ADVISORY/ACWA Fall Conference to Address California's Key Water Issues; Water Rights, CALFED, Klamath, Special District Topics Featured.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

ADVISORY...for Wed.-Fri. (Dec. 3-5)

--(BUSINESS WIRE)

Association of California Water Agencies

The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) kicks off its 2003 Fall Conference, "Local Agencies: Today's Leaders for Tomorrow's Water Supply," at the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina December 3-5, 2003.

Some of the issues that will be addressed include the battle over water rights between federal, state and local government, the questions about special district reform, the status of the Klamath River Basin, Hetch Hetchy's future and water supply milestones for the CALFED Bay-Delta Program in the future.

Once again, the dozens of programs being offered will be categorized by tracks, which include attorneys, finance, groundwater, human resources and small agencies. ACWA's Fall Conference will also feature insightful issue panels such as:

-- "Study Calls for Klamath Overhaul-What's Next for This

Beleaguered Basin?"

-- "What's to be Done About the Hetch Hetchy System?"

-- "Whose Water Is It Anyway? The Battle Between Federal, State

and Local Governments"

-- "A Political Commentary on the California Recall Election"

Keynote speeches will be presented by California State Senator Deborah Ortiz (D), William J. Rosendahl, chairman of the California Commission on Tax Policy in the New Economy and Daniel Weintraub, political columnist for The Sacramento Bee. Also on tap, William M. Lewis Jr., chairman of the Committee on Endangered and Threatened Fishes in the Klamath River Basin, National Academies' National Research Council, is a confirmed presenter on the program that will address the Klamath.

ACWA will present a number of awards to recognize and honor various leaders and agencies. Among these honors is the Theodore Roosevelt Environmental Award for Excellence, which recognizes water agencies' strong commitment to environmental stewardship.

Additionally, ACWA's Region 10 will host a joint region tour of the Sweetwater Authority's Richard Reynolds Groundwater Demineralization Facility in Chula Vista. This facility produces 4-million gallons of drinking water per day using reverse-osmosis treatment to remove dissolved salts and microscopic particles.

WHO: Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA)

WHAT: "Local Agencies: Today's Leaders for Tomorrow's Water
      Supply," A three-day conference

WHEN: Wednesday-Friday, December 3-5, 2003

WHERE: San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina