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MWDOC Declares Drought Emergency Over in OC; State Fails to Follow Suit
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As
the state endures yet another round of powerful storms and key reservoirs are already filled to the brim, one can only wonder when will the Governor declare an end to the Drought Emergency in California?
Earlier this month, Directors of the Municipal Water District of Orange County declared an end to the "emergency" drought in Orange County and urged the State Water Resources Control Board to do the same.
Days later, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) decided to hold on to the powers granted to them under the "emergency" declaration, extending the declared emergency another 270 days, even as Orange County and the state are on pace for the wettest year on records.
"It defies logic to tell the public - to force water agencies to tell the public - that we are still in a drought emergency," said MWDOC Board President, Wayne Osborne. "We remain in a drought, but it is no longer an emergency. Not only is it unnecessary, continuing the 'emergency' will destroy local leaders' credibility with their stakeholders."
The credibility of water officials clinging to the "emergency" declaration took a larger hit, when nearly 200,000 residents in the communities around the Oroville Dam were evacuated when the primary spillway and emergency spillways were damaged during extreme outflows.
With another week of record precipitation for much of the state, it remains to be seen whether the Governor will answer calls to lift the emergency drought orders in the face of declared emergency flood conditions and a very different picture of drought from the onset.
In case you missed it, MWDOC in the news:
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NBC
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CBS
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KTLA
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ABC
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OC Register
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MWDOC Taps 2017 Leaders
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In a unanimous vote, the Board of Directors of the Municipal Water District of Orange County re-elected Director Wayne S. Osborne as Board President. Director Brett R. Barbre will also serve a second consecutive term as Vice President for 2017.
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Support Builds for California WaterFix
MWDOC endorsed project in December
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e City of Buena Park, Mesa Water and the Santa Margarita, South Coast, Trabuco Canyon and Yorba Linda Water Districts have endorsed the California WaterFix and EcoRestore. These projects will ensure reliable water deliveries to the State Water Project and stabilize the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Directors from the Municipal Water District of Orange County endorsed the twin-tunnel plan in December, after env
ironment
al studies found the proposals to be environmentally superior to more than 100 others. This year is seen as critical for the project, as state and federal environmental studies are finished and Governor Jerry Brown, a project supporter, heads
into his final two years in office.
Before leaving office in January,
U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell issued a Secretarial Order directing the Department of the Interior and its bureaus to take timely actions to help address the effects of drought and climate change on California's water supply and imperiled wildlife - including swift review of the twin-tunnel and EcoRestore plan.
The MWDOC resolution supporting the projects called on support from other civic and community leaders, along with opposition to any efforts to undermine the WaterFix or EcoRestore. Email Public Affairs Director Damon Micalizzi at
[email protected] for information.
Click here for more information.
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2017 OC Water Summit Set for
June 16
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 NBC4 weathercaster Fritz Coleman will emcee the 10th Annual OC Water Summit, with this year's theme: "Finding Water."
The event will be held June 16th at the Grand Californian Hotel at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.
Confirmed speakers include: Plato Malozemoff Professor and Co-director of Berkeley Water Center, David L. Sedlak, Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider, who will discuss her city's experiences with desalination, former LA Department of Water and Power General Manager, Marcie Edwards and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California's General Manager, Jeffrey Kightlinger and Assistant General Manager, Debra Man.
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Upcoming Meetings/Events
March 6:
Planning & Operations
Committee Meeting
March 8:
Administration & Finance
Committee Meeting
March 15:
Regular Board Meeting
All meetings are at MWDOC, 18700 Ward Ave., Fountain Valley.
For information on MWDOC meetings and events, please click on the calendar icon above.
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Metropolitan GM Kightlinger to Speak at MWDOC Water Policy Forum & Dinner
From the
worst drought of our lifetimes, to having more water than can be put into storage, it has been a decade of challenges and opportunities for water providers in California.
With more uncertainty in the future, Jeffrey Kightlinger, General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of the largest water provider in the nation, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), joins us to discuss drought, pending new state regulations, and what must be done to achieve a sustainable water supply for Southern California in the years ahead.
The Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) would like to invite you to join the conversation at the Water Policy Forum & Dinner, Friday, March 30.
Join MWDOC as we host our first event in an exciting new venue, Great Wolf Lodge in Garden Grove. Those in attendance will also have an opportunity to join the conversation with a question-and-answer period.
Registration is available for $80 per person. This includes the pre-dinner reception (cash bar), three-course dinner (choice of entrée), and self-parking.
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2017 Water Awareness Contest Underway!
"Finding Water" is the theme of the 2017 Municipal Water District of Orange County poster contest.
The contest is open to all Orange County students in grades K-12. Submissions must reflect the student's own ability. Posters must be drawn horizontally on 8.5x11 or 12x18 inch paper.
Grand prize winners receive an iPad!
Please submit original artwork only. Posters submitted with copyrighted characters or images will not be accepted (e.g. Spongebob or Mickey Mouse). Students are allowed to use the Ricki Raindrop character in their design.
All posters will be the exclusive property of the Municipal Water District of Orange County for reproduction or promotional purposes, and may be published at mwdoc.com.
Teachers who submit students' artwork as a batch will be entered in a drawing for a class pizza party with Ricki the Rambunctious Raindrop!
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