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In the September/October issue of Western Water magazine, Writer
Gary Pitzer explores the impacts of California’s severe drought
on cities, business, agriculture and environment. In all, experts
say this drought is charting new territory.
After four years of drought, California has endured cumulative
years of deficit, which have taken their toll. The 2014 water
year tied the 1977 water year with a snowpack of 25 percent of
normal. Water year 2015, which ended Sept. 30, was even worse.
Seats are going fast – book yours today! This 3-day, 2-night tour
travels the length of the Sacramento Valley and explores the
issues of this major California water source.
Stops include Oroville and Shasta dams to witness the low water
levels in the reservoirs and hear from experts about what’s being
done and future implications of the drought. The stop at Shasta
will include a houseboat cruise on the reservoir.
The San Joaquin River Restoration Tour, on Nov. 5-6, will explore
the challenges and controversies related to restoration
activities, especially in a year of extreme drought.
The San Joaquin River was the focus of one of the most
contentious legal battles in California water history related to
providing instream flows for fish. A 2006 settlement between the
Natural Resources Defense Council, the Bureau of Reclamation and
the Friant Water Users Authority led to creation of the San
Joaquin River Restoration Program.
The Water Education Foundation is known for its
colorful, poster-sized maps detailing specific waterways and
information about their watersheds, including California water,
the lower Colorado River and the Delta.
These maps are guaranteed to help you better understand
California’s complex water story. Start your collection today!
Click here to see the Foundation’s
map inventory.
We still have a few water tours left this fall and are gearing up
for some must-attend events in 2016. Take a look and register
today!
Northern California Tour: Oct. 21-23, 2015
This 3-day, 2-night tour travels the length of the
Sacramento Valley, a major source of water for California. Stops
include Oroville and Shasta dams, Red Bluff Fish Passage
Improvement Project, Feather River Fish Hatchery, Clear Creek
restoration site and more.
Join us as we explore a major hub of Southern California’s water
supply where we’ll see water recycling facilities, Metropolitan
Water District’s massive reservoir and see how wetlands play a
role in Orange County’s water supply.
Click
here to see an itinerary of the Oct. 8-9 Southern California
Tour. Some of the highlights on the tour include:
Applications are now being accepted for the 2016 Water Leaders Class, a yearlong program that
educates young professionals from diverse backgrounds about water
issues and leadership. The deadline to apply is Dec. 7, 2015. The
class begins January 2016.
Squaring a projected imbalance between the water supply and
demand of the Colorado River hinges in part on further advances
in agricultural and municipal water use efficiency, according to
a report produced earlier this year by the Bureau of Reclamation,
the Colorado River Basin states and numerous stakeholders.
Water Education Foundation Writer Gary Pitzer explores “Reaching
Reliable Supply on the Colorado River: The Moving Forward Report”
in the recently published Summer 2015 edition of River Report.
Participants will get a behind-the-scenes look at the Inland
Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) in Chino on our upcoming Southern California
Tour, Oct. 8-9.
A leader in recycled water, groundwater management and generating
renewable energy to power its treatment plants, IEUA will kick
off our tour at its headquarters, which was the first and largest
public building to receive the Platinum rating from the United
States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED™) in 2003.
Passage of the landmark Sustainable Groundwater Management Act
has put an unseen resource into public view as regions throughout
the state undertake the next step – implementation. During
our Groundwater Tour,
you will learn what actions water leaders in the Sacramento,
Yolo, Solano and Napa regions are taking to monitor and manage
this valuable resource during this critical drought and into the
future.
Check out the full draft itinerary
here. Experts from USGS, UC Davis, DWR and regional
agencies will discuss groundwater pollution, the surface
water-groundwater connection and the important role of
groundwater for city supplies and for agriculture – including
vineyards, dairies and more .
Join us as we venture into Inland Southern California, a major
hub of the region’s water operations where both the Colorado
River Aqueduct and the State Water Project bring imported water.
But while much of the region depends on imported supplies, it is
also blessed with ample groundwater and has strived in many cases
to make every drop count through water recycling and other
innovative means. Learn about this on our Southern California
Tour, as we travel from Ontario to the Temecula wine country
to see how the region has sought to implement drought-proofing
measures.
Groundwater overdraft, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act
and groundwater’s importance during a drought are all headline
issues across California that will be discussed on
our upcoming Groundwater Tour.
As we travel from the Sacramento region to the Napa wine country,
we will discuss aquifer recharge, storage and water
recycling, well drilling, groundwater use for
agricultural, municipal and industrial uses and groundwater
contamination in disadvantaged communities.
Join us October 8-9 for a two-day, one-night tour of Inland
Southern California to see how the region has become a leader in
managing groundwater, recycling water and promoting
drought-tolerant landscapes.
We’ll also visit Diamond Valley Lake, the large reservoir
operated by Metropolitan Water District, the Temecula wine
country, wetlands along the Santa Ana River and Riverside County
Flood Control and Water Conservation District’s low-impact
development facility, which shows ways to build water-wise
features.
As drought and groundwater issues continue to dominate headlines,
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 1-1/2 day workshop on Feb. 4-5 at
the West Sacramento City Hall.
California’s worst drought on record is a hot topic of
conversation but most people only have second-hand information
about its real impacts.
The Water Education Foundation’s Drought Tour on September 1 & 2
gives you the chance to personally interact with real people
facing real problems in one of the state’s hardest-hit areas.
Join us for our California Drought Tour through the San Joaquin
Valley on September 1-2. Buy
your seat on the bus today! Early bird prices good until
August 3.
As farmers fallow fields, towns receive emergency drinking water
and groundwater supplies are depleted, we will explore the
impacts of California’s unprecedented four-year drought on the
nation’s breadbasket and what steps are being taken to avert
disaster.
Hear firsthand from farmers, water managers, state and local
officials, researchers, and community activists.
Join us this September for a two-day tour of the San Joaquin
Valley to explore the impacts of California’s unprecedented,
four-year drought on the nation’s breadbasket and what steps are
being taken to avert disaster.
As farmers fallow fields, towns receive emergency drinking water
and groundwater supplies are depleted, we will get an
up-close view of one of the state’s hardest-hit regions. The
Sept. 1-2 tour starts and ends in Fresno.
Besides our upcoming drought tour, we’ll be hosting a groundwater
tour and a Southern California tour this fall.
Rounding out our 2015 tours will be our annual Northern
California Tour and the San Joaquin River Restoration Tour. To
find more information on all tours and to register,
click here. Buy a ticket and
grab a seat on the bus with us!
Our exciting fall tour lineup includes in-depth looks
at groundwater in the Sacramento region and drought-proofing
measures in Southern California along with our annual Northern
California and San Joaquin River Restoration tours.
Early-bird prices are still available for each tour. Click
here to see the tour line-up. There,
you can get more information on each tour and register securely
online.
