|
Winter Conference Recap
What a great start to 2024! Our Winter Conference in Palm Springs was a resounding success. Together with some of the clean water sector’s best and brightest, we focused on complex challenges facing the wastewater community, looking toward the future and preparing the next generation. We kicked off the conference on Wednesday, January 25 with a full day of meetings, roundtables, and networking. On day two we heard from Jane Gajwani, Director of the New York City Office of Energy and Resource Recovery Programs as she presented on the Circular Water Economy followed by the general sessions which included funding, recruitment and retention, and innovative permitting approaches. During the Thursday luncheon we received a powerful message from Representative Raul Ruiz and bid farewell to Joyce Gwidt.
| |
|
Just Around the Corner: Washington D.C. Policy Forum
CASA is returning to the Willard InterContinental in Washington, D.C. in just a couple weeks! The event boasts a stellar program featuring distinguished speakers from Congressional staff, reporters, and national water associations. They will share their insights on infrastructure funding, cybersecurity and other significant developments crucial to California's clean water professionals. Join us in the nation’s capital on February 26 - 27, 2024, to fortify our advocacy efforts and advance our shared federal agenda by engaging directly with key stakeholders. Registration is still open! We look forward to seeing you there!
This year, we have set aside time for agencies to make their own appointments for Congressional visits, with the assistance of our federal advocates. Be sure to reach out to Eric and Sarah Sapirstein by Thursday, February 15 if you are interested in setting Congressional meetings.
| |
|
Apply Now for CASA's Prestigious Award of Excellence
Your organization works hard to do what’s right for California. Recognition from the leading clean water association honors your hard work and accomplishments. It’s a symbol of respect, credibility, and innovation. CASA seeks to recognize members who provide essential public services and go above and beyond to protect public health and the environment. We invite all member agencies and associates to submit an Award of Excellence application by Tuesday, April 30, 2024. The recipients of these awards will be announced and celebrated during CASA's Annual Conference in August. Your commitment deserves to be highlighted, and we look forward to recognizing your outstanding contributions. For more information about the award criteria and categories, please visit the Awards Program Webpage.
| |
|
CASA Education Foundation Scholarship Applications
The CASA Education Foundation helps ensure clean water for Californians and energize the future of the clean water sector by awarding scholarships to promising students on a path to serving the environmental community. Does your local college or university know about CASA’s financial aid to students interested in a career in water? The Foundation is accepting scholarship applications through May 17, 2024. For information on how to apply, who is eligible and the scholarship guidelines, visit the website.
| |
Committee Seeks Suggestions for Potential CASA Board Members
The CASA Nominating Committee, chaired by CASA Secretary-Treasurer Tony Trembley, will convene in early spring to consider CASA Board of Directors candidates for the August 2024 ballot. The committee will be recommending candidates for four of the twelve elected seats. CASA attempts to include geographic diversity as well as a balance of agency managers and elected officials on our Board. This year we anticipate one “open” seat for a Southern California elected official. Ideal candidates will be familiar with CASA as an organization and preferably will have served on or actively participated in CASA workgroups, committees and events. If you know someone who would be a valuable board member, please send a brief email to Nominations@casaweb.org with their name, agency and a few sentences about his or her qualifications. Please send your recommendation by March 15, 2024.
| |
|
We Want Your Feedback: Member Survey Closes Tomorrow!
To help guide our priorities for the coming years, and maximize the value we provide for our membership, CASA has put together a brief survey. This is your chance to weigh in on the important issues impacting your agency, let us know how you engage with CASA, and share which aspects of CASA membership you find most valuable (and where we can improve!). The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete, and you can review a PDF copy of the questions prior to responding to the survey online, please complete the survey by this Friday, February 9. We are looking for responses from all individuals who engage with CASA, so multiple responses from a single agency or company are encouraged! As a valued CASA member, we thank you in advance for your participation.
| |
If you have questions related to state legislative updates, please contact Jessica Gauger. | |
|
California Senate Swears in New Leader
On Monday, February 5th Senator Mike McGuire was sworn in as the new President pro Tempore of the California State Senate. Senator McGuire succeeds Senator Toni Atkins who is terming out of office later this year. The change in leadership was decided by the majority caucus and announced last year and the transition has been underway for several months. In his new role as pro Tem, Senator McGuire will be responsible for all leadership decisions including which Senators are appointed to policy, fiscal and budget committees. Whether major changes to existing leadership appointments will be made this year remains uncertain, and Senator McGuire has indicated that he will be making those decisions in the coming weeks.
| |
|
If you have questions related to regulatory updates, please contact
Jared Voskuhl.
| |
|
Sign up for CASA’s Regulatory Updates
CASA’s Regulatory Workgroup regularly puts together a comprehensive e-newsletter to share all regulatory updates on key issues and workgroup initiatives with the CASA membership. If you are interested in receiving these regulatory updates, please contact Jared Voskuhl. The latest edition is available here.
| |
|
The Sterling Natural Resource Center Recycled its ‘First Drop’ of Water
The East Valley Water District has begun operations at the Sterling Natural Resource Center (SNRC), a state-of-the-art reclamation facility and community center that will recycle up to 8 million gallons of wastewater per day. The first indirect potable reuse project in the region will replenish the local groundwater basin that is at historic low levels and is the source of water for approximately 650,000 people. A significant milestone in operations was reached with the SNRC officially recycling its ‘first drop’ of water. “While small in size, the first water drop presents a big milestone for our community and region,” said Michael Moore, General Manager/CEO. “Years of planning, design, construction, and testing come to fruition with this water drop. East Valley Water District is now ready to recycle wastewater and create a sustainable future for generations to come.” Read more in the press release here.
| |
OC San’s Virtual Wastewater 101 Citizens Academy Coming Soon…
OC San is excited to announce that they will be hosting the spring session of the Wastewater 101 Citizens Academy. The Academy is FREE and virtual. The goal of the Academy is to educate and inform the community on the various programs, initiatives, and efforts led by OC San. The Academy features four workshops over the course of two months and will be hosted and presented by OC San staff. The focus of the workshops are: Who We Are and What We Do, Environmental Services, OC San the Nuts and Bolts, and the Capital Improvement Program. The Academy is available to community members who are 18 years and older with the first session beginning on March 7. Additional information or to register can be found at www.ocsan.gov/wastewater101.
| |
|
Water Sector Security Benchmarking Study
Central Contra Costa Sanitary District (Central San) is conducting a Water Sector Security Benchmarking Study and invites all CASA member agencies to participate. The survey is being administered by Guidepost Solutions and covers physical security, security staffing, security technology, and other security concerns common to water and wastewater utilities. All responses will be anonymized. No data will be attributable to a specific agency, nor will any data be used for business development purposes. Central San will be delighted to share the anonymized results with all who participate; please include your email address in the survey to receive a copy of the report. The survey should take no more than 15 minutes to complete, and you can review a PDF copy of the questions prior to responding to the survey online.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Angela Osborne at Guidepost Solutions: 571-451-9721 or aosborne@guidepostsolutions.com.
| |
|
Water-Energy Nexus (WEN) Registry
The Water-Energy Nexus (WEN) Registry is a voluntary greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting program, open to all organizations with operations in California, including water suppliers, distributors, end users, wastewater managers and organizations with large water footprints. WEN participants will be provided a suite of tools and resources to measure their GHG emissions associated with various water processes for FREE until March 2025. Some of the benefits for WEN participants are:
1. Understanding the impact of water on GHG emissions
2. Monitor Climate Action & Resilience Plans
3. Standardized GHG accounting methodology
Read more about the Water-Energy Nexus and why it matters and subscribe to stay up-to-date The Climate Registry’s WEN Registry re-launch and be notified when WEN webinars such as “Ask the Expert” will be.
| |
|
WELL 12th Annual Conference
Registration is open for WELL's 12th Annual Statewide Conference which will be held from Friday, March 15 to Saturday, March 16, 2024, in San Jose, CA! WELL will bring together top water policy experts and practitioners to share their knowledge on California’s top water challenges and the opportunities to mitigate the impacts. By attending, elected officials will be able to expand their water knowledge and provide water solutions for their community. Full panel topics and descriptions are available on our website now. Click here to register, a flyer is also attached.
| |
Save the Date - PFI Event
Save the date for the CWEA and CASA Partnering for Impact (PFI) event happening on June 4, 2024, from 8:00am in Irvine, CA. The goal of Partnering for Impact is to build stronger utility, university, and industry collaborations for innovation and find areas where we can create a positive impact together.
| |
CASA represents more than 130 local public agencies engaged in the collection, treatment and recycling of Wastewater and biosolids to protect public health and the environment. Our mission is to provide trusted information and advocacy on behalf of California clean water agencies, and to be a leader in sustainability and utilization of renewable resources. | | | | |
