Water Reporter

Do you thrive on stories that combine human impact, industry demands, stakeholder politics, changing climate and raw nature? Then you may be the first water reporter at CalMatters. As demonstrated by California’s historic drought this year, water is one of the state’s top policy priorities. We will see major change in coming years as policymakers navigate a thicket of interest groups to rebuild the state’s plumbing in a way that reflects a new understanding about where, when and how much water will fall on the state. Billions of infrastructure dollars are expected to be spent on tunnels and reservoirs. Agriculture, which uses 80% of the state’s water supply, will see major change in crop selection, technology and regulation. Meanwhile, cities compete for reliable water sources and rural areas struggle with shortages and polluted sources. And one out of every 75 California homes is without clean running water. This reporter will be an expert on water, understanding the myriad stakeholders, what they want and how they are in conflict or agreement. The reporter will travel throughout the state to learn about and understand issues with groundwater, snowpack, shrinking rivers, desalination and conservation measures. There will be in-depth explanatory or narrative stories as well as news analysis about the what and why behind key decisions.