California's Colloquium on Water - Spring 2007

Spring 2007 Schedule


All lectures will be held at :
Goldman School of Public Policy, Room 250
2607 Hearst Ave. at LeRoy
5:15-5:30 Meet the speaker
5:30-7:30 Lecture, including q & a


California's Colloquium on Water
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/WRCA/ccow.html

Water is the lifeblood of California. Without it, the landscape we know today would not exist. Throughout California’s history, water has been a source of food, commerce, energy, and recreation. It makes possible the bountiful Central Valley farms and the vibrant coastal cities. It has inspired countless poets and painters. Californians have simultaneously fought over water, marveled at its beauty, and - through impressive feats of engineering - moved it hundreds of miles.

SPEAKING CALENDAR

February 13 -- Steve Ritchie
Executive Project Manager, South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project
"The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project: The Wild Heart of Silicon Valley"

Abstract: In 2003, the State of California and the U.S. government, with substantial support from private foundations, purchased 15,100 acres of salt production ponds adjoining South San Francisco Bay from Cargill Corporation. These ponds represent an incredible opportunity for shoreline habitat restoration and public access in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is the largest habitat restoration project in the Western U.S. (http://www.southbayrestoration.org/) and it must be accomplished without increasing flood risk to Silicon Valley while providing for public access. The restoration process is expected to take decades to complete. This presentation will describe the initial management of the ponds as they are taken out of salt production and the five-year planning process for their ultimate restoration. Adaptive management will be integral to the restoration process. Particular opportunities and challenges (both scientific and institutional) of the planning process will be described as the Project moves toward changing the South San Francisco Bay landscape.

March 13 -- B. Lynn Ingram
Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Geography, University of California, Berkeley
"Late Pleistocene to Holocene Evolution of the San Francisco Bay"

Abstract: The San Francisco Bay and Delta are considered the heart of California's water system. A huge region of California (about 40%) is drained by rivers that eventually reach the San Francisco Bay. San Francisco Bay is California's largest estuary, and is a vital part of its economy, culture, and landscape. The Bay's inland Delta provides fresh water to two-thirds of the population of California, some twenty three million people. Sediments deposited beneath the Bay, within surrounding marshlands, and within the Bay's watershed contain a rich history of how this estuarine system evolved over the past million years, including major changes in climate. These sediments demonstrate that the Bay has only existed sporadically - during warmer interglacial periods, and became a river valley during the ice ages. While the earliest inhabitants of California adapted to a varying water supply, archaeological and geological evidence suggests that climate extremes - both wetter and drier - have occurred throughout the past 10,000 years.

April 10 -- Ellen Hanak
Research Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California
"Envisioning Futures for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta"

Abstract: The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is the hub of California’s water supply system, home to a unique and threatened ecosystem and to a vibrant recreational and agricultural economy. Recent research has exposed serious problems in the Delta, including precipitous declines in some fish species and increasing threats to the stability of the levee system. In this lecture, Ellen Hanak will present the results of a recent study she co-authored that explores alternatives for resolving these problems, ranging from fortifying the levee system, to building various forms of a peripheral canal, to reducing water exports to Southern California and converting parts of the Delta to habitats more suitable for desirable species.

May 1 -- Pat Mulroy
General Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority
"Overcoming the Traditions That Divide Us - Tomorrow's Reliable Water Supply Dependent Upon Partnerships"