Join Us for the Washington D.C. Policy Forum
2020 holds great possibilities and opportunities for our federal legislative priorities. Join us next month to hear from policy makers and advocate on priority clean water issues face to face with your Congressional Representatives in the nation’s capital. Our Washington D.C. Policy Forum is February 24 – 26, 2020 and once again we'll be featuring a joint reception and session with our drinking water colleagues at ACWA.
Registration
is open and hotel space is limited. Find more information about the forum and the
preliminary program
. We look forward to seeing you there!
|
|
Winter Conference Recap
What a great start to 2020! Our Winter Conference held at the Renaissance Indian Wells last week was a resounding success. Our conference theme was “2020 Vision: The Next Generation.” Together with some of the clean water industry’s best and brightest, we focused on the future and preparing for new challenges. This year’s program included our popular and interactive roundtable series, a general session focused on building the next generation of the clean water sector, and updates on important state and federal policy topics. A special conference luncheon dedicated to honoring CASA’s former Executive Director Bobbi Larson was a touching celebration of her long and storied career in the clean water industry.
For those who were unable to attend, check out our
website
to view the informative presentations and handouts shared by our speakers and panelists. Be sure to keep an eye out for the next edition of CASA Connects where we will include a link to the photographs taken at the 2020 Winter Conference!
|
|
BACWA Announces New Executive Director
The Bay Area Clean Water Agencies (BACWA) Executive Board has appointed Dr. Lorien Fono as their new Executive Director, replacing current BACWA Executive Director Dave Williams who will retire at the end of January. Dr. Fono has served as BACWA's Regulatory Program manager since 2012 and has supported its committees, engaged with regulators on key issues, and been involved with the day-to-day administration of the BACWA organization. She looks forward to working with the Bay Area POTW community in this new capacity, and to guide BACWA in continuing to provide the high level of service that their members expect. Congratulations to Dr. Fono and BACWA on this new chapter! Learn more about BACWA and their activities at
BACWA.org.
|
|
Committee Seeks Suggestions for Potential CASA Board Members
The CASA Nominating Committee, chaired by past president Traci Minamide, will convene in early spring to consider CASA Board of Directors candidates for the August 2020 ballot. The committee will be recommending candidates for four of the twelve elected seats.
The board of directors is the governing body responsible for policy decisions and oversight of the executive director. Board members are expected to:
- Attend all CASA conferences and the Washington D.C. policy forum
- Participate in monthly board conference calls and in-person meetings
- Attend an annual strategic planning session for the association
- Assist in member recruitment and retention
- Represent CASA at events and meetings as requested by the President
CASA attempts to include geographic diversity as well as a balance of agency managers and elected officials on our Board. This year we anticipate the need for a Southern California manager and a Northern 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, 2020.
|
|
Legislative and Regulatory Updates
|
|
CASA Sponsored Wet Wipes Labeling Bill Moves Forward
We are pleased to report that CASA’s sponsored bill on wet wipes labeling, AB 1672 (Bloom) passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Thursday, January 23
rd
. It now heads to the Assembly Floor where it will be up for a vote this week. The bill has been sitting in the Appropriations Committee since last May and was passed as a “two-year bill” this month after CASA and our co-sponsor, the National Stewardship Action Council, met with the wipes manufacturers and jointly agreed to
amendments
to the bill to keep it moving. Discussions with the manufacturers will continue this Spring and further amendments to the bill may result from that process.
If the bill passes the Assembly Floor this week it will then head to the Senate, where it will be heard in policy committees this Spring. Stay tuned as we will be reaching out to CASA members for letters of support at the appropriate time.
|
|
In the News: CASA Wipes Bill Gets National Coverage
Following the action on our bill in the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Thursday, the news of its passage gained great media traction both locally and nationally. Check out the Associated Press
article
and share it on your agency’s social media pages. Don’t let your customers be the last to see it!
|
|
Fires, Favors and Wolves
In the wake of the recent Kincade fire in Northern California, Sonoma Water’s Assistant General Manager Michael Thompson shared his agency's experience with us at the Winter Conference. Read more about the recent disaster experience in the article “10 Minutes with Michael Thompson” from
BC Water News.
|
|
A Changing Water Landscape
It’s no secret that the landscape of water is ever-changing, so how do we keep up? Check out this article from
The Public Policy Institute of California
(PPIC) on their continued engagement with water issues like climate change, freshwater ecosystems, and sustainable groundwater management.
|
|
CalOES/FEMA Grant Portal Training
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Grants Portal training is coming up through California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES), and special districts are strongly encouraged to participate. It’s a great opportunity for districts to get trained on how to set up an account and pre-load all their essential information and documents so that financial assistance is expedited in the event of a catastrophic incident.
|
|
SCAP Biennial Biosolids Survey
Check out the
SCAP Biennial Biosolids Survey
conducted by the Southern California Alliance of POTWs (SCAP). It contains interesting and up-to-date information on biosolids production, management, cost, staffing, planning, co-digestion, and challenges facing Southern California agencies. Many thanks to SCAP Executive Director Steve Jepsen for sharing this survey and to his agency volunteers for their work in collecting and compiling the data. Please contact
Greg Kester
if you have any questions or comments.
|
|
USEPA Biosolids Webinars Available in February
Biosolids annual reports for 2019 activities are due to USEPA via electronic submission by February 19, 2020. To assist agencies with the submission process USEPA has been conducting training webinars on the reporting system and requirements. Registration for the final webinar on February 12
th
from 10:00 – 11:00 PDT is available
here
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
