SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 2, 2002 -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon and Cal/EPA Secretary Winston Hickox are among the speakers slated to address local water officials next week at the spring conference of the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) in Monterey.
The event, set for May 8-10 at the Monterey Conference Center, is expected to draw more than 2,000 water officials from around the state.
Simon is scheduled to give the keynote address at a luncheon program beginning at noon Thursday, May 9. Hickox will discuss MTBE and related issues at a luncheon program beginning at noon Wednesday, May 8.
The conference's opening breakfast session on Wednesday, May 8, will focus on the so-called Sax Report, commissioned by the State Water Resources Control Board to help frame discussion of the legal classification of groundwater. The author of the report, UC Berkeley law professor Joseph Sax, is scheduled to take part in a panel discussion on the report and related groundwater issues. The breakfast begins at 8 a.m.
The closing breakfast session on Friday, May 10, will examine state budget woes. Senator Steve Peace, D-La Mesa, and Senator Dick Ackerman, R-Tustin, are confirmed as speakers. That session begins at 8:30 a.m.
Other conference programs include:
* "Logistics and Litigation: The MTBE Debate Continues," 10 a.m., May 8.
* "Ocean Desalination: Has its Time Come?" 2:10 p.m., May 8.
* "Phase 8: Is a Water Rights Agreement Within Reach?" 3:40 p.m., May 8.
* "Will the Salton Sea Sink California's 4.4 Plan?" 10:15 a.m. May 9.
* "State Budget Woes: Differing Perspectives," 8:30 a.m., May 10.
More program details are available at www.acwanet.com.
ACWA is a statewide association whose 440 members are responsible for about 90% of the water delivered in California. For more information, visit www.acwanet.com.
