SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) today announced the launch of Vision for Our Water Future, an initiative to elevate water as a top priority for California’s next governor, legislative leadership, and state officials.
The initiative outlines a clear, solutions-focused framework to secure a resilient and reliable water system that meets the needs of California’s economy, communities and environment. It is backed by the members of the largest statewide coalition of public water agencies in the nation.
“Water is foundational to everything California is trying to achieve, from building housing and growing our economy to protecting public health and ensuring community resilience,” said Chelsea Haines, ACWA Director of State Regulatory Relations. “This Vision reflects the collective expertise of water suppliers across the state and puts forward strategic, actionable solutions. We are asking for bold leadership from the next governor to move these solutions forward.”
California’s water system is under increasing pressure from drought, flood, wildfire, aging infrastructure, and changing economic and community demands. At the same time, local water agencies continue to invest in and advance thoughtful, innovative solutions, and California ratepayers are funding more than 85 percent of the system while managing growing demands and costs.
The Vision for Our Water Future initiative centers on four key priorities outlined within the Vision document:
- Elevating water as a statewide leadership priority
- Protecting affordability for Californians
- Delivering critical infrastructure upgrades and investments
- Modernizing water management and permitting systems
Together, these priorities aim to strengthen California’s ability to capture, store and deliver water when and where it is needed, while improving coordination across state, regional and local partners.
“Securing California’s future requires more than incremental fixes. It demands a fundamental shift to achieve outcomes,” said ACWA President Ernie Avila. “This initiative brings together business, labor and water leaders around a shared set of solutions that support economic growth, housing and long-term sustainability. We look forward to working with state leaders to turn this Vision into an actionable reality.”
ACWA is a statewide association of public agencies whose approximately 470 members are responsible for about 90% of the water delivered in California. For more information, visit www.acwa.com.
Contact: Heather Engel, Director of Communications | heathere@acwa.com | (916) 669-2387
