Panel to include local expert
Wednesday meeting to be live streamed
A discussion on drought preparedness planned for the next meeting of the California Water Commission will feature a local water expert.
According to the agenda for the next meeting of the state commission, the schedule for Feb. 15 includes “a panel of experts who will explore long-term drought preparedness and response, as well as a briefing on maintaining the State Water Project's operational flexibility.”
The commission notes that, “in support of Water Resilience Portfolio Action 26.3, it is engaging experts, interested parties, and the public in discussions about strategies to protect communities and fish and wildlife in the event of long-term drought. This month's panel will cover practitioner and policy perspectives on implementation of drought preparedness and response strategies.”
The panel will include: Elizabeth Salomone, General Manager of the Mendocino County Russian River Flood Control and Water Conservation Improvement District and Association of California Water Agencies Region 1 Board Member; Heather Cooley, Director of Research at the Pacific Institute; Dr. Jeffrey Mount, Senior Fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California; James Sarmento, Executive Director of Cultural Resources for the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians; David W. Pedersen, P.E., General Manager of the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District; Tom Butler, Vice President of the Sutter Basin Corporation and California Rice Commission, California Rice Producers Chairman and Executive Committee member.
Also at the Feb. 15 meeting, “Department of Water Resources staff will brief the commission on how it works to maintain operational flexibility of the State Water Project, including dealing with drought and flood at
the same time, the limiting factors to system flexibility, and the challenges faced by operators that reduce its flexibility.”
The meeting is scheduled to begin Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 9:30 a.m. It will be live streamed at https://www. water-ca.com/. To comment remotely, Zoom login information can be found on the public participation guide.