Dear Western Water readers:

We hope you are finding time to take a break this summer to enjoy water — a lake or river or a beautiful water vista — somewhere in California and the Southwest. Western Water is taking a break, as well, while we catch up on other water projects we’ll be publishing later this year. 

In the meantime, we wanted to reprise some of our Western Water articles from the past six months — and ask for your feedback.

Since moving Western Water online in February, we have written about two statewide water bonds, California’s efforts to address water quality and supply impacts from cannabis farms, stalled efforts to develop a drought contingency plan for the lower Colorado River, outreach efforts to give the homeless a voice in a Southern California watershed, environmental water rights and more.

We’d like to know what you think so far. Please take just a couple of minutes to respond to this online survey about Western Water.  

Meanwhile, in case you missed them, here are some of our stories of the past six months. Enjoy! 

In Depth:

• As Colorado River Levels Drop, Pressure Grows On Arizona To Complete A Plan For Water Shortages (June 15)
• Amid ‘Green Rush’ of Legal Cannabis, California Strives to Control Adverse Effects on Water (April 20)
• Does California’s environment deserve its own water right? (Feb. 23)

Notebook:

• It’s Not Just Nutria — Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta has 185 Invasive Species, But Tracking Them is Uneven (June 1)
• Statewide Water Bond Measures Could Have Californians Doing a Double-Take in 2018 (April 6)
• Researchers Aim to Give Homeless a Voice in Southern California Watershed (March 9)

Q&A:

• As Decision Nears On California Water Storage Funding, a Chairman Reflects on Lessons Learned and What’s Next (June 29)
• Novel Effort to Aid Groundwater on California’s Central Coast Could Help Other Depleted Basins (May 4)
• One Year In, A New State Policymaker Assesses the Salton Sea, Federal Relations and California’s Thorny Water Issues (March 23)
• ‘Ridiculously Resilient Ridge,’ Climate Change and the Future of California’s Water (Feb. 9)

Spotlight:

• Could the Arizona Desert Offer California and the West a Guide to Solving Groundwater Problems? (May 18)

Water Word

Water Word of the Day: Surface Water. About 75 percent of California’s surface water supply originates in the northern third of the state, but around 80 percent of water demand occurs in the southern two-thirds of the state. And the demand for water is highest during the dry summer months when there is little natural precipitation or snowmelt. Learn more about the uses and challenges of surface water in Aquapedia, our free, vetted online water encyclopedia. And here are some tips to help you save water inside and outside your home. 

At the Foundation

Join us Sept. 20 in Sacramento for our 35th Annual Water Summit, where the theme is “Facing Reality from the Headwaters to the Delta.” U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman will keynote the luncheon address. Other speakers will include Felicia Marcus, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board; Karla Nemeth, director of the California Department of Water Resources; Brent Hastey, president of the Association of California Water Agencies; and Jim Branham, executive officer of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. Here’s where to sign up.

Water Academy

California thrives on a complex and diverse network of natural waterways and man-made reservoirs and aqueducts – including federally, state and locally funded projects – as well as wild and scenic rivers and natural lakes. Our poster-size California Water Map features beautiful photos of California’s natural environment, rivers, water projects, wildlife, and urban and agricultural uses. You can learn more about key issues facing California water, including supply, use, projects, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, wild and scenic rivers and the Colorado River.