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May 23, 2018: David Hochschild
Commissioner at California Energy Commission.
David Hochschild was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in February 2013. He fills the environmental position on the five-member Commission where four of the five members by law are required to have professional training in specific areas – engineering or physical science, environmental protection, economics, and law.
Powerpoint
April 19, 2018: Balancing on a Roller Coaster: Water Policy and planning in a Changing Climate
Kathleen Miller, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Changes in the hydrosphere will play a large role in driving the impacts of anthropogenic climate change on human communities and natural systems. A growing likelihood of erratic shifts between extreme wet and dry periods may be especially problematic. It is important to take these shifting risks and opportunities into account when developing long-range policies and plans for the management of water, land use and infrastructure development. It also is important to base those efforts on a clear understanding of the current institutional and infrastructural context for water management. In particular, the existing structure of interests, entitlements, and decision-making authorities will shape both ongoing conflicts and potential pathways for building resilience to future changes in water availability and flooding risks. Uncertainties regarding the local-scale nature and timing of the hydrologic impacts of climate change are unavoidable, but uncertainty is nothing new in the context of water resource management. In this talk, I will describe our current understanding of the impacts of climate change and ongoing natural variability on water resources. I will then address key challenges for responding to those impacts, and discuss pathways forward.
Powerpoint
March 14, 2018: Jim Walsh
Policy Analyst for Food & Water Watch
A tidal wave of deregulation is sweeping across our nation’s waterways. After over 40 years of effective Clean Water Act control of many of our biggest sources of pollution, industries have finally found a way to evade meaningful and enforceable limits on their discharges. Water pollution trading — or water quality trading, as proponents call it — is allowing polluters to opt out of installing pollution reduction technologies and, instead, to purchase pollution “credits” from other sources that may or may not be controlling their own discharges. This pay-to-pollute scheme is not only endangering our rivers, streams and lakes, but also threatening the very underpinnings of our successful water quality laws.
February 21, 2018: Stephen Mejia-Carranza
Policy & Advocacy Manager for Friends of the Los Angeles River
For several years cities around the world have been engaged in efforts to remake themselves through the revitalization or restoration of their urban waterways. In Southern California, in the midst of prolonged droughts, extended fire seasons, and devastating mudslides, local water management structure has generated schisms over the best future use of our water resources and urban rivers. Do we maximize water supply and relegate our rivers to urban beautified flood control infrastructure, or recreate a healthy and living watershed? This presentation will focus on some of the key issues underlying this schism, some unintended consequences on local communities, and propose an alternative perspective to help resolve these conflicts.
December 6, 2017: Supplementing Southern California’s Water Supply Through Seawater Desalination: Challenges and Opportunities
The use of desalinated ocean water to supplement Southern California’s limited water supply is an often- contentious proposal. Join Water UCI for a panel discussion by leaders in desalination technology and policy as they discuss both the challenges and opportunities associated with the use of this technology in Southern California.
Newsha Ajami
Director of Urban Water Policy, Stanford University
Jeremy Crutchfield
Facilities Planning Group, San Diego Water Authority
Ray Hiemstra
Associate Director, Orange County Coastkeeper
Sunny Jiang
Department Chair, Civil and Environmental Engineering, UC Irvine
Scott Maloni
Vice President, Poseidon Water