The Northern California Water Association (NCWA) and leaders throughout the region have coalesced around A Vision for a Vibrant Future in the Sacramento Valley, outlining a shared approach for managing water to support healthy rivers, landscapes and communities for generations to come.
The vision recognizes that the Sacramento Valley is one interconnected landscape. From our forests and headwaters to rivers and creeks, farms and ranches, floodplains, communities and groundwater aquifers, water connects the region from ridgetop to river mouth. Managing these resources together is essential to a future where communities are safe from flooding, people have reliable and affordable drinking water, farms and working landscapes remain productive, and fish and wildlife thrive.
The Vision identifies four key strategies to help achieve these long-term goals:
1. Safe Drinking Water for All & the Human Right to Water
Sacramento Valley leaders are committed to ensuring access to safe, clean and affordable drinking water for every community. This includes partnerships that help communities develop reliable drinking water supplies while protecting water quality for people, fish and wildlife, and farms.
2. Stable Surface Water Supply Operations
Reliable surface water supplies provide the foundation for sustainable water management throughout the region. The Vision highlights modern, collaborative approaches that integrate flows and habitat for healthy rivers and landscapes while supporting communities, farms, wildlife refuges, recreation and water reliability. This includes the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes program, river agreements, Floodplain Forward, watershed management and investments in 21st-century water infrastructure.
3. Sustainable Groundwater Supplies
Groundwater is increasingly important during dry years and must be actively managed alongside rivers, creeks and reservoirs. Sacramento Valley leaders are advancing a regional approach focused on groundwater recharge, demand management and coordinated surface and groundwater operations to support long-term groundwater sustainability and dry-year resilience.
4. Collaboration & Partnerships
None of this work happens alone. Achieving the Vision depends on collaboration among water managers, conservation organizations, farmers and landowners, fishermen, researchers, tribal and community leaders, and local, state and federal agencies. These partnerships are essential to turning the region’s shared vision into action.
Together, these strategies reflect a broader commitment to managing water for multiple benefits and recognizing that healthy rivers, landscapes and communities are interconnected. Through innovation, partnerships, hard work and integrated water management, the Sacramento Valley can continue sourcing a sustainable and vibrant future for California.
Read the full A Vision for a Vibrant Future in the Sacramento Valley to learn more about the strategies, programs and partnerships helping bring this vision to life.
