California State Senator Bob Dutton and San Bernardino County Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt will host the first-ever San Bernardino County Water Conference. The conference will take place 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 9 at the Ontario Convention Center.
Sponsored by the Building Industry Association, Baldy View Chapter, the event will bring together city, county and water agency officials, businesses and non-profits to address pending water resource challenges and possible solutions.
Many cities and water districts have lent their name to the event as co-hosts to help generate interest and show the residents of San Bernardino that they are working together to create water solutions.
“Having an adequate supply of water for those who already reside in San Bernardino County and those who will move here in the future is critical,” Dutton says. “This conference will bring together some of the top water experts in the state to discuss how we can meet the water challenges of today and tomorrow.”
With 2 million people living in San Bernardino County, the current water consumption is 246 million gallons a day. Existing residents use approximately 90 billion gallons of water annually. By comparison, Lake Arrowhead holds just over 15 billion gallons of water.
“We are eager to host the San Bernardino County Water Conference because of the great deal of growth the county is experiencing,” says 1st District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt. “San Bernardino County is home to some of the most talented water professionals in the nation. This event will allow us to tap their collective expertise to pursue long-term supply and resource management solutions that will benefit future generations.”
The program will include a brief anthology on water resource management within the county, presented by Susan Lien Longville, director of the Water Resource Institute at California State University, San Bernardino.
Lester Snow, director of State Department of Water Resources, will serve as the keynote speaker and four panels will address the following issues:
- Ground Water, Maximizing Imports and Recycled Water
- Conservation and Water Quality
- Land Use, Economy and Environment
- Anticipating Needs and Contemplating Solutions
Confirmed panelists include:
- Celeste Cantu, general manager of the Santa Ana Watershed Project
- Jerry Thiebeault, executive officer with the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board
- Kirby Brill, general manager of the Mojave Water Agency
- Lynn Lipinksi, California Friendly Program
- Mark Grey, government affairs liaison for the Building Industry Association, Southern California
- Martha Davis, executive manager for policy development at the Inland Empire Utilities Agency
- Randall Lewis, executive vice president and principal of Lewis Operating Corp.
- Randy Van Gelder, general manager of the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District
- Reggie Lamson, general manager of the Victor Valley Water District
- Tom Love, executive manager of the Inland Empire Utilities Agency
Sponsorship and attendance of the event are highly encouraged. For more information please visit the event web site at www.sbcwater.com or call 866/737-4880.
