San Bernardino Water Conference Focuses on IE, California Water Issues

Water is one of those resources that most people expect to be there when they turn on the tap. But many people do not realize that one day water could stop flowing from their tap. California has long taken water for granted, but that attitude may soon be forced to change.

According to an article from the Los Angeles Daily News, Northern California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta provides drinking water to 96 percent of the state. This means that our water supply greatly depends on the infrastructure that carries it from Northern California to every corner of the state.

In a recent column in The San Bernardino Sun, Ruby Simpson, president of Simpson Commercial Properties and a member of Commercial Real Estate Women Inland Empire Chapter, pointed out that California’s water infrastructure is aged and badly in need of updating.  She states that much of the aqueducts, levees and channels were build more than 50 years ago for a much smaller population, so the need to improve the state’s inadequate water infrastructure is critical to ensuring there is enough water to meet present and future demands.

These are some of the issues that will be discussed at the San Bernardino County Water Conference being held tomorrow, Aug. 26 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.at the Ontario Doubletree Hotel. The theme of this year’s conference is “Collaborating to Meet Water Demands Today, Tomorrow and the Future.”  The conference is being hosted by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Chair Josie Gonzales, San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Vice-Chairman Brad Mitzelfelt and the Building Industry Association (BIA) Baldy View Chapter.

Gerald Meral Ph.D., deputy director of the California Natural Resources Agency, will be the keynote speaker at the water conference. Meral oversees the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and is charged with guiding its completion to restore the Bay-Delta ecosystem and create water supply reliability for California.

“Planning for future water supply and sustainability is critical to the growth and prosperity of our state and to those that reside here,” Meral said. “I look forward to attending the San Bernardino County Water Conference and creating a dialogue that will help us identify ways to restore the delicate ecosystem in the Delta and provide water for all Californians.”

In addition to Meral’s address, H. David Nahai, senior advisor to the Clinton Climate Initiative and president of David Nahai Consulting Services, will address conference attendees in a morning session. He will talk about how California's growing population is increasing water demands.

The conference will also feature a series of Q&A sessions where panelists from private industries, water agencies and county government will outline ways they are dealing with water accessibility challenges.

The conference will enable the public to engage with business, community and civic leaders to learn about the county’s water resources, the water supply crisis, and solutions to overcoming this ongoing problem.

To purchase tickets please call Nicole Desmond at 909-795-7760. Walk-ins are also welcome The seminar costs $85 per person, which includes a continental breakfast.  For more information, please visit www.sbcwater.com.