Water Committee Meets. Rain Falls.

There were no special dances or incantations at the Bay Area Council Water Committee meeting last Friday (Oct. 7) at member HNTB in Oakland, and yet not a week passed and the skies have opened after a seven-month dry spell. The Committee basked briefly in the glow of success, as its two top 2016 priorities, regional Measure AA and the Bay Area Council-sponsored AB 1755, each became law. Then it was on to business, as the committee discussed the 2017 water policy landscape with Water Foundation CEO Wade Crowfoot. The discussion centered on the ongoing struggle of getting clean drinking water to poor rural areas of California, and ensuring AB 1755 is implemented wisely.

The Committee heard remarks from David Esmaili from the Water Career Pathways Consortium, which connects high schools, community colleges, and industry and non-profit partners to offset the anticipated retirement of skilled water/wastewater employees. The consortium is partnering with the Bay Area Council to help connect water industry leaders to their program. The meeting closed on a discussion with Jennifer Persike from the Save Our Water campaign. Persike unveiled new tools and partnership opportunities business can take to help ensure conservation becomes a way of life across California even after the drought. The Water Committee is chaired by Andy Ball of Suffolk Construction and Jim Levine of Montezuma Wetlands LLC.

To engage with the Bay Area Council Water Committee, please contact Policy Director Adrian Covert.