Bipartisan
Panel to Debate
What’s Right for California’s Water Future
- Balanced panel of state officials to discuss
California’s water problems and proposed solutions at regional
Water Forum on November 13
- Doubletree Hotel/Orange County Airport
- 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- Forum hosted by Santa
Margarita Water District in conjunction with the Southern California
Water Committee and Orange County Business Council
Las
Flores, CA - Nov. 5, 2007 — This year, Sacramento is overflowing
with conflicting ideas on how to solve California’s water
future. Some say the construction of dams, reservoirs and canals
is critical to ensuring a safe and secure water supply. Others claim
conservation is the key to protecting our water resources for now
and in the future. Yet the substance of this great water debate
is often muddled by conflicting information and political agendas.
So what is right for California’s water future?
To
help answer this question, the Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD),
in conjunction with the Southern California Water Committee and
the Orange County Business Council, will host a regional Water Forum
on Tuesday, November 13 at 11:30 a.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel –
Orange County Airport. This year’s topic is The Future
of California Water Is Now, featuring a balanced, bipartisan
panel of state representatives presenting strategies for conveyance,
water storage and Delta restoration.
Panelists scheduled to speak represent both Republican and Democratic
perspectives on water conveyance, conservation and potential funding
streams for critical new infrastructure. They are: Arthur G. Baggett,
Jr., member of the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB);
Alf W. Brandt, principal consultant for the California State Assembly’s
Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife; and State Senator Dave Cogdill
from the 14th District. Senator Dick Ackerman will moderate the
forum.
California’s burgeoning water demand, coupled with limited
statewide water storage and an increasingly fragile conveyance infrastructure
requires policy makers to address the State’s ability to meet
the growing strains on supply while preserving the San Joaquin Delta’s
delicate habitat. Accordingly, the 2007 Water Forum will afford
attendees the opportunity to hear the viewpoints of these expert
panelists on California water policy with respect to the conflicting
new water infrastructure proposals now before the legislature.
“Water
reliability is extremely vital to us in Orange County. With limited
local water supplies to draw from, residents, leaders, business
owners and water agencies depend on our representatives in Sacramento
to adequately prepare for our water future,” said SMWD general
manager John Schatz. “This year’s Water Forum speakers
are highly qualified to discuss potential solutions to the difficult
issues that must be resolved so that California’s water future
will be a bright one.”
Speakers are expected to address the state’s current water
woes, including ramifications of the ongoing western drought, Northern
California’s feeble levee system, lack of sufficient water
storage and the imperiled Delta smelt. The panel will also provide
forum attendees with updated information about legislative proposals
now being debated in Sacramento.
SMWD
hosts a Water Forum annually to educate businesses and community
leaders about the local impacts of regional water issues. The public
may call 949/455-4600 to RSVP for the event. The cost is $45 per
person and $450 for a table of ten. Press passes are available.
SMWD
is Orange County’s second-largest water district, serving
a customer base of more than 155,000 residents and businesses in
Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Coto de Caza, Las Flores
and inland southern Orange County, including the communities of
Ladera Ranch and Talega.
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