As someone who has worked in the water policy world for over two
decades, I’m often asked where I get my information. The truth of
the matter is that it’s sometimes hard to figure out what to
follow regularly, and what to follow occasionally. With that
said, here are my top go-to sources for water information.
In addition to compiling daily water in the news, Maven (Chris
Austin) curates a comprehensive website including up to date
meetings, hearings, and reports. Often called the “Switzerland of
California Water News,” the site is a daily must-read for water
managers and policy folks alike. You can even see some of the
classic legislative hearings from the past decade. Some examples
of what you can find on this website: Daily Digest: Latest News
from Around the Web; Featured Articles (for example, the latest
is on PFAs in California); Guest Commentary: (breakdown of SGMA);
and, upcoming events from water association partners.
State Websites—Data, Events and Funding
The Department of Water
Resources (DWR) revamped and updated its Drought websites to
include many useful tools produced by the state. It’s a big
website but peruse a bit an you will find key information
including a tab titled Drought Well Permitting
Requirements that includes the
Executive Order Action 9 Fact sheet and both the
webinar recording and
presentation from an April 2022 County Listening Session.
For immediate help with drought assistance, the state uses
Drought.ca.gov
to consolidate all emergency funding programs provided by the
various state agencies.
Finally, the California Data
Exchange Center (CDEC) is where most seasoned water managers
go to find up to date information on water and river conditions.
A bit of overlap with the drought websites but CDEC pulls data
from numerous sources to create its content.
Water Education Foundation
No water list would be complete without one of the top sites for
neutral information on water in California. The Water Education Foundation
breaks information down in numerous ways – including by region
and water project – with update to date and in-depth articles on
water. They have comprehensive guides on all water subjects. As a
graduate of the Water Leaders 2007 class and former water mentor,
I find myself using their website as a launching point for many
research topics – from their Water
Academy to the Newsroom.
