As California experiences more frequent and intense drought and deluge cycles, we must focus on scaling strategies that allow us to weather wet and dry years. While there is no magic solution, groundwater recharge is a promising and cost-effective tool to navigate the effects of a warming climate on California’s water supply. Over the past decade, groundwater recharge has evolved from an experimental practice to a mainstream one; however, there is more we can do to incentivize, promote, and scale recharge to secure a resilient water future.
Join Sustainable Conservation on Wednesday, October 2 from 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM for the second webinar in our Recharging California series, Scaling Solutions for Water Resilience. We’ll sit down with water experts working at the government level and on the ground as we highlight the work being done to align incentives and scale groundwater recharge to secure water resilience in California.
Speakers:
Karun Samran: Manager, Bapu Farming Company, INC.
Karun Samran is a Central Valley native and has spent his life working in agriculture. He earned his degree in Economics from University of California, Berkeley and came back to his family’s farm business to ensure that their investment continues for future years to come. Karun’s family farms pistachios, almonds, and wine grapes throughout the Valley in varying water situations.
Katarina Campbell, Supervisor of Resources, Westlands Water District
Katarina Buelna Campbell presently serves as the Supervisor of Resources for Westlands Water District, the largest agricultural water district in the United States. In this role, she oversees the implementation and regulatory compliance of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) for the Westside Subbasin.
Since 2015, she has led Westlands' SGMA compliance activities, successfully modifying the subbasin boundary, establishing a groundwater sustainability agency, and developing an approved Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP). Her efforts have included hosting multiple outreach events and spearheading GSP implementation, notably creating recharge programs that have contributed to nearly 400,000 acre-feet of water recharged to date.
Wendy Rash, State Water Quality Specialist, USDA-NRCS California
Wendy has been working at the intersection of agriculture and conservation for more than 20 years in California; as a graduate student, a farm worker, Resource Conservation District (RCD) employee and NRCS conservationist. With NRCS, she has served as a Soil Conservationist, District Conservationist, and now focuses on water quality issues statewide as California NRCS’s State Water Quality Specialist. Wendy has managed the Groundwater Recharge Pilot Program for NRCS California for the past 3 years, with the goal of adding farm-scale groundwater recharge practices to the “catalog” of NRCS Conservation Practices available to growers statewide.
Moderated by: Richael Young, Senior Director, Water for the Future, Sustainable Conservation
With a background in economics, engineering, and entrepreneurship, Richael brings complementary skills for water resources management and policy. Richael’s career has been guided by her values of stewardship, excellence, and trust. She is passionate about driving impact in water sustainability and proud of her track record implementing trusted water policies and technologies across the U.S. West.
21 окт 2024
