CASA Conference Keynote: PPIC President Tani Cantil-Sakauye

Wrap-up summer with your colleagues in San Diego at CASA’s Annual Conference, August 9-11, with a chance to hear from Tani Cantil-Sakauye, president and CEO of the Public Policy Institute of California and former Chief Justice of California. Registration is still open!

Register for the conference.

Learn More About the 2023-24 CASA Mentorship Program

CASA is delighted to share that we will be continuing the CASA Mentoring Program in 2023-24 after another successful year. Join us as a mentor or mentee to inspire others, share knowledge and drive change! Want to learn more? Register today for one of our virtual information sessions on Monday, July 31, from 12:00pm - 12:30pm or Wednesday, August 16, from 11:30am - 12:00pm.

Ready to apply? Follow this link to the mentor or mentee application.

*Registration Closes on August 31*

We anticipate spots to fill quickly, so be sure to apply for the mentoring program today!

For questions, contact CASA’s Manager of Communications, Alyssa Downs at adowns@casawaeb.org.  

CASA Launches HR + Workforce Development Focused Group

CASA is excited to announce the launch of our first workgroup and LISTSERV dedicated to human resources and workforce development related issues! It has become clear in recent years that topics related to retention, recruitment, and leadership are top of mind for local clean water agencies. This new group will provide members with an opportunity to discuss these issues with your fellow California agencies. If you are interested in joining this workgroup, please email Cheryl MacKelvie (cmackelvie@casaweb.org) directly. Some of the areas we hope to focus on include:

CASA Article on PFAS Featured in Western City Magazine

CASA recently contributed an article on PFAS to the League of California Cities’ magazine, Western City. CASA’s Adam Link authored the article titled “Efforts to limit ‘forever chemicals’ are underway. What does this mean for cities?”, discussing how "Forever chemicals" have prompted major lawsuits and state and federal legislative action and what this means for cities. Check out the publication here and reach out to Adam Link with any questions or comments.

AB 759 (Grayson) Signed by the Governor

We are pleased to report that CASA’s sponsored bill, AB 759 (Grayson) relating to sanitary district accounting procedures was signed by Governor Newsom on June 29. This bill will become effective January 1, 2024, and updates the Sanitary District Act of 1939 to modernize the statutory accounting practices that require Sanitary Districts to submit their check register for approval by the District Board President at each Board meeting. AB 759 provides an alternative that gives discretion to the Board of a Sanitary District to adopt a policy that allows for the disbursement of funds. We greatly appreciate all the support and help from our members on this issue. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Jessica Gauger or Spencer Saks. 

Sign up for CASA’s State Legislative Newsletter

CASA has created a new comprehensive e-newsletter to share state legislative updates with the CASA membership. If you are interested in receiving these updates, please contact Spencer Saks. The latest edition is available here.

Water Board Releases Draft Direct Potable Reuse Regulations

The California State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board) released an advanced copy of the highly anticipated Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) regulations. The 45-day comment period and Administrative Procedures Act formally began on July 21. The Water Board is planning to conduct a workshop on the regulations on Thursday, September 7, with final approval planned for the second week in December.  

“Bingo”: USD Workers Recover Flushed Wedding Ring

It’s a triple-crown win for Union Sanitary District (USD) Collection Services workers: They recently recovered a treasured ring thought to be lost in a sewer line – the District’s third ring rescued in recent years.

Welcome New CASA Members



City of Ventura

Town of Windsor    

City of Yuba City

CAMBI  

State Officials Provide $80 Million in funding to Pure Water Southern California

State officials presented an $80 million check this month to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts to help advance Pure Water Southern California, a large-scale, regional water recycling program that will create a new source of water to benefit 19 million people amid a changing climate.

WBE Research Coordination Network (RCN) Annual Meeting

The National Science Foundation RCN for Wastewater Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 and Emerging Public Health Threats, together with the Water Environment Federation, is hosting their annual meeting on August 2, 2023 from 9am – 11am. As COVID-19 loses urgency, research groups and public health agencies around the world are deciding how to include wastewater surveillance into other disease surveillance programs. This annual meeting will reflect on where we have come over the last three years, and will discuss the future of the field.

The event is free to register and open to all! 

Registration: https://www.accelevents.com/e/wbe-rcn-2023-annual-meeting 

CAPIO 2023 Leadership Summit

CAPIO has announced that registration is now open for the inaugural Leadership Summit taking place in Lake Forest, CA on September 25 & 26! Join CAPIO for an insightful and engaging two days geared toward public sector communicators looking to further their leadership skills. Register Today!

Innovative Technology Seminars are Back!

Save the date! The 2023 Innovative Technology Seminars co-hosted by CASA and CWEA are happening on November 29^th at the San Francisco Regional Water Board offices in Oakland and on November 30^th at the Hyperion Water Resource Recovery Facility in Los Angeles. We are very excited to bring these popular seminars back this year with a tremendous lineup of speakers. Please reach out to Greg Kester with any questions or comments and be on the lookout for registration material in late August.

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.