November 6 & 7, 2008
Pasadena Hilton Hotel

A Project of Public Officials for Water and Environmental Reform

The old Chinese proverb that crisis equals opportunity has never been more true than right now when it comes to California water. The crisis is well documented: we are in the second year of a drought, the northern Sierra just had its driest spring ever, our allowance from the Colorado River has decreased, the courts have ordered restrictions on pumping out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, farmers are taking land out of production and salmon fisheries are being shut down. These challenges and others are tipping points that open the door to opportunities to make serious changes in how we manage this scarce resource. The California Water Policy 18 Conference will focus on those opportunities.

The Conference’s opening keynote speaker is David Nahai, CEO and General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. His agency recently pledged to obtain 35% of the City’s energy from renewable resources by 2010. They have also prioritized green buildings as well as provided incentives and rebates for construction and other practices which conserve power and water. Our dinner speaker is Brian Fagan, an engaging speaker and author of The Great Warming: Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations. Brian is an Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at UC Santa Barbara. His current book, as well as some of his earlier works, provides an historical background to current debates on global warming. It is such a lively topic that he was featured on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

The conference will feature additional plenary speakers as well as 16 breakout sessions on a wide range of topics including mandatory energy and water conservation, groundwater quality, emerging contaminants, desalination, the Delta and the Colorado River.

Register now for what is sure to be a productive event.

Who Should Attend?

  • Officials and staff at all levels of government
  • Water agency officials and staff
  • Business, Agricultural and environmental leaders
  • Academics and students
  • Members of the public interested in California water policy