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California Colloquium on Water

Educating ourselves to better appreciate our precious water.

Water is the lifeblood of California. Without it, the landscape we know today would not exist. Throughout California’s history, water has been a source of food, commerce, energy, and recreation. It makes possible the bountiful Central Valley farms and the vibrant coastal cities. It has inspired countless poets and painters. Californians have simultaneously fought over water, marveled at its beauty, and - through impressive feats of engineering - moved it hundreds of miles.

The popular lecture series, the California Colloquium on Water, continues. Scholars of distinction in the fields of natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, law and environmental design will offer monthly lectures. These lectures are designed to increase the understanding and appreciation among students, faculty and the general public of water resources and to contribute to informed decisions about water in California.

The Colloquium is also offered as a 1 unit seminar, LA258. The instructor for Fall 2008 is Prof. Kondolf (LAEP). For further information, visit the webpage.

Presented below is the current semester's schedule, as well as a complete list of previous lectures. Many announcements and flyers are available in PDF format. When possible, WRCA videotapes the lectures; these VHS cassettes and DVDs are available for circulation on a case by case basis. Streaming video of the lectures, as well as PowerPoint and other electronic visual aids, when applicable, are also available from this page. streaming videoStreaming video is presented via YouTube and in RealMedia (.rm) format.

SUMMER 2007: The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) graciously funded the digitization of the California Colloquium lectures 2001-2004. All taped lectures are available online, chiefly in both YouTube (or Google Video) and RealMedia, as of July 6, 2007.

Lecture reminders and announcements of streaming video availability will be posted to WRCA's blog, On Water. Subscribe to the blog's RSS feed to receive these, and other, announcements electronically, or sign up to receive lecture reminders and new schedules via listserv email.

Directions and parking information is available from Visitor Services.

FALL 2008 SCHEDULE

  Brochure for Fall '08 (pdf)
5:00-5:30pm - Reception and meet the speaker, outside of Room 112 Wurster.
5:30-7pm - Lecture, including a post-lecture question and answer session with the speaker. This semester the lectures will be held in room 112 Wurster Hall.
Lecturer/Date Title/Abstract Video PowerPoint
Frank, Richard M.
September 9, 2008
Executive Director, California Center for Environmental Law & Policy; Professor, UC Berkeley School of Law "Saving the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: An Ecosystem & Water Delivery System in Crisis"
Abstract: By all accounts, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is in peril. Its ecosystem is currently on life support; the levee system that defines the Delta's current topography is fragile and crumbling; the Delta's viability as a water supply system for 23 million Californians is increasingly suspect; and looming impacts of climate change threaten to make all these conditions even worse.

Faced with this dire scenario, California's political leaders are exploring unprecedented means of saving the Delta. Richard Frank, Executive Director of the Berkeley Law School's California Center for Environmental Law & Policy and a member of Governor Schwarzenegger's appointed Delta Vision Task Force, will discuss the Delta, the work of the Task Force, its potential recommendations for the Governor and California Legislature, and a prognosis for the Delta's future.

YouTube

RealMedia
DVD available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0165
PDF of PowerPoint
(35 slides)
Wolff, Gary
October 14, 2008
Vice-chair, California State Water Resources Control Board "Successes and Failures in California Water Regulation"
YouTube

RealMedia
DVD available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0166
PDF of PowerPoint
(34 slides)
Sophocleous, Marios
November 18, 2008
Senior Scientist, Kansas Geological Survey "Groundwater Sustainability and its Application in Kansas"
Abstract: This presentation concentrates on the hydro-ecological underpinnings of groundwater sustainability and points out how hydrologic fundamentals can be used to develop a sound water-use planning policy for stream-aquifer systems. The transition curves of all major aquifer systems from groundwater storage depletion to induced recharge of surface water need to be identified, and stream-aquifer numerical models are advocated for this purpose. The presentation also addresses the more general concept of sustainability from the systems perspective and outlines our still-evolving ideas on environmental sustainability. The Kansas water resources management experience and its evolution towards achieving sustainability are then outlined. This experience includes the establishment of local Groundwater Management Districts and their water management policies, minimum streamflow and TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) standards, conjunctive stream-aquifer policies, integrated resource planning, subbasin water resources management, and other programs. "Safe yield" rules, such as pumping the natural recharge, are shown to lead to degradation of streams, springs, wetlands, and water-dependent ecosystems. Because of the interdependence of surface water and ground water, operations on one have consequences for the other. Therefore, the importance of integrated resource planning and management harmonizing environment and society is stressed. The presentation concludes with suggestions to move forward in sustaining water resources, stressing precautionary principles, the dynamic and iterative nature of sustainability assessments, the need for adaptive management, for increasing the productivity of water, and for long-time public education supported by research and technical assistance, as well as improved communications, so that people become more conscious of the complexities and constraints involved in water-resources management.

YouTube

RealMedia
DVD available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0167
PDF of PowerPoint
(45 slides)
Schladow, Geoffrey
December 9, 2008
Director, Tahoe Environmental Research Center; Professor, UC Davis Civil and Environmental Engineering "Lake Tahoe: What Will It Look Like in 2040?"
Abstract: In 1964, the Lake Tahoe Regional Council published the 1980 Regional Plan for the Lake Tahoe basin. The planned called for, among other things, the development of double and triple bands of highway around the lake and a highway bridge across the mouth of Emerald Bay. Four decades later, much of the physical infrastructure and the unbridled development that the Regional Plan envisaged has not come to pass. However, development did occur, and the lake is very different now than it was in 1964. How has Lake Tahoe changed in the last 40 years and, more importantly, how will it change in the future? This presentation will focus on three elements that are likely to be the major drivers of change at Lake Tahoe. These are the implementation of a TMDL program to restore lake clarity, the rapid spread of aquatic invasive species, and climate change.


The Colloquium is sponsored by the Water Resources Center Archives. It is financially supported at UCB Berkeley by the Deans of the Colleges of Engineering, Natural Resources, and the Boalt Hall School of Law; the Beatrix Farrand Fund of the Department of Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning; the Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost. The Colloquium is also financially supported by the Berkeley Water Center, Earth Science Division of the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Groundwater Resources Association of California.

The Water Resources Center Archives is a systemwide unit of the UC Division of Agriculture & Natural Resources.

PAST LECTURES

(alphabetical order by presenter.)
Lecturer/Date Title/Abstract Video PowerPoint
Alley, William M.
October 9, 2007
Chief, Office of Ground Water, U.S. Geological Survey "Tracking the Nation's Ground Water Reserves"
Abstract: During the past 50 years, groundwater depletion has spread from isolated pockets to large areas in many countries throughout the world. A growing awareness of groundwater as a critical natural resource leads to some basic questions. How much groundwater do we have left? Are we running out? Where are groundwater resources most stressed? Where are they most available for future supply? This presentation discusses how the issues associated with groundwater depletion have evolved, what we know about the Nation’s groundwater reserves today, and approaches to improve upon that knowledge base at the regional and national scale.
YouTube
RealMedia
DVD available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0158
PDF of PowerPoint
(44 slides)
Andrews, Edmund
April 12, 2005
Hydrologist & Chief of River Mechanics Project, U.S. Geological Survey "The Influence of Enso Phase on Floods & Sediment Transport in California Coastal Streams" YouTube
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0139
n/a
Asano, Takashi
December 11, 2001
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis "The role of water reuse" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0112
PowerPoint
(15.7MB)
Benton, Charles
December 4, 2007
Professor of Architecture, UC Berkeley "A Camera Aloft: California’s Wetlands and Streams from a Bird’s Perspective"
Abstract: Given a chance I suspect that most of us would slip our earthly bonds and see the world from new heights. An aerial view offers a fresh perspective of familiar landscapes and in doing so challenges our spatial sensibilities, our grasp of relationships. This playful talk will chronicle ten years of aerial photography from kite-lofted cameras. Examples will be shown from California’s wetlands including the South San Francisco Bay Salt Ponds, Herons Head Park, and the Berkeley/Albany Codornices Creek restoration project. Along the way Professor Benton will touch on the history of early aerial photography as well as methods and motivations for using kites as a photographic platform in the current day. Simultaneously an art form and a remote sensing exercise Benton’s low-level approach yields photographs that can be beautiful, useful, or both.
YouTube
RealMedia
DVD available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0160
HTML presentation
Bettner, Thaddeus L.
April 11, 2006
Deputy General Manager - Resources, Westlands Water District "Utilizing California's Water Supply Efficiently and Effectively"
Abstract: Westlands Water District consists of an area in western Fresno and Kings counties made up of 600,000 acres of farmland. This agricultural hub produces much of the state and nation's tomatoes, cotton, sugar beets, and asparagus. Water used to sustain this historically arid soil comes from the 20 dams and reservoirs of the Central Valley Project (CVP). This water, however, is not easily obtained as pro-agriculture organizations (such as Westlands), environmentalists, fisherman and anglers, and other groups vie for the same water. Bettner will take the podium to discuss Westlands Water District and the agricultural use of water within the CVP export area.
YouTube
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0147
PowerPoint
(41 slides)
Box, W.T. (Tom), Jr.
December 9, 2003
Vice President, Geothermal Resource Management, Calpine Corporation "The geysers : the nature, development & preservation of a unique resource" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0128
PowerPoint
(44.2MB)
Brechin, Gray
March 9, 2004
Reasearch Fellow, Department of Geography, UC Berkeley "Rotten foundations: the Reclamation Act & urbanization of the west"
Dr. Brechin is a noted historian and author of Imperial San Francisco : Urban Power, Earthly Ruin (1999) [WRCA call no. G4795 N9 Locked Cage].
Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0130
n/a
Cain, John
September 11, 2007
Director, Restoration Programs, Natural Heritage Institute "Confluence, Confusion, or Catastrophe: Prospects for Ending the Delta Stalemate"
Abstract: The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta - the source water for more than 20 million people and habitat for several endangered species- is the geographic center of a decades long-debate on how best to share water between northern and southern California. For years, the Delta debate has deadlocked on the amount of water the state and federal water projects divert out of the Bay-Delta ecosystem, but recent reports and crises have refocused the debate on a larger set of issues including levee fragility, climate change, flood plain development, upstream diversions, and new strategies for diverting water out of the Delta. Dividing up the Delta’s water is only part of the problem. Delta stakeholders now realize they must also figure out how to restore habitats, sustain fragile levees, protect farmland, and clean-up polluted run-off. The Governor has convened several forums including Delta Vision and the Bay Delta Conservation Plan to develop a comprehensive plan for the Delta. Although promising, these efforts must first overcome the scientific uncertainty, interest group intransigence, and lack of political leadership that doomed previous efforts. John Cain will describe the new and newly recycled proposals for re-plumbing and restoring the Bay-Delta watershed that have emerged from these forums, and discuss the enormous political, technical, and economic challenges toward breaking the stalemate that has characterized the Delta debate for the last two decades.
YouTube
RealMedia
DVD available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0157
PDF of PowerPoint
(62 slides)
Candee, Hamilton
May 10, 2005
Senior Attorney & Co-Director, Western Water Project, Natural Resources Defense Council "The Continuing Battle to Restore the San Joaquin River" YouTube
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0140
n/a
Cassidy, John
May 14, 2002
Consulting Water Resources Engineer "Role of dams in water resources" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0120
PowerPoint
(8.17MB)
Cohen, Andrew N.
March 14, 2006
Senior Scientist and Director of the Biological Invasions Program, San Francisco Estuary Institute "The Invaded Estuary: Exotic Species in San Francisco Bay"
Abstract: The San Francisco Bay Estuary is one of the most highly invaded aquatic ecosystems in the world. The arrival of exotic organisms has altered its species composition, food webs and population dynamics, and exotics now account for most of the species, individuals and biomass across many of the estuary's habitats. This presentation will discuss the state of these invasions, how they've arrived, what changes they've caused, and what if anything can be done about them.
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0146
PowerPoint
(5 slides; Note that Cohen's non PowerPoint projected slides are only available by viewing the video.)
Cooley, Heather
April 8, 2008
Senior Research Associate, Pacific Institute "Desalination, With a Grain of Salt: A California Perspective"
Abstract: Long considered the Holy Grail of water supply, desalination offers the potential of an unlimited source of fresh water purified from the vast oceans of salt water that surround us. The public, politicians, and water managers continue to hope that cost-effective and environmentally safe ocean desalination will come to the rescue of water-short regions.

Interest in desalination has been especially high in California, where rapidly growing populations, inadequate regulation of the water supply/land-use nexus, and ecosystem degradation from existing water supply sources have forced a rethinking of water policies and management. In the past five years, public and private entities have put forward more than 20 proposals for large desalination facilities along the California coast. Project proponents point to statewide water-supply constraints, the reliability advantages of "drought-proof" supply, the water quality improvements offered by desalinated water, and the benefits of local control. Along with the proposals, however, has come a growing public debate about high economic and energy costs, environmental and social impacts, and consequences for coastal development policies. This presentation discusses the advantages and disadvantages of seawater desalination within the context of California.

YouTube

RealMedia
DVD available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0163
PDF of PowerPoint
(23 slides)
Cuffey, Kurt
November 8, 2005
Professor of Geology, UC Berkeley "Glaciers and the California Waterscape" YouTube
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0143
n/a
Denton, Richard
April 10, 2001
Water Manager, Contra Costa Water District "Understanding the Delta : an engineering perspective" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0104
PowerPoint
(9.4MB)
Douglas, Peter
September 14, 2004
Executive Director, California Coastal Commission "Saving the coast: a job that’s never done" YouTube
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0133
n/a
Dunne, Thomas
May 6, 2008
Professor, Geomorphology and Hydrology, UC Santa Barbara Bren School of Environmental Science and Management "River Migration and the Diversity of Floodplains"
Abstract: The talk will describe river migration processes and the ways in which they generate floodplain complexity in rivers of South America and California. It will aim to provoke a discussion of the dynamic aspects of large rivers and their floodplains that are of interest to policy making and conservation planning and the nature of scientific understanding that can be assimilated into the policy-making process.
[no video] PDF of PowerPoint
(48 slides)
Gastelum, Ron
March 13, 2001
General Manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California "Past, present & future for MWD" n/a n/a
Gleick, Peter
October 10, 2000
Director, Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment & Security "Global warming" n/a n/a
Glennon, Robert
December 7, 2004
Morris K. Udall Professor of Law & Public Policy, University of Arizona "Water follies: the environmental consequences of groundwater pumping"
Prof. Glennon is the author of Water Follies : Groundwater Pumping and the Fate of America's Fresh Waters (Island Press, 2002) [WRCA call no. 64.1 P2-1]
YouTube
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0136
PowerPoint
(35 slides, 13.9MB)
Graff, Tom
December 10, 2002
California Regional Director, Environmental Defense "Environmental advocacy : a practioner's historical perspective" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0119
n/a
Griffin, Martin L., Jr.
March 8, 2005
Founder, Friends of the Russian River "The Gravel Pirates: Strip-mining the Russian River Water Supply"
NOTE: Dates of litigation in Dr. Griffin's lecture may be incorrect. Please consult Appendix 2 (p. 256) in his book, Saving the Marin-Sonoma Coast: The Battles for Audubon Canyon Ranch, Point Reyes, & California's Russian River, [WRCA call no. G413 N8-4] for the correct dates.
YouTube
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0138
n/a
Hanak, Ellen
April 10, 2007
Research Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California "Envisioning Futures for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta"
Abstract: The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is the hub of California’s water supply system, home to a unique and threatened ecosystem and to a vibrant recreational and agricultural economy. Recent research has exposed serious problems in the Delta, including precipitous declines in some fish species and increasing threats to the stability of the levee system. In this lecture, Ellen Hanak will present the results of a recent study she co-authored that explores alternatives for resolving these problems, ranging from fortifying the levee system, to building various forms of a peripheral canal, to reducing water exports to Southern California and converting parts of the Delta to habitats more suitable for desirable species.
Download or order "Envisioning Futures for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta" / Jay Lund, Ellen Hanak, William Fleenor, Richard Howitt, Jeffrey Mount, and Peter Moyle at http://www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=671
Google Video
RealMedia
DVD available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0155
PowerPoint
(9.19MB, 39 slides)
Herndon, Roy
May 9, 2006
Chief Hydrogeologist, Orange County Water District "Recycled Water: Conveying the Message to Non-Water Experts"
Abstract: Mr. Herndon presentd examples of the challenges and successes that he and his agency, the Orange County Water District (OCWD), have had in communicating complex ideas with a diverse community. OCWD is responsible for managing a large groundwater basin that provides about 60 percent of the water supply to a growing population of 2.3 million in northern Orange County. OCWD is a leader in the development and use of recycled water for public supply. Were it not for a clear message, supported by sound science and economics, brought to the community in multiple venues, it would not have been possible to gain support for building what will be the world's largest indirect potable water supply recycling project. As a hydrogeologist, Mr. Herndon sees the need to bridge the knowledge gap with those without groundwater science backgrounds, often including people in decision-making roles. In one example, some simple graphics were instrumental in illustrating complex hydrogeologic issues with serious ramifications if certain steps were not taken to reduce groundwater pumping quantities in recent years. Although these steps were politically risky, OCWD's board of directors was able to make the tough decision based on clear technical information. OCWD's team of engineers, geologists, information systems analysts, biologists, facility operators, field technicians, chemists, accountants, communications representatives, administrators, and attorneys represent a cross section of the skills necessary to manage a large water resource.
YouTube>
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0148
PowerPoint
(39 slides)
Hobbs, Greg
October 10, 2006
Justice, Colorado Supreme Court "The Role of Climate on Water Institutions in the Western Americas"
Abstract: Justice Hobbs addresses the role of climate in shaping water history, culture, policies, laws, and institutions in the western Americas. He draws on paleo-hydrological work in Peru and the southwestern United States as a framework for exploring adaptation of contemporary water policy and law, with concentration on the Colorado River Basin. Justice Hobbs is the author of In Praise of Fair Colorado, The Practice of Poetry, History, and Judging (Bradford Publishing Co. 2004) and Colorado Mother of Rivers, Water Poems (Colorado Foundation for Water Education 2005).
Google Video
RealMedia
DVD available at WRCA VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0150
PDF of PowerPoint
(46.6MB, 61p.)
Ingram, B. Lynn
March 13, 2007
Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Geography, University of California, Berkeley "Late Pleistocene to Holocene Evolution of the San Francisco Bay"
Abstract: The San Francisco Bay and Delta are considered the heart of California's water system. A huge region of California (about 40%) is drained by rivers that eventually reach the San Francisco Bay. San Francisco Bay is California's largest estuary, and is a vital part of its economy, culture, and landscape. The Bay's inland Delta provides fresh water to two-thirds of the population of California, some twenty three million people. Sediments deposited beneath the Bay, within surrounding marshlands, and within the Bay's watershed contain a rich history of how this estuarine system evolved over the past million years, including major changes in climate. These sediments demonstrate that the Bay has only existed sporadically - during warmer interglacial periods, and became a river valley during the ice ages. While the earliest inhabitants of California adapted to a varying water supply, archaeological and geological evidence suggests that climate extremes - both wetter and drier - have occurred throughout the past 10,000 years.
Google Video
RealMedia
DVD available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0154
PDF of PowerPoint
(86.2 MB, 69p.)
Jacobs, Diana
November 14, 2006
Deputy Director and Science Advisor (retired), California Department of Fish & Game "Tales of the New Fish Patrol: Saving California's Largest River - the Mighty Sacramento"
Abstract: The Sacramento River is California’s premier river, with the largest salmon runs, greatest riparian forests, biggest floods, and critically important water supply for cities and farms. Diana Jacobs, Ph. D., reviewed her 25 years of experience collaborating (or sometimes fighting) to restore the river’s fish and wildlife resources. She also related harrowing tales and lessons learned in balancing protection of Public Trust resources and environmental values with demand for other public benefits, including flood control, water supply and local land use patterns. Lastly, the current post-Katrina politics of flood control in California - and what that means for rivers in the State's Great Central Valley, were discussed.
Google Video
RealMedia
DVD available at WRCA VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0151
PDF of PowerPoint
(31.7MB, 95 slides)
Kennedy, David
May 11, 2004
Former Director of the California Department of Water Resources "The evolution of California water policy" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0132
n/a
Levy, Thomas
October 14, 2003
Consultant "A paranoid’s view of the Colorado River" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0126
n/a
Littleworth, Art
February 13, 2001
Attorney at Law, Best, Best & Krieger "Legal issues and challenges for the next decade" n/a n/a
McCarty, Perry L.
November 13, 2007
Silas H. Palmer Professor Emeritus, Environmental Engineering and Science, Stanford University "Climate Change Implications of Waste Treatment"
Abstract: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that four percent of the equivalent anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions in the world result from methane and nitrous oxide produced from wastewater, solid wastes, and animal manure. However, if such methane gas is collected and used as a biofuel, not only would the methane emissions decrease, but also the need for fossil fuels could be decreased as well. Indeed, the potential to produce methane from wastewater treatment might be exploited to a greater extent than it has at present to turn a potential problem into a significant benefit for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. How might wastes best be handled in the future to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and how might this change our current practices? These questions will be explored in this seminar.
YouTube
RealMedia
DVD available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0159
PDF of PowerPoint
(65 slides)
McLaughlin, Sylvia
September 9, 2003
Co-founder of Save The Bay "Four decades of saving the bay" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0125
n/a
Miller, Norman
December 6, 2005
Staff Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Adjunct Professor of Hydrology, University of Arizona, Tuscon "Can California's Water Infrastructure Sustain Future Climate Change?" YouTube
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0144
PDF of PowerPoint
(63 slides)
Morgan, James
April 8, 2003
Goldberger Professor of Environmental Engineering Science, Emeritus; California Institute of Technology "The water matrix : a quantity to quality transition in the new century" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0123
PowerPoint
(34.3MB)
Mount, Jeff
February 14, 2006
Director, UC Center for Watershed Science "Hell and High Water in the Delta: The Fate of California's Water Supply Hub"
Abstract: The Sacramento- San Joaquin Delta supplies the valley with water for communities, agriculture, recreation, and habitats for fish and wildlife. But the evolving landscape and ecosystem of the Delta are changing at a pace that surpasses the scientific and political communities’ ability to respond. Professor Jeff Mount discusses the principal issues impacting the future of Delta and demonstrates how current trends will affect the future of its waterways. He also addresses the fact that the "Delta debate" seems to be going nowhere. To conclude, Professor Mount outlines six broad future options for this important water supply hub in order to spark more discussion and debate.
YouTube
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0145
PowerPoint
(46 slides)
Moyle, Peter
February 12, 2002
Professor of Fish Biology, University of California, Davis "Alien invaders, endangered natives, and declining fisheries : a history of fish in the upper San Francisco estuary" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0113
n/a
Mulroy, Pat
May 1, 2007
General Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority "Overcoming the Traditions That Divide Us - Tomorrow's Reliable Water Supply Dependent Upon Partnerships"
Abstract: The new reality of the West is simple: it is comprised of communities, states and regions increasingly interdependent on one another for natural resources and the economic livelihood that flows from them. In the case of water, that interdependence is made more important by the fact that water is essential for any living creature to survive. As a result, a public trust issue necessarily underlies any undertaking or negotiation that involves water. Decision-making, planning and positions must be respectful of that trust and the interdependence that drives it. By working together for consensus solutions and by ensuring that water laws and agreements remain flexible to changing conditions, water agencies will set a new standard for resource management that will see the West through the next century.
Google Video
RealMedia
DVD available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0156
n/a
Null, Sarah1
--
Rosekrans, Spreck2
--
Lund, Jay3
September 13, 2005
1Doctoral Student, Geography, UC Davis
--
2Economic Analyst, Environmental Defense
--
3Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UC Davis
"Hetch Hetchy Valley: Water and California's Future"
The following article was published by Null and Lund post lecture: "Restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley: The Role of Modeling in Policy" / by S.E. Null and J.R. Lund. IN: EOS, Vol. 87, No. 42, 17 October 2006 (p. 449,453).
YouTube
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0141
Powerpoint
Null (23 slides, 2.5MB)
PowerPoint
Rosekrans (28 slides, 22.5MB)
Orlob, Gerald T.
September 12, 2000
Professor Emeritus, University of California, Davis "Saving the Salton Sea?" n/a n/a
Palmquist, Peter
December 12, 2000
Photographer and Author "19th Century water images" n/a n/a
Patt, Olney, Jr.
February 8, 2005
Executive Director Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission "Nature of Indian Water Rights" YouTube
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0137
n/a
Pisani, Donald
November 9, 2004
Merrick Professor of History, University of Oklahoma "When myth trumps history: the Reclamation Bureau and the family farm, 1902-1935" YouTube
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0135
n/a
Pister, Philip
September 10, 2002
Executive Secretary, Desert Fishes Council "Desert fishes : reflections on reality, desirability, and conscience" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0116
n/a
Poole, Randy
February 12, 2008
General Manager/Chief Engineer, Sonoma County Water Agency "Leading the Way: A Look at the Sonoma County North American Climate Initiative"
Why is North America lagging in implementation of climate-protecting technologies and what can be done to actually bring solid, permanent reductions in North American CO2 emissions? Part of the answer is that textbook solutions are at this time unproven. North America needs to prove that technology for energy efficiency, renewable power, biofuels, hybrid drive systems and carbon sequestration can reduce emissions, and that these technologies offer economic benefits and that they will find acceptance, even support, from the public. The North American Climate Initiative, as led by the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA), would provide the needed proof of concept by establishing one or more regional demonstration projects with the United States or Canada where the technologies would be tested. The programs would implement technological solutions, identify those that are viable and would monitor and document emissions reductions. Demonstration projects would provide the package of technologies that could be replicated rapidly nationwide, even globally to achieve climate protection goals well ahead of the 2020 targets set before us. Water supply, treatment, distribution and disposal are integral to the program. Water-related activities consume 19% of California’s electric power and 30% of its natural gas. Water policy decisions such as recycling, conservation, desalination have direct impacts on carbon emissions. This lecture will provide an overview the program and how, if implemented, it would allow SCWA to supply water produced with zero carbon emissions by 2015.

YouTube

RealMedia
DVD available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0161
PDF of PowerPoint
(31 slides)
Preston, William
May 13, 2003
Professor of Geography, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo "The environmental history of Tulare Lake" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0124
n/a
Price, Kevin
April 13, 2004
Manager of the Water Treatment Engineering Research & Development Group, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation "Desalination issues in the United States" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0131
PowerPoint
(11.6MB)
Resh, Vincent
October 23, 2001
Professor of Entomology and Parasitology, University of California, Berkeley "Streams in Mediterranean climates" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0109
n/a
Ritchie, Steve
February 3, 2007
Executive Project Manager, South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project "The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project: The Wild Heart of Silicon Valley"
Abstract: In 2003, the State of California and the U.S. government, with substantial support from private foundations, purchased 15,100 acres of salt production ponds adjoining South San Francisco Bay from Cargill Corporation. These ponds represent an incredible opportunity for shoreline habitat restoration and public access in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is the largest habitat restoration project in the Western U.S. (http://www.southbayrestoration.org/) and it must be accomplished without increasing flood risk to Silicon Valley while providing for public access. The restoration process is expected to take decades to complete. This presentation will describe the initial management of the ponds as they are taken out of salt production and the five-year planning process for their ultimate restoration. Adaptive management will be integral to the restoration process. Particular opportunities and challenges (both scientific and institutional) of the planning process will be described as the Project moves toward changing the South San Francisco Bay landscape.
Google Video
RealMedia
DVD available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0153
PowerPoint
(85MB, 94 slides)
Robie, Ron
October 8, 2002
Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District "California's water : perspectives from the bench" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0117
n/a
Rodríguez-Iturbe, Ignacio
February 10, 2004
Pitney Professor of Environmental Studies and Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Princeton University "Frontiers of hydrologic research in the 21st Century" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0129
PowerPoint
(206 MB)
Rogers, J. David
November 12, 2002
Karl F. Hasselmann Missouri Chair in Geological Engineering at the University of Missouri-Rolla "Dams and disasters : a brief overview of dam building in California" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0118
PowerPoint
(93.5MB)
Sax, Joseph L.
October 9, 2001
Professor, Boalt School of Law, University of California, Berkeley "Public trust : philosophical and legal implications for California's future" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0110
n/a
Saykally, Richard
May 8, 2001
Professor of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley "What makes water wet?" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0105
n/a
Schmidt, John (Jack) C.
November 18, 2003
Associate Professor of Aquatic, Watershed & Earth Resources, Utah State University "Channel change of the Colorado River : a mandate for restoration?" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0127
n/a
Seed, Ray
September 12, 2006
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley "New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina: Lessons for California’s Levees"
Abstract: The recent flooding and devastation of the greater New Orleans region during hurricane Katrina represented the most costly peace-time failure of an engineered system in North American history. Extensive investigations and analyses have been performed by several major teams in the wake of this disaster, and some very important lessons have been learned. Many of these have very direct and urgent applications to California’s levee systems and flood risk exposure, and to the security of our State’s vital water supply systems. Professor Seed discusses what California can learn from New Orleans and how to prevent a similar catastrophe from happening here.
Google Video
RealMedia
DVD available at WRCA VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0149
PDF of PowerPoint
(13MB, 73p.)
Simmons, Bill
March 12, 2002
Professor of Anthropology, Brown University "Water and the creations of indian California" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0114
n/a
Stine, Scott
February 11, 2003
Professor of Geography & Environmental Studies, California State University Hayward "Droughts and deluges of California's past millennium" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0121
n/a
Taugher, Mike
December 5, 2006
Environmental Reporter, Contra Costa Times "When the Environment and Politics Collide: Recent Developments in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta"
Abstract: In early 2005, scientists noticed that fish populations in the Delta were mysteriously collapsing. It was the latest and loudest environmental alarm for what is perhaps the most important source of water in a state that this utterly dependent on being able to move water around. The ecological crisis in the Delta was also a sign that the policies in place to protect the Delta and California’s water supply were failing. Contra Costa Times reporter Mike Taugher discusses the environmental and public policy problems confronting the Delta and the ongoing efforts to resolve them.
Google Video
RealMedia
DVD available at WRCA VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0152
PDF of PowerPoint
(24 slides)
Thompson, Barton "Buzz" H., Jr.
March 11, 2008
Robert E. Paradise Professor of Natural Resources Law and Director, Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University "Protecting Watershed Services Through Law, Regulation and Markets"
Abstract: Among the most valuable of ecosystem services are those related to watersheds, including water quality and flow regulation. New York City’s decision in the 1990s to invest in watershed protection in the Catskills and Delaware water basins has led many to believe or hope that markets and public policies focused on the value of these services can increase conservation of key watershed lands. A survey completed two years ago, however, showed little effort by most water suppliers in California to protect their watersheds. In some regions of the nation, water suppliers are even selling off watershed lands or managing the land in a way that might undermine water quality. This presentation will look at what efforts private and public entities are currently taking place (or not taking place) to protect these "watershed services," what the potential is (and obstacles are) to protecting watersheds through their services, and what public policies the government could pursue to promote greater protection of watershed services and thus the watersheds that provide them. This examination of watershed services will also offer insights into the opportunities provided by the broader concept of ecosystem services.

YouTube

RealMedia
DVD available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0162
PDF of PowerPoint
(43 slides)
Todd, David K.
April 9, 2002
President Todd Engineers and Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley "Managing groundwater resources" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0115
n/a
Wescoat, James, Jr.
March 11, 2003
Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign "Water in landscape heritage conservation & design : lessons from the Taj Mahal" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0122
n/a
Whittington, Dale
October 11, 2005
Professor of Environmental Science & Engineering, City and Regional Planning, and Public Policy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill "A Global Perspective on Investments in Municipal Water and Sanitation Infrastructure" n/a

n/a
Wills, Leah
November 14, 2000
Economist, The Plumas Corporation "Upstream watersheds" n/a n/a
Wright, Patrick
November 13, 2001
Director, CALFED Bay-Delta Program "The CALFED Bay-Delta Program and the future of California water policy" Google Video
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCAG402 XU2-9 #0111
n/a
Zoback, Mark
October 12, 2004
Professor of Geophysics, Stanford University "Fluids and faulting: water and earthquakes in California" YouTube
RealMedia
VHS available at WRCA G402 XU2-9 #0134
PowerPoint
(53 slides, 17.8MB)

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