Last week, DWR hosted a workshop webinar that included a presentation and discussion on water balance data — data foundational to building the state’s water resilience. The workshop explored how water resilience efforts rely on understanding the source of water supplies and how water is used throughout the state. This knowledge and information, in turn, informs annual releases of water and related water-year data. A recording of that webinar is now available online, along with the webinar’s presentation materials. Additional information on the Water Plan’s water balances is provided on the Update 2023 Water Balances supporting document.

The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) is holding its Spring Conference & Expo this week in Monterey. This morning’s session, from 10:30 to 11:45, features a presentation from DWR. “DWR’s Watershed Resilience Initiative: Charting a New Path for California’s Water Future” will take a look at the $10 million DWR is investing in grants, staff resources, and technical support toward a groundbreaking pilot program to transform watershed management. The presentation will also discuss the five selected watersheds developing comprehensive watershed resilience plans, and water agency leaders will explain how this initiative is shaping the future of watershed planning in California. Onsite registration will be accepted at the ACWA registration desk through Friday.

The California Financing Coordinating Committee (CFCC) is hosting its spring 2025 online funding fair next Wednesday, May 21, and the following Thursday, May 29, from 9 a.m. to noon each day. The CFCC combines the resources of 11 State and federal funding agencies to provide a one-stop shop for available grants, loans, and bond financing for infrastructure projects. Since 1998, the CFCC has conducted free funding fairs statewide each year to educate the public and offer potential customers the opportunity to meet with financial representatives from each agency and learn more about their currently available funding programs. CFCC members facilitate and expedite the completion of various types of infrastructure projects by helping customers combine the resources of different agencies. Project information is shared between members so additional resources can be identified. Presentations will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and participants can visit virtual booths from 11 a.m. to noon to meet with representatives. Registration is free but required.

The next Basin Characterization Exchange (BCX) online meeting and webinar will be on Tuesday, May 20, at 12:30 p.m. The hour-long webinar, “Tools to Integrate AEM and Lithology Data into Texture Models and Groundwater Flow Models (Data2Texture and Texture2Par),” focuses on the Basin Characterization Program’s data analysis tools that integrate airborne electromagnetic (AEM) and lithology logs data to texture and groundwater flow models. Speakers include Dr. Vivek Bedekar and Leland Scantlebury, both from S.S. Papadopulos & Associates. Registration is required to attend this event. More information about BCX is available on DWR’s Basin Characterization Program webpage.

Last month, DWR updated its Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) Portal to include public viewing access for the Projects and Management Actions (PMA) Module. The PMA Module is a centralized place for the public to view data about PMAs being implemented by groundwater sustainability agencies as part of their groundwater sustainability plans. DWR has developed additional resource documents, including an FAQs page and detailed instructions about using the PMA Module and its key features. More information is available on the DWR press release about this update.

The Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP) has a new bimonthly newsletter. The eNews will keep interested readers informed on progress being made toward development of the 2027 CVFPP Update. To subscribe, visit the DWR email subscription page and select the “CVFPP E-Newsletter” option. To learn more about the CVFPP and past updates, visit DWR’s CVFPP webpage.

A new online streamlining request process now makes it easier to get State approval to implement critical wildfire risk reduction projects. This decision follows Governor Newsom’s Emergency Proclamation on March 1, 2025, to confront the severe ongoing risk of catastrophic wildfires. The Proclamation authorizes the Secretaries of the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) and the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) to determine which projects are eligible for suspension of certain State-level statutory and regulatory requirements to expedite critical fuels-reduction projects, while protecting public resources and the environment. Details and more information, including FAQs and a recording of the CNRA- and CalEPA-hosted webinar that provides an overview of the new streamlining request process, is available on the California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force Fast-Track Critical Fuels Reduction Projects webpage.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has begun releasing juvenile fall-run Chinook salmon from CDFW-operated hatcheries into the main stem of the Sacramento River for the first time. The release of 3.5 million fish into the main stem of the Sacramento River is part of an additional 9.7 million salmon produced in 2025 above normal production goals. In coordination with DWR, East Bay Municipal Utility District, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, CDFW’s hatchery operations will raise and release more than 28 million fall-run Chinook salmon in total in 2025. The huge increase in salmon production is an effort to rebuild salmon runs and revive the state’s commercial and recreational fisheries. Read more about this innovative approach to increasing salmon production in the CDFW press release, which also speaks to why salmon spawning and migration conditions have changed in recent years.