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Wednesday Update

March 1, 2023

Groundwater Awareness Week kickoff event set for Monday

National Groundwater Awareness Week begins this Sunday. DWR will celebrate with an interactive kickoff event on Monday, March 6, in Sacramento. There will be demonstrations, information booths, and presentations from groundwater professionals on the importance of groundwater in California. The annual national observance highlights the responsible development, management, and use of groundwater.

$25 million in grants awarded to protect community wells

DWR and the California Department of Food and Agriculture have chosen three Central Valley groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) to receive a total of $25 million in grants. The funding is awarded through the LandFlex program to protect drinking water wells in underserved communities. LandFlex helps GSAs provide incentives for farms to reduce agricultural pumping and help prevent small community wells from going dry.

Resources available to accelerate restoration-project permitting

The Accelerating Restoration team at Sustainable Conservation works to simplify the permitting process for environmental restoration projects while adhering to existing environmental standards. To help with that process, a webpage has been developed to provide technical resources, such as accessing the Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Act, to advance projects. There is also a guide that provides essential information for accelerating restoration permitting.

OPC to host workshop this afternoon on marine protected areas

This afternoon (March 1) at 12:30, the Ocean Protection Council (OPC) will host a virtual workshop on expanding conservation measures beyond California’s marine protected areas to promote coastal and marine biodiversity. The OPC has also set up a new webpage with updates on the effort to conserve 30 percent of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030 (30x30). Last year, the California Natural Resources Agency released Pathways to 30×30: Accelerating Conservation of California’s Nature, which details strategies and opportunities for achieving the target.

2023 WateReuse Symposium starts Sunday in Atlanta

The 2023 WateReuse Symposium gets underway this Sunday, March 5, and runs through March 8, in Atlanta. The symposium will explore how businesses and communities can work together to implement water recycling programs that ensure environmental, economic, and public health resilience. There will also be information on providing opportunities for underserved communities.

Texas water board releases beta version of new data hub 

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has released the beta version of the Texas Water Data Hub. It is a platform that features a catalog of water datasets and applications from across Texas. The California Water Data Consortium has been working with TWDB as part of the Internet of Water Coalition to promote the importance of water data and to learn about different State approaches to water data management.

Virtual portion of annual CARCD conference to begin next week

The virtual portion of the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD) 77th Annual Conference will run March 6–30. The conference presentations will cover several tracks, including forest and fire resilience, agriculture and watersheds, and sustainable cannabis farming. Note that the registration for the in-person portion of the conference last fall also covers access to the virtual conference.

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