In 2016, California enacted AB 2480, which defined source watersheds — the forests, meadows, and streams that supply water to its reservoirs — as an integral part of the state’s water system infrastructure. The law acknowledges that source watershed restoration and conservation are an essential complement to built water system infrastructure repair and maintenance, and necessary for a more reliable water supply. This report presents the first comprehensive assessment of conditions and restoration needs for the five source watersheds that deliver water to the Shasta and Oroville reservoirs, the state’s two largest reservoirs and the core of the state’s water supply. Together, these reservoirs provide drinking water for over 28 million Californians and agricultural water for millions of acres of farmland. The report can be viewed here.

The Water Supply and Water Quality Act of 2018 is a citizen’s initiative water bond that will appear on the November 2018 statewide California ballot. It will invest $8.877 billion dollars in California water infrastructure, including key categories like: safe drinking water, Sustainable Groundwater Management (SGMA) implementation, watershed restoration, fish and wildlife habitat conservation, infrastructure repair, and many other important water management programs.

For more information on the water bond, click the link: https://waterbond.org/

This week’s California Water Plan eNews includes:

• Webinar will provide preview of Update 2018 public review draft
• Next California Water Commission meeting set for Feb. 21, in Sacramento
• $85 million in groundwater sustainability funding recommended by DWR
• Little Hoover Commission calls for changes in the way the state’s forests are managed
• Council endorses three-year plan to improve equity in government practices
• Arizona receives framework for developing direct potable reuse
• State scorecard on water efficiency to be discussed at upcoming webinar

Sierra Nevada Watershed Improvement Program Annual Summit

The Sierra Nevada Watershed Improvement Program will be holding their annual summit in Sacramento on Wednesday, March 7, 2018.

Taking A Regional Approach to Implementing California’s Climate Goals

For more information on the program, click the link:  http://restorethesierra.org/2018wipsummit/

This week’s California Water Plan eNews includes:

• CWC releases results of initial review for proposed water storage investment projects
• How seagrass and kelp may help with a problem off the California coast
• $3.4 million available for projects to restore forest areas damaged by wildfires
• Sierra Nevada watershed summit will look at regional approach to climate goals
• DWR lists projects that deliver the latest climate science and information
• Water conflict management and diplomacy to be discussed during webinar next week

This week’s California Water Plan eNews includes:

• New draft chapters posted for tomorrow’s Update 2018 workshop
• Looking at the water reuse legislation coming before Congress this year
• The benefits of using recycled water for agricultural irrigation
• COMET webinar will cover uses in the conservation process
• Smart Growth conference set for next month in San Francisco
• Climate adaptation forum set for this summer in Sacramento

This week’s California Water Plan eNews includes:

• Workshop for two chapters of Update 2018 set for the first week of the new year
• Strategic Growth Council awards $34 million in grants for land conservation projects
• Dozens of watershed restoration projects receive funding from CDFW
• Science board seeking public comments on two Delta documents
• Annual water law symposium will focus on California’s infrastructure
• Water 101 Workshop will include optional bus tour of the Delta

The Upper Middle Fork Project (UMF) project pilots coordinated implementation by two of the IRWM Plan signatories. Plumas County and the Sierra Valley Groundwater Management District each manage significant portions of the project area. The Upper Middle Fork project pilots the integration of local water management knowledge, local land and water use authorities, and the best available science to further the capacity to practice sustainable resource stewardship at the regional scale.

The goals of this project are:
1) to investigate climate scenarios and their effect on groundwater storage levels, summer base flows, and flood flows within the Upper Middle Fork watershed;
2) to develop a surface water/groundwater water budget that can be utilized to help coordinate the future management actions of the local organizations on the Upper Middle Fork watershed land/water resources.

The full report can be downloaded here (85 MB).

The project was funded by a Department of Water Resources Proposition 50 Grant.

This week’s California Water Plan eNews includes:

• Sustainable management BMPs will be introduced at three public meetings
• Conservation board approves $2.6 million in funding for fish and wildlife projects
• Funding available for watershed project proposals submitted to Reclamation
• California Water Commission sets two-day meeting for next week in Sacramento
• Online survey will help identify electricity-saving technologies for California
• Water federation posts fact sheet on benefits of infrastructure rating system
• How the Chesapeake Bay watershed is preparing to deal with climate change

This week’s California Water Plan eNews includes:

• Second plenary meeting for Update 2018 is one week away, RSVPs being accepted
• Flood protection board to hear presentation on System Reoperation Study
• Extreme water conditions to be discussed at soil and water conservation conference
• Annual groundwater meeting and conference will get early start with law workshop
• UC Davis to host summit on California’s riparian ecosystems
• Proposals being accepted for CDFA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
• DWR workshops will provide leak detection information for water systems