Castaic Lake Water Agency officials are planning to present the Bay Delta Conservation Plan Symposium to learn about saving water.

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The event is scheduled to be held at the College of the Canyons Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook University Center room 258 at 8 a.m. through 10 a.m. July 18. Admission is free.

“Out of sight, out of mind. All too often, that’s how Californians view the sources of their water supply,” said Dirk Marks, CLWA water resources manager. “But as the state endures a continuing drought and  one of our primary water sources is at a critical crossroads, we cannot afford to be unaware of the challenges facing our water sources — particularly the Delta — and how we can all help solve those problems.”

Half of the water in the Santa Clarita Valley flows through the Delta, according to the press release. SCV residents and businesses depend on the reliability of that water supply today, tomorrow and well into the future, but the Delta is in crisis.

Related: Newhall County Water District, Castaic Lake Water Agency Continue Battle

“Several weeks ago I was lucky enough to attend a presentation about the Bay Delta Conservation plan while I was in Sacramento. For me, it was the most powerful seminar I attended… it put our entire water conservation and use issue in a new perspective,” Stephanie Anagnoson, water conservation program coordinator for the Castaic Lake Water Agency. 

Breakfast will be served at the event and all participants must register on the website to attend.

Curt Schmutte, a Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta expert, will be giving the presentation.

“We’re especially pleased to have a speaker like Mr. Schmutte, whose credentials on the Bay Delta are particularly impressive,” Marks said. “This is an excellent opportunity for local residents and business owners to not only learn more about where half our water comes from, but also to gain information on how we can protect that supply in the future.”

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Schmutte plans on discussing the “threats the Delta is facing and how the Castaic Lake Water Agency is helping ensure a reliable water supply for the Santa Clarita Valley today, tomorrow and the future by supporting the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP),” according to the press release.

“We are lucky to have Curt Schmutte who presented the seminar here in Santa Clarita,” said Anagnoson in a press release. “I urge you to join us for this free powerful presentation. I promise it will be entertaining, educational and enlightening.”

About BDCP Symposium Speaker Curt Schmutte, PE

Schmutte is a civil engineer and manager specializing in water resources and environmental planning. He is currently a consultant for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Prior to his association with MWD that began in 2006, he worked for the California Department of Water Resources for 21 years. 

Schmutte has led multiple programs and projects involving the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta and Suisun Marsh, including levee improvement programs, land subsidence research, economic risk analyses, dredged material reuse projects, water quality studies and environmental restoration projects.

Since joining the Metropolitan Water District effort, he has been managing large scale ecosystem restoration projects, planning emergency drought actions to protect Delta water quality, implementing seismic flood risk mitigation strategies, planning actions to protect Delta smelt and advancing new conceptual water conveyance alternatives to achieve a sustainable Delta for both water supplies and the ecosystem. He also served as a lead expert witness for DWR on the Jones Tract levee failure litigation.

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