Knowledge-Driven Water Solutions
DRAFT CASE FOR SUPPORT
AT A GLANCE
Advancing science-based solutions to California’s most difficult water challenges.
KEY ACTIVITES
- Amplify interdisciplinary leadership and expertise to address water-related problems
- Expand training for the next generation of water leaders through experiential education, legislative and judicial training, K-12 programs and targeted student support
- Maximize real-world impact through public education, community-building, integration of the humanities and enhanced communication infrastructure
INITIATIVE LEADERSHIP
- Karrigan Börk, Professor of Law, Director of the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences
ADMINISTRATIVE LEADS
- Simon Atkinson, Vice Chancellor for Research
- Jessica Berg, Dean, School of Law
TODAY'S CHALLENGES
Water is the lifeblood of California — from drinking water to the environment, from agriculture to energy production. But our state’s water systems were built for a climate that no longer exists.
A warming climate, sea level rise, groundwater overdraft, political instability and ecosystem collapse highlight the urgent need for better water management. Our future, and ultimately the world’s, depends on our success in solving these challenges.
UC Davis stands at the forefront of advancing solutions to California’s most complex water challenges through research, innovation and interdisciplinary partnerships. At this pivotal moment, policymakers, agencies and nonprofit partners need effective, forward-looking strategies, and the UC Davis California Water Initiative (CWI) will develop and disseminate these solutions throughout the state and beyond. CWI creates a bold, integrated network of university researchers focused on addressing California’s water challenges through research, education and real-world solutions.
KEY COLLABORATORS
INTERNAL
- College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
- College of Biological Sciences
- College of Engineering
- College of Letters and Science
- School of Law
- School of Education
- Office of Research
- Center for Watershed Sciences
- Tahoe Environmental Research Center
- Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute
With philanthropic investment, CWI will strengthen UC Davis’ proven ability to better translate science into action while developing effective solutions that can be deployed by policymakers, communities, Tribes and individuals to enhance climate resilience and shape a more sustainable water future for generations to come.
TOMORROW'S OPPORTUNITIES
Our vision is to be the nation’s most trusted resource for solving complex water challenges, bringing together an impactful, interdisciplinary UC Davis water community to secure a more just, sustainable and water-wise future — for California and the world.
More than 150 years of water crises have forced our state to react, adapt and innovate how it manages its most critical resource. UC Davis has long been California’s problem-solving leader for water, environmental and agricultural science. We are uniquely positioned to leverage our existing strengths in science, engineering, agriculture, law, policy and community collaboration to develop real-world solutions. Under CWI, participating schools, colleges, institutes and centers will work through an integrated, universitywide network, connecting faculty, fellows and partners across disciplines — including endowed chairs, a rotating postdoctoral water fellowship program, an annual colloquium and a water-humanities hub.
CWI builds on decades of UC Davis impact. University researchers and scholars provided the scientific foundation that has protected and restored sensitive freshwater ecosystems like Lake Tahoe, and helped shape landmark water reform laws like California’s public trust doctrine. Our experts also developed models that guide operation of the state’s water infrastructure, provided foundational science for the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, and contributed to the science and policy underlying the Klamath River dam removal. Recently, an ad hoc National Academy committee convened to review the two biggest water projects in California, the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project. Significantly, almost 30% of the members on the committee attended or worked at UC Davis.
The university’s relationships with agencies, tribal communities, environmental justice leaders, nonprofits, and agricultural and fishing communities make it a trusted partner in turning knowledge into solutions for California’s most complex water challenges.
Philanthropic investment is key to realizing our vision by advancing the people, ideas and partnerships essential for California to navigate its water future. With your support, UC Davis can accelerate research, deliver real-world solutions, and train the next generation of water leaders.
KEY FUNDING PRIORITIES
Donors are vital partners in realizing our vision, transforming CWI into a powerful hub for water solutions. We have outlined the following areas for investment in lasting water management solutions.
PEOPLE
GOAL: $50,000,000
- Research expertise including endowed directorships, university chairs and a rotating fellowship
PROGRAMMING
GOAL: $28,000,000
- Student success opportunities including scholarships, research support and place-based education
- Solutions with real-world impact like public-facing programming, communities of practice and continuing education opportunities
TECHNOLOGY
GOAL: $600,000
- Purchase of a stable isotope analyzer to understand fish habitat use that informs state regulations
DEFINING THE PATH FORWARD
The Center for Watershed Sciences will serve as CWI’s administrative home, overseeing its core programs and initiatives.
With philanthropic investment, CWI will advance three key areas to strengthen UC Davis’ leadership in California water — expertise, education and impact.
Donor support will help CWI endow key leadership and research positions, attracting and retaining top talent while providing structure and incentives to create a purposefully interdisciplinary community of water experts.
Investment in CWI will empower the next generation of water leaders through transformative, place-based education, while reducing barriers to participate in research and internships. Experiences like UC Davis’ signature ecogeomorphology course, which takes students on remote river research expeditions, inspire students to dedicate their lives to addressing difficult water problems. CWI could develop longer, more interdisciplinary experiences, internships linked to applied policy research, or courses that highlight California’s interconnected water systems. These life-changing experiences reduce barriers for participation in research and experiential learning, helping Aggies see water challenges firsthand and preparing them both to solve problems and to lead.
Philanthropic support will also maximize the real-world impact of our expertise through science communication, legislative and judicial training, public-facing programs, community and citizen science, K-12 education, and in-the-field implementation of research that improves water management. By investing in CWI, donors will help create solutions, training models and policy frameworks with relevance far beyond the state — cementing UC Davis’ stature as the nation’s leading institution for western water issues and a global resource in water solutions.
CWI WILL MEASURE OUR SUCCESS BASED ON THE FOLLOWING SHORT- AND LONG-TERM MILESTONES:
FIVE YEAR MILESTONES
- Interdisciplinary water chairs established across campus, facilitating an integrated leadership structure across core disciplines
- Postdoctoral water fellows in place, engaged in interdisciplinary water research
- Experiential water education expanded; key field courses are offered annually with increasing enrollment
- Annual water colloquium becomes a central gathering, with more than 200 attendees and a high-profile platform for faculty and graduate student research
- Strategic communications infrastructure is in place to disseminate findings, positioning UC Davis as a trusted go-to source for media and policymakers
- Collaboration with the Davis Humanities Institute advances our comprehensive approach through a fellowship, research lab and public-facing programs
TEN-YEAR MILESTONES
- A cohesive, campuswide water network is institutionalized at UC Davis, with CWI serving as the nerve center for enduring interdisciplinary research partnerships
- UC Davis continues to be recognized as the national leader in water research and policy, advising state and federal policymakers
- CWI cultivates a diverse pipeline of water leaders, with alumni holding influential roles in government, academia, nongovernmental organizations and the private sector, including strong representation from underserved communities
- Place-based water education draws students to UC Davis through broadly available courses and faculty research on pedagogy and best practices
- Humanities-based water scholarship generates new knowledge, develops the next generation of scholars and leaders, and strengthens public understanding of the issues shaping our water future
A RIVER AS A CLASSROOM
On Alaska’s Copper River, UC Davis students stood knee deep in icy, silt-filled water beside their professors, trying to understand how young salmon survive in a harsh glacial system. The answer emerged not in the rushing main channel, but in warm, clear backwaters where food webs flourished and juvenile salmon found refuge. After days of fieldwork, debate and problem-solving across disciplines, students saw how complex water challenges begin to yield when people bring different expertise to the same river.
That kind of discovery changes more than science — it changes people. Transformative experiences like these prepare students and researchers to carry new knowledge and passion into careers, agencies, communities and decisions that shape the future of water.
THE IDEAL UNIVERSITY TO ADVANCE REAL-WORLD SOLUTIONS
UC Davis is strategically positioned to lead this initiative — we are at the physical, political and intellectual center of California’s water story. Located in the Central Valley on Sacramento’s legislative doorstep, on the edge of the imperiled Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (which supplies drinking water for two-thirds of Californians) and bordered on all sides by agricultural lands and vital aquatic ecosystems, with esteemed field stations at the headwaters in the Sierra Nevada to the California coast, we are positioned at the literal confluence of California’s environmental and agricultural challenges. From this unique vantage point, UC Davis helps leaders, students, communities and partners see California’s water issues, and their solutions, firsthand.
Our geographic advantage is matched by our multidisciplinary academic strength. UC Davis brings together world-class water education and research programs, innovative environmental expertise, a renowned agricultural legacy, and a proven record of real-world impact.
California is also a global laboratory for water solutions. The world looks to our state for insights on drinking water, food production/safety, water management and environmental protection. If we can solve water problems in California, we can help solve them anywhere.
DEFINING ASSETS
CWI will unite experts across UC Davis, building on our university’s long-standing role in shaping water science, policy and practice to secure California’s water future.
- Center for Watershed Sciences: The nerve center for maximizing CWI’s impact, known for research on interdisciplinary water management, ecosystem restoration and shaping water policy
- Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute: Research and educational facilities, including Bodega Marine Lab, at the epicenter of one of the most productive and economically valuable marine ecosystems in the world
- Tahoe Environmental Research Center: Over 50 years of continuous scientific monitoring, water quality research and ecological preservation at Lake Tahoe
- Water Justice Clinic: First university law clinic dedicated to the implementation of California’s Human Right to Water law, providing legal support for rural and low-income communities to improve their water supplies to legal standards
- Renowned experts such as Kaveh Madani, winner of the 2026 Stockholm Water Prize, and Professor Emeritus Peter Moyle, recognized by the U.S. Senate as “California’s most consequential fish biologist”
DEFINED BY UC DAVIS, REFINED WITH YOU
Our state’s history has been shaped by water extremes, from the catastrophic Great Flood of 1862 to infrastructure challenges that continue today. California’s water future demands solutions that are as connected and complex as the challenges themselves.
By building connections through efforts such as an annual water colloquium, experiential learning and fellows programs, CWI will synergize collaboration that leads to real-world impact.
This is a pivotal moment to partner with us and advance this vision. We are grateful for your engagement, insight and advocacy. Your feedback will help shape this concept and strengthen its donor appeal as our campaign progresses. Likewise, your leadership will be essential to raising awareness as we begin to promote this initiative, engaging donor interest and helping position UC Davis as the go-to resource for water solutions.