On the Water Front

Western states are stepping up to protect precious water supplies. Here’s how.

By Ann Hayden / Published: June 23, 2025

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and water and water stakeholders at signing ceremony

EDF’s Vanessa Puig-Williams (far right) joins Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (center) and other water stakeholders at a signing ceremony for a $20 billion, 20-year package to fund water projects.

As federal environmental programs and funding come under attack, states across the West are adopting major policies and dedicating more money to support long-term water resilience, underscoring how water bridges political divides. Here’s a roundup of the actions that were strongly supported by the EDF Water Team.

Texas goes big on water with $20 billion package

Alongside a large coalition of stakeholders, EDF supported and helped to shape a $20 billion, 20-year ($1 billion per year) funding package that will support water supply development and infrastructure repairs, including aquifer storage and recovery projects, agricultural water efficiency projects, and wastewater reuse. The package, signed by the governor in a ceremonyWednesday, is the first-ever investment in water of this magnitude in Texas. It will go to voters for final approval as a constitutional amendment on the November ballot.

Also posted in Arizona, California, colorado, Land Repurposing, Texas / Authors: ahayden / Leave a comment

How to build a national effort to secure America’s disappearing groundwater

By Rachel O'Connor / Published: January 27, 2025

America’s food supply depends on increasingly strained aquifers. Here are some essential building blocks for a national effort to secure our groundwater.

A center pivot system using groundwater to irrigate a field in New Mexico. Rural communities across the Southwest face rapidly declining groundwater levels. Photo: Balvarius.

In early 2024, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology’s (PCAST) requested input on how to address the country’s groundwater challenges. For EDF’s Climate Resilient Water Systems team, which has been working on this issue for over a decade, this provided an opportunity to reflect on what strategies have been effective and where we think future efforts should be focused. We submitted written recommendations to the President’s Council and accepted a subsequent invitation from the committee to participate in an in-person workshop to flesh out possible strategies. Read More »

Posted in Groundwater / Authors: racheloconnor / Leave a comment

EDF deepens efforts to recharge groundwater, bolster farmer prosperity in India

By Jonathan Seefeldt / Published: October 15, 2024

EDF’s Leah Beaulac (bottom right) and Nikhil Goveas (right) listen to a groundwater user group meeting in Kadiri, Andhra Pradesh.

EDF is helping farmers address one of their core climate challenges: securing a reliable water supply. This September, an EDF team led by Ann Hayden, Nikhil Goveas, Gopal Penny and Leah Beaulac conducted a series of comprehensive site visits and workshops across drought-prone areas of central India.

Water availability in India is a core climate issue for the world. India is by far the largest user of groundwater in the world. More than 60% of the country’s irrigated agriculture and 85% of drinking water supplies depend on groundwater. Global food prices and the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of farmers depend on India finding a path to sustainable groundwater use. EDF is committed to building a network of partnerships to help achieve this critical climate goal.

Also posted in Agriculture, Global / Tagged Data | Authors: jseefeldt / Leave a comment

Here’s how land repurposing is beginning to transform strained communities and ecosystems in California

By Anna Schiller / Published: April 2, 2024

Satellite image of California's Central Valley

California’s sprawling Central Valley is confronting declining groundwater levels and increasing ‘climate whiplash’ between drought and flood.

Next time you find yourself looking up driving directions on your phone, scroll over to central California and zoom out a bit. Turn on the satellite layer. What you’ll see is a mindboggling patchwork. A massive brown and green checkerboard, cut up in rectangles, sliced by highways, besieged by a ring of arid foothills. This is California’s famed and troubled Central Valley — an agricultural powerhouse that’s increasingly associated with headlines about disappearing groundwater and growing waves of flood and drought. Filled with sharp lines, it’s not a landscape one would immediately associate with collaboration and transformation. Read More »

Also posted in Agriculture, California, Community, Drought, Land Repurposing, Uncategorized / Tagged agriculture, california drought, california land repurposing, california water, california water funding, california water manager, community resilience, drought, groundwater, groundwater management, land repurposing, SGMA, water conservation, water use | Authors: aschiller / Leave a comment

Rosa learned how to help her community get reliable, clean water. You can too.

By Mariana Rivera-Torres and afajardoanstine / Published: February 12, 2024

Aerial view shows algae at O’Neill Forebay, a joint Federal-State facility and part of the State Water Project in Merced County, California. Algal blooms may contain toxins that can be harmful to people and pets. Photo taken May 25, 2022.
Florence Low / California Department of Water Resources, FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY

In 2022, Rosa applied for the Water Leadership Institute. Her motivation? To actively address severe water challenges impacting her family in El Nido in Merced County. Located in California’s breadbasket, Merced County is a scene of abundance with lush fields, orchards, and prospering dairy farms. Yet, beneath this scene lies a harsh reality. Rosa’s family and neighbors grappled with the consequences of water contamination, a pervasive issue with a grasp on daily life.

For years, Rosa made the bi-weekly trek to purchase clean water for her family’s ranch. Routinely, she stocked up on large quantities of jugs and bottled water to ensure her family had safe water to cook, clean, and drink. When this water ran low, they reluctantly turned to their domestic well for cleaning and personal care. Her family was aware that the well was not clean, but that was the best alternative available. Oftentimes, when they turned on the faucet, the water was foamy, had a strange smell, and ran white, the same color as the milk from the nearby dairy farms. She and her neighbors even began noticing their hair would fall out when they used the faucet water for bathing.

Also posted in Agriculture, California, Community, Drought, Groundwater Recharge / Tagged agriculture, california drought, california land repurposing, california water, california water funding, california water manager, groundwater, groundwater management, SGMA, water conservation, water leadership institute, water security, water use | Authors: mriveratorres, afajardoanstine / Leave a comment

Fields of Innovation: A Trip Showcasing Multi-Benefit Land Repurposing

By José M. Rodriquez-Flores / Published: January 30, 2024

Embarking on a field trip can often feel like stepping into a storybook, especially when the narrative and scenery revolve around transforming landscapes. This feeling was palpable last November when the Environmental Defense Fund organized a trip to Merced and Stanislaus Counties in California. The journey wasn’t just a tour; it was a vivid illustration of how multi-benefit land repurposing (MLRP) is bolstering groundwater sustainability in areas hardest hit by climate change. Read More »

Also posted in Agriculture, California, Community, Drought / Tagged california drought, california land repurposing, california water, california water funding, california water manager, colorado river, community resilience, groundwater, SGMA, water conservation, water security, water use | Authors: jrodriguez / Leave a comment