As we are now seeing throughout the state, 2013 was the driest year on record for California. The convergence of low carryover storage in reservoirs, coupled with minimal inflow into these reservoirs so far this year, has water resources managers in the Sacramento Valley concerned with our ability to serve water for cities and rural communities, farms, birds, fish and recreation. In the Sacramento Valley, water suppliers are facing significantly reduced surface water allocations, including certain parts of the Valley that will receive no surface water. This includes residential supplies in the Sacramento metropolitan area that depend upon water from Folsom Lake, as well as farms and wildlife management areas.

With the state and federal agencies releasing the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) this week, the leaders in the North State are unified in our commitment to statewide water solutions that protect the economy, environment and quality of life in Northern California.

I love to eat in Sacramento’s warehouse district. The brick buildings and reused industrial sites are the perfect background for real food driven by the season’s local crops. Magpie Café is one of my favorites. Chef Ed Roehr does a fantastic job bringing the region’s best food to a bustling midtown.

In the summer of 1938, during the height of the Great Depression, ground was broken for the largest public works project in Northern California. The people in Northern California this past week honored the important role that Shasta Dam and the resulting Shasta Lake play in the community and the larger Sacramento Valley. As part of this 75th anniversary commemoration, I had the opportunity to reflect on the indelible imprint that both the dam and lake have cast on Northern California, as well as how the management of the lake has and will continue to evolve with the changing values in our society.