Join us as we explore their remarkable achievements and how their agencies have joined forces to make a significant impact on their community’s water resources. From their “fail fast” mindset to their entrepreneurial spirit, these two general managers of San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District and San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District share their insights on fostering innovation in the water policy field.

But this episode is more than just about water management. It’s about two trailblazing women breaking barriers and excelling in traditionally male-dominated industries. They also open up about their experiences as the only females in professional meetings and how they use their unique perspectives as biologists to drive change.

So whether you’re passionate about water conservation or interested in women’s leadership in science and engineering, this episode is a must-listen. Don’t miss out on this engaging conversation that will leave you motivated and inspired. Join us now on “What Matters Water TV + Podcast” for the ripple effect of collaboration in San Bernardino water management!

Want more related content? Check out these related episodes of What Matters Water TV + Podcast:

Episode #11 – Cultivating a Secure Water Future for California

Hear from Heather Dyer and Craig Miller, general manager of Western Municipal Water District, who are trying to push the conversation about California water beyond the drought.

Episode #7 – Sites Reservoir and Future of Water Storage in California

Hear from Heather Dyer, Jerry Brown, executive director of Sites Project Authority, Frederick “Fritz” Durst, board chair of Sites Project Authority, and Adel Hagekhalil, general manager of Metropolitan Water District on how Sites Reservoir in the Sacramento Valley is the future of water storage in California and why it’s so crucial for our entire state.

Episode #6 – Women Leaders in Southern California Water

Heather Dyer joins Sandra Kerl, the general manager of the San Diego County Water Authority, Joone Lopez, the general manager of Moulton Niguel Water District, and Kris Murray, chair of the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board and president of KLM Strategies.

The post #17 – Ripple Effect: The Power of Collaboration in Water appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.

California uses more groundwater than any other state in the nation. Approximately 85 percent of Californians depend on groundwater for a part of their water needs. Some rely on groundwater as their primary or only source of water.

Groundwater is especially vital for Southern California, spanning Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura, Kern, and Imperial counties. These areas include growing urban metropolises, agricultural producers, industrial centers, and desert communities – all of which rely on water to thrive. 

How can we protect groundwater for the future?

Southern California’s future depends on a commitment to smart, innovative, and integrated water management. State and local agencies are taking important steps to modernize our systems, increase conservation, and move toward a more integrated approach.    

Preventing Overdraft and Replenishing Groundwater

California enacted the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in 2014 to help communities stop groundwater overdraft and create balance between groundwater use and replenishment. This will help improve the sustainability of groundwater supplies in the future. Before 2014, many of the groundwater basins across the state, mostly in Southern California, were successfully managed under a watermaster or other form of governance to ensure sustainable groundwater pumping and replenishment.

Preventing Contamination and Treating Contaminated Groundwater

Treating contaminated water is difficult and expensive. Preventing contamination from fertilizers, chemicals, and other pollutants in the first place is the best way to keep our groundwater supply safe.

Learn more about groundwater, its importance to Southern California and how you can conserve it in our latest fact sheet. 

Download our groundwater fact sheet

The post All About Groundwater Fact Sheet appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.

If you were among the 120-plus people attending our most recently Quarterly Luncheon on April 26 at the Carson Event Center, you heard firsthand from the Southland water agencies that are making bold investments in local projects such as stormwater capture, water recycling and groundwater recharge.

From Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s pledge to recycle all of the city’s wastewater by 2035 to the $300 million in funds made available each year for stormwater capture projects in L.A. County thanks to Measure W to plans for a large regional water recycling plant, the region is moving toward a more sustainable water system in which every drop of water is treated as too precious to use just once.

It’s all part of a larger regional solution that acknowledges there is no one answer to our water issues. Instead we must invest in many different types of projects to ensure future water supply resilience and reliability. It’s that all-of-the-above approach we are always talking about as key to the region’s water future.

Speakers from our luncheon sponsor West Basin Municipal Water District Director bookended the event. WBMWD Director Scott Houston providing a warm welcome to luncheon attendees. His fellow Director Gloria D. Gray (who is also chair of the Metropolitan Water District Board) provided closing remarks that reflected on the need for water leaders to be visionary and “look beyond what is possible now.”

Attitudes toward recycled water being reintroduced into drinking water supplies have evolved, said panelist Marty Adams, COO of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, who talked about the city’s accelerated efforts to capture more stormwater and advance Mayor Garcetti’s goal of recycling all of the city’s wastewater by 2035. “People are more accepting than they were 20 years ago,” Adams said, attributing the shift in part to the groundbreaking work done by Orange County Water District and others. 

Brad Coffey, water resources management group manager for Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, stressed the need for a regional vision rather than a hyper-local one. He quoted Metropolitan’s first Board Chair W.P. Whitsett exhorting the region to come together to build the Colorado River Aqueduct back in 1930: “Whatever is done should be done for the benefit of the whole…and shared by all the parts.” Coffey then spoke about Metropolitan’s Regional Recycled Water Program and demonstration facility, which aims to purify wastewater for reuse rather than pumping it into the ocean as waste.

Echoing the importance of coming together as a region to solve problems, Mark Pestrella, director of Los Angeles County Public Works, advised attendees to think beyond talking about individual agencies, service areas and boundaries. Instead, he said, we need to get used to talking about water in a holistic sense. He went on to provide an update on the county’s Safe Clean Water Program, which will use Measure W funds to modernize the county’s 100-year-old water system to better protect public health, our environment, and maximize a cleaner, locally controlled water supply. 

All that captured stormwater and purified wastewater has to be stored somewhere, and the West and Central Groundwater Basins are the most likely place. Robb Whitaker, general manager of Water Replenishment District of Southern California, talked about how his agency is partnering to replenish groundwater and store for later use. Big projects like Metropolitan’s Diamond Valley Lake aren’t feasible to build in Los Angeles County, he said, but we can use the water storage under our feet.

It’s an exciting time of transformation in Los Angeles County and it was terrific to hear more about the progress being made. As our closing speaker Gloria Gray said, water leaders must be visionary because the decisions they make have ramifications for decades and decades into the future. It is only by looking beyond what is possible today to what may be tomorrow that we meet our responsibilities to the next generation.

We would love to include your voice in the conversation. How would you prepare Southern California with sustainable, reliable water for our future? Join us at SCWC and help be a part of the solution for our region’s future.

View event photos in our Flickr album.

Charles Wilson
Executive Director
Southern California Water Coalition

The post July 2019 Quarterly Luncheon Recap appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.