The California Water Plan Team will provide an overview of the recently released California Water Plan Update 2023 resource management strategies (RMSes) on Tuesday, March 18. The two-hour virtual webinar will start at 10 a.m. Advance registration is required. The meeting agenda is available online. As part of the California Water Plan continuing core activities, the updated set of RMSes help local agencies and governments manage their water and related resources. Every RMS can be employed as a technique, program, or policy that can meet water-related management needs of a region and the state as a whole. The RMSes are updated with the California Water Plan every five years.

The DWR Land Use Program recently announced the release of final Water Year (WY) 2022 statewide land use data to the public. This data can be accessed in three alternative formats (Map Service, Shapefile, and Geodatabase) from the CNRA Open Data Portal (viewing and downloading), DWR Production Atlas (downloading), DWR Land Use Viewer, and the DWR Land Use Gallery. WY 2023 statewide land use data is currently published in provisional format, and public release of the final version is tentatively scheduled for the first quarter of 2026. Public release of provisional WY 2024 statewide land use data is tentatively scheduled for December 2025.

An annual observance established in 1999 to highlight the responsible development, management, and use of groundwater, National Groundwater Awareness Week also serves as an annual reminder for water well owners to test, tend, and treat their private water systems. This year, DWR celebrates National Groundwater Awareness Week with the release of a new toolkit with resources related to a different groundwater management theme each day. Information about DWR-hosted online events taking place this week are available in the Groundwater Awareness Week flyer.

Last week, the Groundwater Accounting Platform (Platform) announced the release of its source code in a new public repository, named the Qanat Project, on GitHub. Although the Platform’s source code has always been available upon request, creating a community repository now streamlines access, inviting broader collaboration and innovation to tackle California’s water management challenges. The code is now open to software developers, consultants, academics, and agencies who can help customize and expand the Platform’s use in complying with California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. The Platform also integrates with the open-source Groundwater Evaluation Toolbox to provide scenario planning and forecasting modules.

For those who missed last week’s Lunch-MAR webinar that featured a discussion on DWR’s Basin Characterization Program and the launch of the Basin Characterization Exchange, known as BCX (the program’s meeting series and networking space), a recording and slides of the hour-long presentation is posted on the Flood-MAR Video Gallery Hub.

The Flood-MAR Network has created a short, eight-question online survey to gather feedback for planning the next Flood-MAR Forum, the biennial event dedicated to exploring opportunities and challenges in implementing Flood-MAR in California. The survey takes only about five minutes and will help the Flood-MAR Network create an engaging and interactive event that meets everyone’s collective goals. Please participate. The survey findings will be discussed at the Flood-MAR Network virtual workshop on Friday, March 28 (see article below).

Mark your calendars for the next Flood-MAR virtual workshop scheduled for Friday, March 28, from 10 a.m. to noon. Workshop activities will include reviewing recent accomplishments and progress within the Flood-MAR Network; discussing emerging priorities, key topic areas, and short-term action items; planning the design and focus of this year’s biennial Flood-MAR Forum event (including discussion of the survey findings); and engaging with fellow network members and strengthening connections. Registration is required.