To make things easier for you, we’ve rounded up our top 10 most-read California water-related posts from 2022!  So get ready to dive in and explore some compelling pieces of content about our favorite topic.

1. Californians Agree: Time is Now to Invest in Water Infrastructure

Tupac and Dr. Dre made California Love an anthem for the Golden State, but to many residents on either end of the Northern/Southern divide, it’s a lopsided love at best. A light rivalry permeates the state from Eureka and the Bay Area to L.A. and San Diego over who has the better weather, sports teams, tacos, and, more seriously in this historically dry year, water management. You know when Northern and Southern Californians agree vehemently on one thing, it’s time to pay attention. And that one thing is: Now is the time to invest boldly in water infrastructure. This blog post highlights the Southern California Water Coalition’s partnership with Bay Area Council and Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley.

2. 12 Books About Water That Inspire Us

Originally created as a pandemic reading list post in 2020, this article continues to draw thousands of viewers for our eclectic list of water-related books. We asked the Southern California Water Coalition team for their top recommendations of books with interesting or timely takes on California water issues to share with you. Below are the best we’ve come across. 

The list has something for everyone from the lyrical and poetic (Joan Didion’s “Where I Am From” and Anne Carson’s “Plainwater”) to the thrilling (Marc Reisner’s “A Dangerous Place” and Paolo Bacigalupi’s “The Water Knife”) to the serious and studied (“Water to the Angels” by Les Standiford). 

3. Regional Water Leaders Celebrated for Hispanic Heritage Month

For Hispanic Heritage Month, Southern California Water Coalition recognized all Hispanic and Latinx water professionals whose leadership, dedication, and dynamism influence Southern California’s water resiliency. Highlighted in this blog post were Covina City Mayor, SCWC board member, and vice chair of the SCWC Legislative Task Force Patty Cortez; SCWC board member, California Water Commission member Jose Solorio; Board President of the Rancho California Water District Carol Lee Gonzales-Brady; longtime SCWC member and former Metropolitan Water District General Manager Ron Gastelum; and Director and General Manager of the Los Angeles Sanitation and Environment Barbara Romero.

4. Ten Songs That Explain California Water

Californians have been known to love their music. From classic rock to modern pop, the Golden State has produced some of the most iconic and listened-to tunes in history. But what about when the music is about something Californians care deeply about? In that case, you get songs that explain California water, our carefully curated list just for you. Let us know if we missed some! 

Here are ten examples of tunes that perfectly capture this complex and nuanced issue. View the full playlist on YouTube.

5. SCWC Tackles Equity, Access and Affordability

The SCWC’s expert panel discussion on Equity, Access, and Affordability of Water marked the inception of its newest task force, which will seek to explore Southern California’s unique people and cultures to work through challenges that the water industry faces regionally.

The formation of the Equity, Access, and Affordability Task Force was characterized by the discussion that took place between the four experts who were invited to share their experiences, perspectives, and ideas on the panel, which mediated by SCWC Executive Director Charley Wilson. 

6. Southern California Voices Need to be Heard on Water Investment

As the state of California continues to experience drought conditions, water infrastructure investment has become a top priority for many organizations. The Southern California Water Coalition is just one of the groups that has called on state leaders to use budget surplus funds to invest in additional water infrastructure. SCWC has joined with eleven other organizations include RebuildSoCal, BizFed, Engineering Contractors Association and many others to call for more funding for projects that will help to increase local and regional water supply development, fix aging infrastructure, improve water quality and investment in new and existing water storage projects.

7. Spotlight on Women Water Leaders

In honor of Women’s History Month, SCWC spotlighted just a few of the regional female leaders whose service to public health and water supply reliability has proved instrumental in achieving strides towards sustainability.

Their reflections on their careers, their support for one another, and their advice for other women pursuing a future in water are nothing short of inspiring. Each woman serves as a member of the Southern California Water Coalition Board of Trustees and several also chair or co-chair its task forces.

8. New Educational Video Highlights SoCal’s Water Supplies

The Southern California Water Coalition has teamed up with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to produce a new informative video series that highlights Southern California water systems and underscores the need to protect and expand water resources during the drought. 

Watch the video HERE. 

9. Celebrating Black Water Leaders

In honor of Black History Month, the Southern California Water Coalition celebrates all Black leaders whose dedication, vision, and initiative have influenced the future of Southern California water resiliency. The article highlights Gloria Gray, West Basin Municipal Water District director and the first Black woman to chair the Metropolitan Water District; Jasmin Hall, Inland Empire Utilities Agency director, Mayor Acquanetta Warren of the City of Fontana, and Harold Williams, West Basin Municipal Water District director.

A time of reflection, remembrance, and inspiration, Black History Month encourages us all to visualize and achieve a better, more inclusive, and united world.

10. Delta Conveyance Environmental Impact Report is Released

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) issued its Environmental Impact Report for Delta Conveyance, the project designed to modernize our state’s water infrastructure in the vast network of waterways found in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Delta Conveyance is a much-needed update to California’s water infrastructure, ensuring greater reliability and flexibility from the State Water Project system that provides water from the Sierra Nevada mountains to Southern California, Central Valley and the Bay Area.

While versions of this project have been proposed over the years, today’s proposed project is a sharp departure from previous iterations. The Delta Conveyance Project proposed today has been downsized, refined, rerouted, and redesigned to better meet the needs of the communities it serves.

The post Best Water Articles: Top 10 Most Read Posts in 2022 appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.

We’re already looking ahead, but for now, let’s take a quick look back at SCWC’s 10 most read website posts of 2021.

1. 12 Books About Water That Inspire Us

Originally created as a pandemic reading list post in 2020, this article continues to draw thousands of viewers for our eclectic list of water-related books. The list has something for everyone from the lyrical and poetic (Joan Didion’s “Where I Am From” and Anne Carson’s “Plainwater”) to the thrilling (Marc Reisner’s “A Dangerous Place” and Paolo Bacigalupi’s “The Water Knife”) to the serious and studied (“Water to the Angels” by Les Standiford). 

2. Watch “Drought: Are We Ready?” Webinar on Demand

More than 300 people live-attended our May 3 webinar featuring an expert panel discussing the drought, and another 600 have streamed the video and read the blog post since. Featuring Newsha Ajami, Director of Urban Water Policy, Stanford University Water in the West program; Paul Cook, General Manager, Irvine Ranch Water District; Heather Dyer, General Manager, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District; Erik Ekdahl, Deputy Director, State Water Resources Control Board; Karla Nemeth, Director, California Dept. of Water Resources.

3. Watch Water Quality Webinar Video on Demand

This sixth installment of our What Matters webinar series featured an expert panel discussing the presence of PFAS in U.S. drinking water, including Southern California. PFAS is a family of more than 4,000 chemical compounds found in most products we use in our daily lives. Nearly 500 people registered for the event to hear from scientists, city and water officials and others to learn how the region and the state are addressing contamination as well as exploring alternatives to these chemicals to protect future water supplies.

4. We’re Prepared for this Drought. What About the Next One?

The drought has returned to California. Some say it never left. We write about the drought emergency declaration back in May, tying it to the impacts of climate change and the need for water resiliency solutions such as Delta Conveyance. 

5. Watch Stormwater Workshop 2021 Webinar Video On Demand

Our August 10, 2021 workshop on “A Strategic Approach to Integrate Stormwater and Sewer Systems” continues to pull in viewers interested in learning about stormwater projects and programs in Southern California meant to increase water supply, improve water quality, and bring community benefits. Our expert panel discusses issues of groundwater recharge or direct use as well as a guide for cities on how to implement the strategy and how to approach wastewater agencies about working together.

6. New Magazine Highlights Inland Empire Water Leadership

As a part of the SCWC’s commitment to regional water sustainability and education, we have added a new local publication to our many community outreach efforts. As a part of a partnership with the publishers of California Water Inland Empire, the SCWC has released an issue of the magazine filled with the latest news and topics in regional water. Featured water agencies included Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Western Municipal Water District, Eastern Municipal Water District, Rancho California Water District, Rebuild Southern California Partnership, Chino Basin Water Conservation District, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, and East Valley Water District.

7. Watch on Demand: Equity, Access and Affordability in Water

Our expert panel on “Equity, Access and Affordability” in California water in July was also the launch of SCWC’s new Equity, Access and Affordability Task Force chaired by Anatole Falagan and Mayor Acquanetta Warren. Wherever you are in California, dealing with equity, access and affordability of water is going to take collaboration and coalition building. We believe Southern California Water Coalition is well-equipped to do this work, given the diversity of membership and the region we are in. We look forward to rolling up our sleeves and facing this issue head-on, and so do many of you judging by this post’s popularity.

8. Women’s History Month Spotlight on Harriett Wieder

We highlight the work of SCWC Founder Harriett Wieder in this post with historical photos from her bold career as a resolute community organizer and politician. The former Huntington Beach mayor and the first female elected to the Orange County Board of Supervisors, Wieder made a big splash in her career when she formed the Southern California Water Coalition in 1984, bringing together a diverse group of water professionals, corporations, agencies, and local governments for a noble purpose: to educate. 

9. Rewiring Water Conservation for Energy

Our Water-Energy Efficiency Task Force published its white paper on the connection between water and energy conservation in April 2020. It continues to drive traffic to the SCWC website almost two years later for the links it makes between water and energy utilities exploring the reduction of resource consumption and tips for effective collaboration.

SCWC released its 2020 white paper, “Rewiring Water Conservation for Energy”

10. Fact Sheet Showcases Three Decades of Water Resiliency Planning in Southern California

After a great deal of research and collaboration, the SCWC released an informative fact sheet detailing the path to California’s water resiliency over the past three decades. The fact sheet was a product of the minds and contributions of our dedicated SCWC members, who helped put the document together. Comprised of graphs, graphics, and educative blurbs, the fact sheet aims to give readers a more thorough understanding of problems facing California water resiliency, proven and effective strategies, and the role a diversified water resources portfolio plays.

The post Best Articles: Top 10 Most Read Posts in 2021 appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.