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Looking Back at 25 Years... with photos! | A Quarter Century of Connecting the Drops

The Council for Watershed Health thanks all who celebrated A Quarter Century of Connecting the Drops with us! It was a lovely evening under the stars and city lights of downtown Los Angeles. We were thrilled to commemorate 25+ years of collaboration, impact and the accomplishments of our honorees among old and new friends who share our vision for a resilient water future.


This milestone (and the rest!) would not have been possible without the lasting support and guidance of you all. Please enjoy this blog post, a blast from the past, as we recap our major accomplishments over the last 25 years and take a look back at a collection of the people and moments who have been part of CWH's journey toward healthier regional watersheds and communities. Cheers to many more years of progress and working together! We intend to make this a living blog and plan to make additions as time allows. Enjoy!


Looking Back at 25 Years of CWH history...

  • 1996 - The Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council is founded by Dorothy Green and collaborators. After holding monthly informal, informational meetings, which served as educational forums and opportunities for relationship building, the decision to form a non-profit organization was made. Published Vision 2025 - An Integrated Vision for the Future and our first Watershed Wise quarterly newsletter.

  • 1999 - Published Storm Water: Asset Not Liability, by Suzanne Dallman and Tom Piechota exploring alternative ways to manage stormwater. Rented our first office space at LADWP headquarters and hired Rumi Yanakiev. Congratulations to Rumi on 23 years with the Council!

  • 2000 - Convened a workgroup of representatives from federal, state, and local agencies to discuss the potential benefits and barriers to using stormwater runoff for water quality which became the Water Augmentation Study Technical Advisory Committee (WAS TAC).

  • 2001 - Our 5th Year Anniversary! Published The Beneficial Uses of the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers, by Heather Trim, which demystified the Clean Water Act and provided useful information on rivers and their tributaries. Initiated the Water Augmentation Study with the US Bureau of Reclamation and eight other agencies, a major study to quantify how much we can augment our drinking water supply by retaining all small rainstorms on site, which became foundational to the green infrastructure work many of us do today.

  • 2002 - Received grant funding for a staff cartographer and hired Jason “Cas” Casanova. This is Cas’ 20th year with the Council! Developed and later implemented the Compton Creek Watershed Management Plan. Created several internal committees and programs that have shaped the present structure and functions of the Council. Established a partnership with the Sanitation Districts of LA County, SCCWRP, and other agencies to develop a watershed-wide water quality monitoring program for the San Gabriel River.

  • 2003 - Moved offices from LADWP to MWD.

  • 2004 - Provided a variety of GIS and mapping services, including notable compilation of an Arundo database for the Wetlands Recovery Project (WRP). Finalized LA River Master Plan Landscaping Guidelines and Plant Palette, approved by LA County Board of Supervisors.