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California’s complicated water rights system was highlighted
in the last few years as water rights were curtailed by state
regulators 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.
Arguments aside, what’s the difference between a senior water
right and a junior water right as highlighted in many news
articles? Or a riparian right and an appropriative right? And how
are they determined?
When you hop on a Water Education Foundation tour bus, you get a
special behind-the-scenes look at water facilities and properties
not open to the general public. On our March 2-4 Lower Colorado River
Tour you will not only get a private tour of Hoover Dam, but
you also will be among the first to set foot in the dam’s new
Nevada Spillway House.
With the warmest year on record just behind us, what lies ahead?
That’s the question climate scientist Brad Udall will discuss at
the Water Education Foundation’s March 17 Executive
Briefing in Sacramento.
In his presentation, “Thriving During Climate and Water Change:
Strategies for the 21st Century,” Udall will address research
findings related to how climate change will impact the hydrology
of water supplies in the West and the projected impacts on people
and the ecosystem.
Key Issues surrounding the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta – the
proposed tunnels, ecosystem restoration, water quality standards
and water agencies’ attempts to buy some Delta islands – will
be discussed at the Water Education Foundation’s 33rd
annual Executive
Briefing.
As 2016 began, Lake Mead’s level of almost 1,082 feet was a
scant seven feet above the first trigger point for a
shortage determination for the year. Thus, Arizona and Nevada
barely escaped seeing their water supplies cut back this year.
But there is an 18 percent probability of a shortage in 2017.
With the Colorado River suffering through a 16-year dry period,
drought-response activities have become the standard in water
management in the Lower Basin states of Arizona, California and
Nevada.
Learn from top experts at our Water 101 Workshop in February
about the history, hydrology and water law behind California
water as well as hot topics such as groundwater, the Delta and
storage being funded by $2.7 billion from Prop. 1.
Check out the
agenda for the one-day workshop on February 4, with an
optional second, half day.
The staff at the Water Education
Foundation would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year!
We are excited about 2016 and have some great events
happening this year.
Our popular Water 101 Workshop
is fast-approaching in early February in the Sacramento area.
This once-a-year event is a great opportunity for anyone who
wants to go beyond the headlines and gain a deeper understanding
of the history, hydrology and legal system behind California
water. The daylong workshop has an optional second, half day.
The Layperson’s Guide to California Water, the anchor of the
Water Education Foundation’s popular series of Layperson’s
Guides, has just been updated and published.
“We felt an update was in order, given all of the developments
over the past couple of years – the drought, the water bond and
the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act,” said Jennifer
Bowles, Foundation executive director.
The 33rd annual Executive
Briefing, Defining the New Normal, will feature a
lineup of top speakers, including State Water Board Chair Felicia
Marcus.
The Briefing will be at a new location this year – the
DoubleTree by Hilton Sacramento, 2001 Point West Way, in
Sacramento. The latest information on implementation of the
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and the future of the
Delta are two of the topics to be discussed by panels of experts
from a broad point of views.
Tickets are now on sale for the Water Education Foundation’s
March 2-4 tour of the Lower Colorado River.
Don’t miss this opportunity to visit key sites along the
“lifeblood of the Southwest,” including a private tour of Hoover
Dam, Central Arizona Project’s Mark Wilmer pumping
plant, the Havasu National Wildlife refuge. The tour also
visits the Salton Sea and farming regions in the Imperial and
Coachella valleys.
This free briefing sponsored by the Department of Water Resources
and the Water Education Foundation will discuss forecasts of
water project operations in the coming year.
Water year 2016 has officially begun, and all eyes are on the
weather and the potential runoff. But even if the projected heavy
El Niño becomes reality, the state’s drought-impacted reservoirs
are still a major concern.
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:
Tick-tock! Monday Dec. 7 at 5 p.m. is the deadline to apply for
the 2016 William R. Gianelli Water Leaders Class, a one-year
program that fosters a deeper knowledge of water issues and
enhances leadership skills.
Criteria for acceptance include a commitment to understanding
water issues and an interest in seeking leadership roles on
public boards and commissions, or key staff positions.
Click here for more information and
to download an application.
The Water Education Foundation has announced the
line-up for its 2016 water tours. Six tours, including a new one
to the San Diego area to visit the new Carlsbad ocean
desalination plant and other interesting sites, will be offered:
As drought, El Niño and groundwater 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 4-5 at the West Sacramento City Hall are:
Climate change, hydrologic conditions and living within a new
normal when it comes to water management are two of the key
topics to be addressed at this year’s Executive
Briefing, the Water Education Foundation’s annual, flagship
conference.
The 33rd annual event, “Defining the New Normal,” will feature
key speakers and top experts in their fields. The Briefing
will be March 17 at a new location this year – the DoubleTree by
Hilton Sacramento, 2001 PointWest Way, in Sacramento.
Apply now for our 2016 Water Leaders class. Students of the
popular, one-year program gain a deeper understanding
of California water issues and learn how to collaborate with
other stakeholder groups.
Don’t miss the must-attend groundwater
conference of 2016 focusing on the world’s agricultural
regions next summer in San Francisco!
Toward Sustainable Groundwater in Agriculture 2016: 2nd
International Conference Linking Science and Policy will
focus on the latest scientific, management, legal and policy
advances for sustaining our groundwater resources in agricultural
regions around the world.
Earlier this year the Water Education Foundation published a
free online handbook with background information on the
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, signed into law in 2014
by Gov. Jerry Brown.
The handbook has just been updated to include chapters
on SGMA fees and case studies of SGMA implementation
underway in Stanislaus and Kern counties, the Pajaro Valley and
the Colusa subbasin. Click
here to read the updated handbook.
Join us on our last tour of 2015 as we move along the San Joaquin River
Nov. 5-6 and explore one of the nation’s
largest river restoration projects.
Efforts to restore flows to a 60-mile, mostly dry stretch of the
San Joaquin River from Friant Dam near Fresno to the
confluence of Merced River have been challenging and sometimes
controversial.
