DWR Co-Sponsors Floodplain Management Association Conference.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Department of Water Resources (DWR) will again co-sponsor the Floodplain Management Association (FMA) Annual Conference, scheduled for September 5- 8, at the Coronado Marriott in Coronado, California.

The 2006 event is titled "Challenges in Sustainable Floodplain Management and Development" and is designed to address the dramatic impacts of rapid development in floodplains and offer a forum for bridging science and floodplain management policy.

A number of DWR officials will join discussion panels. Deputy Director for Public Safety, Les Harder, and Assistant Director for Legislation, Brian White, will be part of the Plenary Session on Wednesday, September 6, discussing policy, legislative and regulatory perspectives on critical floodplain issues.

On Thursday, September 7, Floodplain Management Branch Chief Ricardo Pineda will be part of an open forum on the National Flood Insurance Program.

Other DWR experts on the program include: Acting State Climatologist Michael Anderson; River Forecasting Section Chief Dave Rizzardo; Floodway Protection Section Chief Mike Mirmazaheri; and Maria Lorenzo-Lee of the Floodplain Management Branch.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has been invited to present the keynote address and receive an award for his efforts to establish levee maintenance funding. Award winning Sacramento Bee writer Stuart Leavenworth will be the luncheon speaker on Wednesday.

Conference Chair Susan Lien Longville, Director of the Water Resources Institute, California State University at San Bernardino, and the Conference Committee plan to address the disconnect between land use decisions and sustainable floodplains through a series of panels composed of regional planning agencies, the private development community, local flood management districts, reclamation districts and elected officials. The conference will highlight sustainable floodplain design.

The conference will also recognize developers and success stories around the state and discuss the Infrastructure Bond on the November ballot that addresses flood protection for homes on the floodplain.

Workshops of interest include:

--Innovative Applications in Floodplain Mapping

--Flood Insurance for Floodplain Managers

--Property Rights and Floodplain Management, Legally Speaking

--Comprehensive Floodplain Management

Field trips will highlight floodplain restoration, watershed management and a tour of a large sediment management project at the U.S.-Mexico border.

More conference information is available on the Association's Web site at http://floodplain.org/.

The Department of Water Resources operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs.