From time to time, the Western States Water Council hosts workshops or webinars on topics of particular interest to its member states, or prepares surveys and reports on how our different member states are handling various water issues in the West. The topics below contain links to additional information and resources, collected into a single space. The pages will continue to be updated as new work is completed.
Dividing the Waters
The Dividing the Waters Program of the National Judicial College has served western judges overseeing complex water litigation since 1993, providing information and training resources on water law and water conflicts to state, tribal, and federal judges. Western water laws can be very complex, especially for those who are encountering those laws for the first time. It is in the interest of the executive branch water agencies of the western states to ensure that the judicial officers who adjudicate water cases in their states have an understanding of the fundamentals of western water law and the latest information on water adjudication. Dividing the Waters provides a critical link between the executive branch water agencies and the judicial branch that adjudicates water conflicts in the western states. (More information and resources.)
Groundwater
Groundwater is a critically important resource that is vital to the economy and environment of the arid West. Western States recognize the importance and role of comprehensive groundwater planning in overall water management. The conditions affecting groundwater supplies, demands, and quality vary considerably across our individual member States. States have exclusive authority over the allocation and administration of rights to the use of the groundwater located within their borders and are primarily responsible for allocating, protecting, managing and otherwise controlling the resource. States are in the best position to protect groundwater quality and quantity. Western States understand and have demonstrated effective and comprehensive groundwater management policies, programs, and projects. (More information and resources.)
Indian Reserved Water Rights
Since 1981, the WSWC and the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), working together with tribal representatives and other public and private experts, have participated in an Ad Hoc Group on Indian Water Rights Settlements. The WSWC and NARF also hold a biennial Symposium on the Settlement of Indian Reserved Water Rights Claims for experts to exchange information and advice regarding Indian water right settlements. (More information and resources.)
Legislation Updates
WSWC tracks the development and progress of legislation pertaining to WSWC and WGA policies. The spreadsheet for the current Congress includes summaries of the bills, dates and outcomes of hearings, western member sponsorship, and actions by WSWC to support or express concerns about a given bill. (More information and resources)
Pumped Storage Hydropower
Most pumped storage hydropower plants (PSH) in the United States were built between 1960 and 1990, and increases to PSH capacity over the past thirty years have been almost exclusively due to upgrades to existing plants. By the end of 2021, 96 new PSH projects were in the developmental pipeline, and nearly 60% of those projects were located in the West. WSWC members desired a forum to discuss the water resource implications of PSH projects. This page includes a series of federal and industry educational webinars to help orient state agencies and others. (More information and resources.)
S2S
Western States experience great variability in sub-seasonal to seasonal (S2S) precipitation, with serious impacts and consequences for water supply planning and management. The S2S forecasting skill is still minimal and scientifically challenging. WSWC has supported various state-federal-stakeholder workshops, as well as letters of support for regional pilot project Congressional appropriations. (More information and resources.)
State and Federal Funding Mechanisms
WSWC supports states, federal agencies, tribes, and local communities working together to identify water problems and to develop optimal solutions at the lowest appropriate level. Appropriate water-related investments in these collaborative solutions may ensure our continued ability to manage our limited water resources for diverse uses across the West. Federal, state and local programs to publicly finance water-related projects and initiatives are crucial, but they are generally insufficient compared to the needs. Collaboration offers opportunities to identify how such programs and funding opportunities might be combined, sometimes with additional assistance from the private sector, to accomplish overlapping objectives. (More information and resources.)
Stream Restoration and Water Rights
Beginning in 2023, WSWC, WestFAST, and CK Blueshift collaborated on a series of informational webinars on aquatic ecosystem restoration. The series brought together state water managers, regulators, federal agencies, and stakeholders to share knowledge and collaboratively develop solutions to advance aquatic ecosystem restoration, comply with state and federal laws, and deploy federal funding efficiently. The webinars focused on permitting processes, water laws in Western States, and the role of water rights to facilitate better cooperation on future projects. (More information and resources.)
Water Reuse
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Western States Federal Agency Support Team (WestFAST)
Western Water Cooperative Committee (Corps)
In 2022, Congress created a new Western Water Cooperative Committee (WRDA §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. (More information and resources.)
Wildfires
Western States experience extreme seasonal and year-to-year weather volatility that has brought record or near-record events with drought and wildfires, sometimes followed by floods, all threatening public safety and property, and often taxing the capacity of our aging water infrastructure. WSWC supports actions to address secure water supplies, improved water quality, and drought and wildfire resilience. In 2021-2022, WestFAST hosted a series of 13 webinars on Wildfire and Water Resources to highlight resources available to states as they deal with wildfires (before, during, and after) and the impacts to water resources. (More information and resources.)
WOTUS
Under Construction
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