Water Education Foundation

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The Water Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to provide unbiased, balanced information on water issues in California and the Southwestern United States.

Contents

The Foundation's mission, since its founding in 1977, [1] has been "to create a better understanding of water resources and foster public understanding and resolution of water resource issues through facilitation, education and outreach." [2]

Located in Sacramento, California, the Foundation offers publications, public television documentaries, briefings and conferences and school programs to help educate the public on a variety of water issues. The Foundation is led by an executive director, Jennifer Bowles, and is governed by a volunteer board of 33 members representing water, education, business, environmental and public interest communities in California. The board of directors meets quarterly. [3]

Public television documentaries

In 2009 the Foundation won a regional Emmy award for the 2008 public television documentary, Salt of the Earth: Salinity in California’s Central Valley hosted by comedian Paul Rodriguez. [4] This program discusses the growing problem of salt buildup in the Central Valley and discusses potential solutions. Two other documentaries, Fate of the Jewel (2001), which discusses Lake Tahoe pollution, and High Stakes at the Salton Sea (2002), [5] which discusses efforts to restore the Salton Sea and is narrated by actor Val Kilmer, also received regional Emmy awards. [6]

Publications, briefings and conferences

The flagship of the Foundation is Western Water, [7] a quarterly magazine through which readers learn about topics such as California water supply, water quality, the Colorado River, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, [8] groundwater, and endangered species. [9] Western Water became an online news publication in 2018.

In 2000, the Foundation released a book, Water and the Shaping of California, [10] written by then-Program Director Sue McClurg. [11] With a foreword written by historian Kevin Starr, the book features historical photos of water while the text discusses the way water has influenced the development of the state's cities and farms. The book includes well-known quotations and excerpts from literature about water. [12]

Each year the Foundation organizes conferences and briefings that focus on current water issues and include prominent speakers from the water community. [13] Events in 2009 included a U.S.–Mexico Binational Drought Science conference with the California Department of Water Resources. [14] Events in 2010 have included an International Groundwater Conference, organized with the University of California, Davis, with speakers from organizations including U.S. Geological Survey, International Water Management Institute and the California Farm Bureau. [15] In August 2010 the Foundation was one of several nonpartisan groups (including the California Center for the Book and the California State Library) that participated in 'Water Conversations' held in the Sacramento Delta area by the University of California Cooperative Extension Service. [16]

Water tours

Each year the Foundation offers tours that allow participants to visit various water facilities, rivers and regions in California and the Southwest for educational purposes. Speakers representing water districts, agricultural and environmental interests discuss topics including water supply, water quality, environmental restoration, flood management, groundwater and water conservation. [17] Tours include the Sacramento San-Joaquin Delta, [18] the Lower Colorado River, California's Central Valley [19] and the San Joaquin River.

Project WET

The Foundation is the California Coordinator for Project WET (Water Education for Teachers), an award-winning, [20] nonprofit water education program and publisher. [21] The program facilitates and promotes awareness, appreciation, knowledge, and stewardship of water resources through the dissemination of classroom-ready teaching aids and the establishment of internationally sponsored Project WET programs. [22]

Aquafornia

In 2008, the Foundation began a partnership with Aquafornia, [23] a web site that posts daily news updates on water issues. [24] These updates are taken from a variety of sources including mainstream newspapers and magazines, other water blogs, press releases, trade journals and other non-traditional news sources.

Funding sources

The Foundation's general activities were supported by contributions, sales of public educational materials, [25] tours and briefings. [26] A variety of grants from government agencies, private foundations and other organizations fund some of the Foundation's special programs, publications and projects. [27]

Projects

In 2009 the Foundation assisted the reading promotion agency California Center for the Book with developing resources to help public libraries host programming about water. The project is continuing through 2010 and is offered to all 181 library districts in the state. [28]

The Foundation is the fiscal sponsor for a feature-length documentary film which examines the life of former California governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown, titled "California State of Mind: The Legacy of Pat Brown." The film focuses in part on his quest to build the California Aqueduct and his fight against the death penalty. [29] [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacramento River</span> River in Northern and Central California, United States

The Sacramento River is the principal river of Northern California in the United States and is the largest river in California. Rising in the Klamath Mountains, the river flows south for 400 miles (640 km) before reaching the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and San Francisco Bay. The river drains about 26,500 square miles (69,000 km2) in 19 California counties, mostly within the fertile agricultural region bounded by the Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada known as the Sacramento Valley, but also extending as far as the volcanic plateaus of Northeastern California. Historically, its watershed has reached as far north as south-central Oregon where the now, primarily, endorheic (closed) Goose Lake rarely experiences southerly outflow into the Pit River, the most northerly tributary of the Sacramento.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Valley (California)</span> Flat valley that dominates central California

The Central Valley is a broad, elongated, flat valley that dominates the interior of California. It is 40–60 mi (60–100 km) wide and runs approximately 450 mi (720 km) from north-northwest to south-southeast, inland from and parallel to the Pacific coast of the state. It covers approximately 18,000 sq mi (47,000 km2), about 11% of California's land area. The valley is bounded by the Coast Ranges to the west and the Sierra Nevada to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salton Sea</span> Shallow saline lake in southern California

The Salton Sea is a shallow, landlocked, highly saline body of water in Riverside and Imperial counties at the southern end of the U.S. state of California. It lies on the San Andreas Fault within the Salton Trough, which stretches to the Gulf of California in Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Valley Project</span> Flood control, energy production, and water conveyance infrastructure in California

The Central Valley Project (CVP) is a federal power and water management project in the U.S. state of California under the supervision of the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR). It was devised in 1933 in order to provide irrigation and municipal water to much of California's Central Valley—by regulating and storing water in reservoirs in the northern half of the state, and transporting it to the water-poor San Joaquin Valley and its surroundings by means of a series of canals, aqueducts and pump plants, some shared with the California State Water Project (SWP). Many CVP water users are represented by the Central Valley Project Water Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Aqueduct</span> Water supply project

The Governor Edmund G. Brown California Aqueduct is a system of canals, tunnels, and pipelines that conveys water collected from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and valleys of Northern and Central California to Southern California. Named after California Governor Edmund Gerald "Pat" Brown Sr., the over 400-mile (640 km) aqueduct is the principal feature of the California State Water Project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California State University, Sacramento</span> Public university in Sacramento, California, U.S.

California State University, Sacramento is a public university in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is part of the California State University system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of the Pacific (United States)</span> Private university in Stockton, California, United States

University of the Pacific is a private university originally founded as a Methodist-affiliated university with its main campus in Stockton, California, and graduate campuses in San Francisco and Sacramento. It was the first university in the state of California, the first independent coeducational campus in California, and the first conservatory of music and first medical school on the West Coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta</span> Inland river delta and estuary in Northern California

The Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, or California Delta, is an expansive inland river delta and estuary in Northern California. The Delta is formed at the western edge of the Central Valley by the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and lies just east of where the rivers enter Suisun Bay, which flows into San Francisco Bay, then the Pacific Ocean via San Pablo Bay. The Delta is recognized for protection by the California Bays and Estuaries Policy. Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta was designated a National Heritage Area on March 12, 2019. The city of Stockton is located on the San Joaquin River at the eastern edge of the delta. The total area of the Delta, including both land and water, is about 1,100 square miles (2,800 km2). Its population is around 500,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Oroville</span> Reservoir in Butte County, California, U.S.

Lake Oroville is a reservoir formed by the Oroville Dam impounding the Feather River, located in Butte County, northern California. The lake is situated 5 miles (8 km) northeast of the city of Oroville, within the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area, in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Known as the second-largest reservoir in California, Lake Oroville is treated as a keystone facility within the California State Water Project by storing water, providing flood control, recreation, freshwater releases to assist in controlling the salinity intrusion into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and protecting fish and wildlife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mokelumne River</span> River in northern California

The Mokelumne River is a 95-mile (153 km)-long river in northern California in the United States. The river flows west from a rugged portion of the central Sierra Nevada into the Central Valley and ultimately the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, where it empties into the San Joaquin River-Stockton Deepwater Shipping Channel. Together with its main tributary, the Cosumnes River, the Mokelumne drains 2,143 square miles (5,550 km2) in parts of five California counties. Measured to its farthest source at the head of the North Fork, the river stretches for 157 miles (253 km).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California State Water Project</span> Flood control, energy production, and water conveyance infrastructure

The California State Water Project, commonly known as the SWP, is a state water management project in the U.S. state of California under the supervision of the California Department of Water Resources. The SWP is one of the largest public water and power utilities in the world, providing drinking water for more than 27 million people and generating an average of 6,500 GWh of hydroelectricity annually. However, as it is the largest single consumer of power in the state itself, it has a net usage of 5,100 GWh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Bay Aqueduct</span> Aqueduct in northern California, US

The North Bay Aqueduct (NBA) is part of the California State Water Project that was built in two phases, Phase I (1967-168) and Phase II (1985-1988). The aqueduct is 27.4 miles (44.1 km) long all in pipelines and serves Napa and Solano counties, California. The aqueduct provides water to about 500,000 residents in Solano and Napa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Cabaldon</span>

Christopher L. Cabaldon is a Filipino-American politician from California who served as mayor of West Sacramento. He was the longest-serving mayor in the city's history. He also represents the State of California on the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environment of California</span> Results of human habitation of California

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water in California</span> Water supply and distribution in the U.S. state of California

California's interconnected water system serves over 30 million people and irrigates over 5,680,000 acres (2,300,000 ha) of farmland. As the world's largest, most productive, and potentially most controversial water system, it manages over 40 million acre-feet (49 km3) of water per year.

Kim Stringfellow is an American artist, educator, and photographer based out of Joshua Tree, California. She is an associate professor at the San Diego State School of Art, Design, and Art History and received her MFA in Art and Technology from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Stringfellow is notable as an artist for her transmedia documentaries of landscape and the economic effects of environmental issues on humans and habitat. Stringfellow's photographic and multimedia projects engage human/landscape interactions and explore the interrelation of the global and the local.

The Coachella Valley Water District is an independent special district formed in 1918, specifically to protect and conserve local water sources in the Coachella Valley. Since then, the district has grown into a multi-faceted agency that delivers irrigation and domestic (drinking) water, collects and recycles wastewater, provides regional storm water protection, replenishes the groundwater basin and promotes water conservation.

California Water Fix and Eco Restore, formerly known as the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, is a $15 billion plan proposed by Governor Jerry Brown and the California Department of Water Resources to build two large, four-story tall tunnels to carry fresh water from the Sacramento River under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta toward the intake stations for the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project.

The State of California enforces several methodologies through technical innovation and scientific approach to combat saltwater intrusion in areas vulnerable to saltwater intrusion. Seawater intrusion is either caused by groundwater extraction or increased in sea level. For every 1-foot of freshwater depression (0.30 m), sea-salty waters rises 40 feet (12 m) as the cone of depression forms. Salinization of groundwater is one of the main water pollution ever produced by mankind or from natural processes. It degrades water quality to the point it passes acceptable drink water and irrigation standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Restore the Delta</span>

Restore the Delta is a campaign, based in Stockton, California that advocates for restoring the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta also known as the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary. It began in 2006 working towards education and outreach to help Californians recognize the Delta as part of California's heritage. Currently, there are up to 40,000 members throughout California of both residents and various organizations working towards the same goal.

References

  1. ↑ Rapport, David J.; Lasley, Bill L.; Rolston, Dennis E.; Ole Nielsen, N.; Qualset, Calvin O.; Damania, Ardeshir B. (29 October 2002). Managing for healthy ecosystems - Google Books. CRC Press. ISBN   9781420032130 . Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  2. ↑ "Brochure" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-07-14. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
  3. ↑ "Water Education Foundation". Watereducation.org. 2010-07-15. Archived from the original on 2010-07-27. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  4. ↑ "38th Annual NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA EMMY ® AWARDS" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-06-12. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
  5. ↑ NATAS/NorCal (2003-04-17). "The National Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences San Francisco/Northern California Chapter". Emmysf.tv. Retrieved 2010-08-05.[ dead link ]
  6. ↑ "High Stakes at the Salton Sea". KET. Archived from the original on 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  7. ↑ "Resource: Western Water Magazine". Wiserearth.org. 2006-12-28. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  8. ↑ "WHEN WATER PROJECTS CLASH WITH ECOSYSTEMS" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-06-19. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  9. ↑ "051201_water". Downeybrand.com. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  10. ↑ "Water and the Shaping of California. (Reviews). - Free Online Library". Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
  11. ↑ "Water Education Foundation". Watereducation.org. 2010-07-15. Archived from the original on 2010-07-14. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  12. ↑ "WATER & THE SHAPING OF CALIFORNIA" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-07-19. Retrieved 2010-08-10.
  13. ↑ "Water Education Foundation, DWR, Reclamation Board Host Flood Conference: July 27". Yubanet.com. 2007-07-27. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  14. ↑ "Binational Drought Science Conference | Southwest Climate Change Network". Southwestclimatechange.org. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  15. ↑ "Groundwater Conference 2010". Ag-groundwater.org. 2010-06-17. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
  16. ↑ "Delta Community Water Conversation". 2010-08-03. Archived from the original on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
  17. ↑ "Water Education Foundation tour" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  18. ↑ "Field Trip: Bay-Delta Tour « Bay Area EcoCalendar « Ecology Center". Ecologycenter.org. 2010-07-14. Archived from the original on 2010-07-15. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  19. ↑ "Central Valley Water Tour (Field Trip) ‹ John Muir Institute of the Environment". Johnmuir.ucdavis.edu. Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  20. ↑ "Awards | About | Project WET - Worldwide Water Education". Project WET. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  21. ↑ "Kern County Water Agency". Kcwa.com. Archived from the original on 2010-08-09. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  22. ↑ "Coachella Valley Water District - Press Releases". Cvwd.org. 2010-06-17. Archived from the original on 2010-08-05. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  23. ↑ "Aquafornia". Aquafornia. 2007-04-18. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  24. ↑ "From Aquafornia: California dreamin' and schemin' « Waterblogged". Waterblogged.info. 2007-12-01. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  25. ↑ "Las Virgenes Municipal Water District : Layperson's Guide Series". Lvmwd.com. 2010-01-05. Archived from the original on 2010-08-25. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  26. ↑ "Report: Water Education Foundation". Aguanomics. 2009-03-23. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  27. ↑ "2009 Annual Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
  28. ↑ "The California Center for the Book". Calbook.org. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
  29. ↑ "Learning Tools for Tomorrow's Leaders". My California Now. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  30. ↑ "Pat Brown documentary the work of his granddaughter". Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on 2012-09-10. Retrieved 2012-04-15.

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