Water Stewardship in Drought Conditions
On April 9, 2015, farmers, ranchers, grapegrowers and representatives from utilities and state, county, and tribal governments gathered at the Soper-Reese Theatre in Lakeport for an in-depth discussion about the state of water in Lake County at an information-packed seminar titled “Water Stewardship in Drought Conditions.”
Keynote speaker Janet Pauli PhD discusses initiative to raise Coyote Valley Dam
The seminar was presented collaboratively by the Lake County Farm Bureau, Lake County Winegrape Commission, and UC Cooperative Extension and featured speakers from around the state who are experts on topics such as surface water, groundwater, water policy and law, and water management tools and technologies.
Speaker presentations covered a wide array of water-related topics important to agriculture, including:
Water Storage and Lake Mendocino – Raising Coyote Valley Dam – Raising Coyote Valley Dam” by Janet Pauli, PhD, Chair, Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission
State of Water Policy and Law in California – Tom Hicks by Tom Hicks, JD, California Water Law and Conservation Attorney
Lake County Water Update – Scott De Leon by Scott De Leon, Water Resources Director, County of Lake
“Surface Water – A Statewide Overview” by Justin E. Fredrickson, Environmental Policy Analyst, California Farm Bureau Federation
Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program by Bruce Houdesheldt, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Northern California Water Association
Sustainable Groundwater Management by Thomas Harter, PhD, Groundwater Hydrologist, UC Cooperative Extension
Addressing Weather Risks by Don Schukraft, CEO/Certified Consulting Meteorologist, Western Weather Group
Actual Vineyard Evapotranspiration: A New Tool to Help Growers Manage Water to Meet Their Production Goals by Tom Shapland, PhD, Co-Founder, Tule
Drought Strategies for Winegrape Vineyards by Bryan L. Rahn, CPAg/SS, President, Coastal Viticultural Consultants
Schukraft, Shapland, and Rahn also participated in a panel discussion titled “Water Use in Agriculture – Crop Water Estimation and Technology” moderated by Paul Zellman, Education Director for the Lake County Winegrape Commission.
Representatives from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), PG&E, and American Ag Credit were present to discuss available programs and services.
