ACWA Conference to Look at Drought From All Angles

SACRAMENTO, CA--(Marketwired - Apr 28, 2014) - California's drought and sustainable groundwater management will be front-and-center topics when water leaders from throughout California meet at the Association of California Water Agencies' (ACWA) 2014 Spring Conference & Exhibition, set for May 6-9 at the Monterey Conference Center and surrounding hotels. More than 1,700 local and state water leaders are expected to attend an array of panel discussions, forums, presentations and keynote addresses as part of the four-day event, themed "Running on Empty: Investing to Move the Needle."

Former Las Vegas water chief Pat Mulroy will deliver the opening keynote address at breakfast on May 7. Mulroy, recently named a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, will reflect on lessons learned managing water in the arid West during more than two decades at the helm of the Las Vegas water system. Other programs on May 7 include a luncheon keynote from Kim Marotta, the sustainability director for MillerCoors; panel discussions on statewide water storage solutions and the drought's ripple effects; and a forum on proposals for action on groundwater sustainability.

On Thursday, May 8, luncheon keynote speakers Lester Snow, executive director of the California Water Foundation, and Dr. Maurice Hall, senior hydrologist for The Nature Conservancy, discuss how groundwater in California can be sustainably managed and groundwater's important linkages with surface water. Other program sessions that day explore the future of water transfers in California and the history of drinking water regulation in the state.

On Friday, May 9, Field Research Corp. executive Mark DiCamillo keynotes the ACWA Hans Doe Past Presidents' Breakfast in partnership with ACWA/JPIA, sharing new data on Californians' attitudes about the drought and what it reveals about actions the public might support as California considers major water infrastructure projects to improve reliability of the state's water supply.

WHAT: ACWA's 2014 Spring Conference & Exhibition
WHEN: Tuesday, May 6 - Friday, May 9
WHERE: Monterey Conference Center and surrounding hotels

ACWA is a statewide association of public agencies whose 440 members are responsible for about 90% of the water delivered in California. For more information, visit www.acwa.com.