MCWRA water symposium held in Auburn to a full house
Creating partnerships was the theme of a Nov. 8 symposium put on by Mountain Counties Water Resources Association at the Ridge Golf Course and Events Center in Auburn
Dave Eggerton, Association of California Water Agencies
Titled, A Look Into the Future for California’s Watersheds, Dave Eggerton, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies, began by providing an overview of what the symposium would cover. Emphasizing that “partnerships are there for the taking,” Eggerton cited the upcoming panel discussion of the French Meadows Restoration Project as a successful example where different agencies have come together to restore a watershed.
Helge Eng, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Helge Eng, a deputy director of resource management for Cal Fire, then kicked off the panel discussion noting that the forests in the state and elsewhere in the country are overstocked due to fires being suppressed for the last 100 years. The climate is also changing, Eng added, noting that it’s becoming warmer, windier and drier. And while the excess timber needs to be removed, Eng stressed that it needs to be sold at a profit in order to incentivize private industry to want to remove and process it.
Saying that partnerships are essential in protecting the watersheds, Eng described a long list of tools that can be used to reduce the wildfire risk and restore the watershed including land-use planning, retrofitting existing homes, enacting building codes for new homes, evacuation planning, power line clearance, utility wildfire mitigation plans, education and enforcement, vegetation management and the prescribed burning and thinning of forests.
Left to Right: Brett Storey, Principal Management Analyst, County of Placer, Ed Smith, Regional Ecologist, The Nature Conservancy, Andy Fecko, Director of Strategic Affairs, Placer County Water Agency, Michael Woodbridge, District Ranger, USDA Forest Service, and Barnie Gyant, Deputy Regional Forester, USDA Forest Service
Transitioning to the panel assembled to discuss the French Meadows Forest Restoration Project, Gyant called it a case study in partnering. Involving some 28,000 acres, the project is designed to restore the health of the forest and reduce the risk of high-severity wildfires.
Agencies involved include the U.S. Forest Service, which manages most of the land within the project area; the Placer County Water Agency, which manages two reservoirs downstream of the project for municipal water and hydropower; The Nature Conservancy, one of the world’s largest conservation organizations; the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, a state agency and funder; Placer County, a business partner in the hydropower project; the American River Conservancy, an adjacent private landowner; and the Sierra Nevada Research Institute at the University of California at Merced.
California State Senator Brian Dahle
Keynote Speaker California State Sen. Brian Dahle discussed his efforts to educate the public about the value of protecting the watershed. One piece of legislation he said he is working on would establish a certificate for insurance companies testifying that a person has hardened their home against fire.
Arthur Hinojosa, California Department of Water Resources
Arthur Hinojosa, Chief, Division of Regional Assistance, California Department of Water Resources discussed his role and responsibilities include the management of the many local and regional assistance programs the California Department of Water Resources provides to promote and support regional sustainability. These efforts include providing technical and planning assistance to local groups and agencies; drought response; administering financial assistance grant programs; environmental restoration; water master services; and surface water, groundwater, and land use data collection, studies, and evaluations. The Division is comprised of analysts, engineers, scientists, and technicians located at four regional offices across the state and in Sacramento.
WATER CONSERVATION LEGISLATION FRAMEWORK-UPDATE
Peter Brostrom, California Department of Water Resources and Charlotte Ely, State Water Resources Control Board
Peter Brostrom, Manager, Water Use Efficiency, California Department of Water Resources and Charlotte Ely, Supervisor, Conservation Regulations and Reporting, State Water Resources Control Board provided the audience with the latest update on the water conservation implementation framework and fielded questions.
Link to the full Mountain Democrat article
Water Symposium made possible by MCWRA Associate Members
