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2017 Annual Conference

Many Instruments, One Orchestra: The Music of the Basin

December 13-15, 2017


2017 CRWUA Conference Highlights

December 13

  • Colorado River 101 - A Visit with Justice Hobbs (PPT Presentation)
    - The Honorable Gregory Hobbs (retired), Colorado Supreme Court, Senior Water Judge assigned to mediation of water cases
  • Colloquium - #Now - How Social Media Is Changing the Way We Conduct Water Communication
    - Moderator: Heather Macre, Board Member, Central Arizona Project
    - Stacy Chesney, Media Communications Manager, Central Arizona Project (PPT Presentation)
    - John Orr, Social Media Coordinator, Colorado River Water Users Association (PPT Presentation)
    - Monika Medina, Principal Public Affairs Representative, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (PPT Presentation)
    - Ry Rivard, Staff Writer, Voice of San Diego
    - Lisa Story, Communication Services Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority (PPT Presentation)
  • Colloquium - Singing a Challenging Tune: Harmonizing Dams and Environmental Mitigation
    - Moderator: Dr. Jack Schmidt, Professor of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University
    - Jack Schmidt, Professor of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University (PPT Presentation)
    - Paul Grams, Research Hydrologist, US Geological Survey (PPT Presentation)
    - Theodore Kennedy, Research Ecologist, US Geological Survey (PPT Presentation)
    - Patrick Shafroth, Research Ecologist, US Geological Survey (PPT Presentation)
    - Charles Yackulic, Research Statistician, US Geological Survey (PPT Presentation)


December 14

  • Welcome - Video Presentation: California and the Colorado River Basin: Seeing the Future Through the Lens of Cooperation (Video)
    - Bart Fisher, CRWUA President
  • Keynote Panel - A Ballet in the Making: Choreographing Issues Across the Basin (Video)
    - Moderator: Eric Kuhn, General Manager, Colorado River District
    - Tom Buschatzke, Director, Arizona Department of Water Resources 
    - John Entsminger, General Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority 
    - Kevin Kelley, General Manager, Imperial Irrigation District 
    - Jeff Kightlinger, General Manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California 
    - Don Ostler, Executive Director, Upper Colorado River Commission 
  • Finding a Tempo that Works: System Conservation (Video)
    - Moderator: Taylor Hawes, Colorado River Program Director, The Nature Conservancy
    - Amy Haas, Deputy Executive Director and General Counsel, Upper Colorado River Commission (PPT Presentation)
    - Mark Harris, General Manager, Grand Valley Water Users Association 
    - Steve Hvinden, Chief, Boulder Canyon Operations Office, US Bureau of Reclamation (PPT Presentation) 
    - Stephen Roe Lewis, Governor, Gila River Indian Community (PPT Presentation)
  • Lunch (Video)
  • A Pastoral Symphony: The Farm Bill Reauthorization
    - Moderator: Jeanine Jones, Interstate Water Resources Manager, California Department of Water Resources
    - Don Barnett, Executive Director, Colorado River Salinity Control Forum (PPT Presentation)
    - Tracy Streeter, Director, Kansas Water Office (PPT Presentation)
    - Troy Timmons, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Western Governors Association (PPT Presentation)
  • When the Opera House Collapses: Water Supply During Natural Disasters
    - Moderator: Jim Dunlap, Commissioner, San Juan River Commission
    - Russ Sands, Senior Planner, The Brendle Group (PPT Presentation)
    - Gary Williams, Executive Director, Florida Rural Water Association (PPT Presentation)
  • Expanding the Range of Our Instruments: Finding New Uses for Existing Infrastructure
    - Moderator: Alexandra Arboleda, Board Member, Central Arizona Project 
    - Ken Seasholes, Resource Planning and Analysis Manager, Central Arizona Project (PPT Presentation)
    - Lurline Underbrink Curran, Former County Manager, Grand County, Colorado (PPT Presentation)
  • A Challenging Orchestration: Findings from the Tribal Water Study (Video)
    - Moderator: Darryl Vigil, Water Administrator, Jicarilla Apache Nation
    - Pamela Adams, Hydrologist, US Bureau of Reclamation (PPT Presentation)
    - Leland Begay, Legal Counsel, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe 
    - Russell Begaye, President, Navajo Nation (PPT Presentation)
    - Lorelai Cloud, Councilwoman, Southern Ute Tribal Council (PPT Presentation)
    - Mason Morisset, Attorney at Law/Director, Morisset Schlosser Jozwiak & Somerville
    - Margaret J. Vick, JSD (PPT Presentation)


December 15

  • The Centennial Anniversary of the Salt River Project and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Partnership (1917 - 2017) (Video)
    - David Palumbo, Deputy Commissioner, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
    - David Rousseau, President, Salt River Project
  • Mexico Delegation (Video)
    - Victor Alcocer, Subdirector General,  Comisión Nacional del Agua (Mexican National Water Commission)
    - Dr. Roberto Salmón Castelo, Director General, Comisión Internacional del Límites y Agua (International Boundary and Water Commission of U.S. and Mexico)
    - Edward Drusina, U.S. Commissioner, International Boundary and Water Commission of U.S. and Mexico

2016 Annual Conference

Forge the Future: Collaborate, Innovate and Communicate

December 14-16, 2016


2016 CRWUA Conference Highlights

December 14

  • Colorado River 101
    - The Honorable Gregory Hobbs (retired), Colorado Supreme Court, Senior Water Judge assigned to mediation of water cases (PPT Presentation)
  • Communication Colloquium - Communicating the Drought: A Call to Action
    - Moderator: Scott Huntley, Senior Manager of Public Services, Southern Nevada Water Authority
    - John Fleck, Water Resources Program Director, University of New Mexico (PPT Presentation)
    - Karen Raucher, Senior Policy Analyst, Abt Associates (PPT Presentation)
    - Micheal Schneweis, Senior Management Analyst, Southern Nevada Water Authority (PPT Presentation)
    - Billy Vassiliadis, CEO and Principal, R&R Partners (PPT Presentation)
  • Legal Colloquium
    - Moderator: John Zebre, Attorney, Zebre Law Offices
    The Compact on the River: The Hard, Unanswered Questions
    - The Honorable Gregory Hobbs (retired), Colorado Supreme Court 
    - Antonio Rossmann, Attorney, Rossmann and Moore, LLP
    Navigating the Drought: Challenges & Opportunities Facing Agriculture & Our U.S.-Grown Food Supplies
    - John Kruse, Ph.D., Director of Agronomy-Biologicals, Koch Biological Solutions, LLC (PPT Presentation)
    - Freddie Lamm, Ph.D., Professor & Research Irrigation Engineer, Kansas State University (PPT Presentation)


December 15

  • Welcome: Video Presentation: "The Colorado River Story: Addressing Continuing Challenges with Collaboration" (Video)
    - Bart Fisher, CRWUA President
  • Keynote Address: California - Conservation, Transfers and Drought Contingency Planning in the Lower Basin
    - Moderator: Bart Fisher, CRWUA President
    - Tom Buschatzke, Director, Arizona Department of Water Resources 
    - John Entsminger, General Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority 
    - Kevin Kelley, General Manager, Imperial Irrigation District (PPT Presentation)
    - Jeff Kightlinger, General Manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (PPT Presentation)
    - John Powell Jr., President, Board of Directors, Coachella Valley Water District (PPT Presentation)
  • Protecting the Waters: Collaborative Environmental Initiatives Across the Basin (Video)
    - Moderator: Katrina Grantz, Hydraulic Engineer, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Upper Colorado River Region
    - Rob Billerbeck, Colorado River Coordinator, National Park Service (PPT Presentation)
    - Kristin Green, Senior Hydrologist, New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission (PPT Presentation)
    - Chris Harris, Deputy Director, Colorado River Board of California (PDF Presentation)
    - Edalin Kozoil, Policy Associate, The Nature Conservancy - Colorado River Program (PPT Presentation)
  • Clearing the Waters: Water Quality Issues on the Colorado
    - Moderator: Aaron Chavez, Executive Director, San Juan River Commission
    - Peter Butler, Ph.D., Co-Coordinator, Animas River Stakeholder Group (PPT Presentation)
    - Karletta Chief, Ph.D., Assistant Professor & Extension Specialist, University of Arizona (PPT Presentation)
    - Butch Tongate, Ph.D., Cabinet Secretary, State of New Mexico Environment Department (PPT Presentation)
  • Tracking the Waters: Reclamation and the Ten Tribes Partnership Tribal Water Study (PDF Intro Slides) (PPT Panel Presentation)
    - Moderator: Darryl Vigil, Water Administrator, Jicarilla Apache Nation
    - Pamela Adams, Hydrologist, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
    - Russell Begaye, President, Navajo Nation
    - Dennis Patch, Chairman, Colorado River Indian Tribes
    - James Prairie, Engineer, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
    - Travis Wheeler, Water Resource Specialist, Southern Ute Indian Tribe
  • Expanding the Waters: Innovation in Reuse and Recycling
    - Moderator: Tanya Trujillo, Executive Director, Colorado River Board of California 
    - Laura Belanger, Water Resources and Environmental Engineer, Western Resource Advocates (PPT Presentation)
    - Allen Carlisle, General Manager, Padre Dam Municipal Water District (Video)
    - Paul Jones, General Manager, Eastern Municipal Water District (PPT Presentation)
  • Safeguarding the Waters: Forest and Watershed Management
    - Moderator: Mike Greene, Manager of Water Resources, Public Service Company of New Mexico
    - Mark Brehl, Assistant Fire Management Officer, Arizona State Forestry Division
    - Cal Joyner, Regional Forester, U.S. Forest Service (PPT Presentation)
    - Laura McCarthy, New Mexico Associate State Director, The Nature Conservancy (PPT Presentation)
    - Rick Shean, Water Quality Hydrologist, Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (PPT Presentation)
    - Phoebe Suina, Project Manager & Owner, High Water Mark, LLC (PDF Presentation)


December 16

  • Business Meeting
  • Mexico Delegation (Video)
    - Dr. Roberto Salmón Castelo, Director General, Comisión Internacional del Límites y Agua (International Boundary and Water Commission of U.S. and Mexico)
    - Edward Drusina, U.S. Commissioner, International Boundary and Water Commission of U.S. and Mexico (PPT Presentation)
  • Federal Friday

2014 Annual Conference

Challenged but Unbroken: Sustaining the Colorado River

December 10-12, 2014


2014 CRWUA Conference Highlights

December 10

  • Colorado River 101: Setting Policy for Success in Challenging Times
    - Moderator: Pam Pickard, President, Board of Directors, Central Arizona Project
    - James Newberry, President, Board of Directors, Colorado River District
    - Randy Record, Chair, Board of Directors, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
    - Mary Beth Scow, Chair, Board of Directors, Southern Nevada Water Authority
  • Engineering Colloquium: Navajo Reservoir Voluntary Shortage Sharing Agreement
    -Moderator: Jason John, Principal Hydrologist, Navajo Nation Water Management Branch
    - Ryan Christianson, Southern Water Management Group Chief, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
    - Mike Green, Project Manager, PNM Water Resources
    - Lionel Haskie, Operations and Maintenance Manager, Navajo Agricultural Products Industry
    - Kevin Flanigan - Colorado River Bureau Chief, New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission
    - Darryl Vigil - Water Administrator, Jicarilla Apache Nation
  • Legal Colloquium: Clean Water Act, EPA/Corps Proposed Rule on Waters of the United States
    - Moderator: Keith Burron, Attorney, Associated Legal Group
    - Deborah Freeman, Attorney and Shareholder, Trout, Raley, Montaño, Witwer & Freeman, P.C.
    - David Johnson, Attorney, Central Arizona Project
    - Melinda Kassen, Principal, Waterjamin LPC
    - Don Parrish, Senior Director, Congressional Relations, American Farm Bureau Federation


December 11

  • Welcome and Keynote Address
    - David Modeer, CRWUA President and General Manager, Central Arizona Project
  • Video Presentation - "Challenged but Unbroken: Sustaining the Colorado River"
  • In the Heat of the Drought: Sustaining Our Basin Supplies
    - Moderator: Tom McCann, Deputy General Manager, Central Arizona Project
    - John Entsminger, General Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority
    - Terry Fulp, Lower Colorado Regional Director, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
    - Bill Hasencamp, Colorado River Program Manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
    - Michael Lacey, Director, Arizona Department of Water Resources
    - Don Ostler, Executive Director, Upper Colorado River Commission
  • To Kill a Shortage: Targeting Augmentation and Conservation (Video)
    - Moderator: Chuck Cullom, Colorado River Programs Manager, Central Arizona Project (PPT Presentation)
    - Tom Buschatzke, Assistant Director of Water Planning, Arizona Department of Water Resources (PPT Presentation)
    - Barry Lawrence, Project Manager, Wyoming Water Development Office (PPT Presentation)
    - Jennifer McCloskey, Lower Colorado Deputy Regional Director, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (PPT Presentation)
    - Roy Rasmussen, Senior Scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research
    - Greg Walch, General Counsel, Southern Nevada Water Authority (PPT Presentation)
  • Basin Study Next Steps: Taking the Long View (Video)
    - Moderator: Michael Cohen, Senior Associate, Pacific Institute
    - Introduction: Carly Jerla, Operations Research Analyst, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (PPS Presentation)
    - Tanya Trujillo, Executive Director, Colorado River Board of California (PPT Presentation)
    - Taylor Hawes, Colorado River Program Director, The Nature Conservancy (PPT Presentation)
    - Darryl Vigil, Chairman, Colorado River Basin Tribes Partnership (PDF)
    - Mark Waage, Manager of Water Resources Planning, Denver Water (PPT Presentation)
    - Dr. Reagan Waskom, Director, Colorado Water Institute (PPT Presentation)
  • Environmental Restoration and the Art of Ecological Compromise - None of Us Win if All of Us Lose
    - Moderator: Christopher Harris, Deputy Director, Colorado River Board of California
    - 10th Anniversary Video, Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (LCRMSCP)
    - Stacy Beaugh, Executive Director, Tamarisk Coalition (PPT Presentation)
    - Osvel Hinojosa Huerta, Water and Wetlands Program Director, Pronatura Noroeste (PPT Presentation)
    - John Swett, LCRMSCP Manager, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (PPT Presentation)


December 12

  • Words with Friends: Dialogues from a D.C. Perspective
    - Mike Connor, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior
  • Mexican Delegation Presentation (Video)
  • - Dr. Felipe Arreguin Cortes, General Technical Deputy, Comision Nacional del Agua (PPT Presentation)
    - Edward Drusina, U.S. Commissioner, International Boundary and Water Commission (PPT Presentation)
    - Roberto Salmon, Mexican Commissioner, International Boundary and Water Commission
  • Adjournment (Video)

2013 Annual Conference

Colorado River - Committed Collaboration

December 11-13, 2013


2013 CRWUA Conference Highlights

CRWUA Thanks Ten Tribes Partnership - featured film during the conference
U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell - watch speech here or read the transcript
U.S. DOI Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Anne Castle - watch comments here


December 11

  • Ten Things You Should Know about the Ten Tribes
    - Moderator: Katosha Nakai, Manager of Tribal Relations, Central Arizona Project
    - Chemehuevi Indian Tribe - invited
    - Cocopah Indian Tribe - invited
    - Sylvia Homer, Vice Chair, Colorado River Indian Tribes
    - Timothy Williams, Chairman, Fort Mojave Indian Tribe
    - Darryl Vigil, Water Administrator, Jicarilla Apache Nation
    - Frederick H. White, Director, Division of Natural Resources, Navajo Nation
    - Gordon Howell, Chairman, Ute Indian Tribe
    - Ronda Aquerro, Vice President, Quechan Indian Tribe
    - Howard Richards, Councilman, Southern Ute Indian Tribe
    - Manuel Heart, Chairman, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
  • Legal Colloquium: Reserved Rights and Settlements
    - Moderator: Darryl Vigil, Chair, Ten Tribes Partnership
    - Margaret Vick, Special Water Counsel, Colorado River Indian Tribes (PPT Presentation)
    -     Herb Becker and Natasha Cuylear, Attorneys, JA Associates,  Jicarilla Apache Nation (PPT Presentation)
    -     Stanley Pollack, Assistant Attorney General, Navajo Nation Department of Justice (PPT Presentation)
    -     Joanne Curry, Partner, Fredericks​ Peebles and Morgan LLP, Ute​ Indian Tribe
    - Mason D. Morisset, Morisset, Schlosser, Jozwiak & Somerville, Quechan Indian Tribe (PPT Presentation)
    -     Catherine Condon, McElroy, Meyer Walker & Condon, P.C., Southern Ute Indian Tribe (PPT Presentation)
    -     Celene Hawkins, Associate General Counsel, Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe (PPT Presentation)
  • Engineering Colloquium: Against the Current: Answers in the Face of Adversity
    - SNWA’s Intake No. 3: Marc Jensen, Southern Nevada Water Authority Director of Engineering
    - Central Arizona Project Breach:  Greg Ramon, Central Arizona Project Assistant General Manager and Randy Randolph, Engineering Manager

 

December 12

  • Video Presentation - "Water Is Life: Committed Collaboration" (Video)
  • Keynote Speaker - The Colorado River, America's New Heartland: Reflections on a Quarter-Century
    - Pat Mulroy, General Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority (Video)
  • Near -Term Risks: Options to Address Declining Reservoirs (2013-2019) (Video)
    - Moderator - Dennis Strong, Former Director, Utah Division of Water Resources
    - John Entsminger, Senior Deputy General Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority (PPT Presentation)
    -     Tom McCann, Assistant General Manager, Central Arizona Project (PPT Presentation)
    -     Carly Jerla, Program Manager, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (PPT Presentation)
    -     Lynn Jeka, Manager, Colorado River Storage Project Management Center, Western Area Power Adminstration, U.S. Department of Energy (PPT Presentation)
    - Eric Kuhn, General Manager, Colorado River Water Conservation District (PPT Presentation)
  • What Lies Ahead: Cooperation or Conflict? (2020-2060) (Video)
    - Moderator: Jim Lochhead, CEO/Manager, Denver Water
    - George Arthur, Past Chair, Ten Tribes Partnership
    - Taylor Hawes, Colorado River Program Director, The Nature Conservancy (PPT Presentation)
    -     John McClow, Chair, Colorado River Water Conservation District (PPT Presentation)
    -     Brenda Burman, Special Projects Manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (PPT Presentation)
  • Agriculture in the Basin: Now and Into the Future (Video)
    - Moderator: Jeanine Jones, Interstate Resources Manager, California Department of Water Resources
    - Reagan Waskom, Director, Colorado Water Institute (PPT Presentation)
    -     Julie Shapiro, Senior Associate, The Keystone Center (PPT Presentation)

 

December 13

  • Action Is Imperative - We Need a Balanced Approach to Bridge the Gap between Supply and Demand on the Colorado River
    - Sally Jewell, Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior (Video, PDF Transcript)

2015 Annual Conference

70 Years of Communications and Collaborations

December 16-18, 2015


2015 CRWUA Conference Highlights

December 16

  • Colorado River 101 (Video)
    - The Honorable Gregory Hobbs (retired), Former Justice, Colorado Supreme Court (PPT Presentation)
  • Drought Colloquium
    - Moderator: Christine Finlinson, Governmental Affairs Director, Central Utah Water Conservancy District
    - Angela Adams, Open Water Data Initiative Drought Use Case Team Leader, U.S. Department of the Interior (PPT Presentation)
    - Jeremy Aguero, Principal Analyst, Applied Analysis (PPT Presentation)
    - Cort Lambson, Project Manager, Central Utah Water Conservancy District
    - Steve Thurin, Senior Water Resources Engineer, HDR, Inc. (PPT Presentation)
    - Tony Willardson, Executive Director, Western States Water Council (PPT Presentation)
  • Legal Colloquium
    System Conservation Pilot Program
    - Moderator: Keith Burron, Senior Counsel, Crowley Fleck PLLP
    - Shanti Rosset, Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Colorado Attorney General 
    - Colby Pellegrino, Colorado River Programs Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority (PPT Presentation)
    - Steve Wolff, Colorado River Coordinator, Wyoming State Engineer's Office (PPT Presentation)
    Tribal Water Transfers
    - Moderator: Darryl Vigil, Water Administrator, Jicarilla Apache Nation
    - Mason Morisset, Attorney at Law, Morisset, Schlosser, Jozwiak & Somerville (PPT Presentation)
    - Stanley M. Pollack, Assistant Attorney General, Navajo Nation Department of Justice (PPT Presentation)
    - Margaret Vick, JSD, Legal Counsel, Colorado River Tribes (PPT Presentation)


December 17

  • Welcome: Video Presentation: "70 Years of CRWUA" (Video)
    - David Modeer, CRWUA President
  • Keynote Address: Basin Perspectives and Challenges, Past and Present
    - Moderator: Jim Lochhead, CEO, Denver Water
    - Ken Salazar, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, 2009-2013
    - Jeff Kightlinger, General Manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
    - Robert Snow, Office of the Solicitor, U.S. Department of the Interior (PPT Presentation)
  • More Slices Than Pie: Structural Deficit on the Colorado (Video)
    - Moderator: John Fleck, Writer in Residence, University of New Mexico Water Resources Program
    - Bill Hasencamp, Manager, Colorado River Resources, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
    - Eric Kuhn, General Manager, Colorado River District (PPT Presentation)
    - Tom McCann, Deputy General Manager, Central Arizona Project
    - Gregory Walch, General Counsel, Southern Nevada Water Authority (PPT Presentation)
  • Aging Arteries: Repairing and Replacing Water
    - Moderator: Dave Johnson, Deputy General Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority
    - Brian Buzard, Maintenance Control Manager, Central Arizona Project
    - Darrin Francom, Centralized Maintenance Manager, Central Arizona Project (PPT Presentation)
    - Heath Clark, Project Manager, Central Utah Water Conservancy District (PPT Presentation)
    - Charles Scott, Engineering Project Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority (PPT Presentation)
  • Thirsty Fields in a Drying Landscape: The Future of Basin Agriculture
    - Moderator: Jeanine Jones, Interstate Resources Manager, California Department of Water Resources
    - Carlyle Currier, Vice President, Colorado Farm Bureau
    - Brett Moline, Director of Public and Governmental Affairs, Wyoming Farm Bureau
    - Dave Puglia, Executive Vice President, Western Growers Association
    - Joe Sigg, Director of Government Relations, Arizona Farm Bureau
    - Dr. Reagan M. Waskom, Director of Colorado Water Institute, Colorado State University (PPT Presentation)


December 18

  • Federal Friday (Video)
    - Estevan López, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation
    - Edward Drusina, U.S. Commissioner, International Boundary and Water Commission (PPT Presentation)
    - Dr. Roberto Salmón Castelo, Director General, Comisión Internacional del Límites y Agua (Mexican Commissioner, International Boundary and Water Commission) (PPT Presentation)
    - Victor Alcocer, Subdirector General, Comisión Nacional del Agua (Deputy Director, Mexican National Water Commission) (PPT Presentation)
    - Mike Connor, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior
  • Business Meeting (Video)