Southern California Water Coalition

10/16/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗜𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝘀𝗼𝗻? | 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗲𝘆’𝘀 𝗘𝘆𝗲𝘀

🚗 A little time stuck on the 405, but well worth the trip to Van Nuys!

Charley spent the day at the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant, moderating conversations with water professionals who know firsthand what it takes to get major infrastructure projects across the finish line.

What made the day valuable? Hearing the successes, the setbacks and the lessons learned from agencies tackling some of Southern California’s most ambitious water projects.

For Charley, the biggest takeaway was the willingness to have honest conversations about what needs to change. Better contracting approaches, smarter investments and fewer obstacles to getting projects done.

Because California doesn’t just need more water solutions. We need to get better at delivering them.

10/16/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗜𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝘀𝗼𝗻?

🚗 Stuck on the 405! But when it comes to California’s water future, we can’t afford to be stuck in traffic.

This week, SCWC Executive Director Charley Wilson headed to the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant in Van Nuys to moderate Knowledge Share Workshop #3: Lessons Learned on Progressive Design-Build.

The workshop brought together water agencies and industry experts to share real-world experiences from six major water infrastructure projects across Southern California.

The focus? Finding smarter, faster and more cost-effective ways to deliver the water projects our communities need.

From contracting strategies and cost constraints to permitting challenges and project delivery, participants explored what worked, what didn’t and what we can do differently moving forward.

The takeaway is simple: We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but we do have to learn from one another. By sharing lessons, embracing innovative approaches and making informed decisions, we can move critical water infrastructure projects forward with greater efficiency and certainty.

A big thank you to Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, LA Sanitation & Environment and Jacobs for bringing everyone together for these important conversations!

Educate. Advocate. Collaborate. Deliver.

10/16/2026

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 | 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗮 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗨𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝘂𝗺𝗽

California’s water future demands more than conversation. It demands collaboration, shared priorities, and a commitment to action.

On October 9, Southern California Water Coalition convened leaders from across California’s water community at LA County Public Works for our 2026 Water Urgency Roundtable, bringing together voices from business, agriculture, labor, energy, technology, academia, government, and advocacy.

Together, participants tackled some of the state’s most pressing water challenges, from infrastructure investment and water affordability to regulatory innovation, diversified supplies, and climate resilience.

But this wasn’t just about identifying challenges. It was about building consensus around solutions.

A defining moment of the gathering was the Water Urgency Declaration, reflecting a shared commitment to advancing California’s water priorities through coordinated messaging, meaningful partnerships, and collective action.

As California looks toward 2075, the work we do together today will help determine the strength and resilience of our water future.

Thank you to Mark Pestrella and LA County Public Works for hosting, and to every leader who brought their perspective, expertise, and commitment to the table.

The urgency is real. The commitment is shared. Now, it’s time to turn priorities into progress.

10/15/2026

Congratulations to SCWC Founding Member MWD of SoCal, and a special congratulations to Martin Miller on being named the new Board Chair!

Metropolitan's board elected Martin Miller as new board chair. The San Diego County Water Authority representative will lead the district's governing board, serving a 2-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2027. He is the first representative from San Diego to lead Metropolitan's board in its nearly 100-year history.

10/13/2026

A Flashback Worth Revisiting

As we count down to the Southern California Water Coalition’s 2026 Annual Meeting & Dinner, we’re taking a look back at one of our favorite productions from our milestone 40th anniversary celebration in 2024!

That unforgettable evening at the beautiful Balboa Bay Resort brought together more than 400 water and community leaders to celebrate four decades of collaboration, recognize outstanding leadership, and look ahead to the future of California water.

From inspiring conversations and special recognitions to memorable moments with leaders from across the water community, this video captures what makes SCWC’s biggest event of the year so special.

And speaking of videos… 🎥

We gave you a behind-the-scenes look at Charley Wilson filming yesterday, and we can’t wait to share what we’re putting together for THIS year’s event!

💧 The 2026 SCWC Annual Meeting & Dinner
📅 November 19, 2026
📍 Balboa Bay Resort | Newport Beach, CA

We’re just over a month away from another incredible gathering of California’s water leaders. We hope you’ll join us!

Take a trip back to 2024 and relive the celebration: https://youtu.be/PjN_qO1Hurs

🎟️ Reserve your spot for 2026: https://secure.anedot.com/southern-california-water-coalition/events/d27fc6b2-b454-4301-a49e-7282391d4455

Join me in supporting Southern California Water Coalition

10/13/2026

𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀. 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲.

California’s water challenges don’t exist in isolation, and neither should the conversations about solving them.

Last Friday, Southern California Water Coalition brought together leaders from business, agriculture, labor, energy, technology, academia, government, and more for our California Water Urgency Roundtable.

The goal? Move beyond individual priorities and identify opportunities for collective action on water supply, affordability, infrastructure investment, regulatory innovation, and resilience.

A special thank you to SCWC Board Member Dawn Taffler of Jacobs for sharing her perspective and capturing the spirit of the day. Her reflections highlight what makes our Coalition special: bringing diverse voices and perspectives together to advance a stronger, more resilient water future.

We also extend our appreciation to Mark Pestrella and LA County Public Works for hosting this important gathering.

The challenges are interconnected. Our solutions must be, too.

📸 Dawn Taffler

10/12/2026

🎬 Lights, Camera, Charley!

A little behind-the-scenes look at CW.

SCWC Executive Director Charley Wilson stepped in front of the camera for a special video we’re putting together for our upcoming Annual Meeting & Dinner at the beautiful Balboa Bay Resort!

🎤 Mic’d up? Check.
🎥 Cameras rolling? Check.
💧 Talking California Water? You bet!

A big thank you to Magnify Productions for sharing this fun sneak peek!

Stay tuned! We’ve got something special in the works for California water’s biggest night of the year!

10/12/2026

💧 This week in California water:

✅ New report finds Californians pay some of the nation’s highest water bills
✅ CMUA says water affordability requires statewide solutions
✅ Rare Kelvin wave highlights sea-level rise risks to the Delta and State Water Project

Three stories. One takeaway: The cost of water isn't just what shows up on a monthly bill. Investing in reliable infrastructure today can help avoid much bigger costs tomorrow.

10/12/2026

What a thrill to be nominated as a finalist for our social media and influencer campaign and animated video, Renewed: The Journey to Safe, Reliable Drinking Water! 🥹 🫶

We couldn't have done it without our partners Los Angeles DWP, Eastern Municipal Water District, HDR, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Parsons Corporation, WateReuse Association, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, Moulton Niguel Water District, WateReuse California, Carollo Engineers, Black & Veatch, Erin Winick - Science Communicator, Science IRL, Maynard Okereke, Madi McKay and Moses Aubrey!

10/08/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝘀𝗼𝗻? | 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗲𝘆’𝘀 𝗘𝘆𝗲𝘀

A few more snapshots from Charley’s evening celebrating collaboration, leadership, and progress at the LA Waterkeeper Annual Awards!

From catching up with familiar faces across California’s water community to recognizing the people and projects making a difference, it was a great reminder of the power of bringing people together.

Events like these bring together public agencies, community organizations, industry partners, and advocates who all have a role to play in addressing our water challenges.

The takeaway? Real progress takes the entire water community working together, with the urgency to turn great ideas into real projects that meet real needs.

Take a look at the evening through Charley’s eyes!