Updated Groundwater Tour Added for Fall

Back by popular demand! On Oct. 5-6, this tour will explore groundwater basins in Yolo, Colusa, Butte and Glenn counties and visit groundwater monitoring stations, wells, wineries, dairies and more.

Participants will learn about the importance of groundwater and how the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) is being implemented in diverse areas – each with different challenges and strategies for success. Hear from water managers, scientists, academics, farmers and habitat specialists how California’s groundwater situation affects different industries and populations.

Click here to learn more or contact Dan Scott.

Explore Water Issues on Fall Tours

See firsthand the rivers and infrastructure that are part of important California water issues. In October a tour will head up the Sacramento River to Shasta Dam; in November, another tour will venture along the San Joaquin River.

The Northern California Tour, slated for Oct. 19-21, travels along the Sacramento River and its tributaries through a scenic landscape as participants learn about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply. This 3-day, 2-night tour travels across the Sacramento Valley and follows the river north from Sacramento through Chico to Redding and Lake Shasta, where participants take a houseboat ride. Along the way they learn about farming, salmon restoration, groundwater and more.

Our Nov. 2-3 San Joaquin River Restoration Tour snakes along the river where participants learn firsthand about one of the nation’s largest and most expensive river restoration plans.

A 2006 settlement between the federal government, Friant Water Users Authority and a coalition of environmental groups set the project in motion. Under the now $1.2 billion plan, efforts are aimed at restoring flows to a 60-mile, mostly dry stretch of the San Joaquin River to revive Chinook salmon runs while reducing or avoiding adverse water supply impacts to farmers.

The 2-day, 1-night tour travels from Friant Dam near Fresno to the confluence of the Merced River.

Learn the Answers to FAQs About California Drought Conditions

When conditions become dry, water storage declines and water conservation mandates make news headlines, questions from the public often surface. Answers can be found in the Foundation’s new Drought FAQs online publication.

California water issues can be complicated and this new resource will help people better understand the sources of supply and demand, and the steps taken to conserve water, store water and create a more sustainable supply for use in drought and non-drought years. The FAQ features 20 answers ranging from whether we can modify the weather to how much rain it takes to end a drought.