Get Involved in the Flood-MAR Network

Flooded agricultural field along Woodbridge Road in Lodi, California (DWR, 2019).

Who We Are

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!

Coordinating Team

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 [email protected]

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

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:

Estimating Recharge – seeks to identify best approaches for the practical estimation of aquifer recharge.
Incentives for Flood-MAR – expands information-sharing regarding existing and previous incentives programs and generates ideas for new incentives or strategies.
Water Quality Monitoring – identifies considerations for managing or mitigating contaminants under flooded conditions, and compiles data to support agencies in developing best practices, guidance, and models for Flood-MAR.
Instream Flows - considers how to balance water used for recharge and instream ecological needs during Flood-MAR project operations.
Assessing Policy – explores ways to further leverage opportunities and/or address barriers to effective State support and coordination.
Website – manages content and maintains updates to the floodmar.org website. The Flood-MAR website was formally released to the public October 10th, 2023 (read the Flood-MAR HUB press release here).

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 [email protected].

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).

Network Related Events and Activities

Monthly Lunch-MAR Webinars

Lunch-MAR webinars take place the first Wednesday of each month from 12:30 – 1:30 pm Pacific Time. 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, August 6, 2025, 12:30PM -1:30PM PT

An Overview of the Groundwater Accounting Platform

Presenter: California Water Data Consortium

Sneak Peek: The Groundwater Accounting Platform is an open-source tool that helps California water managers, landowners, and water users track water budgets and usage more easily in near real-time. The California Water Data Consortium and Environmental Defense Fund have partnered to expand the Platform to new regions, and to provide additional features and functionalities to help more groundwater agencies and growers track water use allocations under SGMA. Come and learn more about new updates to the tool and a vision for the future on August 6, 2025

Wednesday, September 3, 2025, 12:30PM -1:30PM PT

How Much Water is Available for Recharge in the Central Valley?

Presenter: Public Policy Institute of California

Sneak Peek: Coming soon!

Wednesday, October 1, 2025, 12:30PM -1:30PM PT

Managed Wetlands and Managed Floodplains: Adapting to a Changing Climate

Presenter: Cliff Feldheim, Ducks Unlimited

Sneak Peek: In California’s Central Valley, if there is water on the landscape, someone put it there. This is true for the majority of wetland habitat in the state. In the face of less snow and changing timing and intensity of rain, wetland managers need to develop water management systems and strategies that take advantage of rainfall and surface water when it is available, hold it, and distribute it to wetland habitats with ecological goals driven by the water year type..

*There is no Lunch-MAR in November this year. We will see you at the biannual Flood-MAR Forum event on November 5th instead! https://cvent.me/7MBr32

Wednesday, December 3, 2025, 12:30PM -1:30PM PT

To be confirmed

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

Check out the full Agenda here.
Review the meeting Slide Deck here.
Watch the full recording here.

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:

Showcase recent impactful work from Network Members
Advance collaborative initiatives to for Flood-MAR implementation in California
Encourage active participation in the Network’s activities
Engage members in the planning of the 2025 Biannual Network Form

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! More information and event website coming soon!

2023 Flood-MAR Forum | Flood-MAR in Action

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.

Read the short summary document which synthesizes highlights of the event here.
Watch recordings of the many excellent presentations and discussions from the event by clicking the links in the event agenda below.

From this sharing of experiences and ideas, Forum discussions culminated in five main takeaways:

California is poised to scale up Flood-MAR as a significant strategy for addressing groundwater overdraft, but more work is needed.
Partnerships and collaboration among growers and water managers have been key to successful Flood-MAR.
Flood-MAR lends itself to multiple benefits beyond groundwater recharge and flood protection.
State support and coordination across agencies helps streamline and activate Flood-MAR.
Flood-MAR projects are a good investment for California.

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"For me, [Flood-MAR] is the solution that provides the hope. That proves the solutions are on our land, if we work together, and are willing to take an integrated resource management approach and think about all the multi-benefits."

Karen Ross

CA Dept. of Food and Agriculture Secutiry

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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

Welcome | How Did We get Here, Network Story & Accomplishments

Mike Antos – Stantec

Agency Director Opening Remarks

Karla Nemeth – California Department of Water Resources

Keynote – Hear about Tulare Irrigation District’s amazing recharge year

Aaron Fukuda – Tulare Irrigation District

Success Stories and Lessons Learned – Hear From on-The-Ground Experts and What They Did in 2023

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!

Panel Discussion – Hear about integrated approaches to advance Flood-MAR

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

Day 1 Wrap-up – Preparing for Future Wet Years

Daniel Mountjoy – Sustainable Conservation

FORUM AGENDA | DAY 2

Welcome, Day 1 Recap, and Setting the Stage for Day 2

Graham Fogg – UC Davis, Network Coordinating Committee Member

State Leaders “Fishbowl” – Hear about how State agencies are helping to advance Flood-MAR in CA and what more can be done

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

New Innovations in Flood-MAR – Hear the latest about new tools, guidance, and resources to advance Flood-MAR planning and implementation

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

Network in Action – Hear about what the Network is doing over the next year.

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