Flooded agricultural field along Woodbridge Road in Lodi, California (DWR, 2019).
The Flood-MAR Network is a vibrant collaboration of individuals and organizations dedicated to promoting Flood-MAR implementation in California.
Stay up-to-date with the latest Flood-MAR news and activities!
The Coordinating Team supports the Flood-MAR Network to ensure that the Network is effective in promoting the implementation of Flood-MAR projects throughout California. The Coordinating Team helps identify emerging and priority topics that should be brought to the Network for discussion and further action. Coordinating team members meet monthly, and team membership rotates annually.
If you are interested in joining the Coordinating Team, contact floodmar.network@gmail.com
2024 Coordinating Team Members:
Adam Hutchinson, Orange County Water District
Aysha Massell, Sustainable Conservation
Cliff Feldheim, Ducks Unlimited
Eric Ginney, ESA Associates
Glen Low, Earth Genome
Graham Fogg, UC Davis
Dr. Helen Dahlke, UC Davis
Jamie Cameron-Harley, California Department of Water Resources
Jason Wiener, ESA Associates
Jenny Marr, California Department of Water Resources
Jesse Roseman, Grower
Kamyar Guivetchi, California Department of Water Resources (retired)
Kristan Culbert, American Rivers
Meredith Goebel-Szenher, Stanford University
Michael Founds, cbec eco engineering
Philip Bachand, Bachand Associates
Samuel Cunningham, Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group
Sarah Puckett, American Rivers
Scott Bradford, US Department of Agriculture – ARS, SAWS Unit
Action Teams are collaborations of volunteer Flood-MAR Network members who seek to identify and advance a particular product, project, or initiative over the next one to two years. The six Action Teams emerged from discussions during the March 2023 quarterly Flood-MAR Network workshop, demonstrating a desire to leverage the collective resources of the Network, turn ideas into tangible outputs to benefit the Flood-MAR community, and ultimately advance Flood-MAR statewide.
The Action Teams are:
We invite you learn more and consider joining an upcoming meeting if your work (or your curiosity) intersects with the goals of an Action Team. Our work is improved when our expertise and experience are shared!
To join or be added to an Action Team email roster and learn of upcoming meetings and efforts, please drop us a note at floodmar.network@gmail.com.
A panoramic view of the water release from Lake Natoma at Nimbus Dam in Sacramento County, California as a precaution against flooding after an atmospheric river storm
dumped heavy rain and snow across Northern California (DWR, 2019).
Monthly Lunch-MAR Webinars
Lunch-MAR webinars take place the first Wednesday of each month from 12:30 – 1:30 pm PT. In these webinars, network members and invited guests present on and discuss a wide range of topics relevant to Flood-MAR, ranging from water rights to geophysics.
To join a Lunch-MAR Session, please use this link [Note: The link was updated on 01.06.2025 for sessions occurring from February 2025 – December 2027. Registration is no longer needed to join.]
Wednesday, September 3, 2025, 12:30PM -1:30PM PT
How Much Water is Available for Recharge in the Central Valley?
Presenter: Caitlin Peterson, PPIC
Sneak Peek: Designing better policies to bolster recharge during wet periods is key. But California’s complex regulatory environment makes it difficult. In a survey we conducted last year, we found that even though California made great deal of progress on groundwater recharge during the banner wet year of 2023, a lot of water was left on the table. We suspected that more water could have been captured for recharge without impacting the environment or downstream users: approximately 3.5 million acre-feet, according to our initial estimate. PPIC will present their findings from a new report, where we unpack that number, explore the potential restrictions on using this water, and highlight the inter-agency partnerships that could help get more water in the ground in the future.
Wednesday, October 1, 2025, 12:30PM -1:30PM PT
Water for Wetlands and Floodplains: Adapting Management for a Changing Climate
Presenter: Cliff Feldheim, Ducks Unlimited
Sneak Peek: In California’s Central Valley, nearly all wetland habitat relies on actively managed water. As climate change brings less snow and more variable rainfall, wetland and floodplain managers must adapt. This session explores emerging strategies to capture, store, and distribute water based on ecological goals and water year conditions.
*No November Lunch-MAR. We will see you at the Forum Event instead!
Wednesday, December 3, 2025, 12:30PM -1:30PM PT
Flood-MAR: Watershed-scale and Basin-scale Solutions
Presenter: California Department of Water Resources
Sneak Peek: The San Joaquin Flood-MAR Watershed Studies team will present and describe results from the five watershed studies that provide a compelling case for innovative and at-scale implementation.
Virtual Flood-MAR Network Workshops
All Flood-MAR Network members are invited to attend periodic virtual workshops. These workshops provide opportunities for members to engage in conversations and collaborate on Flood-MAR projects.
Latest Network Workshop: Friday March 28 from 10 am – 12 pm
This virtual workshop aimed to reflect on the progress made in 2024, re-energize our collective efforts, and collaboratively shape priorities for 2025. Key objectives were:
FIRO-MAR Learning Group
The FIRO-MAR learning group is dedicated to sharing information on the latest advancements in linking forecast-informed reservoir operations (FIRO) with Flood-MAR. This group is on a short break and will reconvene in 2025.
Biennial Forums
Flood-MAR forums have been held biannually since 2017 to discuss and address the opportunities and challenges of implementing flood-MAR in California.
2025 Flood-MAR Forum | Grounded in Success, Growing Towards the Future
On November 5 & 6, 2025, we’re excited to host the next Flood-MAR Forum, a biennial event dedicated to exploring opportunities and challenges in implementing Flood-MAR in California. Save the Date! All information, including registration, program, and sponsorship information is on the event website: https://cvent.me/7MBr32
The Flood-MAR Network hosted its fourth biennual Flood-MAR Public Forum on November 7 & 8, 2023, at the CSUS Harper Alumni Center in Sacramento. Nearly 100 Flood-MAR practitioners gathered to share success stories and lessons learned from the landmark wet winter of 2022 – 2023 and identify areas for further preparation needed to implement projects that use floodwaters for managed aquifer recharge in future wet years, for the benefit of communities, ecosystems, and agriculture.
From this sharing of experiences and ideas, Forum discussions culminated in five main takeaways:
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2023 FLOOD-MAR FORUM | Flood-MAR in Action
Tuesday, November 7, 2023, 12:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Wednesday, November 8, 2023, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
FORUM AGENDA | DAY 1
Mike Antos – Stantec
Karla Nemeth – California Department of Water Resources
Aaron Fukuda – Tulare Irrigation District
Christine Gemperle – Grower
Mark Hutson – Grower, Hutson Farm
Julia Barfield – The Nature Conservancy
Andy Fisher – U.C. Santa Cruz
Kristin Sicke – Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District
Table Discussions – Share Your Success Stories!
Moderator: Sarah Woolf – Water Wise
Chase Hurley – Water and Land Solutions
Bill Stretch – Fresno Irrigation District
David Guy – Northern California Water Association
Mike Mierzwa – CA Department of Water Resources
Mike Myatt– Environmental Defense Fund
Daniel Mountjoy – Sustainable Conservation
FORUM AGENDA | DAY 2
Graham Fogg – UC Davis, Network Coordinating Committee Member
Moderator: Ashley Boren – Sustainable Conservation
Paul Gosselin – California Department of Water Resources
Erik Ekdahl – State Water Resources Control Board
Don Cameron – California State Board of Food and Agriculture
Sustainable Groundwater Management Office Tools, Steven Springhorn – CA Dept. of Water Resources
San Joaquin Valley Flood-MAR Dashboard, Christine Gutierrez – GEI
District and Grower Guidance, Aysha Massell – Sustainable Conservation
San Joaquin River Watershed Studies, Jim Wieking – CA Dept. of Water Resources
Eco-FIP Toolset and Pilot Studies, Michael Founds – cbec eco engineering
Fastpath, Meredith Goebel-Szenher – Stanford University
Introduction to the Network’s six Action Teams, Kamyar Guivetchi – CA Dept. of Water Resources
Estimating Recharge, Graham Fogg – UC Davis
Water Quality, Daniel Mountjoy – Sustainable Conservation
Instream Flows, Noelle Patterson – cbec eco engineering
Assessing Policy, Charles Delgado – Sustainable Conservation
Incentives for Recharge, Laura Ramos – Fresno State & Sam Cunningham – PPENG
Flood-MAR HUB, Kirsten Ondris – UC Davis & Meredith Goebel-Szenher – Stanford University
Table Discussions – What are your priorities to prepare for the next wet year?
Karen Ross – Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture
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Thank you to this 2023 Flood-MAR Forum Sponsors!
Coachella Valley Water District’s Thomas E. Levy Groundwater Replenishment Facility in Coachella, Calif.
Photo Credit: DWR
Copyright 2022-Present, Flood-MAR and Contributing Authors.
