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Foundation News

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! 

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Announcement

Latest Western Water Articles Examine How Households are Stretching Water, Offer Suggestions for California’s Next Governor

People in California and the Southwest are getting stingier with water, a story that’s told by the acre-foot.

In the latest Western Water news, writer Gary Pitzer takes a look at how a long-time rule of thumb describing water use—that one acre-foot of water could supply two urban households for a year —is getting a rewrite as household habits and improved technology help people make the most of the water they have.

Announcement

This Holiday, Give the Gift of Water Knowledge
Special holiday pricing for California Water Bundle

Here’s a special holiday gift offer for the water wonk in your life: The California Water Bundle – our beautiful California water map and Layperson’s Guide to California water. 

The California water bundle features our redesigned California Water Map and the most recent version of the Layperson’s Guide to California Water.

Regularly priced at $20 for the map and $15 for the guide, this bundle allows you to purchase both of these high-quality products for $30. Please note they ship separately.

Announcement

Water Leaders Program Gives Big-Picture View of California Water, Informative Tours and Invaluable Contacts
Applications for 2019 class now available; deadline is Dec. 4

2018 Water Leaders class on ferry ride during Bay-Delta Tour.Applications for one of our most popular programs, Water Leaders, are now available for the 2019 class. 

Alums of our one-year program say they gained invaluable contacts, exposure to different viewpoints, core knowledge and a big-picture view of California water.

Alums include Newsha Ajami, director of Urban Water Policy at Stanford University’s Water in the West; Jessica Pearson, executive officer of the Delta Stewardship Council; Martha Guzman Aceves, a member of the California Public Utilities Commission; Chris Scheuring, managing counsel for natural resources at the California Farm Bureau Federation; and Dave Eggerton, ACWA’s new executive director designate.

Announcement

Explore the Effort to Revive Salmon Runs on the San Joaquin River Restoration Tour Nov. 7-8
Agricultural History and Habitat Restoration Come to Life in the Heart of the San Joaquin Valley

Explore more than 100 miles of Central California’s longest river, subject of one of the nation’s largest and costliest river restorations. Our San Joaquin River Restoration Tour on Nov. 7-8 will feature speakers from key governmental agencies and stakeholder groups who will explain the restoration program’s goals and progress.

Announcement

Reclamation Commissioner Highlights Colorado River Drought Risks, Efforts to Avert Supply Cuts in Latest Western Water News
Burman addresses Colorado River, California water needs in Summit talk; learn more about Colorado River with Foundation maps, guides

Colorado River Basin mapThe Colorado River is likely headed to unprecedented shortage in 2020 that could force water 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 at the Foundation’s Sept. 20 Water Summit in Sacramento.

Announcement

Only a Few Tickets Left for Northern California Tour
Venture into the Sacramento Valley to see Shasta and Oroville dams, farmland and habitat improvements

Only a few tickets are left for our annual Northern California Tour, Oct. 10-12, when we will venture deep inside Shasta Dam and tour wildlife refuges and rice fields as we learn about water use and salmon restoration efforts in the farm-heavy region.

In addition to Shasta Dam, we will see newly accessible views of the Oroville Dam spillway and get an on-site update of repairs to the cornerstone of the State Water Project, including live camera feeds from the ongoing construction site.

Announcement

Farming in the Sacramento Valley a Highlight of the Northern California Tour Oct. 10-12
Discover the various roles agriculture plays in the water story of the Sacramento River and its tributaries

Lundberg Family FarmsOur Oct. 10-12 Northern California Tour will explore the myriad agricultural uses of water throughout the Sacramento Valley, including the latest ways in which farms are adapting to changes in California’s groundwater and surface water resources.

The valley, the northern portion of California’s Central Valley, is known for some 2 million acres of farmland irrigated by the Sacramento River and its tributaries, along with groundwater. Primary crops grown in the region include rice, peaches, plums, tomatoes, walnuts and other nuts.

Announcement

Bid on Lunch with Sen. Hertzberg, Jeff Kightlinger and Other Key Water Leaders at Sept. 20 Water Summit
Silent auction to benefit Water Leaders program includes canoe trip, waterfront cabins and more!

State Sen. Robert HertzbergAttending our annual Water Summit on Sept. 20 is more than just hearing in-depth discussions on the hottest water topics.

Mingle and network with attendees at the hosted reception after the conference beside the Sacramento River, and bid throughout the day on some fun outings and baskets of California products during an auction that benefits our yearlong Water Leaders program. 

Auction items also feature lunch with water policy experts, including:

Announcement

Latest Western Water Examines Colorado River Experiment Aimed at Making the River More “Buggy”
USGS scientist Ted Kennedy discusses effort to enhance food web to aid endangered fish as well as birds and bats

Water means life for all the Grand Canyon’s inhabitants, including the insects that are a foundation of the ecosystem’s food web. But hydropower operations upstream on the Colorado River at Glen Canyon Dam disrupt the natural pace of insect reproduction as the river rises and falls, sometimes dramatically. Eggs deposited at the river’s edge are often left high and dry. Their loss affects available food for endangered fish such as the humpback chub.

Announcement

Agenda Posted for Sept. 20 Water Summit; Only a Few Tickets Left!
Speakers include Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman, DWR Director Karla Nemeth and State Water Board Chair Felicia Marcus

WEF SummitA diverse roster of top policymakers and water experts are on the agenda for the Foundation’s 35th annual Water Summit. The day-long conference, Facing Reality from the Headwaters to the Delta, will feature critical conversations about water in California and the West.

Climate scientist Daniel Swain will be the opening keynote speaker addressing drought, flood and wildfires amid increasing climate whiplash and what it means for water management. Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman will give the keynote lunch address. See the full roster of speakers here.

Interior of Shasta Dam
Announcement

Northern California Tour Visits Oroville and Shasta Dams, Other Major Infrastructure
See key components of the state and federal water projects vital to delivering water across California

Participants of our Northern California Tour, Oct. 10-12, will venture deep inside Shasta Dam, keystone of the federal Central Valley Project, and take a houseboat tour of Shasta Lake, California’s largest reservoir.

Announcement

Water Education Foundation is a Trusted Source of News and Information on Water in California and the Southwest
Foundation offers daily news briefing, online encyclopedia and original coverage of water

The Water Education Foundation’s website, www.watereducation.org, is a trusted go-to source for impartial news, information and background on water resources in California and the Southwest.

Announcement

The Promise and Challenge of Safe, Clean Drinking Water for All Is Focus of Sept. 20 Summit Panel
Get an update from experts and hear about solutions at Water Summit; tickets going fast!

Drinking WaterMore than 260 California water suppliers — many of them small systems in disadvantaged communities — don’t meet safe drinking water standards. One solution to getting those communities clean water is as simple — and as complicated — as connecting them to a larger supplier nearby. 

At the Foundation’s 35th annual Water Summit Sept. 20 in Sacramento, Camille Pannu, director of the Water Justice Clinic at UC Davis’ Aoki Center for Critical Race and Nation Studies, will discuss the complexities of water system mergers and a program underway in the Central Valley that has facilitated more than a dozen such mergers.

Announcement

New Stop Announced for Northern California Tour: Salmon Rearing Structures in the Sacramento River
River Garden Farms project is one of several stops highlighting habitat restoration in the Sacramento Valley

Roger Cornwell, general manager of River Garden Farms, with an example of a salmon refuge, similar to what was placed in the Sacramento River.More than two dozen refuge structures made of large walnut tree trunks bolted to boulders were dropped deep into the Sacramento River last year to shelter juvenile salmon from predators.

Participants on our Northern California Tour Oct. 10-12 will visit the location of these rearing structures in Redding and learn why they’re important from Roger Cornwell, general manager of River Garden Farms, which spearheaded the project. Other restoration-focused stops on the tour include the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge and the Red Bluff Fish Passage Improvement Project.

Announcement

Learn About Land Subsidence and Groundwater Conditions in the San Joaquin Valley
Free workshop set for Oct. 2 in Fresno

Land Subsidence in the San Joaquin ValleyLand subsidence caused by groundwater pumping has been a problem for decades in the San Joaquin Valley, but an increased reliance on aquifers during the last decade has resulted in subsidence rates of more than one foot per year in some parts of the region.

While subsidence was minimal in 2017 due to one of the wettest years on record, any return to dry conditions would likely set the stage for subsidence to resume as the region relies more heavily on groundwater than surface water. Land subsidence not only has the potential to shrink aquifers, but it puts state and federal aqueducts and flood control structures at risk of damage.

Announcement

Latest Western Water Explores Challenges of Drier Climate, Less Water with New Leader of Upper Colorado River Commission
Executive Director Amy Haas discusses drought, water conservation and tribal water rights along the Colorado River

Amy Haas recently became the first non-engineer and the first woman to serve as executive director of the Upper Colorado River Commission in its 70-year history, putting her smack in the center of a host of daunting challenges facing the Upper Colorado River Basin.

Yet those challenges will be quite familiar to Haas, an attorney who has a long history of working within interstate Colorado River governance. As the commission’s executive director, Haas is likely to play a major role in helping to address changing hydrologic conditions that result in a drier climate and less water for the Colorado, drought planning and ongoing water conservation efforts, as well as tribal water rights among Native Americans and their impact throughout the Colorado River Basin. These issues have implications throughout the Colorado River drainage.

Announcement

Scientist Daniel Swain to Address Climate Whiplash and the Difficult Road Ahead for Water Managers at Sept. 20 Summit
Don’t miss out -- early bird pricing ends Friday for Foundation’s Water Summit, “Facing Reality from the Headwaters to the Delta”

UCLA climate scientist, Daniel SwainScientist Daniel Swain will address climate whiplash and the challenging road ahead for Western water managers during a morning keynote address Sept. 20 at the Foundation’s 35th annual Water Summit in Sacramento.

Swain, who is widely quoted about his research and observations on drought, fires, rising temperatures and climate change, will provide the backdrop for this year’s summit theme, Facing Reality from the Headwaters to the Delta. His talk is titled, Drought, Flood, and Wildfire Amidst Increasing Climate Whiplash: The Challenging Road Ahead for Water Management in the West.

Announcement

Examine Key California Rivers on the Last Two Water Tours of 2018
Join us as we explore the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers; hear from farmers, water managers, environmentalists

Northern California Tour participants pose in front of Shasta Dam.The Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers are the two major Central Valley waterways that feed the Delta, the hub of California’s water supply network. Our last water tours of 2018 will look in-depth at how these rivers are managed and used for agriculture, cities and the environment. You’ll see infrastructure, learn about efforts to restore salmon runs and talk to people with expertise on these rivers.

Early bird prices are still available!

Announcement

Project WET Offers Workshops on Water Topics for Educators Across California
Topics include water conservation, climate change and stormwater runoff

There’s still time for K-12 educators to get high-quality professional development training on watersheds, water resources and climate change through California Project WET

The Water Education Foundation is the California coordinator of Project WET (Water Education for Teachers), an international, award-winning nonprofit water education program and publisher.

Announcement

California’s Headwaters Forests, Besieged by Drought, Beetles and Fire, Among Topics at Sept. 20 Water Summit
Hear from top policymakers and experts on headwaters, controversial Delta flows plan and human right to water at Sacramento summit

Ferguson  Fire near Yosemite National ParkCalifornia’s mountain forests are the source of 60% of the state’s developed water, but they’re under siege from climate change, drought, bark beetles and catastrophic wildfire, including the latest fire sweeping toward Yosemite National Park.

At the Foundation’s 35th annual Water Summit Sept. 20 in Sacramento, a panel of experts will address the breadth of challenges facing the state’s headwaters, some key scientific research on the forests and potential solutions.