USGS scientists to play big role in statewide groundwater conference

Meeting Sept. 18-19 focuses on how groundwater can help meet California’s water demands

Top water experts with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will play a prominent role at a statewide conference next week on the issues facing California’s groundwater resources. Nine USGS scientists are scheduled to discuss their research at the 26th Biennial Groundwater Conference Sept. 18 and 19 at the Sacramento Convention Center.

USGS scientists will discuss their latest research on, among other topics:

• Saltwater intrusion -- when water from the ocean moves inland and threatens coastal groundwater – as well as the overall connection between the ocean and groundwater basins.

• How to factor in impacts to human health when assessing water quality.

• An ongoing study of the quality of groundwater in California's most important aquifer systems. This research is being conducted in conjunction with the State Water Resources Control Board and Lawrence Livermore Laboratory.

“The conference provides a forum for information exchange between technical groundwater experts and California’s local, regional, and statewide water managers,” said Dr. Eric Reichard, a conference organizer and a groundwater scientist with the USGS California Water Science Center. “It addresses specific issues affecting groundwater, such as emerging contaminants, as well as the broader issue of groundwater’s increasing role in overall water-supply planning for the state.”

The research presented by USGS scientists will help water managers protect and utilize groundwater resources more effectively, said Andrew Chang, director of the University of California Center for Water Resources, co-organizer of the conference.

“USGS is a major contributor to the knowledge of groundwater resources in California,” Chang said.

The conference, entitled “California’s Water Future: Expanding the role of Groundwater,” is organized by the UC Center for Water Resources and the Groundwater Resources Association of California. Also participating are the California Department of Water Resources, the State Water Resources Control Board, the Water Education Foundation, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and several local water agencies.

Other topics covered by experts and policy-makers from around the state will include groundwater banking, climate change, desalination, and groundwater’s connection to the Bay-Delta estuary.

The conference is open to the public and the news media. For registration, an agenda or other information, visit the conference Web site.

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USGS provides science for a changing world.

The U.S. Geological Survey's California Water Science Center operates project offices in Sacramento and San Diego where more than 130 scientists bring a broad range of disciplines to modern water-management issues. The center also has nine field offices where scientists and technicians gather hydrologic data on California's surface-water and ground-water resources.