2nd Annual CalDesal Perspectives on Desalination and Salinity Management Conference
The CalDesal conference, themed “Perspectives on Desalination and Salinity Management: Local, Regional & Statewide,” took place at the Hyatt RegencyMission Bay in San Diego on October 3-4, 2013. The conference programs were aimed at bringing a fresh perspective to the current water policy discussion and featured a host of state, local and regional speakers.
The conference was attended by local, regional and statewide participants, scientists, researchers, water and legal experts and decision makers.
There were twenty different presentations focusing on Perspectives on Salinity Management, Energy Efficiency Opportunities for Desal, Reliability: Project Delivery, Economics, & Financing, Ocean Plan Amendment Process Update, and Public Health Perspectives.
CalDesal continues to grow and the great success of its second conference was possible because of the contributions and support of those in the industry or interested in the industry and their willingness to share their experiences and opinions.
Day one started off with Perspectives on Salinity Management panelists: Celeste Cantú, Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority; Sarge Green, California Water Institute, CSU Fresno; Phil Rosentrater, County of Riverside Economic Development Agency; and Jeff Mosher, National Water Research Institute.
Scheduled keynote speaker, State Water Resources Control Board Member, Steven Moore took the podium during CalDesal’s keynote luncheon to share his perspective on both salinity management and desalination with CalDesal members and participants.
Energy Efficiency Opportunities for Desal panelists included: Heather Cooley, The Pacific Institute; Gerry Filteau, President, Separation Processes, Inc.; Scott Valentino, NRG; and Dr. Amy Childress, University of Southern California.
Anthony DeFrenza of Kiewit Shea Desalination kicked off the next panel titled Reliability: Project Delivery, Economics, & Financing, followed by Eric Petersen, Hawkins, Delafield, & Wood LLP and Richard Svindland, California American Water.
Day two kicked off with Ocean Plan Amendment Process Update panelists: Joe Monaco, Dudek; Diane Gatza, West Basin Municipal Water District; and Vicki Whitney, Division of Water Quality, State Water Resources Control Board.
Leda Katebian, University of California Irvine student, gave a fresh take on Public Health Perspectives, followed by Greg Wetterau, CDM Smith; Sean Sterchi, California Department of Public Health; and Justin Pickard, West Basin Municipal Water District.
CalDesal honored agencies and individuals during an inaugural awards ceremony on October 3, 2013 at the 2nd Annual Conference. Award recipients were honored as follows: Carol Kwan, West Basin Municipal Water District with the “CalDesal Visionary Environmental Leadership in Desalination Award”; Jerry Brown, Contra Costa Water District with the “CalDesal Visionary Environmental Leadership in Salinity Award”; Mesa Water District with the “Member Agency of the Year Award”; San Diego County Water Authority with the “CalDesal Landmark Contribution Award” and Paul Shoenberger, Mesa Water District with the “Incorporator of CalDesal Award”.
CalDesal’s 2nd Annual Conference was made possible thanks to our sponsors for their contributions and support. Sponsors include: Dudek, RBF Consulting, Poseidon Water, Metropolitan Water District, West Basin Municipal District Tenera, GHD, Inc., and IntakeWorks.
(Click on pictures for larger images to sponsor ads)
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Groundwater Resources Association CalDesal & Association of California Water Agencies Present the 3rd GRACast Web Seminar in the Series on Salt and Nutrient Management Plans Contrasting SNMPs for the Northern California Wine Country and Southern California Desert Marcus Trotta, Sonoma County Water Agency Alec Naugle, San Francisco Bay Area RWQCB Lance Eckhart, Mojave Water Agency Mike Plaziak, South Lahontan RWQCB Wednesday, October 30, 2013 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm Pacific Daylight Time (GMT-07:00) Early Registration (by October 24) is $50 for Members* and $75 for Non-Members Registration after October 24 is $75 for Members* and $100 for Non-Members (*Includes GRA, ACWA, and CalDesal Members) Register For This Event – http://grac.org/event/er_regform.asp?eid=310
Please join us for the third Web Seminar in the Series on Salt and Nutrient Management Plans. This GRACast will compare a plan that has been completed in the Northern California wine country, which has only minor salt and nutrient issues, although seawater intrusion is a concern, and an approach being taken in the Southern California desert where salt accumulation is a major challenge. AGENDA 1. GRACast Introduction and Overview (5 min) Tim Parker, PG, CEG, CHG, Parker Groundwater 2. Sonoma Valley Salt and Nutrient Management Plan (20 min) Marcus Trotta, Sonoma County Water Agency The Sonoma Valley Groundwater Sub-basin is approximately 166 square-miles and is surrounded by the San Pablo Bay to the south, the Mayacamas Mountains and Mount Hood to the east and north, and Sonoma Mountain to the west. The community includes both an urban center, as well as a significant amount of rural and agricultural land. Groundwater is an important resource to the area, and there is the potential for expanded usage of recycled water for irrigation to augment or offset existing groundwater pumping. As the primary local distributor of recycled water in Sonoma Valley, the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District has led the development of the SNMP. The development of the SNMP was partially funded by a Proposition 84 Planning Grant through the Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan. The SNMP includes the following elements: baseline water quality parameters; water quality data gaps; salt- and nutrient-specific groundwater monitoring plan; salt and nutrient source characterization, loading, and movement; and goals and objectives for recycled water and storm water use as well as documentation of existing salt and nutrient management measures. The technical analysis completed as part of the SNMP found that existing water quality is good with future trends not projected to exceed water quality objectives established for the basin. These findings indicate that current management measures underway within the basin are adequate for maintaining water quality. The draft Final draft SNMP incorporates input and comments from local stakeholders who participated in the development of the SNMP and the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. 3. SNMP Development for San Francisco Bay Region Groundwater Basins (10 min) Alec Naugle, San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board Alec will summarize the status of SNMP development for three priority groundwater basins in the S.F. Bay Region. He will also discuss key technical and policy issues concerning assimilative capacity and anti-degradation analyses, and challenges of incorporating SNMPs into the S.F. Bay Water Board’s Basin Plan. 4. Mojave Salt and Nutrient Management Plan (20 min) Lance Eckhart, Mojave Water Agency As part of an update to the local Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP) update, the Mojave Water Agency and local stakeholders are incorporating the development Salt and Nutrient Management Plan (SNMP) into the IRWMP process. The purpose of combining efforts is to not only reduce duplicative work but to also maximize the attention and support of long-term regional water quality management in a broad planning perspective. The planning region (~5,000 sq mi) covers areas managed by both Lahontan and Colorado Regional Boards. Collaboration and technical “buy in” with Board staff during the key milestones in development of the SNMP are considered mission-critical to the success of the plan and enduring locally driven policies that make sense for the region. 5. South Lahontan RWQCB Progress on SNMPs (10 min) Mike Plaziak, South Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board Mr. Plaziak will provide an overview on the South Lahontan RWQCB progress on SNMPs and discuss any related issues and concerns. 6. Question & Answers (25 min) SPEAKER BIOS Marcus Trotta is a hydrogeologist for the Sonoma County Water Agency’s Water Resource Planning Section. The primary focus of his work at the Water Agency involves leading feasibility studies for enhanced groundwater recharge projects and managing groundwater monitoring programs and technical studies in support of collaborative groundwater management activities. His role also includes investigating the interaction and exchange of surface water and groundwater associated with the Water Agency’s production facilities along the Russian River. He is a Professional Geologist and Certified Hydrogeologist in the State of California and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Geology with an emphasis in Hydrologic Science from the University of California at Davis. Alec Naugle is a Senior Engineering Geologist in the Groundwater Protection Division at the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region where he has worked since 1999. Alec leads a unit that oversees solvent and petroleum cleanups at Department of Defense and Energy facilities. He has been an active member of the California Groundwater Resources Association since 1998 and the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council since 2000. Alec earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and geology from Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio in 1986, and a master’s degree in groundwater hydrology from the University of California at Davis in 2001. Alec is a Registered Professional Geologist in California. Lance Eckhart is the Principal Hydrogeologist for the Mojave Water Agency and has been with the Agency since November 2001. Mr. Eckhart has worked in the public and private sectors during his 15 plus years of experience in Water Resources management. His experience in recent years has focused on management of regional groundwater basins and the development of basin conceptual models, Integrated Regional Water Management Plans and Urban Water Management Plans. Mr. Eckhart received his Bachelor of Science degree in in Geology and a Master of Science degree in Environmental Science from California State University, Fullerton. He is a licensed Professional Geologist and Certified Hydrogeologist in the State of California. Mike Plaziak is the Division Manager for the South Lahontan Basin Division of the Lahontan Water Board. Mr. Plaziak has been with the Lahontan Water Board since 1995. His experience is in the public sector dealing with water quality issues. Mr. Plaziak also has recent water resource management experience as a Marine Corps Reservist deployed to Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa where he worked with USAID and host nation governments to develop and implement water resource management strategies. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Science degree in geology from San Diego State University. Mr. Plaziak is a licensed professional geologist in the state of California. Register For This Event — http://grac.org/event/er_regform.asp?eid=310 UPCOMING GRACASTS IN SERIES This is the third of several planned GRACasts exploring Salt and Nutrient Management Plans being developed and implemented in California. This is intended to be a vehicle where various agencies that are or will be developing SNMPs can share their respective experiences, learn from each other, not “reinvent the wheel”, and still understand the differences in local situations that warrant unique approaches. Please join us for the rest of the Series February 19, 2014: Salt and Nutrient Management Plans, Part 4 If you register for the first three GRACasts in the Series, then you will qualify to attend the fourth for free. This GRACast will use a conference call for audio and WebEx to display the presentation slides. Each registration is allowed access via one phone line and one log in to the WebEx module. More than one person may participate per registration by using a shared computer screen and speaker phone. GRA reserves the right to invoice those individuals and/or organizations that are logged in or connected from telephone numbers that don’t correspond to a paid registration.
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