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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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

WestFAST Webinar: Energy-Water Interdependence and Data Center Growth
2026-04-15 10:00 - 11:15
Webinar Recording Link

Join us and the Department of Energy’s (DOE) WestFAST representative, Charles Scaife, as he presents recent DOE research on the interdependencies of energy and water systems in the context of rapid data center growth. Drawing on ongoing analysis and national laboratory efforts, Scaife will discuss how energy and water demands are increasingly constraining infrastructure development, the tradeoffs associated with different cooling technologies, and emerging approaches to support coordinated, basin-scale planning and resource management.
Charles is an energy–water systems research manager and hydrologist serving as a Program Manager at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation. He leads the Energy–Water Resources Program, which advances research, tools, and partnerships to strengthen the reliability, resilience, and coordination of energy and water systems across the United States.
The Energy–Water Resources Program focuses on emerging challenges at the energy–water nexus, including growing demands from data centers, regional water constraints on energy infrastructure, and the need for integrated planning across power, water, and industrial systems. Through this work, he manages a multi-million-dollar federal research portfolio and collaborates with national laboratories, utilities, state agencies, and international partners to translate technical analysis into actionable strategies for infrastructure planning and resource management.

2026 WSWC Spring (209th) Meetings and Washington Roundtable
2026-04-21 08:00 - 2026-04-24 18:00
The WSWC Spring (209th) Meetings and Washington Roundtable were held in Washington, DC on April 21-24, 2026. This event was hosted jointly by the Interstate Council on Water Policy (ICWP). All ICWP/WSWC meetings on Wednesday and Thursday were held at the Xylem Reservoir Center for Water Solutions.
MEETING SCHEDULE/AGENDA:
Monday: Travel Day
Tuesday: Congressional Hill Visits (Schedule – subject to change)
Wednesday: Joint ICWP-WSWC Roundtable and evening reception (Agenda) (as of 4/21/26)
Thursday: WSWC Organizational Meeting (Agenda)
Friday: WSWC-WestFAST Principals Meeting (EPA Headquarters from 9:00 am – 11:00 am) (Agenda)
MINUTES

WSWC Organizational Meeting
MEETING MATERIALS:
Congressional Visit Schedule
Water Resources Committee Agenda
Water Quality Committee Meeting Agenda
Legal Committee Agenda
Spring 2026 Sunsetting and Consolidated Positions
Future Meeting Projections
April 2026 Membership List
Legislation Update
Recent Policy Letters
FY2026 Budget Snapshot
Summer 2026 Sunsetting and Consolidated Positions (next meeting)

WSWC Business Meeting Outline of Discussions

WestFAST Webinar: Water Issues and Data Centers with Mary Ann Dickinson
2026-05-07 11:00 - 11:15
The second WestFAST webinar of 2026 will be held on Thursday, May 7 at 11am Mountain Time. Mary Ann Dickinson, policy director of Land and Water for the Lincoln Institute of Land policy will lead the webinar, which will focus on water issues with data centers.

Webinar Recording

Slide Deck-
2026-05-07 WestFAST Dickinson

Presenter bio-
Dickinson works on better integrating land and water policy in the United States and globally. Prior to joining the Lincoln Institute, she was the founder and president/CEO for 15 years of the Alliance for Water Efficiency, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the efficient and sustainable use of water in the US and Canada. A graduate of the University of Connecticut with a degree in environmental planning and master’s coursework in environmental management, Mary Ann has authored numerous publications on water conservation, land use planning, and natural resources management; spoken at over 50 national and international conferences; and co-produced two films that have aired on public television and community cable stations.

WestFAST Webinar: NASA’s Water Resources Program: Supporting Water Management in the U.S. West and Beyond
2026-06-16 12:00 - 13:00
The third WestFAST webinar of 2026 was held on Tuesday, June 16 at 12pm Mountain Time. Perry Oddo and Sean Fleming presented on NASA’s programs and data tools that support water management in the West.
Recording: https://youtu.be/fn5UFGGPiIk

Slides: https://westernstateswater.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/6.16.26_NASA-WestFAST_Webinar-Slides.pdf

Links to Additional Resources:
Earthdata GIS
Application for Extracting and Exploring Analysis Ready Samples (AppEEARS)
Earthdata Search
NASA Worldview
NASA’s Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for Earth observation (LANCE)
Snow Today

Presenter Bios:
Perry Oddo serves as the Deputy Program Manager for the NASA Water Resources Program, supporting an applied research portfolio of over 30 active projects and coordinating across interagency and international partners to improve water resource decision making through NASA research, satellite missions, and education. Prior to this role, Perry was a research scientist in the Hydrological Sciences Laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. His research has focused on near-real time flood applications, including rapid impact assessments, streamflow forecasting, and understanding the value-of-information for applied Earth observations. He has also undertaken several interagency water initiatives, including drafting NASA’s Agency Plan for the 2022 update of the U.S. Government’s Global Water Strategy and coordinating the Interagency Water Working Group Science and Applications Team (ISAT).
Sean Fleming is an associate program manager in the NASA Water Resources Program and the program scientist for the NASA Western Water Action Office. His roles focus on putting NASA data in the hands of water resource practitioners and managers. Sean has spent over two decades in the public, private, academic, and nonprofit sectors. He’s a generalist with diverse interests and experience, spanning mineral exploration field work, glacier research, founding a data science startup, operational river forecasting at a hydroelectric utility, leading a team at the Meteorological Service of Canada, project and program management at Quantum Spatial and NV5 Geospatial, and R&D leadership and program management at the USDA. Sean is also passionate about science outreach, publishing a book with Princeton University Press and op-eds in Wired and Scientific American, delivering public talks at venues ranging from ‘science pub’ events to the Smithsonian, and giving live radio and television interviews. His volunteerism has taken him to Mexico, Ukraine, Romania, Mauritania, and Kazakhstan.

WestFAST Webinar: Overview of Water Rights Litigation Nationwide with Stephen Bartell, Department of Justice
2026-07-09 13:00 - 14:00
The fourth WestFAST webinar of 2026 was held on Thursday, July 9 at 1pm Mountain Time. Stephen Bartell provided an update on the Department of Justice’s current water-related litigation in the West and beyond.
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tLEzg00XeI&t=1s
No slide deck was used.
Presenter Bio:
Stephen Bartell
Assistant Section Chief, United States Department of Justice, Environment & Natural Resources
Division, Natural Resources Section
Contact Information:
Email: stephen.bartell@usdoj.gov
Address: P.O. Box 7611, Washington, D.C. 20044-7611
Office & Cell Phone No. (202) 532-3079
Career experience:
1992 – Present: Trial Attorney, Senior Trial Attorney, and Assistant Section Chief for U.S. Department of Justice. Practice focuses on water rights issues and adjudications across the western United States. Examples include lead counsel for all state water rights adjudications and the Yucca Mountain water rights litigation in Nevada; United States v. Hage trespass litigation; RS 2477 rightsof-way litigation in Utah and North Dakota; and counsel in various natural resources cases, including NEPA, military preparedness, mining, timber, and county supremacy cases. Since spring 2016, Assistant Section Chief supervising the Justice Department team that is responsible for litigating all non-Indian western water rights cases on behalf of the United States, and most defensive cases on behalf of the Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, Department of Energy, and National Nuclear Security Agency.
Education:
Juris Doctor, University of Denver (1992)
Bachelor of Business Administration, University of Miami (1989)
License:
Member of the bar of Colorado, but practices on behalf of the United States in courts across the country
Interests:
Spending as much time as possible with 15 and 17 year old daughters, and getting out in the desert, mountains, or oceans. Skiing, camping, surfing, scuba diving, and music.
Favorite Quote:
“Whiskey is for drinkin’, water for fightin’.”

WSWC Summer (210th) Meetings
2026-07-13 00:00 - 2026-07-16 00:00
The Western States Water Council Summer (210th) Meetings will be held virtually during the week of July 13, 2026. Please note that virtual registration is required for each day and will include the specific time slots for you to choose.
WSWC VIRTUAL MEETINGS OUTLINE / REGISTRATION
All times are listed in Mountain Daylight Time (MDT).
Agenda and material links will be posted as they become available.
Monday, July 13
Virtual Registration
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm | Discussion: State-Federal MOUs | Agenda | Materials
MOUs (for water rights, water quality, and more) can be an effective means of establishing processes and procedures, setting expectations at both the state and federal levels, and making it easier to address issues before they arise. The goal of this discussion is to raise awareness of existing agreements, and to identify key elements that make MOUs successful and renewable.
Tuesday, July 14Virtual Registration
9:00 am – 11:30 am | WSWC Summer Meeting Kickoff | Agenda
Staff updates on strategic plan, FY27 budget overview, summer series webinars, etc.
1:30 pm – 4:00 pm | State Water Roundtable Discussions | Agenda
In 6 minutes, each state (starting with Executive Committee members) shares 1 pressing challenge, 1 useful insight/success, and 1 issue WSWC should track in FY2027. Q&A time is limited, but common themes will be captured for Weds-Thurs discussions.
Wednesday, July 15 Virtual Registration
9:00 am – 10:00 am | Discussion: Post-Sackett water quality permitting | Agenda | Materials
Waters of the state regulations, WOTUS implementation, state-federal collaboration
10:00 am – 11:30 am | Discussion: Water Data | Agenda | Materials
Monitoring, forecasting, streamgages, staffing, targeted advocacy
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm | Discussion: Data Centers | Agenda | Materials
Legislative updates, state water reuse regulations for cooling, water-energy nexus, etc.
2:30 pm – 4:00 pm | Discussion: Infrastructure | Agenda | Materials

Thursday, July 16Virtual Registration
9:00 am – 11:30 am WSWC Business Meeting | Agenda
Voting on policy positions, FY2027 Strategic Plan/Budget adjustments, member feedback.
1:30 pm – 4:00 pm | Executive Committee Meeting | Agenda (by invitation only)
SUMMER SERIES WEBINARS
Links will be provided as they become available
NASA’s Water Resources Program: Supporting Water Management in the U.S. West and Beyond (WestFAST Webinar, June 16th at 12:00 pm MDT | Recording)
Overview of Water Rights Litigation Nationwide with Stephen Bartell, DOJ (WestFAST Webinar, July 9th at 1:00 pm MDT | Webinar Link)
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers FIRO National Screening Updates (WSWC Webinar, July 22nd at 11:00 am MDT | Webinar link)
Opportunities to Improve Regional Water Planning and Investments in New Water Technologies, National Alliance for Water Innovation and Berkeley Lab (WSWC Webinar, Date & Time TBD | Fact Sheet)

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS:
Summer 2026 Sunsetting and Consolidated PositionsList of Sunsetted Positions Future Meetings ProjectionsJuly 2026 Membership ListWSWC Appointment Letter Template Legislation & Litigation TrackingRecent Policy Letters FY2026 Budget SnapshotWSWC FY2026 Strategic Plan Dashboard
Legislation & Litigation Update Presentation (20 minute video)
Member Forum (BETA) | Account Request Form | Video Overview
Fall WSWC Meetings – Las Cruces, NMFall 2026 Sunsetting and Consolidated Positions (next meeting)MINUTES from Washington, D.C. (Spring 2026)

WSWC Organizational Meeting

WSWC Webinar: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers FIRO National Screening Updates with Cary Talbot
2026-07-22 11:00 - 12:00
On July 22, the WSWC hosted a webinar providing an update on the progress of Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) Screening Program. Presenters included Cary Talbot, National Lead Engineer for the FIRO Program, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC); and Elissa Yeates, Research Hydraulic Engineer and the lead developer of the FIRO Screening Process who has overseen its application to USACE Districts across the country.
FIRO is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers research effort aimed at improving reservoir operations at USACE projects. The program equips water managers with forecast information on weather (precipitation), hydrology (discharge), and reservoir levels to support more flexible, efficient decision-making across authorized project purposes—including flood control, water supply, hydropower, recreation, and ecological benefits.
Cary Talbot Slide Deck
Elissa Yeates Slide Deck
July 2026 FIRO Update Webinar Recording

Mr. Talbot presented to WSWC members last fall during our September 2025 meetings in San Pedro, CA, where he provided an overview of the FIRO National Screening process as Stage A was wrapping up. The recording and slides for that presentation are available below. Shortly after, WSWC submitted a letter congratulating USACE on the successful completion of the Lake Mendocino Water Control Manual update at Coyote Valley Dam, which marked a historic milestone as the nation’s first fully formalized FIRO framework.
Link to Fall 2025 Slide Deck
Link to List of Corps Dams and Section 7 Dams (Engineer Regulation 1110-2-240)

NAWI Regional Water Planning Needs Webinar
2026-09-17 10:00 - 23:30 | via Zoom
The WSWC will partner with the Department of Energy’s National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) to host a virtual webinar and feedback session for state water managers on Thursday, September 17, from 10 AM to 11:30 AM MT. This session gives members an opportunity to shape future federal research priorities, policy tools, and funding structures for non-traditional water supplies. Most of the 90-minute session will be devoted to facilitated discussion around NAWI’s Regional Water Systems RFI, covering three areas: (1) how water planners and utilities currently make decisions about regional project needs and non-traditional supply sources—including potential cross-sectoral benefits between water and electric power systems; (2) what modeling, analytical tools, and data gaps stand between planners and better-informed decisions; and (3) what funding, technical assistance, or other support NAWI could offer to help states and utilities close those gaps. Responses may come from cross-sector teams spanning industry, academia, national laboratories, nonprofits, trade associations, and the public sector, and should use the response template included in the RFI’s supporting documents. Written comments are due to NAWI’s portal by September 9.
Zoom Webinar: Register here
NAWI’s program includes a $75M investment over five years, with a new focus on regional water systems planning. Through its Regional Water Systems Request for Information (RFI: NAWI-5-2026), NAWI is seeking input from western state water planners to better understand the technological innovation landscape, identify barriers to regional investment in new water technologies, and learn how states approach decisions about demand, supply, and gaps in future water planning—with the goal of identifying tools and data models that can bridge the gap between available information and actionable insight for planners.
Presenters have encouraged members to review the slides or recording from NAWI’s August 4 informational webinar on the Regional Water Systems RFI ahead of the September 17 session, as they cover helpful background for the discussion. Review is not a prerequisite for attending. Slides / Video.
For additional background, see this two-page overview.

From Data to Decisions: Applying Climate and Remote Sensing Tools for Drought Monitoring and Resource Evaluations
2026-09-30 12:00 - 13:00 | Teams
From Data to Decisions: Applying Climate and Remote Sensing Tools for Drought Monitoring and Resource Evaluations
Presented By: Desert Research Institute and the Bureau of Land Management
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/271406177180907?p=oh7Zq6gsVyFpxdCo6L
Meeting ID: 271 406 177 180 907
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Need help? | System reference
Dial in by phone
+1 202-640-1187,,115787501# United States, Washington
Find a local number
Phone conference ID: 115 787 501#

WSWC Fall (211th) Meetings – Las Cruces, New Mexico
2026-10-21 08:00 - 2026-10-23 18:00
The Western States Water Council Fall (211th) Meetings will be held on October 21-23, 2026 in Las Cruces, New Mexico at the Hilton Garden Inn, which is located at 2550 Don Roser Drive, Las Cruces, NM 88011. Further details will be posted once they become available.
TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE:
Wednesday, October 21 Field Trip / Evening Reception
Thursday, October 22 All Day Meetings (tentative buffet lunch)
Friday, October 23 Executive Committee Over Breakfast Buffet (by invitation only)
HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS:A room block is being held under the WSWC. The guest room rate for single/double occupancy is $135.00 per night, plus tax. ​The deadline to book within the room block is September 20. You can make reservations by calling the hotel directly at (575) 522-0900 and mentioning the special discount code: WSWC. Alternatively, you may book online using this Hilton Garden Inn Reservation Link.

The guest room rate will be extended for guests arriving or departing up to three days before or after the meeting dates, subject to availability. Any reservation requests received after the cut-off date will also be accepted based on availability.

Check-in after 3:00 p.m. on the day of arrival.Check-out time is prior to 12:00 p.m. on the day of departure

REGISTRATION INFORMATION:
MINUTES FROM SUMMER 2026 VIRTUAL MEETING:

MEETING MATERIALS:
