2024 California Water Law Symposium | February 24 at University of San Francisco School of Law | Water Solutions
  • Home
  • About
    • Symposium Chairs
    • Panel Chairs
    • Faculty Advisors
    • Directors
  • Program
    • Agenda
    • Panel Descriptions & MCLE
    • Panelists and Speakers
  • Parking and Transportation
  • Writing Prize
  • Past Symposia
  • Resources
14th ANNUAL CALIFORNIA WATER LAW SYMPOSIUM
​

What's Coming Down the Pipeline? 
The Future of California's
​Water Infrastructure 
​

UC BERKELEY INTERNATIONAL HOUSE | Saturday, January 20, 2018 

The California Water Law Symposium is a collaborative student-run event that consistently brings together leading minds in water law to discuss California’s critical water issues. Led this year by UC Berkeley School of Law, participant schools include USF School of Law; Golden Gate University School of Law; UC Hastings College of the Law; UC Davis School of Law; and University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.
Picture

Agenda


7:30 am – 9:00 am 
​Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:15 am – 9:00 am ​
Introductory Lecture on the State of Water Infrastructure in California

Steven Ritchie- Assistant General Manager for Water of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

9:00 am – 9:15 am
​Introductory Remarks

9:15 am – 10:30 am
​​California Groundwater and SGMA Shift Gears
​From GSA Designation to GSP Preparation in Sonoma County

10:30 am - 11:45 am
​Green v. Gray Infrastructure in Land Use and Development

11:45 am – 1:00 pm
Lunch and Keynote
Sponsored by Briscoe Ivester & Bazel LLP
Bill Croyle (45 minute presentation)
Former Acting Director, California Department of Water Resources

1:00 pm – 2:15 pm
​​Utilization of Water Transfers to Recharge Groundwater Basins

2:15 pm
​Coffee Break

2:30 pm - 3:45 pm ​​
Environmental Justice and Safe Drinking Water
​
A Case Study of the Impacts of Wildfire on California's Water Infrastructure

3:45 pm - 5:00 pm ​​
The Challenges of an Evolving Climate
A Case Study of the Impacts of Wildfire on California's Water Infrastructure

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm ​
Cocktail Reception 

Sponsored by Remy Moose Manley, LLP 
Including a presentation by photographer and author Tim Palmer


Panel Description

Introductory Lecture on the State of Water Infrastructure in California

Steven Ritchie
Assistant General Manager for Water of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Sponsored by Hanson Bridgett LLP

California Groundwater and SGMA Shift Gears: 
​From GSA Designation to GSP Preparation in Sonoma County

Golden Gate University School of Law
Sponsored by Somach Simmons & Dunn

As implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 (SGMA) continues, infrastructure will play an essential role in monitoring and regulating groundwater. This panel will focus on the GSP preparation process and address pumping issues, time frames for stopping overdraft, the role of conjunctive use, urban/agriculture conflicts, water quality/remedial plans, and dealing with unadjudicated basins—all through the lens of water infrastructure. ​​
​

Moderator

Paul Kibel    
​
Professor at GGU and Water and Natural Resource Counsel at Water and Power Law Group

Panelists

Jessica Diaz
Land Use and Water Rights Attorney, Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber & Schrek
Erica Maharg
​Managing Attorney, San Fransisco Baykeeper
Sarah Minick
Program Manager, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission 
David Smith
Manager of NPDES Permits and Storm Water, EPA

MCLE Materials

  • USGS Circular - Streamflow Depletion by Wells
  • Santa Rosa Plain Final GSA 
  • Santa Rosa Plain GMP
  • USGS Simulation of Groundwater and Surface-Water Resources of the SRP Watershed
  • DWR Draft Best Management Practices for Sustainable Management of GroundwaterGeneral Principles for Developing 
  • Groundwater Sustainability Agency Governance Options
  • Groundwater Legislation Timeline  
  • Competing Agricultural and Urban Water Users within a GSP
  • ​Caitlin Cornwall Outline 

Utilization of Water Transfers to Recharge Groundwater Basins

University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law
Sponsored by Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard 

In light of SGMA and the newly formed Groundwater Sustainability Agencies, this panel will discuss how to address the challenges posed by California’s aging water infrastructure and complex water rights systems by utilizing water transfers to recharge groundwater basins and achieve a sustainable yield.  ​​

Moderator

Andrea Clark
Partner, Downey Brand LLC

Panelists

Eric Averett
General Manager, Rosedale-Rio Bravo
​Water Storage Distric
Dr. Maurice Hall
Associate VP of Ecosystems - Water, Environmental
​Defense Fund
Eric Robinson
Shareholder, Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard
MCLE Materials
  • Eric Averett
  • Dr. Maurice Hall
  • Eric Robinson​

​Environmental Justice and Safe Drinking Water

UC Hastings College of the Law
Sponsored by Downey Brand LLC

In 2012 California passed AB 685 and became the first state in the nation to legally recognize the human right to clean water. Yet, in 2017 the State Water Resources Control Board published data showing at least 292 public water systems were out of compliance with California water quality standards. This panel will discuss how degrading infrastructure impacts safe drinking water—especially in low-income and rural Californian communities—from an economic and environmental justice perspective. ​

Moderator

Caroline Lavenue
UC Hastings College of the Law

Panelists

Laurel Firestone
Co-Executive Director & Co-Founder, Community Water Center
Jim Salzman
Donald Bren Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law,
UCLA School of Law Bren School of the Environment at UC Santa Barbara
John Schatz
Attorney at Law
​
MCLE Materials
  • The Flint Water Crisis - Why It's So Disturbingly Common for Water Regulation to Fail
  • The Color of Drinking Water: Class, Race, Ethnicity, and Safe Drinking Water Act Compliance 
  • ​​Environmental Justice and Safe Drinking Water
  • AB 685 - Right to Water
  • SB 623 - Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund
  • SB 623 Policy Committee Analysis 
  • SB 623 Fiscal Committee Analysis
​

The Challenges of an Evolving Climate:
​A Case Study of the Impacts of Wildfire on California's
​Water Infrastructure

UC Davis School of Law
Sponsored by Ellison Schneider Harris & Donlan LLP

California’s changing climate has led to increased pressure not only on our natural resources, but also on our aging infrastructure. Communities in fire prone areas are already feeling the impacts of worsened conditions. This panel will focus on Northern California communities that have lost their water infrastructure to fire. Panelists will explore the legal challenges and potential solutions for this growing issue.

Panelists

Camille Pannu
​Director, UC Davis School of Law Water Justice Clinic
Nick Wobbrock
Co-founder & Partner, Blue Forest Conservation
Ben Murphy
General Manager, Cobb Area Water District
MCLE Materials
  • ​The Forest Resilience Bond (FRB)
​

Symposium Organization

Symposium Chair

  • Emma Hamilton​
Berkeley Law WLS Committee
  • Aaron Lee
  • Giulia Gualco-Nelson
  • Karli McConnell
  • Tom Schumann
  • Taylor Wetzel​

Panel Chairs

Golden Gate University School of Law
  • Danielle Gray
  • Elena Idell
McGeorge School of Law​
  • Sebastian Silveira
  • Kaitlin Harr
UC Davis School of Law
  • Christopher Moskal
  • Ellen Simmons
  • ​Tessa Opalach
UC Hastings College of the Law
  • Kimberly Willis
  • Lauren Marshall
  • Olivia Molodanof
  • Caroline Lavenue
University of San Francisco School of Law
  • Beth Ginise
  • Garrett Burton
  • Brianna Goodfellow

​
Vertical Divider

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Host Sponsor
  • UC Berkeley School of Law
Participant Schools
  • UC Berkeley School of Law
  • ​​Golden Gate University
  • University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law
  • UC Davis School of Law
  • UC Hasting College of Law
Advertising Sponsor​
Keynote Sponsors​
  • Hanson Bridgett LLP
  • Briscoe Ivester & Bazel LLP
Symposium Sponsors​
Panel Sponsors​​
  • ​Somach Simmons & Dunn
  • Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard 
  • ​Downey Brand LLC
  • ​Ellison Schneider Harris & Donlan LLP​​
Contributing Sponsors​
Picture
ABOUT
​PROGRAM
​REGISTRATION
WRITING PRIZE
PAST SYMPOSIA
​
RESOURCES
Copyright © 2022 California Water Law Symposium
  • Home
  • About
    • Symposium Chairs
    • Panel Chairs
    • Faculty Advisors
    • Directors
  • Program
    • Agenda
    • Panel Descriptions & MCLE
    • Panelists and Speakers
  • Parking and Transportation
  • Writing Prize
  • Past Symposia
  • Resources