DWR will host a virtual workshop on its Water Desalination Grant Program that will provide an overview of the program, discuss upcoming Proposition 4 funding opportunities, and provide an opportunity for early input on program development ahead of developing the proposal solicitation package. The presentation will end with a Q&A session. This online event will take place on Monday, June 22, from 1 to 2 p.m. Registration is required.

“Getting to Efficiency,” a new webinar series designed to help water suppliers understand and implement the requirements of Making Conservation a California Way of Life, kicks off on Tuesday, June 23, at 1 p.m. Registration is required for this 90-minute online event. This first session of the series will cover the regulatory landscape, key technical requirements, and explain how data flows through the reporting system, including common challenges agencies are already encountering. This session will also see the launch of the new hands-on data and reporting technical assistance pilot developed by California State Water Resources Board (State Water Board) and led by the California Data Collaborative with support from the California Water Efficiency Partnership. Those interested in this webinar series are invited to participate in a short survey to help shape the topics covered in future sessions.

The California Water Data Consortium is offering an opportunity to learn more about California’s stream gauge network through its upcoming webinar, “Filling in the Gaps with Ungauged Streamflow Forecasting.” This event, part of the Consortium’s “Data For Lunch” webinar series, will discuss how the State’s current stream gauge network leaves significant blind spots across headwaters, smaller tributaries, and remote catchments that physical infrastructure alone cannot fill at any practical scale or cost. Upstream Tech is working to eliminate this problem with HydroForcast, a probabilistic streamflow forecasting tool that extends actionable forecasting even to ungauged locations. Learn why this tool is more accurate than other models available by attending this informative 90-minute webinar scheduled for noon, Wednesday, June 17.

DWR has released A Vision for the San Joaquin Valley, a comprehensive plan to address worsening water challenges driven by groundwater overdraft and climate change in the San Joaquin Valley. The strategy combines near- and long-term actions to improve water management, support communities, agriculture, and ecosystems, and build climate resilience. Key priorities include capturing and storing excess water underground, reducing land subsidence, streamlining groundwater recharge permits, and providing new planning tools. The integrated plan also calls for major investments in water storage and conveyance infrastructure, while acknowledging the need for some land repurposing. In addition, the plan is in step with California’s modernized, action-oriented water planning framework established under Senate Bill 72. See the DWR webpage announcing the release of this document for more information.

Environmental Science Associates (ESA), an employee-owned environmental consulting firm with 21 offices throughout the U.S., recently analyzed the benefits of California Senate Bill (SB) 149, which establishes a target of resolving CEQA litigation within 270 days for certified infrastructure projects. “SB 149: Accelerating CEQA Judicial Review for Critical Infrastructure” provides a comprehensive look at the environmental law. Enacted in 2023, SB 149 does not change environmental review standards but streamlines court procedures for projects certified by the governor. To qualify, applicants must meet labor, community benefit, and greenhouse gas mitigation requirements, which vary by sector. SB 149 also requires projects to minimize impacts on disadvantaged communities and provide enforceable benefits where impacts cannot be avoided. Additionally, it modernizes CEQA administrative records through electronic, hyperlinked formats. The first certified project, the Sites Reservoir, successfully completed expedited judicial review, demonstrating SB 149’s potential to reduce litigation-related schedule uncertainty. To learn about ESA’s vision for SB 149, see author Alan Sakjo’s article online.