The 1-1/2 day “Integrated Regional Water Management 2.0: The Next Generation” was held May 21-22 2015 in San Diego. The conference was cosponsored by the California Department of Water Resources and the Water Education Foundation in partnership with the Roundtable of Regions.

Speakers included:

• Fran Spivy-Weber, Vice Chair of the California State Resources Control Board
• Gary Bardini, Deputy Director for Integrated Water Management, California DWR
• Col. Mike Farrell, Commander, Sacramento District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Gordon Burns, Undersecretary, California EPA
• Maureen Stapleton, General Manager of the San Diego County Water Authority

Presentations focused on:

• The California drought – utilizing IRWM practices and programs to help meet drought-related challenges
• Stronger IRWM practices – broadening participation and producing multiple benefits
• Governmental alignment – aligning multiple agencies and coordinating multiple missions
• IRWM and the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act
• Sustainable investments – balancing short- and long-term goals for the best outcomes
• Intrinsic value of IRWM – recognizing the benefits of a collaborative, regional approach to solving challenging issues

A special Expo featured DWR tools designed to support IRWM efforts, including DWR’s conference exhibit, “Draft Excerpts from Strategies for the Future of IRWM in California.”