ACWA’s eNews is a weekly roundup of California water news and events.
Brown Announces Appointments to Water Board, Delta Stewardship Council
Gov. Jerry Brown announced March 13 that Felicia Marcus will assume the position of chair of the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) when current Board Chair Charlie Hoppin steps down in April. Brown also announced the appointments of Dorene D’Adamo to the Water Board and former federal judge Frank Damrell to the Delta Stewardship Council.
Brown also announced the reappointments of Tam Doduc and Frances Spivey-Weber to the Water Board.
The appointments require Senate confirmation, but Marcus’ naming as board chair does not.
Senate Rules Committee Sends Moore Nomination to Full Senate
The Senate Rules Committee voted March 13 to recommend confirmation of Steven M. Moore as appointee to the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). The nomination is expected to go to the Senate floor in coming days.
The 5-0 vote followed a hearing in which ACWA Deputy Executive Director for Government Relations Cindy Tuck testified in support of Moore.
The Senate Rules Committee also recommended the following appointments to the Central Valley Flood Protection Board: Joseph D. Countryman, Clyde W. MacDonald and Emma Suarez Pawlicki.
BDCP Draft Documents to Begin Rolling Out This Week
Beginning March 14, the California Natural Resources Agency will begin releasing a preliminary draft of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan.
The draft chapters will be available for viewing on the day of release on the BDCP website.
According to an announcement from the Natural Resources Agency, this will be a preliminary draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan. A public review draft plan and formal comment period will be announced later this year.
Drinking Water Bills Advance in Assembly
Three bills that are part of the Assembly’s safe drinking water package cleared the Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee on March 12.
ACWA testified in support of the bills, which now advance to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 115 (Perea) would assist small, disadvantaged communities seeking funds to construct clean drinking water infrastructure by allowing multiple water systems to apply for state funds as a single applicant.
Public Health Goals Report Guidance Now Available for ACWA Members
ACWA has released its 2013 Suggested Guidelines for use by public water systems in preparing Public Health Goal (PHG) reports to satisfy requirements of California Health and Safety Code Section 116470(b).
Fracking Data Added to State Board’s Online Groundwater Information System
The State Water Resources Control Board has added data on hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells to its online GeoTracker GAMA groundwater information system.
The data on fracking at production wells comes from the California Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR), according to a State Board announcement. It is co-located on a Google maps interface with available groundwater information from over 200,000 water wells.
Water Commission to Hold Workshop on Public Benefits of Water Projects
The California Water Commission (CWC) will hold a morning workshop March 20 in Sacramento titled Strategies for Future State Investments in the Public Benefits of Water Projects. The workshop is scheduled during the commission’s regular monthly meeting that starts at 9:30 a.m. It will focus on developing methods to evaluate the public benefits of water projects that might receive state funds. The commission will resume its regular meeting in the afternoon.
