The most important work a water district does isn't always visible. It happens high in the Sierra Nevada, where forests, meadows, and mountain streams protect the snowmelt that becomes drinking water, irrigation water, and clean hydropower for our communities.

Long before that water reaches a faucet, irrigates a field, or flows through a hydropower plant, it begins its journey in a healthy watershed. That's why NID's work doesn't start at a treatment plant or canal; it starts in the forest.

Healthy watersheds do more than collect snowmelt. They naturally filter water, reduce erosion, protect water quality, and help snow melt gradually throughout the spring and summer. But today's forests face growing challenges. Drought, overcrowded trees, insects, disease, and catastrophic wildfire all threaten the landscapes that sustain our region's water supply.

Protecting those watersheds means protecting the water itself.

Working alongside state, federal, and local partners, NID invests in forest health through tree thinning, fuel reduction, vegetation management, and meadow restoration. These efforts reduce wildfire risk while helping safeguard the clean, reliable water that homes, farms, businesses, recreation, and hydropower all depend on.

Much of this work happens far from the communities NID serves, but its benefits reach every customer. By protecting the Sierra watersheds that feed our reservoirs, we're helping ensure a reliable water supply before a single drop ever enters a canal, pipeline, or treatment plant.

For 105 years, NID has understood a simple truth: reliable water begins with a healthy watershed.

As we look ahead, protecting our forests isn't just good stewardship … it's one of the smartest investments we can make to ensure clean, dependable water for generations to come.