Pacific Institute

10/14/2026

Pacific Institute's Anna Lenaker was recently featured in the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center (NC CASC) webinar "The Past, Present and Future of Water on the Wind River Indian Reservation: A Case Study on Indigenous Sovereignty, Water Rights and Climate Change Adaptation."

Watch the recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEIPyqWCD88
Learn more: https://nccasc.colorado.edu/webinars

Mandy Slate, The Ohio State University, Mariah McIntosh, Intermountain West Joint Venture, Miranda Devi Redmond, University of California Berkeley

10/02/2026

New research: An Assessment of Water Supply Alternatives in New Mexico

A new Pacific Institute assessment investigates the technical potential and cost of multiple water supply alternatives: agricultural conservation, municipal and industrial water conservation, municipal and industrial wastewater reuse, urban stormwater runoff, produced water recycling and reuse, and brackish groundwater desalination.

These findings can inform efforts to identify and prioritize investment opportunities and implementation strategies to strengthen water resilience in New Mexico. The assessment also highlights areas where further investigation is needed to support informed decision-making.

We thank Patrick McCarthy and Lynn Trujillo for their guidance and the Thornburg Foundation for generously supporting this work.

Read the full assessment: https://pacinst.org/publication/an-assessment-of-water-supply-alternatives-in-new-mexico/

10/01/2026

From a single running toilet to 14 million gallons saved: how smart sensors are transforming water conservation in affordable housing.

Read our latest impact story: https://pacinst.org/impact-stories/toilet-leak-detection/

08/26/2026

It's World Water Week!

The Pacific Institute, CEO Water Mandate, and Water Resilience Coalition are featured at Stockholm World Water Week. This annual convening brings leading water experts and organizations together to address the world’s most pressing water challenges.

Learn more: https://worldwaterweek.org/

08/26/2026

08/19/2026

Pacific Institute's Dr. Shannon McNeeley recently spoke with Rose Schnabel of WUFT News about how capacity constraints can make it harder for smaller and rural communities to access flood-resilience funding. This can create barriers for communities to get the help they need.

Read more:

Resilient Florida was created to provide funding to help communities prepare for the impacts of more frequent and severe flooding, but not all who are at risk get the help they need.

07/13/2026

Some of the most important work in advancing water resilience happens behind the scenes.

Building trusted partnerships, strengthening evidence, and developing the data and relationships that inform policy may not make headlines, but these efforts lay the foundation for lasting impact. They are also among the most difficult aspects of water work to fund.

In a new blog, Pacific Institute's Nicole Wickenhauser and BHP Foundation's Alyna Wyatt reflect on the importance of long-term, flexible philanthropy in advancing water equity and resilience. Together, they explore how sustained investment in research, collaboration, and institutional capacity can catalyze broader change, unlocking new partnerships, informing policy, and creating the conditions for lasting impact.

As water challenges continue to grow, strategic philanthropy has an essential role to play in building the evidence, trust, and capacity needed to strengthen water resilience for communities around the world.

Read the blog: https://pacinst.org/why-the-most-important-water-work-is-the-hardest-to-fund/

07/09/2026

The Pacific Institute’s Water Conflict Chronology is now a part of our broader Water and Peace Initiative, with data, research, and technology to help move from understanding water-related conflict to reducing it.

At the heart of this work is more than three decades of Pacific Institute leadership in compiling, curating, and analyzing incidents where water has been a trigger, casualty, or weapon of violence. This evidence base helps researchers, policymakers, journalists, communities, and partners better understand where water-related conflict is occurring, how patterns are changing, and what conditions may increase future risk.

Through the Water and Peace Initiative, we are building on this foundation to support deeper analysis, stronger resilience, and practical pathways for cooperation and peace.

Explore the Water and Peace Initiative: https://pacinst.org/water-and-peace-initiative/

07/08/2026

With increasing focus on nature-positive actions and global biodiversity targets, companies require guidance, approaches, and tools that extend beyond simply mitigating water risk to providing larger ecosystem benefits. But few resources exist to account for the biodiversity benefits of projects.

Our Biodiversity Benefit Accounting (BioBA) guidance helps provide a practical 7-step framework to guide companies from project assessment to monitoring and reporting.

Read more: https://pacinst.org/7-steps-to-integrate-biodiversity-into-corporate-water-stewardship/

06/30/2026

"Enabling DOE Regional Energy-Water Technology Pilots," a new report from the The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, examines how regional pilot programs can help strengthen energy-water resilience, reliability, and sustainability.

Pacific Institute's Chief Research and Program Officer Heather Cooley served on the expert committee selected by the National Academies to develop recommendations for how the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) can design and implement regional energy-water technology pilots that reflect local needs, foster collaboration, and support long-term learning and adaptation.

The report highlights the importance of systems-level approaches, cross-sector partnerships, and regionally tailored solutions to address growing pressures on energy and water resources.

Learn more and read the report: https://www.nationalacademies.org/projects/DELS-WSTB-23-02