Highlighting western water leaders and providing a forum for irrigators and engineers to discuss solutions and technology.
making your voice heard
What we do at Irrigation Leader Magazine
Irrigation Leader is dedicated to the men and women providing water to irrigators in the 17 western states and beyond. Our interviews with irrigation district managers and personnel; supplier representatives; and leading local, state and federal government officials distill the issues of the day and offer real-world perspectives and insight.
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Current Editions
Here are the latest editions of Irrigation Leader magazine. You can find previous months by selecting the desired edition under the Magazines tab or by visiting our archives here.
Volume 17 Issue 6 June
In our cover story this month, we speak with Brad Wind, a longtime veteran of Colorado water utility Northern Water who today serves as its general manager. Northern Water operates the majority of the Bureau of…
Volume 17 Issue 6 June
In our cover story this month, we speak with Elvy Barton, the senior manager of water and forest sustainability at the Salt River Project (SRP), about the utility’s major efforts to protect watersheds from the effects…
Volume 17 Issue 6 June
In our cover interview this month, Alex Ocañas, the manager of community conservation at the Bitterroot Water Partnership (BWP), explains that her organization relies on two main vectors of action: community engagement…
Volume 17 Issue 6 June
In our cover story this month, we speak with Jerda Garey Vickers, a Nebraska native who has been heavily involved in educational and civic efforts throughout her entire life. In recent years, she has become interested…
Volume 17 Issue 6 June
In our cover story this month, we interview Sara Fox, a senior water planner at the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission’s Water Planning Bureau. The commission has been intimately involved in the state’s recent…
Volume 17 Issue 6 June
In our cover story this month, we speak with Brett Painter, a fifth-generation New Zealander and longtime natural resources professional who now serves as the executive director of the Hekeao/Hinds Water Enhancement…
Volume 17 Issue 6 June
In our cover story this month, we speak with Congressman Michael Baumgartner, who has represented Washington’s 5th Congressional District since 2025. With strong roots in Eastern Washington, natural resources issues…
Volume 17 Issue 6 June
In our cover story this month, we speak with William Duncan and P. Ea’mon O’Toole, two fifth-generation ranchers who serve on the board of the Savery–Little Snake River Water Conservancy District in southern Wyoming…
Sharing The Waters
Sharing the Waters is a book written by the late Robert W. “Bob” Johnson, a career federal water management expert who rose through the ranks of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to eventually serve as its commissioner.
Commissioner Johnson’s insights remind readers that despite the seemingly unprecedented challenges confronting the Colorado River and its users today, contentious matters have always been a part of their history. Yet, he makes it clear that solutions for river and its use will never occur rapidly nor can they likely ever be permanent because as circumstances evolve, so too must the law of the river.
Sharing the Waters can be obtained by making a modest donation to the Water Education Fund.
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Our website serves as a clearinghouse for requests for proposals and job listings published by water agencies and irrigation districts throughout the United States. We post jobs at no charge, in the Irrigation Leader, Hydro Leader, and Municipal Water Leader magazines and websites.