It's summer. Western water - time for some big leaps.
Three game-changers, one Bingo card, and a lot on our plate.
Friends of Confluence West -
Friends of Confluence West:
It's mid-summer — has life slowed down for you? It sure hasn't here at Confluence West HQ. Can you help?
On our plate:
Where's western water management headed? We're tracking the three game changers - using water justice as our cornerstone:
Developing markets: Direct potable reuse (DPR), desalination, and source water resiliency — we’re mapping where market opportunities are opening up. Long-term planning starts with understanding emerging trends.
Our take in your inbox by early August.
Rethinking One Water: Headwater forests are the source of over 60% of our water supply in the American West — yet watersheds rarely appear in "One Water" planning. In partnership with Lisa Haney, Blue Bridge Strategies, LLC, we're digging into how the two connect. Policy brief out next month; a technical framework and examples follow.
Fun and a Commission? We'll admit to having some fun with the Colorado River Basin (the alternative is to cry) — check out Colorado River Basin Bingo. On a less fun note: We’re assessing the opportunities to move forward with the idea of a Colorado River Basin Commission. A number of very smart people have written about what a CRB Commission could look like—we’re assessing the paths to getting there.
Climate "Weirding" in the American West keeps landing blow after blow to our water supply, health, economy, and ecosystems. No single agency, utility, or scientist can successinnovate successfully alone.
That’s where we come in. Confluence West is the connector — We cross-fertilize emerging innovations, ideas, and solutions by building diverse partnerships, bringing the best science to the table, and spreading what works in one community or agency to the next facing the same fight.
None of that happens without support like yours. Your gift this summer keeps our small team doing the unglamorous work that makes big wins possible — synthesizing the science, building relationships across our established 1,500-member network, and getting good ideas into the rooms where water decisions are actually made.
How much? Raised to date for all three projects: $32K; balance still needed: $38K.
Thank you for standing with us in the work. It's already a long, weird summer for western water — we're glad to be in it with you.
For the West,
Kimery
💧💧💧
💧💧💧
Many excellent NGOs, water utilities, tribes, Nations, communities, and public agencies are working to protect rivers and forests in the American West from the (sometimes overwhelming) challenges posed by climate change. We are proud to partner with many of them.
Why support and work with Confluence West? Since 2007, we've learned that long-term, equitable solutions require dedicated and talented people from every sector, issue area, perspective, expertise, and culture to bring their part of the elephant, their truth, to the table.
We build and lead projects that connect diverse decision-makers who, in turn, create science- and evidence-based campaigns. Check out our work! Or, email Kimery.