ABSTRACT
When the Western Water Education Foundation was incorporated as a California nonprofit foundation in 1977, few expected it to become a major force in water education. After all, there were many groups espousing the same goal of water education for Californians. The exact goal of the founding board of directors, a group largely aligned with water agencies in California, was to implement public information programs on water conservation, reclamation, reuse, and development. The founding board of the foundation believed in presenting unbiased information and allowing the major sides of the water debate to air their differences in the foundation’s main vehicle for information, Western Water magazine. Some of the board members were confident that the public would support more water development if the facts were known. All board members were fair-minded people who believed in open discussion of the issues. This spirit of open discussion formed the basis of the growth of the Water Education Foundation to become a trusted source of information and a major credible organization.
