Western States Water Council

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
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.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION:There is no registration fee to attend the meetings, but we are asking all individuals, regardless of in person or virtual attendance to please register in advance by filling out one of the forms below. For those attending in person, please register no later than October 2.
In PERSON Registration Form
VIRTUAL Attendance
TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE:
Wednesday, October 21 (times subject to change)
10:00 am - 5:30 pm Field Trip
Stops will include Elephant Butte Reservoir, a local chile farm in Hatch, NM, and a pecan farm in Mesilla, NM. There is also a potential stop at the Taylor-Mesilla Historic Site, pending approval from the Cultural Affairs Department.
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Evening Reception at La Posta
Please Note: the reception will not be at the hotel; those on the field trip will already have transportation to the restaurant and back to the hotel. Those who are not on the field trip will need to secure separate transportation to join us at the restaurant.
Thursday, October 228:00 am - 5:00 pm All Day Meetings (buffet lunch)
Friday, October 238:00 am - 11:00 am 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
MINUTES FROM SUMMER 2026 VIRTUAL MEETING:
ADDITIONAL MEETING MATERIALS:
Fall 2026 Sunsetting and Consolidated PositionsList of Sunsetted PositionsFuture Meetings ProjectionsOctober 2026 Membership ListWSWC Appointment Letter TemplateLegislation & Litigation TrackingRecent Policy LettersBudget SnapshotWSWC Strategic Plan Dashboard
