GROUNDWATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION
o f C a l i f o r n i a
Presents a 90 Minute GRA-Cast Web Conference:
California Statewide Groundwater Elevation Monitoring (CASGEM) Program
Brett Wyckoff, California Department of Water Resources (DWR)
Introduction by Tim Parker, Legislative Committee Chair, GRA
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
12:00 pm PDT (3:00 pm EDT) to 1:30 pm PDT (4:30 pm EDT)
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Logistics: Participants will listen to the lecture over the phone and view the presentation slides and CASGEM demo through an interactive web conferencing module. Questions will be answered as time permits during the 90-minute session. A history of CASGEM Program Development will be presented, followed by an online demonstration of the features and functions of the CASGEM Public Portal.
Introduction: Legislative Background on Improving Groundwater Transparency in California -- A number of groundwater level bills have been crafted over the past decade; some have become law, for example the landmark SBX7-6, and many were vetoed. GRA helped craft and supported several bills through the GRA Legislative effort. Tim Parker will provide a brief background on what led up to SBx7-6, some other recent legislative activities, and what's planned this year to help increase groundwater data transparency in California.
Presentation: On November 4, 2009 the State Legislature amended the Water Code with SBx7-6, which mandates a statewide groundwater elevation monitoring program to track seasonal and long-term trends in groundwater elevations in California's groundwater basins. To achieve that goal, the amendment requires collaboration between local monitoring entities and Department of Water Resources (DWR) to collect groundwater elevation data. Collection and evaluation of such data on a statewide scale is an important fundamental step toward improving management of California's groundwater resources.
In accordance with this amendment to the Water Code, DWR developed the California Statewide Groundwater Elevation Monitoring (CASGEM) program. The intent of the CASGEM program is to establish a permanent, locally-managed program of regular and systematic monitoring in all of California's alluvial groundwater basins. DWR's role is to coordinate the CASGEM program, to work cooperatively with local entities, and to maintain the collected elevation data in a readily and widely available public database. To achieve this last element, the CASGEM Online System was completed in November, 2011, and serves as a means for participating agencies to manage and report their data, a portal for public access to the data, and a way for DWR to manage the program.
Schedule:
• GRA-Cast Intro (3 min.)
• History of the CASGEM Program (10 min.)
• Development of the CASGEM Online System (10 min.)
• Live demonstration of CASGEM Online System Public Portal (40 min.)
• Q&A (27 min.)
Who Should Attend? Anyone who wants to see how to access the new CASGEM web-based groundwater elevation data in California! Contractors and technical consultants who provide well installation and well destruction services. Civil and geotechnical engineers doing studies in California which rely on groundwater elevation data. County and local agencies who implement well abandonment and well permitting programs. Regulatory agencies, groundwater professionals and environmental organizations involved or interested in groundwater protection and sustainability.
Speakers Bios:
Brett Wyckoff, California Department of Water Resources (DWR)
Brett Wyckoff has a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from California State University, Stanislaus. He is a Senior Engineering Geologist with the California Department of Water Resources, Division of Integrated Regional Water Management, and is a Certified Hydrogeologist and Certified Engineering Geologist. Mr. Wyckoff started his career in environmental consulting and then took a job with Stanislaus County, overseeing investigations and cleanups at groundwater contamination sites, and serving on the County's Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Team, for seven years. He then began his thirteen years of State service by working for the State and Regional Water Quality Control Boards and the Department of Toxic Substances Control, overseeing complex contamination investigation and cleanup cases and contributing to the team effort that developed the Statewide Ambient Groundwater Monitoring Assessment (GAMA) Program. Four years ago, Mr. Wyckoff joined DWR's Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Program and was instrumental in the development and execution of the $25 million Greater Los Angeles County IRWM Implementation Grant Agreement. He has assisted numerous agencies with various water resource planning efforts and managed IRWM and Local Groundwater Assistance grants. Most recently, with the CASGEM Program, Mr. Wyckoff assisted with development of the web-based information and data submittal system, production of program outreach and training materials, and review of information submitted by program participants for determination of designation as monitoring entities.
Tim Parker, Parker Groundwater
Tim Parker is currently is with Parker Groundwater in Sacramento, California, a firm he founded in 2009. He has worked in private and public sector, was formerly with Schlumberger, Law, Dames & Moore, and has worked for California Department of Water Resources, California Geological Survey, and Department of Toxic Substances Control. He is a California Professional Geologist, Certified Engineering Geologist, and Certified Hydrogeologist. Tim serves the Groundwater Resources Association of California as a Director and Legislative Committee Chair, the California Groundwater Coalition as Director, and American Ground Water Trust as Chair. He is a member of the Public Advisory Committee for the development of the 2013 California Water Plan, and is the co-chair on the Water Plan Groundwater Caucus, and participates on the Oversight Work Group for Pilot Projects for the Nationwide Ground Water Monitoring Network, under the Subcommittee on Ground Water, Advisory Committee on Water Information, U.S. Department of the Interior. Mr. Parker was a principal writer on Sustainability from the Ground Up, Groundwater Management in California, a Framework published by the Association of California Water Agencies, and co-authored the books Potential Groundwater Quality Impacts Resulting from Geologic Carbon Sequestration published by the Water Research Foundation in 2009, and California Groundwater Management published by GRA in 2005.
Register for this Event -- http://www.grac.org/casgemreg
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