Californians pride themselves on being water savvy—the Golden State’s vast infrastructure of reservoirs and aqueducts has supported its agricultural industry and booming population for decades. But as global climate change continues to bake the state, California needs massive changes to its water conservation models—starting with better water education.
The Water Education Foundation, a nonprofit established in 1977, instructs Californians about sustainability and conservation. The Foundation offers many resources including news articles and print magazines, a water encyclopedia, workshop and scholastic programs, educational content for K-12 teachers, maps and publications, and virtual water tours. Policymakers, stakeholders, and government agencies collaborate in Foundation workshops, conferences, and tours to address water management issues and solutions. The Foundation stresses a holistic and proactive approach towards water conservation. Experts predict California will grow increasingly hot and dry over the next couple of decades, and Californians need to take proactive steps towards mitigating our growing water crisis.
To learn more about California’s waters, Babcock CEO Allison Mackenzie attended the Water Education Foundation’s first virtual tour—The Headwaters Tour. The tour featured industry experts who explained the importance of California’s headwaters and the challenges of water conservation. The headwaters start in the Sierra Nevada, which generate 60% of the state’s total water. Major cities like San Francisco, Sacramento, and Los Angeles draw most of their water from the Sierras. Unfortunately, climate change is currently threatening this vital resource. Rising temperatures are predicted to decrease Sierra snowfall and melt snow earlier in the season, thereby diminishing and destabilizing the water supply. Higher temperatures also dry our forests, kill trees and underbrush, and create the hazardous wildfire conditions that have resulted in more than 4 million acres burned this year alone—the loss of life and property is tragic. Wildfire ash and soil erosion further contaminate streams, rivers, and reservoirs, reduce water quality, and harm aquatic populations.
Given the problems California headwaters face, organizations like the Water Education Foundation provide a vital educational and collaborative service. With better training, policy makers and industry leaders can implement key conservation strategies like thinning overgrown forests, restoring meadows, and strengthening infrastructure.
Word of the Water Education Foundation’s virtual tours has spread very quickly. The Foundation’s second virtual tour which focused on the Bay-Delta was a sell-out! Their next tour featuring Northern California is scheduled for November 12, 2020.
As an environmental lab, Babcock proudly works alongside organizations like the Water Education Foundation to safeguard California’s most important natural resource—water. Contact Babcock Labs to learn more about our environmental testing services.