2023 Western Groundwater Congress - Agenda

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Hydrogeologic & Engineering Solutions

for Groundwater Challenges

Our Experts Can Help

Water Planning and Development

Tony Morgan, PG, CHG

Data Management Systems/ Groundwater Modeling

Gus Tolley, PhD

Environmental Litigation Support/ CO2 Sequestration

Gregory Schnaar, PhD, PG

Groundwater Data Analysis/ Field Instrumentation

Phoebe Nicholls

Numerical Modeling/ Engineering

Farag Botros, PhD, PE

Site Investigations/ Water Quality

Hannah Erbele, PG

Welcome!

Hello! And welcome to Groundwater Resources Association of California’s (GRA) Sixth Annual Western Groundwater Congress (WGC). As the Chair, I am absolutely honored to be the first to welcome you to the 2023 WGC in Burbank. I know I will not be the last. You see, this conference was built to welcome you with open arms. From the big names, the up-and-comers, the bright young minds, the communities, the planners, the groundwater gurus, and everyone in between, we all have a seat at this “table.” Although the activities, talks, and workshops focus around groundwater, there’s a bigger underlying theme… YOU!

The theme “the future of groundwater is you!” has two meanings to me:

1. First, who is “the you?” Who are the people that make up our “groundwater users?” And what challenges do we face when it comes to groundwater?

2. Second, it’s a call to action. What will you do to ensure groundwater is available to all who need it? And how do we solve these challenges?

We hope to answer these questions throughout the conference. We are extremely excited to introduce a brand new community-based “idea board” called the Flow-Focused Forum. This will be on proud display at the center of the conference for anyone to write down their ideas, thoughts, challenges, or solutions.

Our attendees and technical sessions are as diverse and inclusive as ever. Our lineup is stacked with talks, panels, and workshops on technology, AI, groundwater management, contaminant investigation/ remediation, policy, and so much more. We have integrated even more diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) aspects through a brand new scholarship program and elevating a vast community of voices throughout the agenda. Our Student Networking and Participation Program (SNAPP) presentations have literally hit their limits. And on top of it all, we will have lots of fun through two receptions, networking opportunities, and even a silent disco to cap off night number two.

I could not write a welcome letter without thanking you all for your support, the GRA community and beyond. You have been fundamental to this WGC’s success, having shown your support and even setting some records with abstract submissions, sponsorships, planning committee support, and simply showing up. This “thank you,” is for you.

Please come with questions, thoughts, ideas, and concerns. Say hi to friends and introduce yourselves to strangers, and please say hi to me! I would love to meet each of you. This conference will be what you make it… ‘Cause after all, the future of groundwater is YOU!

Clay Sorensen, 2023 WGC Event Chair, GRA Board Member

GRA BRANCH BREWS

Collect Them All!

On Wednesday evening at 6 we’ll be having our I Am the Future of Groundwater Reception and Poster Session in the Academy Foyer/Courtyard. GRA Branch representatives will be stamping this page of the program and if you collect all 8 stamps you can check in with staff at registration to get entered into an opportunity drawing for a chance to win a free GRACast in 2024!

And be sure to enjoy all the suds we have to offer at the reception!

Scan For The VirtualAgenda!

2023 WESTERN GROUNDWATER CONGRESS

LOS ANGELES MARRIOTT BURBANK AIRPORT HOTEL

SEPTEMBER 12-14, 2023

Agenda At A Glance

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

7:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Registration

8:00 AM - 9:15 AM

Welcome/Intro/Opening

Keynote

9:15 AM - 9:45 AM AM Break/Networking with the Exhibitors (7-minute workout)

10:00 AM - 11:55 AM

Concurrent Sessions (#1)

12:00 PM - 1:30 PM

Lunch

1:35 PM - 3:30 PM

Concurrent Sessions (#2)

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM PM Break

4:00 PM - 5:15 PM

Student Networking and Participation Program (SNAPP)

5:15 PM - 6:45 PM

Welcome Reception

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13

6:20 AM - 7:30 AM

Darcy Dash

7:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Registration

8:00 AM - 9:55 AM

Concurrent Sessions (#3)

9:55 AM - 10:25 AM AM Break (7-minute workout)

10:30 AM - 12:25 PM

Concurrent Sessions (#4)

12:30 PM - 2:00 PM

Lunch - Annual Meeting, Legislative Update and Awards

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Workshops

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM PM Break

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Concurrent Mini Sessions (#5)

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM How to Make the Most of your GRA Membership

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

I am the Future of Groundwater Reception & Poster Presentation

8:00 PM - 9:00 PM

WGC Silent Disco

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

7:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Registration

8:00 AM - 9:55 AM

Concurrent Sessions (#6)

9:55 AM - 10:25 AM AM Break

10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Closing General Session

2023 WESTERN GROUNDWATER CONGRESS

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 12TH

7:00 AM - Registration | Academy Foyer

8:00 AM - Continental Breakfast & Welcome/Intro/Opening Keynote | Academy 1/2/3

The opening keynote will be a panel focusing on building cross-sector relationships to achieve common goals and developing a better understanding of where different communities of interest are coming from when they sit down at the table. Together, the panel will explore where their priorities for the future groundwater management are aligned, and discuss how to move towards each other in areas of potential conflict. Moderated by Savannah Tjaden (Water Savvy & Tech Consulting)

9:15 AM - Standing 7-minute Workout and Networking with the Exhibitors | Conference Center/ Academy Foyer

Join us for the new Standing 7-minute Workout - get your blood pumping in between all these amazing educational sessions!

10:00 AM - Concurrent Sessions No. 1 | Choose A Track!

TRACK 1 – MANAGED AQUIFER RECHARGE

Moderator: Michael Cruikshank (WSC) | Academy 4/5

Presenters:

• Laura Foglia (Larry Walker Associates): Case Study Describing the Dunnigan Recharge Program

• Bram Sercu (United Water Conservation District): Up to the challenge: Operational strategies to maximize groundwater recharge on the Oxnard Plain during the drought buster year of 2023

• Wesley Neely (Stanford University): Mapping Groundwater Recharge Locations and Flow Paths with Geophysics

• Scott Brown (Balance Hydrologics, Inc.) & Clayton Sorensen (West Yost): Utilizing county flood control and warning systems to inform managed aquifer recharge – going beyond the Executive Order

TRACK 2 – CLIMATE CHANGE

Moderator: Leslie Dumas (Woodard & Curran) | Pasadena/Glendale

This session will focus on climate change impacts to water resources management. Presentations will focus on uncertainty around climate change impacts in planning for and adapting to climate change impacts.

Presenters:

• Stephen Schrempp (GIT HydroS): Future-oriented water resource management with focus on agricultural irrigation under climate change impacts

• Marisa Melody Earll (USGS): Evaluating Uncertainty in Forecasts of Groundwater Levels and Seawater Intrusion from Model Limitations and Climate Change in Pajaro Valley, California

• Mesut Cayar (Woodard & Curran): Predicting the Unpredictable as Climate Change Impacts Groundwater Resources

• Jesse Scolavino (Brown and Caldwell) & Ava Lazor (Alameda County Water District): Adaptive Planning Under Uncertainty: ACWD’s Climate Risk and Adaptation Approach for Groundwater Management

TRACK 3 – PFAS 1: FATE AND TRANSPORT AND INNOVATIVE REMEDIATION

Moderator: Murray Einarson (Haley & Aldrich) | Academy 6

Presenters:

• Hiroko Hort (GSI Environmental Inc.): Salt and PFAS: Mapping Potential Salting Out Effects in Coastal USA

• Dan Nunez (Regenesis): Colloidal Activated Carbon used to Enhance Natural Attenuation of PFAS at Airports World-wide: A Multiple Site Review

• Dan Bryant (Woodard & Curran): Background PFAS Concentrations in Precipitation Often Exceed Drinking Water Standards

• Meeta Pannu (Orange County Water District): Pilot- and Full-Scale Performance of PFAS Removal From Groundwater Using Bench-Scale Testing

TRACK 4 – ADVANCED DATA APPLICATIONS

Moderator: Trey Driscoll (INTERA) | Hollywood/Burbank

Presenters:

• Steven Humphrey (INTERA): Interactive 3D Visual Modeling Using Leapfrog to Support GSP Development and Stakeholder Engagement

• Aaron Lewis & Ayman Alafifi (EKI): Groundwater management made easy: a web-based decision support tool for the Arvin-Edison Water Storage District

• Max Halkjaer and Ahmad-Ali Behroozmand (Geophysical Imaging Partners, Inc.) Bringing the California State-wide AEM Survey dataset to Use

• John McHugh (Luhdorff & Scalmanini Consulting Engineers): DWR’s SGMA Portal, Resource and Tool

12:00 PM - Networking Lunch | Academy 1/2/3

1:35 PM - Concurrent Sessions No. 2 | Choose A Track!

TRACK 1 – AQUIFER STORAGE AND RECOVERY

Moderator: Jesse Scolavino (Brown & Caldwell) | Academy 4/5

This session will focus on a variety of Aquifer Storage and Recovery topics, from master planning and injection testing, to design.

Presenters:

• Garrett Rapp (West Yost): Setting the Scene: Storage and Recovery Master Planning in the Chino Basin

• Dave O’Rourke (GSI Water Solutions, Inc.): Extended Injection Testing for IPR: Lessons Learned

• Neil Deeds (INTERA): Assessment of Subsidence Risk Associated with Aquifer Storage and Recovery in the Coastal Lowlands Aquifer System, Houston, Texas, USA

• Justan Bell (Montgomery & Associates): Hydrogeologic Data Acquisition for High Desert Water Bank Recovery Wellfield Design

TRACK 2 – INTERCONNECTED SURFACE WATER AND GROUNDWATER DEPENDENT ECOSYSTEMS

Moderator: Gus Tolley (DBS&A) | Pasadena/Glendale

Presenters:

• Eric Chiang (West Yost): Integrated Surface and Ground Water Model for Adaptive Pumping Management in San Juan Creek Watershed and San Juan Groundwater Basin

• Tom Barnes (Environmental Science Associates): Developing a GDE Monitoring Protocol for the SCVGSA – A Case Study

• Kiernan Brtalik (Rincon Consultants, Inc.): Developing an Interconnected Surface Water and Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem Monitoring Program for an Ephemeral Stream in Southern California

• Katrina Arredondo, Ph.D., P.G. (Larry Walker Associates) and Laura Foglia, Ph.D (Larry Walker Associates and the University of California, Davis): Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System in Scott Valley

TRACK 3 – CONTAMINANT FATE AND TRANSPORT IN THE ENVIRONMENT

Moderator: Dan Bryant (Woodard & Curran) | Academy 6

This session will key factors and recent advances in contaminant fate and transport that are relevant for managing risk and renewing groundwater resources.

Presenters:

• Noah Heller (BESST): Use of Long-Screened Test Wells to Characterize Groundwater Quality in Three-Dimensions for a Possible Managed Aquifer Recharge and Recovery Site

• Yue Rong (LARWQCB): Vapor Intrusion Risk Versus Decision Making

• Cristina Windsor and Russell Whitney (OTT Hydromet): Monitoring Nitrate Contamination in Aquifers

• Michael Milczarek (GeoSystems Analysis, Inc.): Soil Aquifer Treatment, Pathogen and Organic Carbon Removal Revisited

TRACK 4 – AGRICULTURE RESPONSE TO SGMA

Moderator: Abigail Madrone (West Yost) | Hollywood/Burbank

This session delves into the agricultural sector’s adaptation to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) from the process and approaches to assess water demand, manage water resources in tandem with farm operations, analyze SGMA’s impact on agriculture, and explore reporting and data tools to support informed decision making.

Presenters:

• Harry Ferdon (ERA Economics): Demand for Water under SGMA: Significance of Forward-Linked Industries in California

• Trelawney Bullis (AC Foods): Juggling California Water on the Farm

• Kait Palys (INTERA): Voices of the San Joaquin Valley: What the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Means to Agricultural Stakeholders

• Joel Kimmelshue (Land IQ): Remotely Sensed Crop Mapping and Field-Level Consumptive Use Estimates for Water Resource Management and Informed Decision Making

3:30 PM - PM Break and Networking with the Exhibitors

4:00 PM - Student Networking and Participation Program

(SNAPP) | Academy 1/2/3

SNAPP Talks* is a special conference session that provides students the opportunity to practice and showcase their presentation skills and network with a variety of professionals in the water industry. Selected participants will give 3-minute presentations with a handful of slides that introduce themselves and highlight their research topic or recent project. Moderated by Gus Tolley, PhD (DBS&A) *Previously known as GROUNDWATERx

5:00 PM - Welcome Reception | Academy Foyer/Courtyard

Come one, come all to the Welcome Reception, where all are welcome, and welcome are all!

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 13TH

6:20 AM - Darcy Dash 5K Walk/Run

Dust off your running shoes and join us for the Darcy Dash 5k! Participants, please meet in the hotel lobby by 6:20 AM for a 5k go-at-your-own-pace walk/run.

7:00 AM - Registration & Continental Breakfast | Conference Center/Academy Foyer

8:00 AM - Concurrent Sessions No. 3 | Choose A Track!

TRACK 1 – GEOPHYSICS FOR STATEWIDE BASIN CHARACTERIZATION

Moderator: Abhishek Singh (INTERA) | Academy 4/5

Geophysical tools can provide invaluable information about the subsurface, aiding in aquifer characterization and groundwater quality assessments. This session delves deep into how geophysics is transforming our understanding of California’s aquifers and aiding in sustainable groundwater management. In particular, the session will focus on geophysical investigations undertaken by the California Department of Water Resources and Statewide Datasets provided as part of the SGMA technical assistance program.

Presenters:

• Steven Springhorn and Benjamin Brezing (CA Department of Water Resources): DWR’s Basin Characterization and Pilot Studies

• Katherine Dlubac (CA Department of Water Resources): DWR’s Statewide AEM Surveys and Recharge Pilot Study

• Timothy Parker (Ramboll): Application of Supporting Data for DWR-AEM Survey Inversions and Lithology Models

• Ian Gottschalk (Ramboll): Focused Low Moment DWR-AEM Survey for Mapping Surface infiltration Recharge Potential

TRACK 2 – GROUNDWATER QUALITY

Moderator: Michael Schaefer (West Yost & Associates) | Pasadena/Glendale

This session will cover advanced water quality monitoring techniques including  isotope and water quality tracers, airborne water quality observations, and techniques to optimize water quality monitoring along with an overview of progress in Central Valley nutrient management.

Presenters:

• Seogi Kang (Stanford): Integration of Airborne Electromagnetic Data into the Modeling of Saltwater Intrusion

• Mark Woyshner (Balance Hydrologics, Inc.): Sustainable management of a fractured granitic aquifer in coastal California using water quality and isotopic tracers with surface and groundwater monitoring.

• Barbara Dalgish (Luhdorff & Scalmanini Consulting Engineers): California’s Central Valley Nitrate Control Program and How Far We’ve Come

• Andres Diaz (Woodard & Curran): Optimizing Groundwater Quality Monitoring in the Yuba Subbasin

TRACK 3 – GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE CONTAMINANT MANAGEMENT AND REMEDIATION

Moderator: Meeta Pannu (OCWD) | Academy 6

This session will discuss novel concepts that incorporate sustainability factors into environmental remediation and examine case studies, where sustainable and resilient remediation (SRR) was successfully implemented.  Additionally, our speakers will shed light on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and its relationship with SRR.

Presenters:

• Jeff Davis (Integral): Building Climate Resilience through Sustainable Remediation in the Western Region

• John Sankey (True Blue): Novel sustainability scoring method for soil remediation technologies

• Roohi Toosi (APEX): ESG and Sustainable & Resilient Remediation. How to leverage an environmental liability to an ESG opportunity?

• Bill Lundy Jr. (DeepEarth): Inhibiting corrosion with Green Sustainable Remediation (GSR) near and around active AST, UST and Pipeline

TRACK 4 – NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN MODELING

Moderator: Mesut Cayar (Woodard & Curran) | Hollywood/Burbank

This session will focus on new advances and innovative approaches in integrated surface water groundwater modeling  in the area of surface water groundwater interaction, calibration, model updates/refinement and use of Airborne Electromagnetic (AEM) data.

Presenters:

• Kapo Coulibaly (Mojave Water Agency): Integrated Surface Water/Groundwater Model of the Upper Mojave River Basin Using the Basin Characterization Model and MODFLOW-NWT

• Lauren Salberg (West Yost): Course-correction: An exercise in comparing model-estimated to actual groundwater pumping data

• Brian Partington (Water Replenishment District): Groundwater Model Update for Los Angeles Coastal Plain, Los Angeles County, California

• Matthew Tonkin (S.S. Papadopulos and Associates, Inc.): Effective Use of Airborne Electromagnetic (AEM) Data for Groundwater Modeling

9:55 AM - Standing 7-minute Workout and Networking with the Exhibitors

Join us for the new Standing 7-minute Workout - get your blood pumping in between all these amazing educational sessions!

10:30 AM - Concurrent Sessions No. 4 | Choose A Track!

TRACK 1 – ADVANCES IN SUBSURFACE CHARACTERIZATION

Moderator: Ahmad Ali Behroozmand (Geophysical Imaging Partners) | Academy 4/5

This session will provide advances in subsurface characterization using geophysical methods and other techniques. Applications include managed aquifer recharge, finding faults, designing injection wells, improved understanding of subsurface flow, and more.

Presenters:

• Kyle Spears (Aestus, LLC): Using a Groundwater Camera: Electrical Monitoring of Managed Aquifer Recharge

• John Jansen (Collier Geophysics): Finding Faults and Setting Boundaries: Using Surface Geophysics to Map Faults for Groundwater Studies

• Matthew W. Becker (CSU Long Beach): Fiber Optic Distributed Sensing as a Window on Subsurface Flow

• Rodney Fricke (GEI Consultants, Inc): Advanced Geophysics, Zone Testing, and Well Profiling in Design of a 2-MGD Injection Well

TRACK 2 – BASIN MANAGEMENT UNDER SGMA

Moderator: Jeff Davis (Integral) | Pasadena/Glendale

Presenters:

• Nate Page (GSI Water Solutions): Use of Satellite data for Groundwater Basin analyses in the age of SGMA

• Vivek Bedekar (S.S. Papadopulos and Associates, Inc.): Lessons Learned from Groundwater Management in Arizona

• Samantha Adams (West Yost): Success and Challenges in Groundwater Management in a Newly Adjudicated Basin – Perspectives from Borrego Springs

• Rob Gailey (R.M. Gailey Consulting): Factoring Impacts to Water Supply Well Operations into Groundwater Management Planning

PROVIDING

• Construction

• Contaminated site management

• EHS compliance

• ESG and sustainability

• Geotechnical engineering

• Lean consulting

• Resilience

• Water resources

Haley & Aldrich’s environmental and engineering consultants build relationships that last because we deliver

TRACK 3 – PFAS 2 (AND BEYOND): INNOVATIVE AND SUCCESSFUL REMEDIATION STORIES

Moderator: Roohi Toosi (APEX) | Academy 6

This session will introduce state-of-the-art PFAS remediation technologies and the presenters will share success stories of destructive and in-situ methods.

Presenters:

• Christine Pham (Orange County Water District): In-Situ Gravity Driven Removal of PFAS during Groundwater Recharge to Protect Drinking Water

• John Xiong (Haley & Aldrich): BEYOND SEPARATION TECHNOLOGIES: EFFECTIVE DESTRUCTION OF PFAS USING AN INNOVATIVE ADVANCED REDUCTION PROCESS

• Patrick Joyce (TRS): Thermal desorption of PFAS containing soil, ex situ and in situ case studies

• John Freim (Regenesis): Materials and methods for the rapid and complete in-situ remediation of DNAPL and source zone contaminants

TRACK 4 – GSAs: RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD CHALLENGES

Moderator: Arden Wells (Todd Groundwater) | Hollywood/Burbank

Learn about efficient and creative strategies that GSAs have utilized to address monitoring, regulatory, and financial challenges during SGMA implementation.

Presenters:

• Meredith Parkin (Environmental Science Associates): Streamlined CEQA for GSP Implementation

• Ryan Aston (SCI Consulting Group) and Laura Foglia (Larry Walker Associates): The Rich Get Richer

Leveraging Fee Revenue in Support of Grant Awards

• Bill Rice (Larry Walker Associates): Quality data for Engaged Stakeholders: The use of high-quality field instruments and continuous telemetry connected remote monitoring for enhanced SGMA implementation

• Andy Rodgers and Indigo Bannister (West Yost): To Affinity and Beyond! Launching GSAs from a member agency funding model through the first ‘light’year of assessing groundwater fees to achieve financial independence

12:30 PM - Lunch - Annual Meeting, Legislative Update and Awards | Academy 1/2/3

2:00 PM - Concurrent Workshops and Panels

FASTPATH: HARNESSING THE POWER OF GEOPHYSICAL IMAGING TO RECHARGE CALIFORNIA’S GROUNDWATER (WORKSHOP) This Session requires a separate registration - please see staff if you would like to attend.

This workshop will lead participants through the fastpath app, and introduce the web-based course that provides the background to the geophysical methods and explains the various steps involved in producing the recharge assessment maps. Limit of 40 attendees.

Facilitators: Rosemary Knight, Seogi Kang, Meredith Goebel (Dept. of Geophysics, Stanford University) | Location: Academy 6

AI AND WATER – PERSPECTIVES ON AI’S POTENTIAL TO TRANSFORM THE INDUSTRY (WORKSHOP)

In this workshop, we’ll look at how AI is viewed by management is viewed by innovative water districts in southern California, dive deeper into how AI is currently being deployed in the industry by the public and private sector, and the potential for AI to accelerate positive change in the industry over the next decade. The audience will be engaged to be active participants throughout the panel and reverse panel discussion.

Moderator: Erik Cadaret (West Yost) | Location: Academy 4/5

Presenters: : Joone Lopez (Moulton Niguel Water District), Frank Ury (Santa Margarita Water District)

Panelists

• Johnathan Cruz (Moulton Niguel Water District)

• Jeanna Long (Woodard & Curran), and ChatGPT (yes really!)

ROADMAP TO GROUNDWATER ACCOUNTING (PANEL) Co-Sponsored by: Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group

Many GSAs are planning to provide allocations and mechanisms to manage, monitor, and enforce groundwater use. Regardless of the method used to measure groundwater use, a comprehensive and robust accounting system is needed for implementation. This unique panel will discuss lessonslearned and insights from building and rolling out two different accounting systems: the Kaweah Water Dashboard and the Groundwater Accounting Platform. There will be many opportunities for the audience to ask questions and join the discussion!

Moderator: Savannah Tjaden (Water Savvy & Tech Consulting) | Location: Hollywood/Burbank

Panelists:

• Andrew Lovseth, UX Designer (Environmental Science Associates)

• Hannah Ake, Sr Program Manager (California Water Data Consortium)

• Scott Steinbeck, Sr Developer (United Tracking Systems)

• James Fischer, Water Resources Engineer (Mid-Kaweah GSA)

A PANEL ON RECYCLED WATER RECHARGE - OPPORTUNITIES, SUCCESSES, AND LESSONS LEARNED (PANEL) Co-Sponsored by: Brown and Caldwell

This panel will bring together leading voices from Southern California to highlight current and future recycled water recharge projects in Southern California. The panel will focus on the importance of recycled water recharge for groundwater sustainability and water resilience, planning considerations, challenges and solutions to permitting and engineering, operational and maintenance issues, and funding opportunities for large regional recycled water programs. Panelists will present case studies from their respective Agencies and engage in moderated questions and answers with the audience on all aspects of recycled water recharge projects.

Moderator: Abhishek Singh (INTERA) | Location: Pasadena/Glendale

Panelists:

• Brian Partington, PG, CHG, Manager of Hydrogeology, WRD

• Jesus Gonzalez, PE, Manager of Recycled Water Program, LADWP

• Claire Johnson, PE,  Senior Regulatory Specialist, OCWD,

• Matt Hacker, PG, Senior Resource Specialist, MWD

Aquifer Characterization

Gain Control of Water Resources

A comprehensive approach to water resource management is crucial for ensuring a sustainable and reliable supply of clean water using a multi-faceted strategy including:

• Water Quality Management

• Adaptive Management

• Network Resilience

• Data-Driven Decision Making

• Resource Efficiency

• Stakeholder Engagement

• Regulatory Compliance

• Innovation and Research

Integrate these strategies using our Water modules.

STRIKING THE BALANCE: THE IMPACTS OF CALIFORNIA’S PROPOSED GROUNDWATER LEGISLATION AND OTHER EFFORTS TOWARDS EQUITY AND DIVERSE COMMUNITIES OF INTEREST ENGAGEMENT (PANEL)

California has proposed numerous bills such as AB 460, AB 560, AB 779, and AB 1563 that seek to make groundwater use and adjudications more transparent and equitable. And while these bills are aimed at making the California groundwater landscape a more even playing field, they would also place additional (and more onerous) requirements on groundwater users. This panel will discuss these bills and describe the impacts they would have on California’s groundwater scheme.

Moderator: Jena Acos (Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP) | Location: Vine A/B

Panelists:

• Dave Runsten, Water Policy Director at Community Alliance with Family Farmers

• Kyle Jones, Policy & Legal Director at Community Water Center

• Paul Gosselin, Deputy Director of Sustainable Groundwater Management at Department of Water Resources

3:30 PM - PM Break/Networking with the Exhibitors | Academy Foyer/Courtyard

4:00 PM - Concurrent Mini Sessions No. 5 | Choose A Track!

TRACK 1 – ONE WATER

Moderator: Jim Blanke (Woodard & Curran) | Academy 4/5

Exploring Integrated Approaches: Unveiling the Power of ‘One Water’ Projects for Groundwater Management and Local Resiliency

Presenters:

• Michael Cruikshank (WSC): Central Coast Blue: Creating a sustainable groundwater supply during prolonged droughts and combating the threat of seawater intrusion through One Water implementation

• Alex Waite (City of Santa Monica): Reducing Santa Monica’s Reliance on Imported Water Through a First-of-its-Kind Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project

TRACK 2 – SUBSIDENCE

Moderator: Christopher Heppner, PhD, PG (EKI) | Pasadena/Glendale

This session will explore how the complex phenomenon of land subsidence is characterized through monitoring and modeling, including real-world case studies in downtown San Francisco and the Central Valley.

Presenters:

• Sean Culkin (Integral): Monitoring and Modeling of Subsidence and Settlement from Groundwater Pumping at the Millennium Tower property – Downtown San Francisco Groundwater Basin

• Abhishek Singh (INTERA): Exploring the Impacts of Elastic, Inelastic, and Residual Subsidence on the Development, Calibration, and Prediction of Robust Subsidence Models. Co-Authors: John Ellis, PG, Principal Hydrogeologist and Nathan Hatch (INTERA)

Treatment

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TRACK 3 – INNOVATIVE CONTAMINANT ASSESSMENT, MANAGEMENT, AND REMEDIATION I

Moderator: Yue Rong (LA RWQCB) | Location: Academy 6

This session offers 2 speakers on different subjects: one for comparing remediation methods and their ultimate results of cleanup, and another one for using data management for a nitrate problem in agriculture area of California Central Valley.

Presenters:

• Eric Suchomel (Geosyntec): A Tale of Two Remedies and The Ultimate [Contaminant] Loss

• Sarfaraz Alam (Stanford): Addressing Nitrate Contamination in California’s Central Valley: Harnessing Airborne Electric Resistivity Data for Targeted Groundwater Management

TRACK 4 – ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND GROUNDWATER

Moderator: Michael Gardner (Aqaix) | Hollywood/Burbank

This session will overview approaches to the use of artificial intelligence in groundwater management, with a look at technologies and approaches, as well as case studies.

Presenters:

• Sercan Ceyhan & Jeanna Long (Woodard & Curran): From Data to Action: How AI is Changing the Future of Groundwater

• Mary Poulton (NOAH Global Solutions) & Roohi Toosi (APEX Environmental & Water Resources): Artificial Intelligence for 21st Century Groundwater Management

5:00 PM - How to Make the Most of your GRA Membership Forum

Come hear stories from GRA legends, Branch leaders, and Board representatives. Learn how to expand your network or how to get more involved, or hear more about the perks of your GRA membership! Make the most of this forum, come with questions to be answered.

Moderator: David Garrison (Groundwater Resources Association) | Academy 1/2/3

6:00 PM - I Am the Future of Groundwater Reception and Poster Session | Academy Foyer/Courtyard

8:00 PM - WGC Silent Disco | Courtyard

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 14TH

7:00 AM - Registration & Continental Breakfast | Conference Center/Academy Foyer

8:00 AM - Concurrent Sessions No. 6 | Choose A Track!

TRACK 1 – WELL PERMITTING—THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN

Moderator: Christopher Guillen (Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP) | Academy 4/5

Historically, local agencies been charged with well permitting pursuant to local well drilling ordinances. Over the past several years, this practice has seen several material changes. In 2018, the Third District Court of Appeal found that counties must consider public trust resources when issuing permits for groundwater wells where pumping could indirectly affect hydrologically connected surface waters; in 2020, the California Supreme Court found that well permitting is not always exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act; and, in 2022, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-7-22 (as modified by Executive Order N-3-23) requiring additional oversight for well permitting to ensure sustainable groundwater management. This panel will discuss the technical and policy considerations of these changes and what lies ahead for well permitting.

Panelists:

• Timothy Godwin, Department of Water Resources

• Sara Miller, Woodard & Curran

• Trey Driscoll, INTERA

• Marcus Trotta, Sonoma County Water Agency

TRACK 2 – GROUNDWATER TRADING AND BANKING

Moderator: Sarah Hodson (EKI) | Pasadena/Glendale

This session will explore various aspects of groundwater trading and banking programs, including case studies and implementation strategies, tools for water tracking/accounting, and discussion of emerging efforts.

Presenters:

• Mark Kram (Groundswell Technologies, LLC): Automated Cloud Based Groundwater Basin Storage Tracking for Managed Aquifer Recharge Accounting

• Andrew Ayres (PPIC Water Policy Center): Sustainability under SGMA: the Role of Trading and Banking

• Anona Dutton (EKI): Water for Sale! SGMA and the Development of Groundwater Allocations and Transfer Markets

• Gus Tolley (DBS&A): Development of a Multi-Agency and Multi-Basin Groundwater Banking Data Management Application for the Santa Ana River Conservation and Conjunctive Use Program (SARCCUP)

Authenticity. Passion. Success.

Lynker Corporation is a multi-discipline water resources and environmental services firm that specializes in the planning, implementation, and management of resource and climaterelated programs and projects, addressing societal, governmental, and commercial and industry needs in diverse areas such as global- and project-scale climate, water resources conjunctive management, fluvial geomorphology, drought resiliency, contaminated site assessment and cleanup, and mine water management. Lynker offers specialized unique expertise in:

• Earth observation data assimilation, in state-of-the-art modeling across the hydrologic cycle

• Scientific software development, using Machine Learning and AI in science applications and data processing operations

• Hydrologic and hydrogeologic characterization and field measurements

Our expert hydrologists, geohydrologists, environmental engineers and scientists, molecular biologists, programmers and coders can engage in a study at most any stage and provide review, support, or additional services that will optimize and enhance the final product. We are team players that can provide turnkey services for an entire project or niche support.

Providing innovative and sustainable water well and geology solutions for over 25 years.

• Groundwater Quality Characterization

• Groundwater Recharge & Sustainability

• Municipal, Agricultural & Industrial Wells

• Depth-Specific Water Quality Investigation

• Drilling & Construction

• Well Design & Rehabilitation

• Water Quality & Clean Water Solutions

• NOAA Office of Water Prediction

• City of Boulder, Colorado

• City of Aurora, Colorado

• Casitas Municipal Water District, California

• Colorado Water Conservation Board

• New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission

• Idaho Ground Water Appropriators

• San Luis Obispo County GW Sustainability Dept

• Texas Water Development Board

• Appian Capital Advisory, Pine Point Mining Ltd www.Lynker-intel com

TRACK 3 – INNOVATIVE CONTAMINANT ASSESSMENT, MANAGEMENT, AND REMEDIATION II

Moderator: Hiroko Hort (GSI Environmental Inc.) | Academy 6

This session highlights the advancements and challenges in contaminant assessment, management, and remediation in various environmental contexts. The key topics include an application assisting the transition to MNA, vadose zone heterogeneity impacts, vapor mitigation remedies, and chlorinated solvent daughter product management.

Presenters:

• Dave Adamson (GSI Environmental Inc.): Web-Based App to Support Transition from Active Treatment to Monitored Natural Attenuation

• Helen Dahlke (UC Davis): Estimating the impact of vadose zone heterogeneity on agricultural managed aquifer recharge: A combined experimental and modeling study

• Derek Pizarro (AST Environmental): Chlorinated Solvent Daughter Product Management and Expedited Remediation

• Blayne Hartman (Hartman Environmental Geoscience): Determining Vapor Mitigation Remedies and Optimizing System Performance Using High Frequency Continuous Monitoring

TRACK

4 – WORKING WITH COMMUNITIES

Moderator: Ryan Aston (SCI Consulting Group) | Hollywood/Burbank

Working with Communities highlights the benefits and challenges of engaging groundwater-reliant communities on issues related to sustainability, groundwater recharge, groundwater dependent ecosystems, and water needs of Tribal and underrepresented communities.

Presenters:

• Matt Naftaly (Dudek): Addressing Tribal and Underrepresented Communities Water System Needs Through a Holistic Approach

• Victoria Hermosilla (Montgomery & Associates): Headwaters Communities Groundwater Management – Case Study and Lessons Learned from the Cobre Valley, Arizona

• Rebecca Quist (Provost & Pritchard) & Ashley Goldsmith (Blue Chair Communications): On-Farm Recharge University: A Model for Grower Engagement and Education on Sustainable Water Practices in a Central Valley GSA

• Anna Kladzyk Constantino (FlowWest): Building Understandings of Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems with Traditional Ecological Knowledge

9:55 AM - Standing 7-minute Workout and Networking with the Exhibitors | Conference Center/ Academy Foyer

Join us for the new Standing 7-minute Workout - get your blood pumping in between all these amazing educational sessions!

Solving

groundwater challenges

The closing general session will take the form of a panel made up of state regulators, representatives of state agencies, and liaisons to state departments. The panelists will provide a brief overview of their area(s) of focus and how they are helping communities solve their water problems. While the opening panel will frame the ‘who are we and what are our challenges?’ the closing panel will give those community members an opportunity to seek out solutions to those challenges. This panel will be a great opportunity to hear from those in positions at local and state regulatory agencies and to give voice to those typically not heard, all with the idea of fostering positive change.

Moderator: Ryan Alward (INTERA)

Regulatory Panel Members:

• Nick Amini (RWQCB)

• Wendy Linck (SWRCB)

• Amanda Montgomery (SWRCB)

• Paul Gosselin (DWR)

today’s complex