Save the Date for Making Waves 2026!

Beneath all the concrete, Los Angeles is alive with water. But for too long, we have treated it as something to bury, pollute, and take for granted — paving over not just our waterways, but our imagination of what a truly resilient region could look like.

The January 2025 wildfires exposed the fragility of systems we've long taken for granted. This spring's industrial emergencies sent oil, chemicals, and smoke into our shared waterways. These crises make one thing clear: investing in a resilient local water future is no longer optional. And they have galvanized funders, agencies, communities, and advocates around a shared imperative: build LA differently or keep paying the price.

With LA28 on the horizon and more than $20 billion in regional water infrastructure investment anticipated over the next two decades, the decisions being made right now will determine whether LA rebuilds the same vulnerabilities or designs systems built to last. Seizing this moment requires coordination across sectors, capital sources, and the institutions that shape how this region invests.

Making Waves is where that coordination happens. More than a brunch and an awards ceremony, it's where advocates, public agencies, funders, investors, and builders of all kinds come together to deliver the water future Southern California deserves. Join us as we celebrate the leaders recycling, restoring, and reimagining how LA manages its most essential resource — and ask the harder question: how do we finance the transformation this region needs, at the scale and speed it demands?

For more than 30 years, LA Waterkeeper has been the advocacy engine behind the region's most significant water investments. We don't just celebrate progress. We help make it happen.

Purchase your sponsorship or individual tickets today and be part of the clean water movement!