Central Basin’s Board Director Leticia Vasquez, who represents the District on the Metropolitan Water District Board of Directors, had an opportunity to invite community members to the Colorado River Aqueduct Inspection Trip to learn more about water deliveries to Southern California. 

Community leaders and residents throughout Central Basin’s service area got a firsthand look at water conveyance by visiting intake facilities and a storage reservoir at Parker Dam.

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This past weekend, Central Basin had the opportunity to visit a farmer’s marked hosted by the Environmental Garden Club in Bell Gardens.  An impressive harvest was available at affordable prices for residents in the area.  Read the rest of this entry »

The State of California Department of Water Resources (DWR) joined the Central MWD Caucus this month to discuss climate change and resources made available towards addressing this stressor in water management planning. From DWR’s report, the group learned that 40 years from now we can expect to see greater intensity of wet and dry weather periods and between 25 – 40% less snowpack. In the year 2100, temperatures are expected to increase by an average of 3 to 11 degrees. Additionally, we can expect less runoff during spring and summer seasons, sea level rise and increased salinity in the Delta. Read the rest of this entry »

Central Basin had an opportunity to visit the 22^nd Annual California Water Policy meeting this month joining leaders from across the state to engage in water policy discussions.

Image of the Colorado River Aqueduct

A variety of sessions were held, one in particular titled “How will the BDCP work?” included panelists from various agencies who talked about the affordability of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), while identifying improvements for fish and wildlife. Reference was made to the Delta Conservancy, a Delta dialogue group working together to find out what everyone’s interest is.  The session concluded with:  It is possible to restore fisheries under the BDCP and it is possible to achieve an abundance of fish population.  Storing water is also important in California, but the dynamics of water flowing through the Bay Delta must be fixed first.  Read the rest of this entry »

April is a very special month for our Mother Nature.  This month organizations across the nation celebrate Earth Day, an event that is focused on public awareness about environmental issues our stewardship of the planet.

Central Basin is committed to supporting and promoting activities that encourage our residents to learn more about their role in protecting our environment.  For instance, last weekend, we participated in the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County’s 2013 Earth Day event in Whittier.  This is an amazing event for residents of our region to visit with over 50 exhibitors, participate in workshops and various arts and crafts activities as well as view several performances.  Each year, the event is attended by thousands of residents from our community. 

This year, we were able to host a booth and interact with many visitors who were interested in learning about water related issues, such as conservation.  Thanks to all those who stopped by to visit!

If you did not have the opportunity to visit our booth, come see us at the upcoming outreach events in the Central Basin service area:

• El Rancho Unified School District Health Fair 
• South Gate Earth Day Event

For more information on outreach events, please visit http://www.centralbasin.org/

Looking for inspiration to update your garden? Now is the time, this weekend on Saturday, April 6 through Sunday, April 7, the Theodore Payne Foundation is celebrating its 10^th Anniversary Native Plant Garden Tour. 

Not only can you experience the beauty of gardening with California native plants first hand, but you can learn about the many benefits it can offer from garden owners, landscape designers and fellow garden enthusiasts.  Central Basin is excited to share sustainable landscapes located in the cities of Lakewood and Downey, as well as areas throughout Los Angeles, San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys.   Read the rest of this entry »

The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) Executive Director, Timothy Quinn opened the first Caucus of 2013 to share ACWA’s vision towards achieving sustainability, co-equal goals and what’s ahead for the water community in 2013.  

Much emphasis was made with respect to co-equal goals and how they are the cornerstone of California water policy.  With evolving environmental rules and water policy, co-equal goals require a new approach and a need to rethink how we manage water and the environment – from one end of the state to the other.  In a short interview with Tim, he discusses major water supply shortages facing our state, stressing risks of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta and how the Bay Delta Conservation Plan is developed to improve water supply levels, reduce risks and offers a prospect to significantly improve the quality of water. Read the rest of this entry »

Over the next few weeks Central Basin will be at school board meetings throughout our service area to show our support for four special high school teams that were selected to participate in Solar Cup, the nation’s largest solar powered boat competition. Participating students gain hands-on experience while learning about important environmental and water resources issues. Working in teams, they build their leadership and communications skills while increasing their knowledge of engineering, math and science. Solar Cup is also part of Central Basin’s award-winning education programs. Read the rest of this entry »

Southern California Water Committee Executive Director, Richard Atwater was on hand at the September Central Basin MWD Caucus to discuss the importance of unity and collaboration as California moves forward on several important water issues. If you missed this month’s Caucus, you can still check out the presentation. Mr. Atwater also shared with the audience the role that the Southern California Water Committee has in bringing diverse groups together to advocate on water issues.  Read the rest of this entry »

The value of water should be celebrated like a holiday everyday but there is one month in particular that revolves around water.  May is Water Awareness Month, a time to remind everyone about the significance and value of water.  Each year as a part of this celebration, Central Basin in partnership with Metropolitan Water District, sponsors a water conservation poster contest for students in grades 4^th – 8^th.  Read the rest of this entry »