Find out what the Water Education Foundation is up to with
announcements about upcoming events, tours, new Western
Water articles on key water topics and more!
Sign up here to get announcements sent to
your inbox.
The Salton Sea in California’s far
southeast corner has challenged policymakers and local agencies
alike to save the desert lake – a vital stopover for
migrating birds – from becoming a fetid, hyper-saline water
body inhospitable to wildlife and surrounded by clouds of
lung-choking dust.
The state of California, long derided for its failure to act in
the past, says it is now moving full-bore to address the sea’s
problems, with ambitious plans for wildlife habitat expansion and
dust suppression.
The
latest article in Western Water examines the
state’s efforts, the longstanding concerns of people living and
working around the Salton Sea and how those concerns are
affecting Colorado River management.
Our Headwaters Tour is going virtual
next month with an exclusive screening of a video that takes
viewers across the upper watershed of a major Sierra-fed river to
learn the important role forests play in California’s water
supply.
You’ll go to the crest of the Sierras to learn how the state
measures snowpack, to a meadow restoration deep in the
forest and along the American River in the foothills where
water is diverted for homes.
Our popular Layperson’s Guide
to the Delta has just been updated to reflect the
latest information about efforts to reconcile ecosystem needs of
the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta with its role as California’s
vital water delivery hub as well as its place as an important
agricultural region and a popular recreation destination.
The Delta is the largest freshwater tidal estuary on the West
Coast and is a unique resource and distinct feature of Northern
California’s landscape. The water that flows through the Delta
provides a significant portion of drinking water for more than 29
million Californians, serves a $50 billion agricultural industry,
is home to native and nonnative plants and animals and is a
crucial part of the state’s two largest surface water delivery
systems – the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley
Project.
Since 1997, more than 430 engineers,
farmers, environmentalists, lawyers, and others have graduated
from our William R. Gianelli Water Leaders program. We’ve
developed a new alumni network
webpage to help program participants connect and keep in
touch.
Colorado is home to the headwaters
of the Colorado River and the water policy decisions made in the
Centennial State reverberate throughout the river’s sprawling
basin that stretches south to California, Arizona and Mexico.
The task of working with interstate partners to address the
challenges of the Colorado River Basin while balancing competing
water demands within the state of Colorado rests largely with
Becky Mitchell, director of the Colorado Water Conservation
Board.
In the
latest article in Western Water, Mitchell
talked about her state’s plan to address an expected water supply
shortfall, climate risks and the prospects for future Colorado
River operations as the river system deals with prolonged
drought.
An
online short course starting Thursday will provide
registrants the opportunity to learn more about how groundwater
is monitored, assessed and sustainably managed.
The class, offered by UC Davis and several other organizations in
cooperation with the Water Education Foundation, will be
held May 21 and 28, June 4, 18, and 25 from 9 a.m. to noon.
Sprawled across a desert expanse
along the Utah-Arizona border, Lake Powell’s 100-foot high
bathtub ring etched on its sandstone walls belie the challenges
of a major Colorado River reservoir at less than half-full.
Recent studies point to warmer and drier conditions ahead, with
reduced runoff into the Colorado River. Meanwhile, the Upper
Basin is looking to use more of its share of the river’s waters.
On the horizon is a rewrite of the operating guidelines for the
river, and already there is talk about how changes to those
guidelines could affect Lake Powell, a key reservoir in the
Colorado River system.
The latest article in Western Water explores the
different concerns being raised around the Colorado River Basin
and how the river’s challenges could play out in Powell’s future.
Our daily news aggregation known as
Aquafornia keeps you up-to-date on the
most pressing water issues in California and across the West.
Now, it features a special COVID-19
news feed where you can find articles related to coronavirus
and water, such as efforts to get federal funding to help
struggling ratepayers, tracking the virus through wastewater
and addressing water systems as people head back to work.
Dear Friends and Supporters of the Water Education Foundation,
At the Water Education Foundation,
we focus on telling the complex story of water in California and
the West because of its critical role in sustaining our lives,
growing our food and nourishing our environment.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of water
even more – in fighting the virus by washing hands and tracking
its movement through wastewater.
To celebrate the Big Day
of Giving, the Water Education Foundation is hosting
virtual water trivia this Thursday on our social media channels,
and we invite you to join in the fun.
Beginning at 6:30 p.m. PDT May 7, Programs Manager Nick Gray will
host three short water trivia rounds live on
Facebook and via posts on Twitter. We hope
you will join us to show off your water knowledge and have a
chance at winning prizes. Check out more
details here.
Our special COVID-19 webpage dedicated to providing ideas for teaching online or at home now includes a newsfeed where you can find the latest coronavirus-related water news.
To access the latest COVID-19 water news, click on our special page and scroll down to Stay in the Know.
In response to updated COVID-19 public health guidelines, the Water Education Foundation has further adjusted our 2020 in-person programming schedule to ensure the safety and health of our partners, event attendees and staff.
The coronavirus pandemic has upended daily routines for many parents, teachers, water professionals and others. For parents and teachers, the challenge is keeping children engaged in their education despite school closures. For others, the challenge may be keeping up with water news while working remotely.
For those looking for information about water in California and the West, the Water Education Foundation continues to provide a variety of resources, as well as updates and new information online related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Water Education Foundation appreciates your understanding as we continue to closely monitor COVID-19 developments and adjust our 2020 programming to ensure the safety and health of our partners, event attendees and staff.
With that said, our 2020 Water Summit is still on for Sept. 24 in Sacramento, so save the date! Our annual premier event will feature key policymakers, stakeholders and experts providing the latest information and viewpoints on issues affecting water across California and the West.
Join us May 7 for a “virtual” open
house to learn more about how we are educating and fostering
understanding of California’s most precious natural resource -
water – through the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the open house, you can chat with our staff about our
water 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.
In light of recent developments regarding COVID-19, we wanted to reach out and provide an update on our 2020 programming schedule.
The Water Education Foundation is closely monitoring COVID-19 developments, which have created uncertainty for us all. And just like every organization, we are unsure how this will play out, for how long and how it will affect our upcoming in-person programming.
What is clear is the seriousness of this rapidly spreading virus. Thus, we are taking the following steps:
Weave through the nation’s
breadbasket and gain a better understanding of water issues
and challenges in the San Joaquin Valley on the Foundation’s
Central Valley Tour
April 22-24.
This tour visits farms and major infrastructure, such as
Friant Dam near Fresno and San Luis Reservoir, the nation’s
largest off-stream reservoir near Los Banos and a key water
facility serving both the State Water Project and the federal
Central Valley Project.
The islands of the western
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta release tons of carbon dioxide — a
greenhouse gas — into the atmosphere as the rich peat soil that
attracted generations of farmers dries out and decays.
An ambitious plan now in the works could halt the decay,
sequester the carbon and — just as important — help protect
California’s vital water conveyance system by offering farmers
and landowners an incentive to change how they use their land.
The
latest article in Western Water explores how the
plan would work, looks at the concerns of some in agriculture,
and talks with one farmer who’s willing to give it a try.
The 2020 Anne J. Schneider Lecture,
which encourages professional and personal commitment to water
law and policy and the conservation of our special landscapes,
will feature two distinguished speakers: Jennifer Harder, an
associate professor at the McGeorge School of Law, and Brian
Gray, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of
California’s Water Policy Center and professor emeritus at UC
Hastings College of the Law.
