About NCWA

California history is filled with stories of competing interests seeking new water supplies to satisfy their ever increasing needs. Over the years, many of these attempts have threatened the water rights, supplies, the rural communities and the environment in Northern California.

Northern California is a unique mosaic of farm lands, refuges and managed wetlands for waterfowl habitat, spawning grounds for numerous salmon and steelhead trout, and the cities and rural communities that make up this region. This natural and working landscape between the crests of the Sierra Nevada and the Coast Range includes:

• Two million acres of family farms that provide the economic engine for the region, provides a working landscape and pastoral setting and serves as valuable habitat for waterfowl along the Pacific Flyway;
• Habitat for 50% of the threatened and endangered species in California, including the winter-run and spring-run salmon, steelhead and many other fish species;
• Six National Wildlife Refuges, more than fifty state Wildlife Areas and other privately managed wetlands that support the annual migration of waterfowl, geese and waterbirds in the Pacific Flyway. These seasonal and permanent wetlands provide for 65% of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan objectives.
• The small towns and rural communities that form the backbone of the region, as well as the State Capital that serves as the center of government for the State of California.
• The forests and meadows in the numerous watersheds of the Sierra Nevada and Coast Range.

The Northern California Water Association (NCWA) was formed in 1992 to present a unified voice to ensure that this region has water supplies to sustain these various purposes--both now and into the future. NCWA's Board of Director's and staff are committed to constructive leadership in the pursuit of solutions to resolve California's most perplexing water problems. NCWA seeks to protect the region's water rights and supplies by implementing an integrated regional water management plan across this diverse region and by working with Congress, the State Legislature, state and federal agencies and various stakeholders.