Western States Water Council
A Voice for Water in the West since 1965
What We Do
Our mission is to ensure that the West has an adequate, secure, and sustainable supply of water of suitable quality to meet its diverse economic and environmental needs now and in the future.
Western Water Policy Positions
Raise water as a critical public policy priority. Policy positions are vetted with the governors, adopted by the Council, and promoted on behalf of Western States.
Weekly Newsletter
Report and curate state and federal news on water-related issues, as well as other activities and events.
Federal Reserved Tribal and Non-Tribal Water Rights
Support authorization and funding of negotiated settlements between tribes, states, and federal agencies to resolved unquantified tribal and non-tribal water claims.
Water Infrastructure
Recognize and promote active asset management, including consistent funding to address aging infrastructure challenges, future water supply, and water and wastewater treatment needs.
Sharing of State-Level Water Data
Develop and grow the Water Data Exchange (WaDE) Program that streamlines access to water rights and water use data, water quality and other water related databases.
Enhance State and Federal Relationships and Encourage Collaboration
Serve as a forum for Interstate and State/Federal dialogue and action on emerging and ongoing water issues with our Western States Federal Agency Support Team (WestFAST).
Water Quality-Quantity Nexus
Recognize and promote efforts to better manage and balance the interrelationships between the development and allocation of water resources, wastewater treatment, and water quality.
Water-Related Observing Systems and Data
Support the maintenance and expansion of critical observing systems and promote innovation related to the monitoring and reporting of water-related parameters.
2024 WSWC Spring (203rd) Meetings and Washington Roundtable
New Mexico Integrated Water Financing Plan: Introductory Webinar
WSWC 2023 Fall Meetings
Position #507 – Outlining Actions Federal Agencies Should Take to Expedite State General Stream Adjudications
Position #507 - Outlining Actions Federal Agencies Should Take to Expedite State General Stream Adjudications WHEREAS, the western states use general stream adjudications to determine and document relative water rights within basins, including rights to waters claimed...
Position #506 – Asserting State Primacy on Protecting Ground Water Quality
Position #506 - Asserting State Primacy on Protecting Ground Water Quality WHEREAS, groundwater is a critically important natural resource, especially in the mostly arid West; and WHEREAS, groundwater management – the protection of its quality and its orderly,...
Position #505 – Supporting USDA Conservation Programs and Water Resources
Position #505 - Supporting USDA Conservation Programs and Water Resources WHEREAS, water is the lifeblood of the West and this is most apparent in the agricultural sector, which accounts for the predominant share of consumptive water use westwide; and WHEREAS,...
Issue #2598/Water Law Symposium
To view and download the newsletter, click the link below: Issue #2598 Idaho Law Review 2024 Water Law Symposium Join us to hear from the leading scholars and experts in their fields about state water rights adjudications; administrative regulation over "waters of the...
Water Quality Standards and Tribal Reserved Rights
On March 6, 2023, the comment period closed for the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rulemaking, Water Quality Standards Regulatory Revisions to Protect Tribal Reserved Rights (87 FR 74361). Several states submitted comments to the docket, including Alaska,...
S. 2568 Open Access Evapotranspiration (Open ET) Data Act
On June 7, the Western States Water Council submitted written comments to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Public Lands, Forests & Mining Subcommittee strongly supporting efforts to enhance and expand the availability of and open access to...
South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Director of the Office of Water
This is a full time position with the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The Department’s mission is to protect and preserve agriculture, environment, and natural resources through effective regulatory services, natural resource...
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WaDE Pilot Water Use Data Sharing Project with USGS
The Water Data Exchange (WaDE) Program at the Western States Water Council (WSWC) received a Moore Foundation grant extension through Duke University from September 16, 2021 - September 15, 2022, to accomplish, among other deliverables, a Pilot Data Sharing Project of...
Position #516 – The Dividing the Waters Program for Judges
Position #516 – The Dividing the Waters Program for Judges WHEREAS, the Dividing the Waters Program of the National Judicial College has served western judges overseeing complex water litigation since 1993, providing information and training resources on water law and...
Water Reuse in the West: Western State Water Reuse Governance and Programs
Water Reuse in the West: Western State Water Reuse Governance and Programs In early 2020, the Western States Water Council partnered with the Association of Clean Water Administrators (ACWA) to develop a survey of states regarding water reuse laws, regulations and...
The Western States Water Council is the preeminent water policy organization in the western U.S. representing as it does 18 western states. From influential positions on federal rules and legislation to support of Landsat missions intended to acquire important water use information, the Council serves it member states like no other entity. My 18-year membership with the Council is one of the most memorable experiences of my service as Wyoming State Engineer.
I find the Council to be a provocative forum to discuss how State water supply and water quality program should interact. Western perspectives highlight the unique and confounding aspects of managing water quality in ways that defy uniform application of the Clean Water Act. And there may be no greater champion of the importance of water data programs of the USGS and NRCS than the WSWC.
The Western States Water Council is recognized as a national leader in developing and influencing national and western water policy, while serving as the water arm for the Western Governors’ Association. The Council provides an excellent forum for states and federal agencies to discuss water issues of mutual interest. I know that my time on the Council certainly enhanced my ability as a leader on state water issues.
Contact Us
Western States Water Council Office
682 East Vine Street, Suite 7
Murray, UT 84107-5501
(801) 685-2555
(801) 685-2559 (fax)
jgroat@wswc.utah.gov
Julie Groat
Administrative Assistant