California is in the thick of yet another drought year with record low rainfall, reservoirs far below capacity, and wells literally drying up in communities in the state.
In this special three-part series, we will start by gaining an understanding of where California’s water comes from, what issues limit water supply, and how communities are planning for sustainable water to get through this year and into the future.
In part two, we will talk with water leaders from across the state about how water is used – from drinking water and irrigation to energy production and habitat protection.
In the last part, we will get some answers to the question “how do we survive this and future droughts?”.We will hear suggestions for what consumers can do at home to conserve water, as well as what agencies are doing to incentivize conservation throughout the communities they serve, and what innovative solutions are being developed.
Our Guest Speakers
Danielle Blacet-Hyden serves as the Deputy Executive Director of the California Municipal Utilities Association. She has nearly 20 years of experience working with California public water agencies and in multi-member associations including the Association of California Water Agencies and Western Growers Association. While at Western Growers she helped establish and managed a multi-state charitable foundation program providing grants, materials and other resources for water-efficient gardens in K-12 educational institutions. Danielle also has worked in political consulting and public affairs for both statewide and national clients. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Political Science from the University of California at Davis and a Certificate of Achievement in Computer Information Science from American River College.
Sandi Matsumoto is The Nature Conservancy’s Director of the California Water Program. She leads a multi-disciplinary team focused on securing a sustainable and resilient water future for California. The Water Program is working to secure the wintering grounds of the Pacific Flyway, to revive healthy rivers to sustain salmon, and to advance sustainable groundwater management that ensures drinking water for people and supports nature. During her 17 years with TNC, she has worked at the nexus of water and agriculture across the state, including by launching BirdReturns and TNC’s efforts to implement the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. A Central Valley native, she earned her B.A. from Yale University and M.B.A. from the Anderson School at UCLA. In 2017, she was appointed by Governor Brown to serve as a board member on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy. She was a member of the first cohort of the Water Solutions Network.
Nataly Escobedo Garcia is a Water Policy Coordinator with Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability. She was born in Mexicali, MX and raised in Oxnard, CA. She has a BA from University of California, Santa Cruz, in Latin American and Latina/o Studies, as well as an MA in Anthropology from California State University - Los Angeles. Nataly currently works alongside communities advocating for their rights to equitable drinking water and wastewater services in the Eastern Coachella Valley and the San Joaquin Valley. Additionally, she is currently studying Social Ecology at the University of California, Irvine, expecting to receive her Ph.D. in 2022. She is particularly interested in how issues in California water law, policy, and management impact communities of color.
Lori Gillem graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Soil Science and a Minor in Land Use Management in 1998 and has been employed by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power since 2003 as a Watershed Resource Specialist, and is currently a Watershed Resource Supervisor. In this capacity, she manages biological and natural resource monitoring that is conducted on more than 315,000 acres of land that LADWP owns in the Eastern Sierra’s and manages permitting maintenance and operations activities from the Mono Basin to the Los Angeles Filter Plant within the Aqueduct Division.
Moderator
Anna Garcia is a young professional working for Metropolitan Water District’s Water Resources Management Department as an Assistant Engineer. Prior to joining Metropolitan, she worked at Eastern Municipal Water District as a Water Resources Specialist under the Water Resources and Facilities Planning department where she worked on water use efficiency and planning efforts. Anna is a licensed Professional Engineer and received her Bachelors in Civil Engineering from Stanford University.
Register for the Series
Registration is free for AWWEE members and up to two guests. Non-member registration is $20.
Registration includes all three parts of the series
Part 1: Where Our Water Comes From (August 17 at 12:30 p.m. Pacific)
THIS EVENT: How California’s Water Supply is Used (August 30 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific)
Part 3: How Do We Survive This and Future Droughts? (September 16 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific)
Live attendance is not required - all registrants will receive a link to view the event recordings.