Announcements

Overview

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

Tour the Lower Colorado River in April and See the ‘Lifeblood of the Southwest’ Up Close
Join us as we visit Hoover Dam and other infrastructure, wildlife refuges, farming regions and the Salton Sea

Tickets are now on sale for the Water Education Foundation’s April 11-13 tour of the Lower Colorado River. 

Don’t miss this opportunity to visit key sites along one of the nation’s most famous rivers, including a private tour of Hoover Dam, Central Arizona Project’s Mark Wilmer pumping plant and the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge. The tour also visits the Salton Sea, Slab City, the All-American Canal and farming regions in the Imperial and Coachella valleys.

Announcement

Central Valley Tour Offers Unique View of San Joaquin Valley’s Key Dams and Reservoirs
March 14-16 tour includes major federal and state water projects

Get a unique view of the San Joaquin Valley’s key dams and reservoirs that store and transport water on our March Central Valley Tour.

Our Central Valley Tour, March 14-16, offers a broad view of water issues in the San Joaquin Valley. In addition to the farms, orchards, critical habitat for threatened bird populations, flood bypasses and a national wildlife refuge, we visit some of California’s major water infrastructure projects.

Announcement

Western Water Expands Resource Coverage With Online Move
Sign Up Now for Foundation's flagship publication, known for in-depth water coverage

Western Water, the Foundation’s flagship publication, has been providing respected, in-depth coverage of water resource issues in California and the Colorado River Basin in a print format since 1977. Beginning this year, Western Water is moving online.

Announcement

Get a Primer on California’s Complicated Water Rights System at Water 101 Workshop
Feb. 22 workshop includes optional Delta Tour the next day

California’s complicated water rights system was highlighted in recent years as state regulators curtailed some water rights due to the drought. That action prompted some water rights holders to go to court to retain their rights. Others called for a revamping of the water rights system all together. And more recently, some have called for giving a water right to the environment.

Announcement

Water 101 Workshop a Rare Opportunity for New Water District Directors
Once-a-year event gives statewide context to California's most critical resource

Our Water 101 Workshop is a unique, once-a-year opportunity designed to give newly elected water district directors and other participants a chance to go beyond the headlines and gain a deeper understanding of California water.

Participants at the Feb. 22 workshop at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento will learn from top experts about:

Announcement

Go Deep into the Nation’s Breadbasket to Explore Water Issues
First three-day Foundation tour of 2018 traverses the San Joaquin Valley

Last year’s winter rains left the San Joaquin Valley’s reservoirs at above-average levels. But groundwater depletion and the resulting ground subsidence continue to beset farmers and water managers. What does this year hold? And will there be enough water to satisfy the competing needs of farms, people and the environment?

Your best chance to understand the challenges and opportunities of this vital resource in the nation’s breadbasket is to join us on our Central Valley Tour, March 14-16.

Announcement

Three New Members Join Water Education Foundation Board of Directors in 2018

Three new members have joined the Water Education Foundation’s 33-member Board of Directors for 2018. They are Dana “Bart” Fisher Jr., a farmer in the Palo Verde Valley, Yung-Hsin Sun of Stantec, and Richard Aragon with Rancho California Water District.

Announcement Jenn Bowles

New Year, New Changes at the Water Education Foundation

Happy New Year to all the friends and supporters of the Water Education Foundation!

As we turn the page on 2017 and the year that the Foundation celebrated its 40th anniversary, we are looking ahead to exciting changes for 2018.

To start, our popular Water 101 Workshop in February will for the first time include an optional field trip. This year, we will be delving into the Delta for a one-day tour to give participants a close-up view of one of the most pressing and controversial places in water.

Our flagship publication, Western Water magazine, will soon become a completely online news resource free for anyone to get up to speed on the critical water issues facing California and the West. Pulled together by veteran journalists at the Foundation, Western Water has been the trusted source for coverage of the policy, science and legal issues surrounding water since 1977. You can sign up here to get notified via email of our latest articles. If you already get our digital magazine you will automatically be signed up. 

Announcement

Tickets on Sale for All 2018 Water Tours
Join us in the field for our exciting and educational water experiences

Tickets to the Water Education Foundation 2018 water tours are on sale now!

Our tours are legendary for being packed with educational experiences you will not find anywhere else, networking opportunities with water professionals and fun adventures through the American Southwest.

Announcement

River Report Examines Climate Change Impact on Colorado River Basin

Drought and climate change are having a noticeable impact on the Colorado River Basin, and that is posing potential challenges to those in the Southwestern United States and Mexico who rely on the river.

In the just-released Winter 2017-18 edition of River Report, writer Gary Pitzer examines what scientists project will be the impact of climate change on the Colorado River Basin, and how water managers are preparing for a future of increasing scarcity.

Press release Jenn Bowles

Water Education Foundation Hires Veteran Journalist to Lead Online News Effort

The Water Education Foundation has hired veteran journalist Douglas E. Beeman as its news & publications director as it prepares to move more of its journalism online, announced Jennifer Bowles, the Foundation’s executive director.

Starting in 2018, the Foundation’s premiere water resources magazine, Western Water, will join the world of online media where it will increase the pace of its coverage and expand its reach via social media. Western Water currently is a quarterly print magazine.

Announcement

2017 Water Leaders Class Releases Policy Recommendations for California’s Water Storage Future

The 2017 Water Leaders class organized by the Water Education Foundation completed its year with a report outlining policy recommendations for the future of water storage in California.

The class of 20 from various stakeholder groups and backgrounds that hailed from cities and towns across the state had full editorial control to chose recommendations. While they did not endorse a specific storage proposal, they recommended that California:

Announcement

There’s Still Time To Snag A Special Holiday Gift For The Water Wonk In Your Life
Special holiday pricing for California Water Bundle

You still have a few days left to score a holiday water bargain: The California Water Bundle — our beautiful California water map and Layperson’s Guide to California water. 

The California water bundle features our newly 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 $25. Please note they ship separately.

Announcement

Deepen Your Knowledge of California Water and Visit the Delta
Popular Water 101 Workshop includes optional one-day Delta Tour

Deepen your knowledge of California water issues at our popular Water 101 Workshop and jump aboard the bus the next day to visit the  Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a 720,000-acre network of islands and canals that supports the state’s water system and is California’s most crucial water and ecological resource.

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 newly redesigned California Water Map and the most recent version of the Layperson’s Guide to California Water. Order here by Dec. 18 to make sure it arrives in time for Christmas. 

Announcement

A Sense of Urgency Takes Hold Along the Overallocated Colorado River 
Read an excerpt from the latest Western Water magazine

There is a sense of urgency regarding how the overallocated Colorado River is managed amid looming shortages and a grim climate change forecast.

People who have dealt with river management issues for decades are girding for a heightened degree of activity that calls upon years of trust and collaboration to compose a plan for equitably sharing a vital resource.

Announcement

On Giving Tuesday, help support water education in California

Water is one of California’s most important resources. And since 1977 the Water Education Foundation has been helping policymakers, teachers, journalists and the public gain a better understanding of water in California – and the challenges the state confronts as people weigh how water should be used, especially in times of scarcity.

Announcement

Water Leaders Program Gives Big-Picture View of California, Informative Tours and Invaluable Contacts
The Dec. 5 deadline to apply for the 2018 Class is fast approaching

Fun, friendship, invaluable contacts, exposure to different viewpoints, informative tours, core knowledge and a big-picture view of California water. These are some of the things past Water Leaders say they have gained from our yearlong program for early or mid-career professionals.

Announcement

Registration Now Open for Water 101 Workshop
Feb. 22 workshop in Sacramento to include optional one-day Delta Tour

Registration is now open for one of our most popular events - Water 101, which for the first time will include an optional daylong tour of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to give participants a close-up look at the hub of California’s water system.

Water 101, to to be held Feb. 22 at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, details the history, geography, legal and political facets of water in California as well as hot topics currently facing the state.

Announcement

Redesigned Colorado River Basin Map Hot off the Press
Beautiful map depicts the river shared by seven Western states and Mexico

Our new Colorado River Basin map has been redesigned and updated for 2017. 

The Colorado River supplies water to nearly 40 million people in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and stretches into 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.