As we release the Southern California Water Coalition’s (SCWC) 2023 Annual Report, it is with a sense of profound admiration for the water management community’s resilience and dedication. The journey through 2023 has been a testament to adaptability and foresight.

The year began with a climatic turnaround—unprecedented rain and snowfall signaling the end of a lingering extreme drought. This sudden bounty, while welcome, presented our adept water managers with the task of navigating the complexities of abundance alongside the challenges of dramatic flooding in several regions.

Power of Partnerships

In the past year, the essence of collaboration shone through. Our alliances with entities such as the Bay Area Council, Water Blueprint for San Joaquin Valley, Groundswell for Water Justice, BizFed, and Rebuild SoCal were pivotal. A milestone was reached with Governor Gavin Newsom’s signing of infrastructure permitting and project review reforms—a movement we proudly participated in, which expedited the permit process for numerous water projects, unlocking federal funding for essential infrastructure.

Advocacy in Action: The Delta Conveyance Project

Our advocacy’s centerpiece, the Delta Conveyance Project, has continued to garner substantial support, transcending regional, political, and demographic lines—a reinforcement of the project’s significance for our water future. As 2024 dawns, our commitment to educating the public about the Delta Conveyance final environmental impact report remains unwavering. This milestone symbolizes more than a success for SCWC—it is a beacon of hope for all Californians reliant on sustainable and dependable water resources.

Leadership for the Future

With Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren stepping in as board chair in January 2023, our leadership entered a new era. Her emphasis on equitable access to clean and safe water has brought the disparities in water quality and availability into sharp focus, paving the way for inclusive action.

The Southern California Water Coalition’s 2023 Annual Report is now available for review. We invite all stakeholders and community members to delve into the comprehensive account of our initiatives, partnerships, and progress. To download the Southern California Water Coalition Annual Report for 2023, click here.

In some ways, 2022 ended as it started, with California’s hydrologic conditions pointing to another year of drought. Nothing is surprising about it, whether you’re a long-time Southern California water watcher or someone who notices lawns going brown and news stories filled with images of reservoirs at drastically low levels.

Still, the Southern California Water Coalition leadership finds some hope and progress in the water outlook, rooted in the dedication of our steadfast members. The continued growth of our membership and the longevity of our most stalwart supporters speaks to our cause, which is educating people about the region’s water needs and finding solutions to the vexing problems we face.

Partnerships are Key

SCWC benefited this year from enhanced partnerships with the Bay Area Council, Water Blueprint for San Joaquin Valley, and others to urge Governor Gavin Newsom and the State Legislature to act boldly in the 2022-23 budget by securing investments for California water infrastructure. We added our support and comments to statewide efforts, including Governor Newsom’s Water Strategy and the Delta Conveyance Environmental Impact Report. Partnerships with others combined with the voices of our powerful coalition allowed us to amplify our voice and reach, and we look forward to doing more in the future.

Our Expanding Reach

Today, we can boast nearly 12,000 total followers and subscribers across our different platforms—and the number is growing daily. As local news coverage seems to shrink more and more, we continue to expand our communications channels. Our well-reviewed What Matters Water TV + Podcast and California Water Magazine series complement our email newsletter, blogs and social media content. These outlets are how SCWC presents engaging and timely information about California water issues and the good works of the agencies operating with Southern California’s vast and diverse terrain. Meanwhile, our in-person Quarterly Luncheons and Annual Dinner continue to draw hundreds of people who care about water together for dialogue, networking and information-sharing.

SCWC has long celebrated the rich diversity of Southern California’s people and cultures. In 2022, we highlighted some of our leaders and members through the lenses of Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month and Women’s History Month. We believe that working with and learning from a broad range of people helps us address California’s water issues more creatively. We hope you’ll join us again in 2023.

To download the Southern California Water Coalition Annual Report for 2022, click here.

After a year that taught us resilience in any conditions, 2021 was a homecoming. Emerging from the global pandemic, our coalition members adapted once again and put the momentum of our innovation into even stronger action.

Like many organizations, the SCWC acclimated to the hybrid environment of both in-person and virtual events over the course of the year. The “What Matters” webinar series, which began last year, continued as did virtual panels and workshops. Highlights included the Water Quality webinar and the Stormwater Workshop, which brought industry experts together to examine complex issues and identify multiple solutions to work toward. In November, the “What Matters” series was taken to the next level with the launch of our What Matters Water TV + Podcast episodes, which proved a great success.

We had the pleasure of convening again in-person for the July Quarterly Luncheon as well as the Annual Meeting and Dinner, which provided the opportunity for our members to congregate, celebrate each others’ accomplishments, and empower each other with the exchange of inspiration and ideas. These events also gave us the chance to physically reestablish connections and collaborations, which is the very foundation of our coalition.

Whether online or in-person, our events broke records and informed water leaders and others. One installment this year focuses on California’s leading news topic: the drought. The program garnered terrific attendance and delivered vital feedback between five expert panelists surrounding regional preparedness and how to approach conservation and resiliency projects as conditions worsen. Water quality was another focus, featuring a dynamic panel of seven industry experts who discussed the hot-button issues such as PFAS in our nation’s drinking water supplies. With record-breaking attendance, the webinar addressed issues of contamination and explored alternative chemical introductions to save future water supplies between scientists, city officials, and water professionals.

Some notable milestones in 2021 include:

• Nearly 3,000 views and listens of our newly launched What Matters Water TV + Podcast in 2021
• Launch of SCWC’s new task force on Equity, Access and Affordability
• New partnership with California Water magazine with regional issues highlighting local water agencies and leaders
• Development and release of new fact sheet on Southern California water resiliency
• Partnership with WaterReuse on video urging state legislators to include $750 million for recycled water in the drought package
• More than 500 people registered for our Stormwater Workshop with the Council for Watershed Health. View the video or read the white paper presented there: “Phase I: Tapping Into Available Capacity in Existing Infrastructure to Create Water Supply and Water Quality Solutions“

To download the Southern California Water Coalition Annual Report for 2021, click here.

A year unlike any other, 2020 provided us with the opportunity to see our coalition members from water and energy utilities, businesses, regional and local government, agriculture, labor, and nonprofits step up to protect public health and safety. Watching the actions of our coalition members as they grappled with the impact of COVID-19 and held critical conversations about racial equity was deeply gratifying — a true light in seemingly dark times. This year has shifted our thinking about how we deliver essential services and we see great promise for the future in this transformation.

We’ve long been proud of the diversity of interests among our coalition members. That’s because we believe that working with and learning from a broad range of people helps us do the important work of ensuring a healthy and reliable water supply for all Californians. 2020 shined a light on the importance of expanding that diversity and inclusion as broadly as possible across a spectrum that includes race, ethnicity, language, gender, abilities/disabilities, socioeconomic status and more. Without a doubt, this year gave the SCWC the opportunity to showcase its ability to adapt in a multitude of ways, while continuing to advance the issues most important to the region’s water supply future.

In light of health precautions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, SCWC adapted its in-person meetings and events to online forums with great success. The inception of the “What Matters” webinar series brought expert panels together to discuss innovative solutions to an array of issues relevant to California water professionals including stormwater, human resources, communications, water policy, and more. The webinars offered collaborative discussion between panels of diverse water professionals to address topical issues with cooperation and innovative thinking.

Some notable milestones in 2020 include:

• Janice Rutherford, Supervisor for San Bernardino County’s 2nd District, named Chair of SCWC Board of Trustees
• Nearly 1,000 people registered for our What Matters webinars
• More than 25,000 views of our new animated recycled water video series “Water: Too Precious to Use Just Once” (available in English and Spanish)
• New SCWC website launched
• New Recycled Water Task Force created
• Annual event and award presentation adapted to a virtual format, featuring remarks by Jim Brulte of California Strategies and Garry South of Garry South Consulting;  a special message from U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein; presentation of Hon. Harriett Wieder Award to Jeffrey Kightlinger, General Manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California; the announcement of the Kathy Cole Award to David Pedersen, General Manager, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District; a keynote by Brenda Burman, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation; and a fun trivia game with featured players Phyllis Currie, Jeffrey Kightlinger, Felicia Marcus and Brian Thomas.
• Release of the white paper “Rewiring Water Conservation for Energy: How Southern California Utilities Make It Work“

A highlight in water news this year was that the final version of the California Water Resilience Portfolio was published in late July. The document included a single-tunnel, modern conveyance solution as one of the portfolio’s key actions. The SCWC continued its support of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s efforts to modernize the State Water Project’s water delivery system and are pleased to see the state moving forward with the portfolio. The SCWC has always supported collaborative, solution-based efforts such as this to secure resource resiliency for all citizens of California.

To download the Southern California Water Coalition Annual Report for 2020, click here.

Another highlight was the 35th annual SCWC meeting and dinner took place on October 24th at the Long Beach Hilton. The region’s most impactful California water leaders gathered to network and exchange ideas and celebrate a year of accomplishments. SCWC Executive Director Charley Wilson led the crowd in congratulating our Harriett M. Wieder Award honorees Richard Atwater and Fiona Hutton, two  deeply respected leaders and tireless champions of regional solutions for water supply resiliency. The keynote speech by Mary Creasman, CEO of the California League of Conservation Voters, explored the importance of collaboration toward water resilience in the face of climate change.

SCWC held three quarterly luncheons in 2019, each a thriving hub for engagement offering expert analysis and commentary on the state’s evolving water challenges. These events offer perspectives on everything water from local projects to national water policy, with the added bonus of exceptional networking opportunities for attendees.

This report highlights SCWC’s 2018 accomplishments, which included: 

• Continuing our impactful WaterNext campaign, garnering a powerful coalition of 300 supporters (and growing) for California WaterFix and educating Californians on the importance of this critical infrastructure project.
• Examining stormwater projects through a workshop and a first-of-its-kind white paper demonstrating costs and benefits from real-world projects, based on data not projections.
• Advocating for and celebrated the passage of Proposition 68, the $4.1 billion water bond, alongside the coalition of labor, business and environmental interests.
• Publishing a white paper with recommendations to meet new mandates on outdoor water use efficiency and conservation with a changing environment.

The report contains a letter from the Executive Director Charles Wilson, a summary of our three Quarterly Luncheons and one Annual Dinner, highlights from two workshops and publication of two white papers.