Results of the Symposium on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

Panel Summaries

Regional Water Self-Sufficiency Panel

Moderator: Greg Aghazarian

Panelists: Tom Zuckerman (Central Delta Water Agency), Dr. Greg Gartrell (Contra Costa Water District, Dr. Juliet Christian-Smith (The Pacific Institute), Sean Dempsey (Floating Islands West), and Steve Haze (The San Joaquin Valley Water Leadership Forum)

Mr. Zuckerman's presentation focused on his paper published in 2008 for the Delta Vision Task Force on how flood management and water storage are two sides of the same coin. Mr. Zuckerman calls for the restoration of flood plains throughout the Central Valley so that water from periods of heavy rainfull can seep back into depleted groundwater basins. His paper can be found on-line - Click Here.

Dr. Gartrell's presentation focused on how urban water conservation can help to break dependence on Delta water exports. Dr. Gartrell explains that past efforts with urban water efficiency are good, but not enough. He looks at the links between urban conservation water practices, reduce energy demand, and creating a more stable water supply. Such local efforts include a conservation focus, recycling of water and gray water use. He points out that desalinization is and probably will always be an expensive alternative. To see his presentation click here.

Dr. Christian-Smith's presentation on agriculture water conservation looked at four ways agriculture can use less water to help lessen Delta dependence: modest crop shifting advanced irrigation management, smart irrigation scheduling, effective irrigation technology. To see his presentation click here.

Unfortunately, during Sean Dempsey's presentation, the god of mechanical and electrical devices intervened disabling Mr. Dempsey's powerpoint presentation. We encourage all symposium participants to look through the visuals of floating islands technology. Through a process called biomimicry, Floating Islands International has created human-made islands that improve water quality and create habitat for wildlife. We believe that there are numerous applications for use of this technology within the Delta to create habitat and in urban and agricultural settings throughout California so that water quality can be improved for water recycling purposes, thus lessening Delta dependence. Click here to see Mr. Dempsey's presentation (PPT).

Steve Haze of the San Joaquin Valley Water Leadership Forum gave a presentation on how restoration of the Tulare Lake Basin could become a significant source of water for the San Joaquin Valley, thereby lessening Delta dependence. Click here to see Mr. Haze's plan on the web.

At the panel's conclusion a call to action was given to attendees to become involved in a letter writing campaign on how regional water self sufficiency can solve California's water needs and lessen Delta water dependence.