Summer is almost here, and to celebrate its arrival, join National Hydropower Association for our California Regional Meeting! From June 24-26, 2026, the water power industry will be gathering in San Diego for two days of community, connection, and education. The California Regional Meeting is an excellent opportunity for water power professionals across hydropower, pumped storage, and marine energy to connect and learn alongside one another.

This year’s event will take place at The Westin San Diego Bayview, which is located alongside the San Diego Bay. Supported by 26 organizations, the meeting offers insight to those looking to stay up to date on the issues and opportunities affecting water power across California.

NHA’s California Regional Meeting provides a forum to address regional issues and location-specific challenges, as well as exploring topics top-of-mind for California’s water power community; additionally, attendees will be able to take part in a conflict resolution training. This year’s meeting also features a tour of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, which is explored in depth below.

San Diego skyline at dusk (Photo Credit: RussellStreet / Wikimedia)

EXPLORING SCRIPPS INSTITUTION OF OCEANOGRAPHY

On Friday, June 26, 2026, from 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM PT, event attendees have the opportunity to take part in a multi-faceted tour of University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

For the cost of $50, with transportation included, attendees will begin outing at the Institution’s Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E), where participants will hear about a pilot project called Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO), in which researchers are developing enhanced forecast tools to better manage reservoirs.

Afterwards, tour participants will explore the Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier, a research facility that houses numerous environmental monitoring stations and enables small boat and scientific diving.

The tour will highlight the pier’s history as well as ongoing observations of waves, tides, and meteorological stations and radar units for measuring surface currents. Representatives from CW3E will discuss how pier observations are informing research about extreme weather impacts on floods, droughts, hydropower, ecosystems, and the economy.

Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier, La Jolla, California. (Photo Credit: David deLeon / Wikimedia)

FOR MORE INFORMATION

If you’re interested in attending NHA’s California Regional Meeting, check out the event site here for details on hotel accommodations, registration rates, and more information when it becomes available.

If you need additional assistance, please reach out to Caroline Herman ([email protected]), Meetings and Events Manager at NHA, for more information.