Category Archives: Water Committee

When the Rivers Rise (Video)

The ECOS Water Committee Presents

When the Rivers Rise – Flood Risk and Resilience in the Sacramento Region

Watch the presentation in the video below to learn about the Sacramento region’s flood risks, current mitigation efforts, and how you can prepare for future floods.

Featuring:

  • Gary Bardini | P.E., Director of Planning, Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency
  • Austin Miller | Environmental Specialist at Sacramento County Department of Water Resources
  • Nicole Sears | Environmental Scientist & Graduate Student, Water & Environmental Law, McGeorge School of Law

Recorded: Tuesday, April 14, 2026 at 5:00 PM

Click here for the meeting agenda packet.

ECOS Continued Participation on the Water Forum

February 17, 2026

ECOS is joining with 40 organizations throughout the region to help shape the reliability of region’s water supplies while protecting and enhancing of the Lower American River.

ECOS has been a member of the Water Forum for 26 years. During this time, ECOS, other environmental organizations, business and community leaders, and the region’s water purveyors have worked together to ensure the region has a reliable and safe water supply while preserving the fishery, wildlife, recreational, and aesthetic values of the lower American River. Six years ago, the Water Forum realized that climate change and increased demands for water necessitated a review and modernization of the original Water Forum Agreement. ECOS has participated in the technical work and discussions that have led to the new Water Forum Agreement 2050. This new Agreement, which spans the next 25 years, includes the implementation of the American River Climate Adaptation Program, as well as, Purveyor Specific Agreements which outline how the 13 participating water agencies will manage supplies and operate systems to best support the Agreement’s coequal objectives of reliable regional water supply and protection of the Lower American River. The new Agreement also has five key programs including one that focuses on improving American River corridor Health by building habitat and managing the lower American river corridor through adaptive management. View the video below for more information about the Water Forum Agreement 2050.

Salmonids: Population Health and Climate Adaptation Solutions, Feb 10

Join the Environmental Council of Sacramento Water Committee for a conversation on the state of salmonids and the ongoing efforts to protect salmonid population health through changing climate conditions.

February 10, 2026, 5pm – 7pm via Zoom

Featuring: Steve Rotehrt, Division Chief and Multibenefit Initiatives, Department of Water Resources

Invited: Carson Jeffres, Senior Researcher Field and Lab Director at the Center for Watershed Sciences, University of California, Davis

Link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6656164155
To phone in: 669-900-6833, Meeting ID: 665 616 4155

Watershed Resilience Pilot Project presentation, Nov 25

Speaker: Jim Peifer Executive Director, Regional Water Authority

The Watershed Resilience Pilot Project, which is being funded by a grant from the Department of Water Resources, is an initiative that evaluates the impacts of Climate Change and identifies strategies to adapt to those impacts. The Pilot examines nine interconnected systems that are affected by climate and weather: ecosystem, flood management, groundwater supply, hydropower, surface water supply, agriculture, recreation, water quality, and community and equity. The focus is on strategies that benefit multiple systems at once and that address the most vulnerable assets and communities. To learn more about the Pilot, click this link: https://rwawatershedsresilience.com/

This is an opportunity for our members to learn how our ideas on climate adaptation can be included in the Watershed Resilience Pilot Project study and even share them with Jim at the meeting.

To hear the presentation, please join us at our November ECOS Board meeting today, Tuesday, November 25, 2025, on Zoom. The presentation is scheduled to start at 7pm.

Click here for the agenda.

Link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6656164155
To phone in: 669-900-6833, Meeting ID: 665 616 4155