As an organization consisting of diverse interests, the Water Forum has the ability to spring into action to consider the implications for water supplies and fisheries.

During dry years, the Water Forum convenes water managers, business interests, local agencies, and environmental groups for a series of meetings to synchronize and work in partnership in response to dry conditions. The Dry Year Conference serves as a venue for members to discuss how the available water supply should be managed to balance potentially competing uses of water: to keep the taps running in our communities while also preserving fish and wildlife in the lower American River. Members understand that the Dry Year Conference is a way to ensure a balance between instream and consumptive uses. The Dry Year Conference has also been an invaluable venue for water purveyors to compare notes on their water supplies and water demand management activities. In some cases, key agency interties have been identified in the Dry Year Conference that helped neighboring water agencies share their drought-limited supplies.