Central Valley Tour 2024

• Water Education Foundation
• Sacramento, CA

This Water Education Foundation tour ventures through California’s Central Valley, known as the nation’s breadbasket thanks to an imported supply of surface water and local groundwater. Covering about 20,000 square miles through the heart of the state, the valley provides 25 percent of the nation’s food, including 40 percent of all fruits, nuts and vegetables consumed throughout the country.

This 3-day, 2-night tour focuses on the San Joaquin Valley, the southern part of the vast region, which is facing challenges after years of drought, dwindling water supplies, decreasing water quality and farmland conversion for urban growth. Led by Foundation staff and Thomas Harter, Chair for Water Resources Management and Policy at the University of California, Davis, the tour gives participants an understanding of the region’s water use and issues as well as the agricultural practices, including new technologies and water-saving measures.

Participants will visit farms and some of the state’s major infrastructure, such as Friant Dam and the San Luis Reservoir, as well as the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, a major wintering ground and migratory stopover point for large concentrations of waterfowl and shorebirds. The tour begins and ends at the Foundation’s office in Sacramento.

Contact Programs Director Nick Gray via email with any tour questions.