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The San Joaquin Valley has been hit hard by the six-year drought
and related surface water cutbacks. Some land has been fallowed
and groundwater pumping has increased. What does this year hold?
Will these recent heavy storms provide enough surface water for
improved water deliveries?
Your best opportunity to see and understand this vital
agricultural region of California is to join us on our annual
Central Valley Tour,
March 8-10.
Dependence on the Colorado River as a water supply source has
been shaken by 16 years of drought that have rewritten the rules
for managing water. In the Lower Basin, water users are grappling
with the potential of a shortage that would reduce annual
allocations.
The event, held once a year, gives attendees a chance to
gain a deeper understanding of our state’s most precious natural
resource, including the history, hydrology, legal aspects of
water, along with hot topics.
The agenda is now posted for the Feb. 2-3 event in West
Sacramento. Check it out
here and see all the experts lined up to teach the
various sessions.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ Bob Johnson, a former
commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, was elected president
of the Water Education Foundation’s board of directors, taking
the helm as the organization marks its 40th anniversary in 2017.
Johnson replaces Bill Mills, who had been president since 2007
and will remain on the board as a director. Mills is a water
consultant who was general manager of the Orange County Water
District from 1987 to 2002.
This will be a big year for the Foundation as we celebrate our
40th anniversary! We began in 1977 in the second year of a
drought. Jimmy Carter was in the White House and Jerry Brown was
governor of California. Some things never change!
We are planning a few events to mark the milestone – a
picnic in the summer for attendees of our tours no matter
how long ago you joined us for an outing, and a special dinner in
the fall.
Our Water 101 Workshop in February
in West Sacramento 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 will learn from top experts, such as former Natural
Resources Secretary Lester Snow, about:
As drought, groundwater and Delta issues continue to
dominate headlines, attend our popular Water 101 workshop to learn from leading
policymakers and experts about key issues associated with the
life-sustaining resource.
Among the speakers on the first day of the 1-1/2 day workshop on
February 2-3 at the West Sacramento City Hall are:
A new look for our most popular product! Widely known as being
the definitive poster that shows the integral role water plays in
the state, the California Water
Map has been updated just in time for the holidays.
The map features beautiful photos of California’s natural
environment, rivers, water projects, wildlife, and urban and
agricultural uses.
The Water Education Foundation has announced the line-up for its
2017 water tours. Six tours, including a new one to the
headwaters area of the Sierra Nevada foothills and the mountains
around Lake Tahoe, will be offered:
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I and the staff at the Water Education Foundation
want to extend our deep gratitude to everyone who came on a tour
with us this year, attended one of our conference or Project WET workshops, and read
Western Water magazine or any of our other publications
on key water topics.
For the first time in more than 60 years, year-round flows are
expected to return to a section of the San Joaquin River by the
end of October, The Associated Press reported over the weekend.
You can access
the complete story here through Aquafornia, the Water
Education Foundation’s news aggregate service.
As drought and groundwater issues continue to dominate headlines
about California water, gain a deeper understanding of the key
issues associated with the life-sustaining resource at our
popular Water 101 Workshop.
Leading policymakers and experts will serve as the
teachers of this daylong workshop with an optional half-day
Feb. 2-3 at the West Sacramento City Hall.
Water 101 is open to anyone interested in learning more about:
Members of our yearlong Water Leaders
class get out of the office to see water issues up close.
Not only do they attend our annual Executive Briefing but they
also partake in two of our popular water tours during
the program aimed at providing a deeper understanding
of California water issues and the skills to
collaborate with other stakeholder groups.
How has California’s severe drought affected the Delta? And what
does the future hold for this vital agricultural and ecological
region that also serves as the hub of the state’s water system?
Explore more than 100 miles of Central California’s longest river
while learning about one of the nation’s largest and costliest
river restorations. Our San Joaquin River
Restoration Tour on Nov. 2-3 will feature speakers from key
governmental agencies and stakeholder groups who will explain the
restoration program’s goals and progress.
From Friant Dam in the Sierra Nevada foothills downstream to
Hills Ferry, you will meander along the banks to visit historic
sites, restoration projects, wildlife preserves, fish hatcheries,
flood control structures and farms. As on all of our tours, you
can soak up local culture; we feature speakers who share stories
and photos of their family’s agricultural history and then enjoy
dinner at a Basque restaurant with roots several generations old.
The Sacramento and San Joaquin are the two major rivers in the
Central Valley that feed the Delta, the hub of
California’s water supply network.
On our last two water tours of 2016, you will take in-depth
looks 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.
Check out the details of the two tours below and remember that
early bird prices still available for the San Joaquin River
Restoration Tour.
Our annual two-day tour of the San Joaquin
River Restoration Project provides an insider’s view of one
of the largest river restorations in the nation. To encourage you
to view this historic project, we have extended the period to buy
a discounted ticket to Oct. 11.
Join us on the Nov. 2-3 San Joaquin River Restoration Tour as we
speak to key stakeholder groups along the length of the San
Joaquin River to explore this issue from numerous viewpoints.
Find out more about the drought and its impact to water quality,
fisheries and farming in the Delta region at a free Oct. 25
briefing in Stockton.
Among the speakers will be Jay Lund, Director of the UC Center
for Watershed Sciences, Delta Watermaster Michael Patrick George
and Michelle Banonis, Manager of the Bureau of Reclamation’s
Bay-Delta Office.
