This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries through a scenic landscape while learning about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.

All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.

This 3-day, 2-night excursion traveled across the Sacramento Valley and followed the river north from Sacramento through Oroville to Redding and Shasta Lake, where participants took a dinner cruise. Tour participants also got an up close view of Oroville Dam’s repaired main spillway that was storm damaged in 2017.

Experts talked about the history of the Sacramento River as the tour wound through riparian woodland, rice fields, wildlife refuges and nut orchards. The tour tracked important water issues for farming and environmental uses, visited potential storage sites in the valley and discussed innovative programs for flood management, groundwater management and salmon restoration.

What participants say about this tour:

What did you like best?

“Diversity of speakers, seeing Sites Reservoir site firsthand, good food. Organization was great!”

“The quality of the speakers, looking out the bus window & getting a sense of the region, benefitting from ‘insider’ tours of dams & other facilities.”

“The broad range of water issues and market sectors covered by the tour. Also appreciate the extensive experience & local knowledge of the resource speakers & site-specific speakers.”

Planned Stops Included:

• Oroville Dam
• Environmental restoration sites
• Flood control projects
• Rice fields & other agricultural operations
• Red Bluff Fish Passage Improvement Project
• Shasta Dam
• Clear Creek Restoration Project
• The location of the proposed Sites Reservoir

Planned Topics Included:

• Oroville Dam spillway damage & repair efforts
• The significance of the Sacramento River to California’s water supply
• Flood management & levee safety
• State Water Project & Central Valley Project operations
• Restoration of endangered Chinook salmon
• Groundwater, conjunctive use & area-of-origin water rights
• Environmental restoration projects
• Agriculture/wildlife conservancies & wildlife refuges
• Farming in the Sacramento Valley
• Proposed water storage locations
• Wetlands

Tour Start & End Point:

This tour started at 7:30 a.m. on October 12 and ended at 6:30 p.m. on October 14 at the Water Education Foundation office, 2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205, Sacramento, CA. Free parking was available on site for the duration of the tour.

Pricing Details:

Regular Price – $949 (one person, single-occupancy room)

Early Bird Price – $899 if registered by September 2. 

Fee included all tour meals, transportation, materials, snacks and hotel accommodations once the tour began. Participants were responsible for their own transportation to and from the tour’s beginning and end point.

COVID-19 Protocols:

The Foundation continues to monitor any new developments with COVID-19. Precautions were  implemented during the tour including enhanced sanitation protocols, a mask requirement aboard the motorcoach and a modified agenda/itinerary to maximize the use of outdoor/open-air space when possible.

Despite these mitigating circumstances, an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any place where people gather. All participants considered their personal choices around harm reduction and risk tolerance in the face of current variants and the likelihood of additional variants emerging in the future.

Acceptance of an assumption of risk waiver was required during registration for the tour.

We asked participants not to attend if, within 72 hours of the tour start date, they had experienced symptoms of COVID-19 (e.g., a fever of 100.4F or higher, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, repeated shaking muscle pain/achiness, headache, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, nasal congestion, runny nose, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue or any other symptoms associated with COVID-19 identified by the CDC).

Regardless of vaccination status, participants had to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of the tour start date IF they had tested positive or had been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 within 5 days of the tour start date.

Cancellation & Refund Policy:

Deadline to cancel and receive a refund was three weeks prior to the first day of the tour due to hotel, meal and transportation commitments. Substitutions were allowed up to five business days before the tour. Eventbrite fees are nonrefundable and the remaining amount was subject to an additional 10% processing fee.

We recognize that unexpected conflicts with our tours can occur from time to time. The Water Education Foundation recommended consideration of travel insurance from a provider of choice soon after tour registration to protect against such unfortunate events.

Continuing Education Credits:

Continuing education credits were available for California attorneys for an additional fee, and were available for water plant/wastewater plant operators and other vocations/professions.