The San Joaquin Valley Water Blueprint, a diverse coalition of agricultural, municipal, and community stakeholders, is stepping up efforts to improve water supply reliability in California’s Central Valley. At the heart of their advocacy is support for Executive Order 14181, originally issued under the Trump administration, which lays the groundwork for modernizing water management and increasing overall water deliveries statewide.
A Unified Call to Action
The Blueprint has formally reached out to several influential leaders—including former President Donald Trump, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, and California Governor Gavin Newsom—urging them to coordinate on water policy reforms. Their goal: to align regulatory frameworks and accelerate infrastructure improvements that could unlock up to 9 million acre-feet of additional water per year by 2040.
Addressing a Crisis Decades in the Making
Water scarcity has long plagued the San Joaquin Valley, straining agricultural productivity, local economies, and rural communities. The Blueprint emphasizes that legal and environmental restrictions have made it increasingly difficult for farmers and residents to access necessary water resources—turning a manageable challenge into a persistent crisis.
A Modern Water Vision
The coalition’s proposal outlines a comprehensive water strategy, including:
- Upgrading infrastructure (canals, reservoirs, recharge basins)
- Reforming outdated regulatory policies
- Promoting interagency collaboration between federal and state governments
They stress that these actions are essential to ensure long-term economic sustainability, environmental balance, and climate resilience.
Beyond Infrastructure: A Call for Partnership
This isn’t just a technical initiative—it’s a political and civic movement. The Blueprint calls for shared accountability among all levels of government. Only by overcoming bureaucratic delays and regulatory roadblocks, the group argues, can California truly secure a sustainable water future.
Through this effort, the San Joaquin Valley Water Blueprint underscores the urgent need for innovation, collaboration, and bold reform to safeguard California’s water supply—and the communities that depend on it.