In today’s Aquafornia scroll:

• ‘The big melt’ has begun in California, New York Times
• Upper Colorado River states add muscle as decisions loom on the shrinking river’s future, Western Water
• California snowpack data debunked: 2023 was no record year. And neither was 1952, Mercury News
• Click here to read all of today’s water news from California and across the West

Water Word of the Week: A vast, shallow wetland once appeared almost every winter in the southern San Joaquin Valley. Fish, birds and other wildlife thrived here, and native Californians lived along its shores. When European Americans entered the region, they drained and diverted the rivers that enter the basin, and Tulare Lake vanished. 2023’s wet winter has brought it back, and our Central Valley Tour will bring participants to its shores to behold Tulare Lake’s historic comeback. So we’re making Tulare Lake Basin our Water Word of the Week. For more of the vibrant vocabulary of California water check out Aquapedia, our free online water encyclopedia.

What’s on Tap This Week: The 40th annual Salmonid Restoration Conference runs Tuesday through Friday in Fortuna. On Wednesday, resource managers discuss Delta management in an uncertain future. Be sure to check out our calendar for the latest information on events by the Foundation and other groups.

Spring Water Tours: There are still a few seats left for our popular annual Bay-Delta Tour May 17-19, but those seats are going fast! Don’t miss your chance to explore California’s most critical water region — the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. In addition, registration is now open for our first in-person Headwaters Tour in four years, set for June 21-22. This is your opportunity to learn how water flows from the High Sierra to your tap. You can also join us for an optional whitewater rafting trip!

Big Day of Giving: You can support all the things the Water Education Foundation does to educate about water with a donation on Big Day of Giving, a 24-hour online giving marathon held May 4 for nonprofits in the Sacramento Region. The early giving period has already opened, so you can schedule your donation for Big Day of Giving on our campaign page.

Open House: The Water Education Foundation is hosting an open house and reception on May 4 in conjunction with Big Day of Giving. Visit our office any time between 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. to meet our team and learn more about what we do to educate and inspire understanding of the most precious natural resource in California and across the West — water! The event is free, but please RSVP here by May 1.

Western Water, our flagship publication produced by Foundation journalists, is available online. Check out our most recent article: 

• Testing at the Source: California Readies a Groundbreaking Hunt to Check for Microplastics in Drinking Water
• California Water Agencies Hoped A Deluge Would Recharge Their Aquifers. But When It Came, Some Couldn’t Use It  
• In One of the Snowiest Places in the West, A Scientist Hunts for Clues to the Sierra Snowpack’s Future

To get the latest updates on Foundation tours, conferences and publications, including Western Water, sign up here for announcements.

Aquafornia is a news aggregation compiled each weekday and published by the Water Education Foundation.