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 suffered major damage during a powerful 2017 storm.

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 the potential location of Sites Reservoir and discussed innovations for flood management, groundwater management and salmon restoration.

What participants say about this tour:

What did you like best?

“The speakers discussed the challenging issues facing the Sacramento Valley and the dynamic history of this region from a diverse range of perspectives. Put together, these perspectives provided a useful high-level picture of this unique system and the kinds of decisions that will have to be made in the near- and long-terms. Being able to actually see many of the projects and landscapes firsthand helped to drive home the information.”

“I appreciated that the tour was so well organized. We had a fast and complicated schedule, yet everything went like clockwork.”

“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:

The tour started at 7:30 a.m. on October 18 and ended at 6:30 p.m. on October 20 at the Water Education Foundation office, 2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205, Sacramento, CA. Free parking was available.

The tour included overnight stays in Oroville and Redding which were arranged by the Foundation and covered by the registration fee.

Pricing Details:

General – $959 (one person, single-occupancy room)

Fee included all tour meals, transportation, materials, snacks and hotel accommodations once the tour began Wednesday. Meals covered by the registration fee included lunch on Wednesday through lunch on Friday. Participants were responsible for their own transportation to and from the tour’s beginning and end point.

A limited amount of scholarship funding was available to pay for a portion of the tour. Scholarships were awarded based on a few factors, including:

• Financial need
• Reason for scholarship request
• How the education & experience will be used after the tour

COVID-19 Policy:

The Foundation continues to monitor developments with COVID-19. Precautions were implemented during the tour including enhanced sanitation protocols and an itinerary that maximized use of outdoor/open-air spaces when feasible.

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).

If a participant tested positive or was exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 within 5 days of the tour start date, they had to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of the tour start date regardless of their vaccination status.

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 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:

MCLE credits were available only for California attorneys for an additional fee, and may have been available for water plant/wastewater plant operators and other vocations/professions.