Western States Water Council

Workshop on Improving Sub-seasonal to Seasonal Precipitation Forecasting to Support Water Management
2022-05-17 00:00 - 2022-05-19 00:00 (America/Denver)
The Western States Water Council and the California Department of Water Resources cosponsored a recurring workshop to continue a dialogue among western states, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the research community on improving sub-seasonal to seasonal (S2S) precipitation forecasting to support water management decision-making.
Improving precipitation forecasts at lead times longer than a two-week weather forecast would support many water management activities, including preparedness and response to drought conditions that are again gripping much of the western U.S. Workshop presentations included recently developed experimental research forecast products for California and the Colorado River Basin, predictability analyses, the status of efforts to begin a western pilot project to improve forecasting, model development activities, and examples of needs and potential applications for improved forecasts.
AGENDA: S2S Workshop Agenda
PRESENTATIONS
May 17
David DeWitt – Legislative and Programmatic Drivers for Improving Sub-Seasonal to Seasonal (S2S) Precipitation Forecast Skill (video)
Matt Switanek – Improving Cool-Season Precipitation Forecasts Across CONUS and the West (video)
Chuck Collum – Law of the Colorado River, Current Conditions 2022 (video)
Michael Anderson – Seasonal to Interannual Prediction in a Dynamic Climate (video)
Jeanine Jones – Motivation for Improving Seasonal Precipitation Forecasting (video)
Joe Barsugli – Colorado River Drought, Past, Present, and Future (video)

May 18
Angel Munoz – Winter Precipitation Scenarios for the Western United States: Bridging Subseasonal and Seasonal Forecasts (video)
Phil Mote – A Changing Climate in the Klamath Basin (video)
Duane Waliser – Overview of Predictability & Experimental Forecasting Work for California & the Upper Colorado River Basin (video)
Mike DeFlorio – Understanding Relative Skill of Experimental S2S Forecasts (video)
Xianan Jiang – Why seasonal prediction of California winter precipitation is challenging? (video)
Gudrun Magnusdottir – Atmospheric Drivers in California Precipitation Transitions (video)
Agniv Sengupta – Exploring an Evolution-centric Statistical Technique for Improving Seasonal Prediction Forecasting (video)
Agniv Sengupta – S2S Prediction of Winter Precipitation: Exploring Novel Statistical and Machine Learning Methods (video)
Sarah Baker – Potential for Incorporating S2S Forecasting in USBR Colorado River Basin Modeling (video)
John Lhotak – Challenges Applying S2S Forecasting to Hydrology (video)
May 19
Cary Talbot – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Water Management Perspectives on Improving S2S Precipitation Forecasting (video)
Andy Robertson – S2S Weather Regime Prediction (video)
Nelun Fernando – Texas Water Development Board’s Experience with Seasonal Rainfall Forecasts and the Upcoming FIRO Pilot Project (video)
Emerson LaJoie – CPC’s Experimental Water Year Outlook Tool (video)
Jay Jasperse – Lake Mendocino Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (video)
David Rizzardo – S2S Precipitation Forecasts & Snowmelt Runoff Forecasting (video)
MEETING FACILITY: Doubletree by Hilton San Diego Downtown, located at 1646 Front Street, San Diego, California 92101.

Improving Snowmelt Runoff Forecasting
2022-06-01 00:00 (America/Denver)
The Western States Water Council and the California Department of Water Resources are cosponsoring a workshop on Improving Snowmelt Runoff Forecasting. Improving operational runoff forecasting to meet the needs of water managers and users is a challenge, particularly given limited agency budgets for observations, monitoring, research, development, and modeling. Climate change and variability seem to be driven faster than our science and technological advances. Moreover, it takes a relatively long period of time to put improvements in place and build confidence in accurate and durable projections. The purpose of this one-day workshop is to explore our present capacity and opportunities to take the next steps to improve runoff forecasting.
MATERIALS:
Agenda
Pre-Registrants List
USBR – West-Wide Climate and Hydrology Assessment (2021)
MEETING REGISTRATION: There is no registration fee to attend, but we are asking all individuals, regardless of in person or virtual attendance to please register in advance. Please fill out only one of the appropriate forms below. If you have any questions, please contact Julie Groat at jgroat@wswc.utah.gov.

In Person Registration ONLY: In Person Registration Form

Virtual Attendance ONLY: Virtual Registration Form
MEETING FACILITY: The workshop is being held in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 1, 2022 at the Utah Department of Environmental Quality building located at 195 North 1950 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116. The workshop will begin at 8:30 am and conclude by 3:30 pm.
ACCOMMODATIONS:
For those needing to arrive on Tuesday evening, May 31, or leave later, there are a few hotels nearby the meeting facility. All provide shuttle service to/from the Salt Lake City airport and are within walking distance of the meeting space and Trax light rail (which runs to the airport and/or downtown).
Radisson Hotel Salt Lake City Airport, 2177 West North Temple, Salt Lake City, UT, 84116
Holiday Inn Express Salt Lake City Airport East, 200 North 2100 West, Salt Lake City, UT, 84116
Comfort Suites Airport, 171 North 2100 West, Salt Lake City, UT, 84116

WOTUS regional approach pre-workshop 1: Regional classification schemes
2022-06-21 10:30 - 13:30 (America/Denver)
Western States Water Council is hosting a series of workshops over the summer to further explore technical and policy elements of a regional approach to Waters of the United States (WOTUS) definitions.
This first pre-workshop (virtual) will focus on regional classification schemes that could be applied to WOTUS determinations. A second pre-workshop (virtual) will be held on July 11 to discuss operational aspects of regional approaches to WOTUS. Both pre-workshops are intended to be technical in nature to provide input to a policy focused discussion at the WOTUS workshop hosted with the summer Council meeting in August. The output of both pre-workshops will be a technical white paper.
Meeting Materials and Links

Agenda
Interactive Map
Presentation: Introduction to WOTUS Regional Approach Pre-workshop 1, Regional Classification Schemes, Erica Gaddis, PhD, WSWC (video)
Presentation: U.S. National Hydrography Program Watershed Boundary Dataset, Kimberly Jones, USGS (video)
Presentation: Ecoregions and Stream Flow Duration Assessment Methods, Brian Topping, USEPA (video)
Presentation: Regionalization of Federal Wetland Delineation, Kyle Gordon, USACE (video)
Presentation: Land Resource Regions (LRR) and Major Land Resource Areas (MLRA), Drew Kinney, NRCS (video)

Please contact Erica Gaddis (egaddis@wswc.utah.gov) for questions regarding the workshop series or for access to the virtual whiteboard and group survey used during the meeting.

WOTUS regional approach pre-workshop 2: Operationalizing regional concepts in western states
2022-07-11 10:30 - 13:30 (America/Denver)
The Western States Water Council hosted a series of workshops over the summer to further explore technical and policy elements of a regional approach to Waters of the United States (WOTUS) definitions. This was the second workshop held.
This workshop focused on the operational aspects of regional approaches to WOTUS. It followed the first pre-workshop that was held on June 21, which focused on regional classification schemes that could be applied to WOTUS determinations. Both pre-workshops were intended to be technical in nature and provide input to a policy focused discussion at the WOTUS workshop held in conjunction with the Council’s regular scheduled summer meetings in Polson, Montana. The output of both pre-workshops will be a technical white paper.
Meeting Materials

Agenda
Interactive Map of Regional Classification Schemes
Overview of the Workshop (Video)
Presentations:
Tracie Nadeau, Environmental Scientist, EPA Region 10: Streamflow Duration Assessment Methods Covering the West (Video)
Shelly Lemon, Surface Water Quality Bureau Chief, New Mexico Environment Department: New Mexico’s Hydrology Protocol for Surface Water Quality Management (Video)
Erin Jordan, Value Stream Manager, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality: Jurisdictional Evaluations in Arizona (Video)
Joshua Seeds, Forest Water Quality Analyst, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality: Water Typing & Protections during Forestry Operations in Oregon (Video)
Eric Hargett, Monitoring Program Assistant Supervisor, Water Quality Division, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality: Estimating Flow Duration at Regional Scales Using Empirical Models – A Concept (Video)

2022 Summer (199th) Meetings
2022-08-02 08:00 - 2022-08-05 18:00 (America/Denver)
2022 WSWC Summer Meetings – Polson, MT – KwaTaqNuk Resort-Casino

The WSWC Summer (199th) Meetings were held in Polson, Montana on August 2-5, 2022. Polson is located about an hour north of Missoula or an hour south of Kalispell.

MEETING BRIEFING MATERIALS – Briefing Materials for the 199th Western States Water Council Meetings

MINUTES:
Water Resources Committee Minutes – August 4, 2022
Executive Committee Minutes – August 4, 2022
Water Quality Committee Minutes – August 4, 2022
Legal Committee – August 4, 2022
199th Full Council – August 5, 2022
AGENDAS
Water Resources Committee – August 4, 2022
Executive Committee – August 4, 2022
Water Quality Committee – August 4, 2022
Legal Committee – August 4, 2022
199th Full Council – August 5, 2022

MEETING SCHEDULE:
Tuesday, August 2
WOTUS Regional Concept Policy Workshop
Wednesday, August 3
The Western States Water Data Access and Analysis Tool (WestDAAT) Workshop
PRESENTATIONS
Thursday, August 4
Host State Presentation – Anna Pakenham Stevenson, Water Division Administrator, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation

Water Resources Committee Meeting
National Alliance for Water Innovation Update – Peter Fiske, Director, National Alliance for Water Innovation

Building a Water Resilient West – Erica Siirila-Woodburn, Hydrology Research Scientist and Craig Ulrich, Research Geophysicist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
WSWC House and Senate Legislative Testimony/Update – Ariel O’Callaghan, WSWC Intern

Water Quality Committee Meeting
Abandoned Hardrock Mines updates (2022 Good Sam bill and IIJA funding) – Erica Gaddis, Sr. Policy Advisor, WSWC
Report on WSWC Workshops on Regional WOTUS Approach – Erica Gaddis, Sr. Policy Advisor, WSWC

Legal Committee Meeting:
Diamond Valley Groundwater Management Plan – Micheline Fairbank, Deputy Administrator, Nevada Division of Water Resources
Utah 2022 Legislative Session: The Legislature Passed How Many Water Bills This Year? – Nathan Bracken, Partner, Smith Hartvigsen, PLLC
Friday, August 5
Full Council Meeting (199th)

WOTUS regional concept policy workshop: WSWC summer meeting
2022-08-02 08:30 - 17:00 (America/Denver)
Western States Water Council is hosting a series of workshops over the summer to further explore technical and policy elements of a regional approach to WOTUS. This full day workshop will build on two virtual technical pre-workshops that will occur on June 21, 2022 and July 11, 2022. This final workshop will integrate technical recommendations with policy considerations regarding approaches to using a regional approach for WOTUS definitions.
This workshop is intended for Western States Water Council members, state agencies, federal partners, and other interstate organizations with an interest in exploring a new, regional, approach to WOTUS. Please register for this workshop using this link.
Meeting Materials
Agenda
Interactive Map

State Engineer Persona Workshop: Western States Water Data Access and Analysis Tool (WestDAAT)
2022-08-03 08:30 - 10:45 (America/Denver)
In conjunction with the WSWC Summer Meetings in Polson, Montana, on Wednesday morning, August 3, from 8:30-10:45 am, WaDE staff invited WSWC members, particularly state engineers and other state water rights administrators, to participate in a demonstration and feedback workshop on our Western States Water Data Access and Analysis Tool (WestDAAT). Virtual participation will also be possible should you or your staff be unable to participate in person.
The intent of the workshop was to familiarize members and others with the tool and encourage hands-on practice with possible applications. The workshop is designed to test WestDAAT capabilities and dashboard query tools for water rights data covering WSWC states. How could WestDAAT help each state in its water rights permitting and water resources planning functions?
The WestDAAT dashboard prototype culminates a 10-year WaDE effort, working with WSWC member states to streamline access to water rights data, and it will be publicly released in March 2023. At present, over 1.4 million water rights across 2.7 million Points of Diversion and Places of Use and related attributes of those rights (metadata) are available via WestDAAT. More data will be stored and accessible as it becomes available.
Some of the questions WestDAAT might help water right administrators address include the following:

What junior water rights are there above a particular senior point of diversion?
In the case of a “call,” which water users should be notified?
What water rights might be affected by a proposed change in the point of diversion or change in the place of use?
In order to protect flows leased or otherwise dedicated to downstream uses, which water users/water right holders may need to be notified to temporarily forego diversions (shepherding conserved water downstream to a specific reservoir or another point)?
How do other western states regulate water use and to what beneficial uses?
What beneficial uses are recognized by other western states?
How other western states have progressed in adjudicating their water rights based on the legal status of rights?
What metadata is associated with the water right?

Report

Coming soon.

The 2022 National Water Use Data Workshop, Salt Lake City UT
2022-08-16 00:00 - 2022-08-18 00:00 (America/Denver)
The 2022 National Water Use Data Workshop in collaboration between the Western States Water Council Water Information Management Systems (WIMS) Group, U.S. Geological Survey, Interstate Council on Water Policy, and Internet of Water, was held on August 16-18, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Workshop Goals
• Provide a platform for state agencies’ staff to learn from each other about the latest efforts related to water data management and sharing.
• Engage state IT and water resources management staff with the USGS National Water Use Data and Research (WUDR) and the Water Data Exchange (WaDE) Programs.
• Exchange the latest developments on water use data sharing methods and how states can benefit from them.
• Identify challenges related to states data-sharing efforts and potential solutions to consider.
Focus Areas
• Present on programs or initiatives related to improving data collection, sharing, and access to water use data.
• Present on historic monthly/annual site-specific water withdrawals and use data reporting and sharing efforts.
• Present on data gaps and ways that have been developed to fill them. Present on metadata for water use information.
2022 National Water Use Data Workshop Summary Report
Water Use Data Workshop Briefing Materials
Welcome Remarks: U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (NM) (video)

PRESENTATIONS:
Tuesday, August 16, 2022
USGS Water Use Vision: Jaime Painter, USGS Water Mission Area
WSWC Water Data Exchange (WaDE) Program Water Use Data Sharing: Adel Abdallah, WSWC
Discussion on the Obstacles, Perceived or Real, to Getting WUDR Grants, and Regional Grant Ideas and Strategies: Erik Smith, USGS
USGS Water Use Modeling: Richard Niswonger, USGS
OpenET Update (Utah, California, and Oregon pilot study): Forrest Melton, NASA Western Water Applications Office
Oregon’s Statewide ET project to Update Irrigation Consumptive Use Data: Jordan Beamer, Oregon Water Resources Department
California Water Data Consortium: Advancing Urban Water Use Data Sharing and Access:Tara Moran, California Water Data Consortium
New Mexico Water Data Initiative: Stacy Timmons, New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources
Developing the Texas Water Data Hub: Taylor Christian, Texas Water Development Board
Wednesday, August 17, 2022
Internet of Water Geoconnex Update – New Mexico Pilot Study: Kyle Onda, Internet of Water Initiative, Center for Geospatial Solutions at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Utah’s Open Water Data Website: Aaron Austin, Utah Division of Water Resources and James Reese, Utah Division of Water Rights
Real-time Groundwater Management with Big Data and the Internet of Things – Examples from the Twin Platte Natural Resources District Water Data Program: James Schneider, Olsson, and Kathleen Elmquist, Environmental Science Associates Sitka
How Colorado’s Decision Support Systems (CDSS) Hosts and Shares Water Data: Brian Macpherson, Colorado Water Conservation Board
USGS Data Insights: Cheryl Dieter, USGS Water Mission Area
New Jersey’s Methods in Estimating Water Use and Sharing Data: Kent Barr, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Wyoming Data Sharing Efforts: Melinda Fegler, Wyoming State Engineer’s Office
The Great Lakes Regional Water Use Database – Data Collection, Analysis and Reporting Protocols: James Polidori, Great Lakes Commission
Reported Water Uses in the Potomac River Basin Stephanie Nummer-Fantozz, Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin. (virtual)
Kansas Water Use Data Collection and Database Migration: David Engelhaupt and Andy Terhune, Kansas Department of Agriculture
Alaska Water Use Data System: Kevin Petrone, Alaska Department of Natural Resources
New Mexico Water Use Data: Collection, Reporting, and Sharing: Julie Valdez, New Mexico Office of the State Engineer
Susquehanna River Basin Cumulative Water Use and Availability Study: John Balay, Susquehanna River Basin Commission
Upper Colorado River Basin Consumptive Use and Loss Reporting: James Prairie, Upper Colorado Region Office, Bureau of Reclamation

Washington Data Sharing Efforts: Andrea Lauden, Washington State Department of Ecology
Water Use Data Improvements for Nebraska: Jennifer Schellpeper, Nebraska Department of Natural Resources
Water Use Reporting in Oklahoma and Future Goals: Jason Tutkowski, Oklahoma Water Resources Board

Thursday, August 18, 2022
Major Water Users in Missouri: Trevor Ellis, Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Indiana’s Water Use Registration and Reporting Program: Mark Basch, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water
Water Withdrawal and Consumptive Use Estimates for the Delaware River Basin (1990-2017) With Projections Through 2060: Michael Thompson, Delaware River Basin Commission
Virginia’s Approach to Addressing Water Use Data Gaps: Ryan Green, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Information about the previous workshop is available here

(2019) Water Information Management Systems (WIMS) Workshop & USGS Water Use Collaboration

WOTUS regional policy workshop follow-up discussion
2022-10-13 13:00 - 15:00 (America/Denver)
Western States Water Council hosted a series of workshops over the summer to further explore technical and policy elements of a regional approach to WOTUS. This two hour discussion is a follow-up to the full day policy workshop that was hosted in Polson, Montana on August 2. States requested this follow-up discussion to provide time for them to further consider the materials and several policy elements that were discussed at the workshop. A final draft of the technical white-paper and a draft memo on regional policy considerations will be shared with participants in early October.
This workshop is intended primarily for Western States Water Council members and state agencies and other interstate organizations with an interest in exploring a new, regional, approach to WOTUS. Please register for this event using this link.
Agenda

2022 WSWC Fall (200th) Meetings
2022-10-19 00:00 - 2022-10-21 00:00 (America/Denver)
The WSWC Fall (200th) Meetings will be held in Sulphur, Oklahoma on October 19-21, 2022 at the Artesian Hotel, Casino & Spa. Sulphur is located about 85 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
MEETING BRIEFING MATERIALS – Briefing Materials for the 200th Western States Water Council Meetings
MINUTES:
Water Resources Committee Minutes – October 20, 2022
Executive Committee Minutes – October 20, 2022
Water Quality Committee Minutes – October 20, 2022
Legal Committee Minutes – October 20, 2022
200th Full Council Minutes – October 21, 2022
AGENDA:
Abandoned Hardrock Mine Remediation
WOTUS Regional Roundtable
Water Resources Committee
Executive Committee
Water Quality Committee
Legal Committee
200th Full Council Committee
MEETING SCHEDULE
Wednesday, October 19
Panel: Abandoned Hardrock Mine Remediation
WOTUS Panel (EPA and USACE)
PRESENTATIONS
Thursday, October 20
Welcome Remarks: Speaker of the House Charles McCall

Water Resources Committee Meeting
USBR Upper Red River Basin Study – Anna Hoag, Civil Engineer, Bureau of Reclamation
WaDE/WestDAAT Program Update – Adel Abdallah, WaDE Program Manager; Tony Willardson, WSWC Executive Director; and Ryan James, WaDE Data Analyst
Water Quality Committee Meeting
Oklahoma Water Quality Issues – Shellie Chard, Director, Water Quality Division, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality
Alaska §404 Permit Uncertainties – Julie Pack, Assistant Attorney General, Alaska Department of Law and Emma Pokon, Deputy Commissioner, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation

Legal Committee Meeting
Water and the Kansas Legislature – Earl Lewis, Chief Engineer, Kansas Department of Agriculture, and Connie Owen, Director, Kansas Water Office
Maximum Annual Yield Determination Arbuckle Simpson Groundwater Basin – Sara Gibson, General Counsel, Oklahoma Water Resources Board

The National Park Service and the Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer – Peter Fahmy, Sr. Policy Analyst, Water Rights Branch, National Park Service

Panel: Abandoned Hardrock Mine Remediation
2022-10-19 08:00 - 09:30 (America/Detroit)
Western States Water Council will host a panel of representatives from federal agencies on October 19, 2022 from 8:00am – 9:30am CT. This panel is intended to provide an opportunity for states to learn about opportunities to coordinate and participate in federal efforts to remediate Abandoned Hardrock Mine issues, especially those contributing to water quality problems in western states.
Agenda
Virtual Registration Form.
Panel participants

Shahid Mahmud: EPA, Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains
Holly Fliniau: USDA, Environmental Management Division
Sarah Martinez: USDA, Forest Service, Minerals and Geology Management
William (Bill) Lodder: Department of Interior, Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance

Panel topics:

Status on funding for BLM and USFS from IIJA and funding from other sources more generally for remediation of abandoned hardrock mine clean-ups
Approach to state-federal partnerships in roll-out of new funds including alignment with state priorities
Federal agency vision for programming and funding to maximize impact of the funds especially for state priorities
Update on activities and staffing of the Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains

Panel: WOTUS regional discussion
2022-10-19 09:30 - 11:00 (America/Denver)
Participants will have an opportunity to reflect on the discussion and workshops related to regional approaches to WOTUS. We have also invited EPA and USACE representatives to join us to reflect on the roundtable series that was organized by EPA over the summer.
Agenda
Registration.

States-only PFAS Roundtable
2023-01-18 13:00 - 15:00 (America/Denver)
This roundtable provided an opportunity for states to discuss PFAS issues/initiatives through the following prompts:
1) Current strategies, initiatives and/or successes including state-led project examples for using IIJA emerging contaminant funds
2) Examples of current challenges with implementing PFAS advisories and/or IIJA funding.
3) Resource needs to overcome barriers.

States discussed and learned from each other about all aspects of PFAS including drinking water, wastewater, biosolids, infrastructure funding, messaging, and pending regulatory actions.

AGENDA
2023 Summary of States-only PFAS Roundtable

WSWC-CWAG Briefing on the Corps Western Water Cooperative Committee
2023-03-17 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver)
As part of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) 2022, Congress created a new Western Water Cooperative Committee (§8158). The purpose of this Committee is to ensure that U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) “flood control projects in Western States are operated consistent with congressional directives by identifying opportunities to avoid or minimize conflicts between the operation of the [Corps] projects and water rights and water laws in such States.” The membership of the Cooperative Committee includes the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, the Chief of Engineers, two representatives from each Western State appointed by the governor and the attorney general, and one employee from each of the impacted regional offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The Conference of Western Attorneys General (CWAG) and Western States Water Council (WSWC), together with the Western Governors Association (WGA) supported the bipartisan effort of North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer and Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley to create the Western Water Cooperative Committee to provide a forum for discussions between the Corps and Western States regarding their respective roles under the 1944 Flood Control Act and the 1958 Water Supply Act, with express Congressional recognition of the primacy of state law over the allocation and use of waters within a state’s territorial boundaries.
The Corps owns and operates significant infrastructure in the west and has numerous federal priorities it considers. The Corps’ interpretations and implementation of its priorities often conflict with the States’ water management laws and policies. We are hopeful that the Committee will strengthen a spirit of cooperative federalism and practical problem-solving as water management continues to be critical to western states. Ideally, the Committee would provide an opportunity to: (1) facilitate ongoing state-federal communication; and (2) ensure that Corps policies and management of flood control projects are consistent with Congressional intent to defer to Western States on matters of water allocation.
This briefing provided additional information regarding our perspectives of the intent of the Committee and to facilitate discussions regarding state participation on the Committee.
Agenda
Meeting Materials:

WRDA 2022 Section 8158 – Western Water Cooperative Committee
• Water Resources Development Act of 2022 Section 8158
• WGA Letter re WRDA (June 2022)
• CWAG Letter re WRDA 2022 Corps Water Committee (May 2022)
• CWAG Letter Corps Western Water Cooperative Committee (July 2022)
• WSWC Support Letter Western Water Cooperative Committee (May 2022)
Policy Resolutions:
• WGA – Water Resource Management in the West (Aug. 2021)
• CWAG – Corps Water Supply Resolution (July 2020)
• WSWC – States’ Water Rights and Natural Flows (Sept. 2021)
Water Supply Rule:
• Corps Water Supply Rule Proposed (Dec 2016)
• WGA Comments on Corps Water Supply Rule (Feb 2017)
• WSWC Comments on Corps Water Supply Rule (May 2017)
• Corps Water Supply Rule Withdrawal (Mar 2020)
• WGA Letter Supporting Withdrawal (Jan 2020)
• CWAG Letter Supporting Withdrawal (Jan 2020)
• WSWC Letter Supporting Withdrawal (Jan 2020)

WSWC 2023 Spring (201st) Meetings
2023-05-22 00:00 - 2023-05-24 00:00 (America/Denver)
The Western States Water Council Spring (201st) Meetings was held in Reno, Nevada on May 22-24, 2023, at the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino.
MEETING BRIEFING MATERIALS – Briefing Materials for the 201st Western States Water Council Meetings
MINUTES:
Water Resources Committee Minutes – May 23, 2023
Executive Committee Minutes – May 23, 2023
Water Quality Committee Minutes – May 23, 2023
Legal Committee Minutes – May 23, 2023
201st Full Council Minutes – May 24, 2023
AGENDAS
Water Resources Committee
Executive Committee
Water Quality Committee
Legal Committee
Full Council Meeting
PRESENTATIONS:
Monday, May 22
Field Trip: A tour through Lemmon Valley and along the Truckee River – Sponsored by the Truckee Meadows Water Authority
TROA Operations and Water Supply for Northern Nevada – Bill Hauck, Water Supply Supervisor
Tahoe National Forest Middle Truckee River Watershed Forest Partnership
Field Trip Handouts

Tuesday, May 23
Water Resources Committee Meeting
S2S Precipitation Forecasting & Flood Risk Management – Jeanine Jones, Interstate Resources Manager, California Department of Water Resources
OpenET – Forrest Melton, Sr. Research Scientist, NASA Ames Research Center

Climate Engine – Justin Huntington, Hydrology Research Professor, Desert Research Institute
Landsat Next Status – Tim Newman, National Land Imaging Program Coordinator, U.S. Geological Survey

Water Supply Outlook – Cara McCarthy, Acting Program Manager, National Water and Climate Center, NRCS

The Great Salt Lake and Upper Colorado River System Conservation Programs – Todd Stonely, Assistant Director of Planning, Utah Division of Water Resources and Sarah Shechter, Assistant Attorney General, Natural Resources Division, Utah Attorney General’s Office
WaDE/WestDAAT Program Update – Adel Abdallah, WaDE Program Manager, Western States Water Council
Legal Committee Meeting
Nevada Legal Issues – Micheline Fairbank, Of Counsel, Fennemore Craig, and James Bolotin, Sr. Deputy Attorney General, Nevada Office of the Attorney General
Aquatic Resource Program Policy Update – Paula Cutillo, Sr. Water Resources Specialist, Bureau of Land Management
Legislation and Litigation Update – Michelle Bushman, Associate Director/General Counsel, Western States Water Council
Wednesday, May 24
WSWC Full Council (201st) Meeting
Western Water and Climate Initiatives – Kristen Averyt, Director, Drought and Western Resilience, White House Council on Environmental Quality
WestFAST Update – Roger Gorke, Chair (EPA) and Madeline Franklin (Liaison)
Federal Water, Forest & Hazards Mitigation Programs Integration – Jennifer Carr, Director, Nevada Department of Environmental Protection; Bunny Bishop, Chief, Water Planning & Drought Resiliency, Division of Water Resources; Janell Woodward, State Hazard Mitigation Officer, Division of Emergency Management; and John Powderly, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region 9

WSWC-NARF 18th Biennial Indian Reserved Water Rights Symposium
2023-08-08 08:00 - 2023-08-09 17:00 (America/Denver)
The Western States Water Council and Native American Rights Fund cosponsored a Symposium on the settlement of Indian reserved water rights claims on August 8-9, 2023. The symposium was hosted virtually. A number of topics were addressed by experts and participants regarding completed and ongoing negotiated settlements. Successful symposia have been held since 1991. Our abbreviated agenda will include presenters who have been involved in negotiated settlements representing tribal, state, local, and federal governments, interest groups, congressional staff, and others. Continuing Legal Education Credit will be available for lawyers who attend.
MEETING MATERIALS
Agenda
Ad Hoc Group Who We Are
Secretary’s Indian Water Rights Office Federal Teams
Settlements Approved by Congress
2023 Attendee List
CLE Certificate of Attendance
2023 Evaluation Form

Tuesday, August 8, 2023
Welcome (recording)
John Echohawk, Executive Director, Native American Rights Fund (NARF)
Tony Willardson, Executive Director, Western States Water Council (WSWC)
The U.S. Supreme Court and the Nature of the Tribal Trust (recording)
Department of the Interior v. Navajo Nation, Arizona v. Navajo Nation
Paul Spruhan, Assistant Attorney General, Navajo Nation Department of Justice
John Smeltzer, Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice
Lisa McKnight, Of Counsel, Salmon, Lewis and Weldon
Settlement Implementation, Infrastructure Funding, and Drought (recording)
Camille Touton, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation
The Administration’s Settlement Policy (recording)
Lynn Trujillo, Sr. Counselor to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, DOI
Pamela Williams, Director, Secretary’s Indian Water Rights Office (PPT)
Administration Response Panel (recording)
A Tribal Perspective: Steve Moore, Attorney, NARF
Permanent Settlement Fund: Michelle Bushman, Deputy Director/General Counsel, WSWC
Settlement Legislation: Getting Bills Through Congress (recording)
Jennifer Romero, Majority Staff Director/Chief Counsel, Senate Indian Affairs
Annick Miller, Staff Director, Sub. on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries, House Natural Resources
Matthew Muirragui, Deputy Staff Director, House Natural Resources Committee
Congressional Response Panel: Part I (recording)
Samantha Skenandore, Of Counsel, Quarles and Brady (Tule River) (PPT)
Ann Berkley Rodgers, Attorney, Chestnut Law Offices, P.A. (Acoma/Laguna) (PPT)
David Yepa, Attorney, New Mexico Law Group (Jemez/Zia) (PPT)
Joanne Harmon Curry, Partner, Patterson Earnhart Real Bird & Wilson LLP (Ft. Belknap Indian Community) (PPT)
Congressional Response Panel: Part II (recording)
Coming Back to Congress: Technical and Other Fixes
KeAloha Douma, Douma Law PLLC (White Mountain Apache) (PPT)
Colorado River (recording)
Stephen Roe Lewis, Governor, Gila River Indian Community
Nicole Klobas, Chief Counsel, Arizona Department of Water Resources (PPT)

Wednesday, August 9, 2023
Negotiation and Settlement of Indian Water Rights Claims (recording)
Hualapai Tribe
Mary Pavel, Partner, Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Endreson & Perry, LLP (PPT)
Sarah LeFlore, Policy Analyst, Secretary’s Indian Water Rights Office
Jeff Heilman, Legal Counsel, Arizona Department of Water Resources (PPT)
Future Water Supply Planning and Climate Change (recording)
Crystal Tulley-Cordova, Principal Hydrologist, Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources
Nikki Tulley, Scientist, NASA’s Indigenous Peoples Initiative; Associate Program Manager, NASA’s Equity & Environmental Justice Program
Gretel Follingstad, Intermountain West Drought Early Warning System (DEWS)
Coordinator/Drought Planning Lead, NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)
Crystal Stiles, Tribal Engagement Coordinator, NOAA NIDIS (PPT)
Water Management Tools for Drought: Part I (recording)

Colorado River Indian Tribes and Water Leasing
Devin Rhinerson, Partner, PACE LLP (PPT)
Water Management Tools for Drought: Part II (recording)
Western States Water Council Water Data Exchange (WestDAAT)
Tony Willardson, Executive Director, WSWC (PPT)
Adel Abdallah, WaDE Program Manager, WSWC

2023 Improving Sub-seasonal to Seasonal Precipitation Forecasting to Support Water Management Workshop
2023-08-15 13:00 - 2023-08-17 12:00 (America/Denver)
The Western States Water Council (WSWC) and the California Department of Water Resources (CDWR) cosponsored a workshop to continue a dialogue among western states, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the research community on improving sub-seasonal to seasonal (S2S) precipitation forecasting to support water management decisionmaking. The workshop was held in San Diego, California on August 15-17, 2023 at the DoubleTree by Hilton San Diego Downtown.

MATERIALS
Agenda
S2S FY2024 Funding Support Letter
Jeanine Jones, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Testimony
PRESENTATIONS

Tuesday August 15th
Wyoming 2023 Outlooks – What Went Wrong?
*Emerson LaJoie, NWS CPC (virtual)
A Linear Inverse Model for Improved Week 3-4 CPC Operational Outlooks
*John Albers, NOAA Earth Systems Research Lab (ESRL)
Wednesday. August 16th
WestFAST Agencies Panel discussion – S2S Forecasting Needs/Activities
*Jerry Cotter, US Army Corps of Engineers
Group Discussion, Concepts for a Western S2S Pilot Project
*Juliana Dias, NOAA ESRL (virtual)
Forecast-informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) and S2S
*Cary Talbot, USACE Engineer Research & Development Center (ERDC)

WSWC 2023 Fall Meetings
2023-09-12 00:00 - 2023-09-14 00:00 (America/Denver)
The Western States Water Council Fall (202nd) Meetings was held in Anchorage, Alaska on September 12-14, 2023, at the Aloft Anchorage Hotel.
MATERIALS TO DOWNLOAD: Briefing Book Materials for the WSWC Fall 2023 Meetings – Anchorage, Alaska
MINUTES:
Water Resources Committee
Executive Committee
Water Quality Committee
Legal Committee
Full Council
AGENDAS
Water Resources Committee
Executive Committee
Water Quality Committee
Legal Committee
Full Council
PRESENTATIONS:
Tuesday, September 12
Our Alaska hosts arranged a full day field trip with stops that included:

Alaska Water and Wastewater Utility (AWWU) Drinking Water Treatment Facility
Eklutna Hydroelectric Project Powerhouse
Eklutna Village
Eklutna Lake
Wednesday, September 13

Water Resources Committee Meeting
Alaska Water Resources – Tom Barrett, Alaska Department of Natural Resources

Implications of AI to Water Management and Water Law – James Davenport, Attorney at Law, JHDavenport, LLC
NIDIS Climate Adaptive Drought Planning Platform – Gretel Follingstad, Coordinator/Drought Planning Lead, Intermountain West Drought Early Warning System, NOAA – NIDIS
Landsat Next – Timothy Stryker, Chief, Outreach and Collaboration Branch, USGS
National Water Assessment – Brian Clark, Program Coordinator, Water Availability & Use Science Program, USGS
WaDE, WestDAAT and OpenET Conservation Tool – Adel Abdallah, Water Data Exchange (WaDE) Program Manager
Water Quality Committee Meeting
Alaska Water Quality Issues – Dan Graham, General Manager, Donlin Gold
Nebraska CWA §404 Assumption Process and CWA Section 404 Assumption Investigation Report – Jim Macy, Director, Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
Legal Committee Meeting
Alaska Legal Issues – Julie Pack, Alaska Department of Law
Instream Flow Council – Christopher Estes, Chalk Board Enterprises, LLC

Thursday, September 14
WSWC Full Council (202nd) Meeting

New Mexico Integrated Water Financing Plan: Introductory Webinar
2023-12-18 13:00 - 13:30 (America/Denver)
On December 18, 2023, the Western States Water Council, in partnership with WestFAST, several New Mexico state agencies, and state-wide stakeholders, launched the New Mexico Integrated Water Financing Plan project. This project is focused on optimizing federal funding for New Mexico’s water priorities. The project is targeting federal funding opportunities including those generated through the Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The effort will build on the successful development of the recent Water Task Force recommendations in Facing New Mexico’s 21st Century Water Challenges: A Report of the New Mexico Water Policy and Infrastructure Task Force and on the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration (DFA)’s current dashboard. SWCA Environmental Consultants is providing contractual research and facilitation services for this effort.
Introductory Webinar Recording
Webinar Presentation Slides
If you have any questions about the Introductory Webinar, or would like information about joining the workgroup, please contact Wendy Blackwell (505-469-8683 or wendy.blackwell@swca.com). If you have questions about the overall project and partners, please contact Erica Gaddis (801-205-3769 or erica.gaddis@swca.com).

2024 WSWC Spring (203rd) Meetings and Washington Roundtable
2024-03-13 00:00 - 2024-03-15 00:00 (America/Denver)
The WSWC Spring (203rd) Meetings and Washington Roundtable will be held in Washington, DC on March 13-15, 2024. This event is sponsored jointly by the Interstate Council on Water Policy (ICWP).
WSWC MEETING MATERIALS TO DOWNLOAD: March 2024 Washington Roundtable Briefing Book Materials

MINUTES:
Water Resources Committee – March 14, 2024
Executive Committee – March 14, 2024
Water Quality Committee – March 14, 2024
Legal Committee – March 14, 2024
Full Council – March 14, 2024
SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS/AGENDAS:
Schedule of Meetings
Joint ICWP/WSWC Washington Roundtable
Water Resources Committee
Executive Committee
Water Quality Committee
Legal Committee
Full Council
WSWC WestFAST Principals
MEETING VENUE:
All ICWP/WSWC meetings were held at the Xylem Reservoir Center for Water Solutions located at 301 Water Street SE, Washington, DC 20003.

2024 WSWC Summer (204th) Meetings in West Fargo, North Dakota
2024-07-24 08:00 - 2024-07-26 18:00 (America/Denver)
The WSWC Summer (204th) Meetings will be held in West Fargo, North Dakota on July 24-26 at the DoubleTree by Hilton West Fargo Sanford Medical Center.
MATERIALS TO DOWNLOAD: WSWC 204th Summer 2024 West Fargo, ND Meetings
MINUTES:
Water Resources Committee Meeting
Executive Committee Meeting
Water Quality Committee Meeting
Legal Committee Meeting
Full Council Meeting
AGENDAS: All Times – Central Daylight Time
Water Resources Committee Meeting
Executive Committee Meeting (over lunch)
Water Quality Committee Meeting
Legal Committee Meeting
Full Council Meeting

PRESENTATIONS:
Thursday, July 25

WATER RESOURCES COMMITTEE MEETING

Energy-Water Resilience Strategy – Charles Scaife, Hydropower Technology Manager and Hydrologic Systems Science Lead, Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE, Department of Energy
Corps Water Infrastructure Financing Program – Aaron Snyder, Director, Water Infrastructure Financing Program, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
New Mexico Integrated Water Financing Plan – Erica Gaddis, Senior Water Resources Director, SWCA Environmental Consultants
Precision Agriculture Solutions – Aubrey Bettencourt, Global Director of Government Relations and External Affairs, Netafim
North Dakota Water Data Survey Status Report – Andrew Nygren – Director, Water Appropriation Division, North Dakota Department of Water Resources

WaDE/WestDAAT/WestCAT Update – Ryan James
Red River Valley Water Supply Project – Duane DeKrey, General Manager, Garrison Diversion Conservancy District
WATER QUALITY COMMITTEE MEETING
North Dakota Water Quality Issues – Peter Wax, Scientist, North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality
PFAS and the Woodbury Water Treatment Project – Aaron Vollmer, Client Program Leader, AE2S
LEGAL COMMITTEE MEETING
North Dakota Sovereign Lands – Aaron Carranza, P.E., Regulatory Division Director, North Dakota Department of Water Resources
Colorado River Operations Update – Nicole Klobas, Chief Counsel, Arizona Department of Water Resources
Friday July 26
FULL COUNCIL MEETING
International Boundary Water Challenges & Opportunities – Panel Discussion
The Colorado River – An Exemplary Water Management – Luévano Grano José de Jesús, Comisión Internacional de Límites y Aguas

WestDAAT Applications: Using Western State Water Rights Data to Facilitate Community Environmental Collaboration
2024-10-16 01:00 - 14:00 (America/Denver)
Date: October 16, 2024 THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED (TBD).
Time: 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm (MDT)
To register click HERE
Dr. Caroline Nash, CK Blueshift, will share how she has used the WestDAAT tools to assist with assessing and planning stream restoration projects across various western states.
Dr. Nash is a hydrologist and geomorphologist with extensive experience implementing and evaluating process-based watershed restoration throughout the American West. She combines a robust technical and scientific knowledge base with community-engaged practices to develop projects and evaluation frameworks uniquely tailored to local conditions and objectives. Her work includes translating lessons learned from these place-based efforts to provide guidance to foundations and government entities on policy and funding.
Background on WaDE and WestDAAT
The Water Data Exchange (WaDE) Program and the Western State Water Data Access and Analysis Tool (WestDAAT) webtool is committed to assisting the WSWC member states in publicly sharing water rights, allocation, supply, and use data through a streamlined and standardized service that enables regional analyses to inform water resources planning and policies. Since 2011, the WSWC has nurtured the WaDE Program development with financial support from federal agencies and philanthropic organizations. The WaDE Program’s overarching goal is to provide a standardized water data-sharing platform for state and other public agencies that makes data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) at the regional scale.
WestDAAT is the latest phase of the WaDE Program, which facilitates the sharing of member states’ water-related data through a common platform. WestDAAT provides user-friendly access to data available in a machine-readable format for over 2.5 million active water rights across eighteen western states. WestDAAT also catalogs the most common metadata and provides a direct link to each state’s water rights database for further information. https://westernstateswater.org/wade/

2024 WSWC Fall (205th) Meetings in Lawrence, Kansas
2024-10-22 08:00 - 2024-10-23 18:00 (America/Denver)
The Western States Water Council (WSWC) Fall Meetings and Joint Meeting with the Interstate Council on Water Policy (ICWP) will be held in Lawrence, Kansas on October 22-23, at The Oread Lawrence Hotel.

MATERIALS TO DOWNLOAD: WSWC 205th Fall 2024 Lawrence, KS Meetings
MINUTES:
Water Resources Committee Meeting
Water Quality Committee Meeting
Executive Committee Minutes
Legal Committee Meeting
Full Council Meeting
SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS/AGENDAS:

Tuesday, October 22 (All Times Central Daylight Time)

8:00 am Joint ICWP-WSWC Meeting (in person only)
12:30 pm Field Trip
6:30 pm Reception
Wednesday, October 23
8:00 am Water Resources Committee Meeting
10:00 am Water Quality Committee Meeting
12:00 pm Executive Committee Meeting (over lunch by invitation only)
1:00 pm Legal Committee Meeting
3:00 pm Host State Presentation
3:45 pm Full Council Meeting

2025 WSWC Spring (206th) Meetings in Lincoln, Nebraska
2025-04-22 08:00 - 2025-04-25 12:00 (America/Denver)
The Western States Water Council Spring (206th) Meetings will be held in Lincoln, Nebraska on April 22-25, 2025, at the Courtyard by Marriott Lincoln Downtown.

MATERIALS TO DOWNLOAD:

WSWC Spring (206th) Meetings Briefing Materials (all Committees)
By Committee:
Water Resources Committee Materials
Executive Committee Materials (over lunch)
Water Quality Committee Materials
Legal Committee Materials
Full Council Committee Materials
MINUTES:
Water Resources Committee Meeting
Water Quality Committee Meeting
Executive Committee Minutes
Legal Committee Meeting
Full Council Committee Meeting
PRESENTATIONS
Tuesday, April 22
GROUNDWATER WORKSHOP
Oregon Groundwater Allocation Rules – Justin Iverson, Groundwater Section Manager, Oregon Water Resources Department
Nebraska Groundwater Models – Jesse Bradley, Interim Director of Nebraska Departments of Natural Resources and Environment & Energy
California Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) – Jeanine Jones, Interstate Resources Manager, California Department of Water Resources
Protecting Groundwater Quality in Oregon – Jennifer Wigal, Water Quality Program Manager, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Mitigation Banking in Montana – Transitioning seasonal senior water rights to year-round mitigation credits through managed aquifer recharge – Jake Morhmann, Bureau Chief, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
Nebraska Groundwater Quality – Steve Goans, Deputy Director, Water Programs, and Hillary Stoll, Engineering Section, Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
Thursday, April 24
WATER RESOURCES COMMITTEE
The National Drought Mitigation Center: Drought Science – Planning Sense – Mark Svoboda, Director, National Drought Mitigation Center
USGS Water Use Availability – Brian Clark, U.S. Geological Survey

WATER QUALITY COMMITTEE
Nebraska Water Quality Updates – Bridger Corkill, Engineer, Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
Colorado Dredge and Fill Program – Annette Quill, Senior Policy Advisor, Colorado Water Quality Control Division, and Jojo La
Produced Water as a Piece of the Western Water Resiliency Puzzle – Matthias Sayer, WATR Alliance

LEGAL COMMITTEE
Historical Water Rights – Cathy Erskine, Sr. Policy Advisor, Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Nebraska: Impacts of LB962 – Justin Lavene
Great Salt Lake, Upstream Water Rights, and Public Trust Doctrine – Candice Hasenyager
Legislation and Litigation Update – Michelle Bushman, Deputy Director/General Council, Western States Water Council

2025 Improving Sub-seasonal to Seasonal Precipitation Forecasting Workshop
2025-05-07 01:00 - 2025-05-09 12:00 (America/Denver)
The Western States Water Council (WSWC) and the California Department of Water Resources (CDWR) cosponsored a workshop to continue a dialogue among western states, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the research community on improving sub-seasonal to seasonal (S2S) precipitation forecasting to support water management decisionmaking. The workshop was held in San Diego, California on May 7-9, at the Homewood Suites by Hilton San Diego Downtown/Bayside.

AGENDA

Summary of Workshop
PRESENTATIONS:
Wednesday, May 7th
S2S Coalition Activities, Appropriations & Reauthorization
Jeanine Jones, California Department of Water Resources
Review of Scripps Subseasonal Forecasts for WY 2024, Defining Forecast Skill
Mike DeFlorio, UC San Diego
Investigating Potential Subseasonal Predictability From the MJO
Jiabao Wang, Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego

Atmospheric Rivers as Disruptors of ENSO Canonical Precipitation Anomalies in the Southwestern US
Rosy Luna Nino, Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego

ML & S2S ET Forecasting Example in California
Kevin He, California Department of Water Resources
Thursday, May 8th
S2S Predictability: First Focus Area of NCAR’s Earth System Predictability Across Timescales Initiative
Cenlin He, National Center for Atmospheric Research
CPC Regime Change Tool, Review of WY 2024 Outlooks
Emerson LaJoie, NWS Climate Prediction Center
UC Irvine Recent Work
Gudrun Magnusdottir, University of California, Irvine

S2S Predictability of Weather Regimes
Maria Janeth Molina, University of Maryland
Improving NOAA’s Unified Forecasting System Model
Lisa Bengtsson, OAR Physical Sciences Laboratory
Understanding Central Arizona Precipitation
Bo Svoma, Salt River Project
Flash Drought in the Great Plains & Its Prediction
Andy Hoell, OAR PSL
Utah’s S2S Needs and Applications
Candice Hasenyager, Utah Division of Water Resources
Friday, May 9th
Status of Nationwide FIRO Screening Process
Cary Talbot, USACE ERDC
Precipitation Forecasting to Support FIRO in Texas
Nelun Fernando, Texas Water Development Board
CDWR Roadmap to Seasonal Forecasting
Mike Anderson, California Department of Water Resources
Seasonal Predictability of Weather Regimes
Erin Towler, OAR PSL
Using Weather Regimes to Improve S2S Forecasting
Wei Zhang, Utah State University
Soil moisture, S2S, and Drought/Flood Risks
Sanjiv Kumar, Auburn University

2025 WSWC Summer (207th) Meetings and 60th Anniversary – Snowbird, Utah
2025-06-09 08:00 - 2025-06-12 12:00 (America/Denver)
The WSWC 2025 Summer (207th) Meetings and 60th Anniversary will be held in Snowbird, Utah on June 10-12, at The Cliff Lodge.
MATERIALS TO DOWNLOAD:
WSWC Summer (207th) Meetings Briefing Materials (all Committees)
By Committee:
Water Resources Committee Materials
Water Quality Committee Materials
Legal Committee Materials
Executive Committee Materials
Full Council Committee Materials

MINUTES
Water Resources Committee Meeting
Water Quality Committee Meeting
Legal Committee Meeting
Executive Committee Meeting
Full Council Committee Meeting
PRESENTATIONS
TUESDAY, JUNE 11 – Morning Session
Water Resources Committee
WaDE/WestDAAT/WestCAT Update – Ryan James, Data Analyst/Hydroinformatics Specialist, WSWC
Landsat Next Update – Tim Newman, Program Coordinator, National Land Imaging Program, U.S. Geological Survey
Instream Flow Council Training Center – Christopher Estes, Aquatic Resources and Habitat Scientist, Chalk Board Enterprises, LLC
Water Quality Committee
Utah Water Quality Issues – John Mackey, Director, Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Legal Committee
Utah Legal Issues – Mark Stratford, Legal Advisor to State Engineer, Utah Division of Water Rights
TUESDAY, JUNE 11 – Afternoon Session
WSWC Strategic Direction Facilitated Discussion – Presentation
JUNE 12, 2025
Full Council Committee
New Mexico Integrated Water Financing Plan – Tanya Trujillo, State of New Mexico; Michelle Bushman, WSWC; Roger Gorke, EPA and WestFAST; and Erica Gaddis, SWCA Environmental Consultants

WSWC/NARF Symposium on the Settlement of Indian Reserved Water Rights Claims – Held Virtually
2025-08-06 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Denver)
The Western States Water Council (WSWC) and Native American Rights Fund (NARF), co-sponsored a 1-day virtual Symposium on the Settlement of Indian Reserved Water Rights Claims.
Our abbreviated agenda included presenters who have been involved in negotiated settlements representing tribal, state, local, federal governments, congressional staff, and others.

MEETING MATERIALS
AGENDA (updated August 5th)
Speaker Bios
Ad Hoc Group Who We Are
Secretary’s Indian Water Rights Office Federal Teams
Settlements Approved by Congress
Attendee List
Continuing Legal Education

WSWC Fall (208th) Meetings – San Pedro, California
2025-09-23 08:00 - 2025-09-26 17:00 (America/Denver)
The Western States Water Council Fall (208th) Meetings were held in San Pedro, California on September 23-26, 2025, at the DoubleTree San Pedro Port of Los Angeles.
MATERIALS TO DOWNLOAD:
WSWC Fall (208th) Meetings – Briefing Materials (all Committees)
By Committee:
Executive Committee Materials
Joint Committee Meetings Materials
Full Council Committee Meeting Materials

Schedule of Meetings
MINUTES
Joint Committee Meetings
Full Council Committee Meeting
PRESENTATIONS:
Tuesday, September 23
Full Day Groundwater Workshop (agenda)
California Managed Aquifer Recharge – Jeanine Jones, Interstate Resources Manager, California Department of Water Resources
Interagency MAR Workgroup – Scott Bradford, Research Leader, ARS/PWA/SAWS Unit, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Thursday, September 25
Joint Committee Meetings (agenda)
Updates on Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations – Cary Talbot, National Lead, FIRO Program Coastal & Hydraulics Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Research & Development Center
NASA-ISRO Earth Science & Applications Mission and NISAR Subsidence – Cathleen Jones, Sr. Research Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

Landsat Data for Water Resource Decision Making in Idaho
2025-10-20 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Denver)
On Monday, October 20, WSWC and WestFAST hosted a webinar presentation on how Idaho uses Landsat data to manage water resources.
Recorded Webinar Link (here)
Idaho became one of the earliest users of Landsat 1 data in 1975. The Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) is responsible for the administration and management of Idaho waters, and Landsat data is regularly used to support water administration decisions. IDWR began using Landsat for mapping evapotranspiration (ET) for individual agricultural fields in 2000. When NASA proposed removing the expensive Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) from Landsat 8, Idaho made several presentations on their use of Landsat data at Western States Water Council meetings. They expressed their concerns about the loss of TIRS data, and galvanized the Western States along with their Governors and Congressional delegations, resulting in the inclusion of the TIRS in both Landsat 8 and 9.
Speaker: Phil Blankenau, Evapotranspiration Analyst, Geospatial Technology Division, IDWR

ICWP/WSWC Water Workforce Development Workshop No. 2
2026-01-29 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Denver)
On November 19, 2025, the Interstate Council on Water Policy (ICWP) and WSWC jointly hosted a webinar on Water Workforce Development: Insights, Strategies, and Solutions. The event brought together experts from the public, private, and academic sectors. Panelists and participants explored various approaches to hiring and recruitment, aging workforce concerns, the need to attract qualified technical candidates, interdisciplinary pathways into water careers, and other workforce development strategies.
ICWP and WSWC will host a follow-up discussion-based workshop on January 29 at 12pm MST.
Virtual Registration Form
