Each year, members of the Water Leaders program from various
interest groups and perspectives – farmers, environmentalists,
scientists, lawyers, engineers and others – study a topic and
collaborate to figure out how to solve it. The cohorts have
full editorial control on their findings.
The 2024 Water Leaders cohort studied ways to help
California meet the ongoing requirements of the Sustainable
Groundwater Management Act, ten years after the landmark law was
passed.
The 2024 Colorado River Water Leaders studied augmentation and
how to move forward with such projects that increase the
availability and supply of water as the Colorado River Basin
grows hotter and drier. Read their
report, Augmentation’s Role in Addressing Long-Term
Challenges in the Colorado River Basin.
The 2022 Water Leaders cohort studied the Bay-Delta Water Quality
Control Plan and associated voluntary agreements and made
recommendations on how to proceed.
Members of the inaugural 2022 Colorado River Water Leaders
class explored ways to improve river management. Read their
report, Recommendations for the Next Colorado River Operating
Guidelines, to learn more.
Members of the 2021 Water Leaders class examined issues of water
equity in California. Read their policy recommendations in the
class report, Achieving Water Equity in California: Restructuring
Water Management, Governance & Engagement, to learn more.
Members of the 2020 Water Leaders class examined how
to adapt water management to climate change. Read their
policy recommendations in the class report, Adapting
California Water Management to Climate Change: Charting a Path
Forward, to learn more.
Members of the 2019 Water Leaders class examined the
emerging issue of wildfire impacts on California’s water
supply and quality. Read their policy recommendations in the
class report, Fire and Water: An Emerging Nexus in
California, to learn more.
The 2018 Water Leaders class examined ways to improve water
management through data. Read their recommendations in the class
report, Catch the Data Wave: Improving Water Management
through Data.
