formation 4 1/2 billion
years ago. They found that these meteorites had extremely
low water content—in fact, they were among the driest
extraterrestrial materials ever measured. These results,
which let researchers rule them out as the primary source of
Earth’s water, could have important implications for the search
for water—and life—on other planets. It also helps researchers
understand the unlikely conditions that aligned to make Earth a
habitable planet.
The fight for water in the West heads to the Supreme Court next
week where the justices will decide if the government has a
duty to give a tribal nation a share of the region’s most
precious resource. For over a century, the Navajo Nation
has been seeking recognition of get their water rights to the
Colorado River. While states like New Mexico and Utah have come
to settlements with the Navajo over water rights, Arizona has
been a holdout in these negotiations. Now the Navajo want the
federal government to step in on its behalf. … Sometimes
called the American Nile, the Colorado River serves around 36
million people, starting in the central Rocky Mountains of
Colorado and flowing for around 1,300 miles through Colorado,
Utah and Arizona. The river also borders the Arizona-Nevada and
Arizona-California borders and passes into Mexico.
Spanish soldier and California explorer Pedro Fages was chasing
deserters in 1772 when he came across a vast marshy lake and
named it Los Tules for the reeds and rushes that lined its
shore. Situated between the later cities of Fresno and
Bakersfield, Tulare Lake, as it was named in English, was the
nation’s largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River.
It spread out to as much as 1,000 square miles as snow in the
Sierra melted each spring, feeding five rivers flowing into the
lake. Its abundance of fish and other wildlife supported
several Native American tribes, who built boats from the lake’s
reeds to gather its bounty. -Written by Dan Walters, a CalMatters columnist.
Before Californians built a network of levees and dams to keep
cities from flooding, the rivers that formed the Central Valley
each winter would spill out of their channels. In the wettest
years, they’d flood to form a massive inland sea that stretched
hundreds of miles from Redding to Bakersfield. In wet winters
such as this one, those rivers keep trying to form that massive
seasonal wetland again, testing the strength of the levees that
protect communities built on the state’s floodplains. Along two
of the state’s most flood-prone rivers, Ducks Unlimited has
been working to create wetlands that use those natural flood
patterns to create vital habitat for waterbirds and wildlife.
The projects highlight why Californians should look to wetland
expansion as one of the solutions to help reduce the risks from
future floods.
…. On March 20 … the entire Colorado River will be looming
over the [Supreme Court] justices when they hear oral arguments
in Arizona v. Navajo Nation. The case, which dwells at the
intersection of Native treaty rights and water rights, will
mark the court’s latest foray into the byzantine rules and
regulations that govern limited supplies of water in one of the
driest parts of the country. For the Navajo Nation, the court’s
decision on its 19th-century treaty rights could have serious
consequences for its future.
A remarkably wet winter has resulted in some of the deepest
snowpack California has ever recorded, providing considerable
drought relief and a glimmer of hope for the state’s strained
water supply. Statewide snowpack Friday measured 190% of
normal, hovering just below a record set in the winter of
1982-83, officials with the Department of Water Resources said
during the third snow survey of the season…. In the
Southern Sierra, snowpack reached 231% of average for the date,
nearing the region’s benchmark of 263% set in 1969 and trending
ahead of the winter of 1983. With just one month remaining in
the state’s traditional rainy season, officials are now voicing
cautious optimism over the state’s hydrologic prospects.
It’s an arcane system of water law that dates back to the birth
of California — an era when 49ers used sluice boxes and water
cannons to scour gold from Sierra Nevada foothills and when the
state government promoted the extermination of Native people to
make way for white settlers. Today, this antiquated system of
water rights still governs the use of the state’s supplies, but
it is now drawing scrutiny like never before. In the face of
global warming and worsening cycles of drought, a growing
number of water experts, lawmakers, environmental groups and
tribes say the time has finally come for change. Some are
pushing for a variety of reforms, while others are calling for
the outright dismantling of California’s contentious water
rights system.
Despite the continued heavy winter rain and snow throughout
California, Gov. Gavin Newsom recently extended his executive
orders from 2022 that declared a drought emergency statewide.
He also asked the state water board to waive water flow
regulations intended to protect salmon and other endangered
fish species, as well as San Francisco Bay and Delta estuary
overall. Some viewed these moves as pragmatic steps to
avoid “wasting” the bounty of California’s rains out to
sea. Others saw them as a declaration of war against
the health of the bay. In fact, a war against the bay has
been going on for decades. Newsom’s order was merely the latest
skirmish. The war’s primary aggressors are agricultural
interests in the Central Valley. -Written by Howard V. Hendrix, the author of six
novels as well as many essays, poems and short
stories.
The Hoover Dam is one of the most impactful engineering feats
in American history. Completed on March 1, 1936, the dam spent
nearly a century harnessing the mighty Colorado River and
transforming parts of the arid Southwest into fertile farmlands
and bustling city centers. Here’s a look at the dam’s history
and how it shaped the region. The history of Hoover
Dam began in 1921, when a young Secretary of Commerce,
Herbert Hoover, proposed the construction of a dam on the
Colorado River. At the time, the Colorado River, which ran
uninterrupted from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf
of California, was considered dangerous and unreliable.
According to the National Park Service, the river would
often flood, particularly in late spring and early summer,
when snow melted from the Rocky Mountains would surge
into the river.
As drought-weary Californians watched trillions of gallons of
runoff wash into the Pacific Ocean during recent storms, it
underscored a nagging question: Why can’t we save more of that
water for not-so-rainy days to come? But even the rare
opportunity to stock up on the precious resource isn’t proving
enough to unite a state divided on a contentious idea to siphon
water from the north and tunnel it southward, an attempt to
combat the Southwest’s worst drought in more than a millennium.
The California Department of Water Resources said such a tunnel
could have captured a year’s supply of water for more than 2
million people. The proposal from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s
administration — one that would cost $16 billion to help 27
million water customers in central and southern California — is
spurring fresh outrage from communities that have fended off
similar plans over four decades, including suggestions to build
other tunnels or a massive canal.
According to the EPA, there are 150 serious chemical incidents
a year in the U.S. But most of the 10 U.S. rail incidents
involving the release of chemicals over the last two years
happened at or near the facility that produces the chemical.
… The Guardian searched EPA records and data from the
Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters and found: In the
first seven weeks of 2023 alone, there were more than 30
incidents recorded by the Coalition to Prevent Chemical
Disasters, roughly one every day and a half. Last year the
coalition recorded 188, up from 177 in 2021. The group has
tallied more than 470 incidents since it started counting in
April 2020.
Southern California has only gotten a taste of the powerful
winter storm system that forecasters say will bring an extended
period of cold temperatures, high winds and snow, prompting
what officials called the region’s first blizzard warning since
1989. The blizzard warning, which is in effect Friday and
Saturday for Southern California’s highest mountain ranges, is
likely only the second on record for the Los Angeles area,
according to the National Weather Service, Officials initially
called this week’s warning the first on record, then later
confirmed a blizzard warning was also issued in 1989, when a
strong winter storm brought rare snowfall to Southern
California, from Palm Springs to the hillsides of Malibu.
A shortage on the Colorado River has put tremendous pressure on
the water supply that serves more than 40-million people in the
Western United States. But a punishing drought and the over
allocation of the river have also created an urgent problem for
California’s Salton Sea. The 340-square-mile lake was formed in
1905 when a canal carrying river water to farmers in the
Imperial Valley ruptured. The flood created a desert oasis that
lured tourists and migratory birds to its shore. A century
later, the Salton Sea — California’s largest lake — is
spiraling into an ecological disaster. At 223 feet below
sea level, Bombay Beach occupies a low spot on the
map. Many of the shoreline community’s trailer homes are
rusting into the earth and tagged with graffiti. Artists have
created large pieces of public sculpture, including a vintage
phone booth that stands on the shoreline as a tribute to a
bygone era.
Yesterday’s Los Angeles Times article, “LA’s new water war:
Keeping supply from Mono Lake flowing as critics want it cut
off,” on the State Water Board’s Mono Lake workshop left
readers and workshop attendees, well … wondering. Print
space and attention spans are always tight, but the article
missed information key to understanding the issue at Mono
Lake, the diversity of voices calling Mono Lake protection, and
the water supply solutions that are right at hand for Los
Angeles. The State Water Board’s five-hour
workshop was attended by 365 people, and 49 of the 53
public commenters spoke in support of raising Mono Lake.
Water is a universal foundation for every problem and
opportunity in California. Most people use it every day,
yet even experts with decades of experience don’t know it
all. (Alas, too many advocates and pundits almost
don’t know it at all.) Welcome! Immense numbers of books
and articles have been written on California water. Here
is a selection of some readings and websites useful for folks
who want to become California water wonks as serious
journalists, students, agency and NGO leaders or workers,
consultants new to the area, professors and instructors, or
just obsessed members of the public.
With its haunting rock spires and salt-crusted shores, Mono
Lake is a Hollywood vision of the apocalypse. To the city of
Los Angeles, however, this Eastern Sierra basin represents the
very source of L.A.’s prosperity — the right to free water. For
decades, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has
relied on long-standing water rights to divert from the streams
that feed this ancient lake as part of the city’s far-flung
water empire. But in the face of global warming, drought and
lawsuits from environmentalists, the DWP is now facing the
previously unthinkable prospect of ending its diversions there.
In the coming months, the State Water Resources Control Board
will decide whether Mono Lake’s declining water level — and the
associated ecological impacts — constitute an emergency that
outweighs L.A.’s right to divert up to 16,000 acre-feet of
supplies each year.
When the Colorado River Compact was
signed 100 years ago, the negotiators for seven Western states
bet that the river they were dividing would have ample water to
meet everyone’s needs – even those not seated around the table.
A century later, it’s clear the water they bet on is not there.
More than two decades of drought, lake evaporation and overuse of
water have nearly drained the river’s two anchor reservoirs, Lake
Powell on the Arizona-Utah border and Lake Mead near Las Vegas.
Climate change is rendering the basin drier, shrinking spring
runoff that’s vital for river flows, farms, tribes and cities
across the basin – and essential for refilling reservoirs.
The states that endorsed the Colorado River Compact in 1922 – and
the tribes and nation of Mexico that were excluded from the table
– are now straining to find, and perhaps more importantly accept,
solutions on a river that may offer just half of the water that
the Compact assumed would be available. And not only are
solutions not coming easily, the relationships essential for
compromise are getting more frayed.
This tour traveled along the San Joaquin River to learn firsthand
about one of the nation’s largest and most expensive river
restoration projects.
The San Joaquin River was the focus of one of the most
contentious legal battles in California water history,
ending in a 2006 settlement between the federal government,
Friant Water Users Authority and a coalition of environmental
groups.
Hampton Inn & Suites Fresno
327 E Fir Ave
Fresno, CA 93720
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.
Our Water 101 Workshop, one of our most popular events, offered attendees the opportunity to deepen their understanding of California’s water history, laws, geography and politics.
Taught by some of the leading policy and legal experts in the state, the workshop was held as an engaging online event on the afternoons of Thursday, April 22 and Friday, April 23.
The Water Education Foundation’s Water 101 Workshop, one of our most popular events, offered attendees the opportunity to deepen their understanding of California’s water history, laws, geography and politics.
Taught by some of the leading policy and legal experts in the state, the one-day workshop held on Feb. 20, 2020 covered the latest on the most compelling issues in California water.
McGeorge School of Law
3327 5th Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95817
We have an unknown distance yet to run, an unknown river to explore. What falls there are, we know not; what rocks beset the channel, we know not; what walls ride over the river, we know not. Ah, well! We may conjecture many things.
~John Wesley Powell
Powell scrawled those words in his journal as he and his expedition paddled their way into the deep walls of the Grand Canyon on a stretch of the Colorado River in August 1869. Three months earlier, the 10-man group had set out on their exploration of the iconic Southwest river by hauling their wooden boats into a major tributary of the Colorado, the Green River in Wyoming, for their trip into the “great unknown,” as Powell described it.
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
The 1992 election to the United
States Senate was famously coined the “Year of the Woman” for the
record number of women elected to the upper chamber.
In the water world, 2018 has been a similar banner year, with
noteworthy appointments of women to top leadership posts in
California — Karla Nemeth at the California Department of Water
Resources and Gloria Gray at the Metropolitan Water District of
Southern California.
In the universe of California water, Tim Quinn is a professor emeritus. Quinn has seen — and been a key player in — a lot of major California water issues since he began his water career 40 years ago as a young economist with the Rand Corporation, then later as deputy general manager with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and finally as executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies. In December, the 66-year-old will retire from ACWA.
In 1983, a landmark California Supreme Court ruling extended the public trust doctrine to tributary creeks that feed Mono Lake, which is a navigable water body even though the creeks themselves were not. The ruling marked a dramatic shift in water law and forced Los Angeles to cut back its take of water from those creeks in the Eastern Sierra to preserve the lake.
Now, a state appellate court has for the first time extended that same public trust doctrine to groundwater that feeds a navigable river, in this case the Scott River flowing through a picturesque valley of farms and alfalfa in Siskiyou County in the northern reaches of California.
One of our most popular events, our annual Water 101 Workshop
details the history, geography, legal and political facets
of water in California as well as hot topics currently facing the
state.
Taught by some of the leading policy and legal experts in the
state, the one-day workshop on Feb. 7 gave attendees a
deeper understanding of the state’s most precious natural
resources.
Optional Groundwater Tour
On Feb. 8, we jumped aboard a bus to explore groundwater, a key
resource in California. Led by Foundation staff and groundwater
experts Thomas
Harter and Carl Hauge, retired DWR chief hydrogeologist, the
tour visited cities and farms using groundwater, examined a
subsidence measuring station and provided the latest updates
on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
McGeorge School of Law
3327 5th Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95817
Nowhere is the domino effect in
Western water policy played out more than on the Colorado River,
and specifically when it involves the Lower Basin states of
California, Nevada and Arizona. We are seeing that play out now
as the three states strive to forge a Drought Contingency Plan.
Yet that plan can’t be finalized until Arizona finds a unifying
voice between its major water players, an effort you can read
more about in the latest in-depth article of Western Water.
Even then, there are some issues to resolve just within
California.
Lake
Tahoe, the iconic high Sierra water body that straddles
California and Nevada, has sat for more than 10,000 years at the
heart of the Washoe tribe’s territory. In fact, the name Tahoe
came from the tribal word dá’aw, meaning lake.
The lake’s English name was the source of debate for about 100
years after it was first “discovered” in 1844 by people of
European descent when Gen. John C. Fremont’s expedition made its
way into the region. Not long after, a man who carried mail on
snowshoes from Placerville to Nevada City named it Lake Bigler in
honor of John Bigler, who served as California’s third governor.
But because Bigler was an ardent secessionist, the federal
Interior Department during the Civil War introduced the name
Tahoe in 1862. Meanwhile, California kept it as Lake Bigler and
didn’t officially recognize the name as Lake Tahoe until 1945.
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
Along the banks of the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Oakley, about 50 miles southwest
of Sacramento, is a park that harkens back to the days when the
Delta lured Native Americans, Spanish explorers, French fur
trappers, and later farmers to its abundant wildlife and rich
soil.
That historical Delta was an enormous marsh linked to the two
freshwater rivers entering from the north and south, and tidal
flows coming from the San Francisco Bay. After the Gold Rush,
settlers began building levees and farms, changing the landscape
and altering the habitat.
One of our most popular events, Water 101 details the history,
geography, legal and political facets of water in California
as well as hot topics currently facing the state.
Taught by some of the leading policy and legal experts in the
state, the one-day workshop gives attendees a deeper
understanding of the state’s most precious natural resource.
McGeorge School of Law
3285 5th Ave, Classroom C
Sacramento, CA 95817
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
Participants of this tour snaked along the San Joaquin River to
learn firsthand about one of the nation’s largest and most
expensive river restoration projects.
The San Joaquin River was the focus of one of the most
contentious legal battles in California water history,
ending in a 2006 settlement between the federal government,
Friant Water Users Authority and a coalition of environmental
groups.
The American River, with headwaters
in the Tahoe and Eldorado national forests of the Sierra Nevada,
is the birthplace of the California Gold Rush. It currently
serves as a major water supply, recreational destination and
habitat for hundreds of species. The geologically diverse
North, Middle and South forks comprise the American
River or the Río de los Americanos, as it was called during
California’s Mexican rule.
A written transcript of a 1992 interview with six major figures
in the early development of California water whose work ranged
from Shasta Dam to the Imperial Valley as they shaped the state’s
water story beginning in the 1920s.
The Reclamation Act of 1902, which could arguably be described as
a progression of the credo, Manifest Destiny, transformed the
West. This issue of Western Water provides a glimpse of the past
100 years of the Reclamation Act, from the early visionaries who
sought to turn the arid West into productive farmland, to the
modern day task of providing a limited amount of water to homes,
farms and the environment. Included are discussions of various
Bureau projects and what the next century may bring in terms of
challenges and success.
This issue of Western Water examines the presence of mercury in
the environment and the challenge of limiting the threat posed to
human health and wildlife. In addition to outlining the extent of
the problem and its resistance to conventional pollution
remedies, the article presents a glimpse of some possible courses
of action for what promises to be a long-term problem.
This printed issue of Western Water examines the area
of origin laws, what they mean to those who claim their
protections and the possible implications of the Tehama Colusa
Canal Authority’s lawsuit against the Bureau of Reclamation.
This printed issue of Western Water discusses several
flood-related issues, including the proposed Central Valley Flood
Protection Plan, the FEMA remapping process and the dispute
between the state and the Corps regarding the levee vegetation
policy.
This printed issue of Western Water examines how the various
stakeholders have begun working together to meet the planning
challenges for the Colorado River Basin, including agreements
with Mexico, increased use of conservation and water marketing,
and the goal of accomplishing binational environmental
restoration and water-sharing programs.
This issue updates progress on crafting and implementing
California’s 4.4 plan to reduce its use of Colorado River water
by 800,000 acre-feet. The state has used as much as 5.2 million
acre-feet of Colorado River water annually, but under pressure
from Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and the other six states
that share this resource, California’s Colorado River parties
have been trying to close the gap between demand and supply.
Drawn from a special stakeholder symposium held in September 1999
in Keystone, Colorado, this issue explores how we got to where we
are today on the Colorado River; an era in which the traditional
water development of the past has given way to a more
collaborative approach that tries to protect the environment
while stretching available water supplies.
In 1997, the Foundation sponsored a three-day, invitation-only
symposium at Bishop’s Lodge, New Mexico, site of the 1922
Colorado River Compact signing, to discuss the historical
implications of that agreement, current Colorado River issues and
future challenges. The 204-page proceedings features the panel
discussions and presentations on such issues as the Law of the
River, water marketing and environmental restoration.
20-minute version of the 2012 documentary The Klamath Basin: A
Restoration for the Ages. This DVD is ideal for showing at
community forums and speaking engagements to help the public
understand the complex issues related to complex water management
disputes in the Klamath River Basin. Narrated by actress Frances
Fisher.
For over a century, the Klamath River Basin along the Oregon and
California border has faced complex water management disputes. As
relayed in this 2012, 60-minute public television documentary
narrated by actress Frances Fisher, the water interests range
from the Tribes near the river, to energy producer PacifiCorp,
farmers, municipalities, commercial fishermen, environmentalists
– all bearing legitimate arguments for how to manage the water.
After years of fighting, a groundbreaking compromise may soon
settle the battles with two epic agreements that hold the promise
of peace and fish for the watershed. View an excerpt from the
documentary here.
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.
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.
15-minute DVD that graphically portrays the potential disaster
should a major earthquake hit the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
“Delta Warning” depicts what would happen in the event of an
earthquake registering 6.5 on the Richter scale: 30 levee breaks,
16 flooded islands and a 300 billion gallon intrusion of salt
water from the Bay – the “big gulp” – which would shut down the
State Water Project and Central Valley Project pumping plants.
30-minute DVD that traces the history of the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation and its role in the development of the West. Includes
extensive historic footage of farming and the construction of
dams and other water projects, and discusses historic and modern
day issues.
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, features
a map of the San Joaquin River. The map text focuses on the San
Joaquin River Restoration Program, which aims to restore flows
and populations of Chinook salmon to the river below Friant Dam
to its confluence with the Merced River. The text discusses the
history of the program, its goals and ongoing challenges with
implementation.
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 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.
This beautiful 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, displays
the rivers, lakes and reservoirs, irrigated farmland, urban areas
and Indian reservations within the Truckee River Basin, including
the Newlands Project, Pyramid Lake and Lake Tahoe. Map text
explains the issues surrounding the use of the Truckee-Carson
rivers, Lake Tahoe water quality improvement efforts, fishery
restoration and the effort to reach compromise solutions to many
of these issues.
This 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, illustrates the
water resources available for Nevada cities, agriculture and the
environment. It features natural and manmade water resources
throughout the state, including the Truckee and Carson rivers,
Lake Tahoe, Pyramid Lake and the course of the Colorado River
that forms the state’s eastern boundary.
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 the country of 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 28-page Layperson’s Guide to
Water Rights Law, recognized as the most thorough explanation of
California water rights law available to non-lawyers, traces the
authority for water flowing in a stream or reservoir, from a
faucet or into an irrigation ditch through the complex web of
California water rights.
As the state’s population continues to grow and traditional water
supplies grow tighter, there is increased interest in reusing
treated wastewater for a variety of activities, including
irrigation of crops, parks and golf courses, groundwater recharge
and industrial uses.
The 20-page Layperson’s Guide to Water Marketing provides
background information on water rights, types of transfers and
critical policy issues surrounding this topic. First published in
1996, the 2005 version offers expanded information on
groundwater banking and conjunctive use, Colorado River
transfers and the role of private companies in California’s
developing water market.
Order in bulk (25 or more copies of the same guide) for a reduced
fee. Contact the Foundation, 916-444-6240, for details.
The 28-page Layperson’s Guide to Nevada Water provides an
overview of the history of water development and use in Nevada.
It includes sections on Nevada’s water rights laws, the history
of the Truckee and Carson rivers, water supplies for the Las
Vegas area, groundwater, water quality, environmental issues and
today’s water supply challenges.
The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to Flood Management explains the
physical flood control system, including levees; discusses
previous flood events (including the 1997 flooding); explores
issues of floodplain management and development; provides an
overview of flood forecasting; and outlines ongoing flood control
projects.
The Colorado River provides water to 40 million people and 4
million acres of farmland in a region encompassing some 246,000
square miles in the southwestern United States. The 32-page
Layperson’s Guide to the Colorado River covers the history of the
river’s development; negotiations over division of its water; the
items that comprise the Law of the River; and a chronology of
significant Colorado River events.
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 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).
In the Northern California community of Redding, he was a justice
of peace, a renowned water rights attorney in the law firm of
Carr and Kennedy and helped form the Anderson-Cottonwood
Irrigation District. He was often in the nation’s Capitol in
Washington, D.C., advocating for funds from Congress to get this
visionary project built for the benefit of all of California. In
his honor, the Judge Francis Carr Powerplant was named after him.
William R. “Bill” Gianelli
(1919-2020) was a civil engineer who served not only as
director of the California Department of Water Resources (DWR)
from 1967-1973 during Gov. Ronald Reagan’s administration, but
worked as a civil servant under Govs. Earl Warren, Goodwin Knight
and Edmund G. “Pat”
Brown during all phases of the California State Water Project (SWP):
its design, planning and construction.
William Hammond Hall (1846-1934) is credited with the first
proposal of an integrated flood control system with levees, weirs
and bypass channels for the Sacramento Valley after his
appointment as the first California state engineer.
William Mulholland (1855-1935), an immigrant from Ireland, is
infamous in the history of California water and the state’s water
wars for both his far-sightedness and no-holds-barred approach to
delivering a controversial water supply to Southern California.
He is a love-hate character with a story that has many tellings,
including in the 1974 fictional movie, Chinatown.
William E. “Bill” Warne (1905-1996) had a career for the record
books that prominently featured water issues at state, federal
and international levels.
He served under Governor Edmund G. “Pat” Brown as the second
director of the state Department of Water Resources (DWR) from
1961-1967 along with also being the first Resources Agency
secretary from 1961-1963 at the beginning of the construction of
the California State
Water Project.
Thomas J. “Tom” Graff (1944-2009) opened up the California office
of the Environmental Defense Fund in 1971 and was its regional
director for more than 35 years.
Throughout his life, he was committed to the environment and the
mentorship of environmental leaders. He was revered as an
influential environmental lawyer on the state and federal water
circuits and public forums and used strategic acumen to build
partnerships to solve water problems with long-lasting solutions.
Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt (1858-1919) was the 26th president of
the United States who established the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
and created the U.S. Forest Service.
During his term of office from 1901-1909, he is credited for his
efforts on conservation, increasing the number of national
forests, protecting land for the public and promoting irrigation
projects. For Roosevelt, water was instrumental to developing the
Western states.
Stephen K. Hall (1951-2010) led the Association of California
Water Agencies (ACWA) as its executive director from 1993 until
retiring in 2007 from the effects of Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Hall continued to stay
current on water issues and to advocate for legislation on ALS at
the state Capitol until he died.
His motto became “As much as I can for as long as I can.”
Ron Stork, the award-winning policy director of the Friends of
the River, joined the statewide California river conservation
group in 1987 as its associate conservation director. Previously
he was executive director of the Merced Canyon Committee, where
he directed the successful effort to obtain the National Wild and
Scenic River designation for the Merced River.
Robert “Bob” M. Hagan, Ph.D. (1917-2002), internationally
renowned for his expertise in the relationships between plants,
water, soil and water use efficiency — specifically in the area
of agricultural water use — was a professor of water science, an
irrigationist in the California Agricultural Experiment Station
and a statewide extension specialist in the California
Agricultural Extension Service during a 50-year career with the
University of California, Davis.
Ronald B. Robie, an associate justice on the California Court of
Appeal, Third Appellate District, has made his mark on state
water issues during a career in public service that has spanned
all three branches of government.
Robert A. Skinner (1895-1986) was the Metropolitan Water District
of Southern California general manager from 1962-1967. An
engineer, he was instrumental in negotiating the district’s
contract with the California Department of Water Resources for
delivery of water from Northern California. Both Lake Skinner and
a treatment plant in southwestern Riverside County were named in
his honor.
Rachel Carson (1907-1964) authored Silent Spring, a book
published in 1962 about the impacts of pesticides on
the ecosystem and credited with beginning the modern
environmental movement.
Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked at the U.S. Bureau
of Fisheries, renamed the Fish and Wildlife Service, from
1935-1952 as a biologist and then editor-in-chief of
publications.
Marc Reisner (1948-2000), an environmental writer who became a
celebrity in the water world, was the author of Cadillac Desert:
The American West and Its Disappearing Water (1986), a
best-seller about Western water history and politics and a
full-blown critique of 20th century water development, especially
in California and the West. “Based on 10 years of research,
Cadillac Desert is a stunning expose and a dramatic, provocative
history of the creation of an Eden — an Eden that may be only a
mirage,” according to the book’s back flap.
Lester A. Snow, the mastermind behind
countless water resources management projects, has been involved
in water issues in two states, both the public and private
sectors and on regional, state and federal levels of government.
In a timeline of his career, Snow served from 1988-1995 as the
general manager of the San Diego County Water Authority after
leaving the Arizona Department of Water Resources. From
1995-1999, he was the executive director of the CALFED Bay-Delta
Program, which included a team of both federal and state
agencies.
Julian B. Hinds (1881-1977) was Metropolitan Water District of
Southern California’s general manager and chief engineer from
1941-1951, but began work on the Colorado River Aqueduct in 1929
soon after the district was organized.
John Wesley Powell (1834-1902) was historic and heroic for being
first to lead an expedition down the Colorado River in 1869. A major
who lost an arm in the Civil War Battle of Shiloh, he was an
explorer, geologist, geographer and ethnologist.
John R. Teerink (1921-1992) was the director of the California
Department of Water Resources (DWR) from 1973-1975 during
Governor Ronald Reagan’s administration.He had various lead roles
in the implementation of the State Water Project during his
29-year career at DWR. He progressed through the ranks as junior
engineer, assistant chief engineer and then deputy director until
his appointment to head the department.
John Muir (1838-1914) was a famous
and influential naturalist and conservationist who founded the
Sierra Club in 1892 and was its president until he died.
Throughout his life, this man from Scotland was also a farmer,
inventor, sheepherder, explorer and writer.
Joan Didion (1934-2021) was a native California author and
playwright whose famous writings have featured California water
issues.
Born and reared in Sacramento, she wrote extensively and
personally about her feelings on the subject of water. In her
memoir, Where I Was From, she told not only the story about her
pioneering family’s roots in the Sacramento area but also of the
seasonal flooding, the water politics and controversies, and the
California State Water Project (SWP) and federal Central Valley
Project (CVP).
Jean Auer (1937-2005) was the first woman to serve on the
California State Water Resources Control Board and a pioneer for
women aspiring to be leaders in the water world.
She is described as a “woman of great spirit who made large
contributions to improve the waters of California.” She was
appointed as the State Water Board’s public member by
then-Governor Ronald Reagan and served from 1972-1977 during a
time period that included the passage of the federal Clean Water
Act. She became part of the growing movement for water quality
regulations to stop water pollution.
Ira J. “Jack” Chrisman (1910-1988) became a well-known force in
California’s water history beginning back in 1955 after his
family home was flooded in the San Joaquin Valley town of
Visalia.
Hiram W. Wadsworth (1862-1939) is known as the father of
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. As the mayor
of Pasadena, he called for a regional partnership of
municipalities to bring water to Southern California. After
initiating the Colorado River Aqueduct Association and being
elected its president, he directed the campaign from 1924-1929
that led to the establishment of the district. The pumping plant
at Diamond Valley Lake, located 90 miles southeast of Los Angeles
in Riverside County, was named the Hiram W. Wadsworth
Pumping/Hydro-generating Facility in his honor.
Harvey O. Banks (1910-1996), a lifelong civil engineer, played an
integral role in the development of water projects in California.
He became the first director of the state Department of Water
Resources, appointed by Governor Goodwin J. Knight on July 5,
1956 — the date the department was officially established. He
continued as director under Governor Edmund G. “Pat” Brown.
During Banks’ tenure as director from 1956-1961, he was key in
the planning and the initial construction of the California State
Water Project (SWP).
Gordon Cologne served for 10 years in the California Legislature
during the 1960s and early 1970s while the California State Water
Project was being built.
His interest in water issues began from his early life in the
Coachella Valley desert. An attorney, he worked in both the
public sector in Washington, D.C, and then in private practice in
California. He also served his local community as a member of the
city of Indio City Council, including as mayor, before his
decision to run for election to fill an open seat in the
Assembly.
Elwood Mead (1858-1936) was the commissioner of the U.S. Bureau
of Reclamation during the era of the development of Hoover Dam on
the Colorado River between Arizona and Nevada, Grand Coulee Dam
in Washington and Owyhee Dam in Oregon, among other large water
projects.
Edward Hyatt Jr. (1888-1954) was the state engineer of California
from 1927-1950. In a 1928 report he wrote titled “Water is the
Life Blood of California — The Division of Engineering and
Irrigation of the State Department of Public Works; What it Does
and How it Operates,” he called the department the “building
organization of California’s state government” and described
successes, challenges and responsibilities of his position.
Don McCrea was one of the founding members of the Water Education
Foundation and signed its original Articles of Incorporation in
1977.
His background was in power and energy issues, including
hydrology and the state’s hydrologic system, from a career at the
Pacific Gas & Electric Company in San Francisco. He was involved
in the development of the State Water Project as a proponent of
the value of hydroelectricity.
David N. Kennedy (1936-2007) was at the helm as the director of
the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) for 15 years,
the longest serving director to date, and a champion of the State
Water Project (SWP).
David A. Gaines (1947-1988) is known for founding the Mono Lake
Committee in 1978 with the goal of preserving its ecosystem and
leading a grassroots effort to “Save Mono Lake.” The result would
be an environmental cause célèbre. As a synopsis of the Mono Lake
litigation, in 1979 a lawsuit was filed against the Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power (DWP) to stop diversions to
Southern California — citing the public trust values at Mono
Lake.
Clair A. Hill (1909-1998), a self-made engineer nicknamed
“California’s Mr. Water,” built from the ground up an engineering
firm that would merge to form the global consulting firm of CH2M
HILL.
In 1938 in his hometown of Redding along the Upper Sacramento
River in Northern California, he founded Clair A. Hill &
Associates. Before merging with CH2M in 1971, the two firms had
collaborated on many projects together, including the Lake Tahoe
Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility — the first of its kind in
the world.
Carley V. Porter (1906-1972) was the
longtime chairman of the California Legislature’s Assembly
Committee on Water who has two historical and important water
laws named after him. He was a Democrat from Compton in Los
Angeles County and a teacher before being elected to the
Assembly.
C.W. “Bill” Jones (1918-2003) was an historical water figure
known for his pioneering efforts in bringing water deliveries to
the agricultural land in the San Joaquin Valley.
Bernice Frederic “B.F.” “Bernie” Sisk (1910-1995) represented the
San Joaquin Valley in the U.S. Congress for nearly a quarter of a
century from 1955-1978.
Arthur D. Edmonston directed the early planning
of the Central Valley Project, State Water Project and State
Water Plan.
He served as California state engineer and chief of the Division
of Water Resources (predecessor to the Department of Water
Resources) from 1950-1955, a time of rapid population,
agricultural and industry growth California. Water shortages were
common, and groundwater supplies were being overdrafted.
Anne J. Schneider (1947-2010) is
acknowledged as one of the first women to become well-known and
well-respected in the field of California and Western water law.
“Anne was an amazing person — an accomplished college athlete,
mountain climber, skier, marathon runner, velodrome and
long-distance cyclist; a devoted mother; a dedicated
conservationist,” said Justice Ronald B. Robie in the Inaugural
Anne J. Schneider Memorial Lecture in May 2012.
Alex Hildebrand (1913-2012) had an understanding and knowledge of
California’s South Delta and San Joaquin River bar none. After
retiring early from a career as an engineer for Standard Oil of
California, he moved his family to the San Joaquin Valley where
he farmed for nearly 50 years while active in water issues and as
an advocate for the area.
Adolph Moskovitz (1923-1996) is remembered as one of the leading
water resources attorneys in the country and has been described
as “brilliant” by his many peers in the legal profession.
We were pleased to receive the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s
highest award in the area of water conservation recently. The
Foundation was recognized for being a long-term industry leader
for conservation in California and the West. With receipt of this
award and the contents of this latest Western Water, I’ve been
reflecting on the more than 17 years I have spent at the
Foundation. As Sue McClurg chronicles in her article, a series of
talented people have worked both as staff and volunteers through
our 20 years. Certainly the Foundation owes much of its success
to these people.
