First North County Water Summit to Address Drought on July 16, 2015

SAN MARCOS, Calif., June 25, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Due to years of hard work, planning and investment San Diego County's region is well poised to weather the historic drought that has crippled most of California. The first North County Water Summit to be held on Thursday, July 16, 2015 from 7:45 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Vista Civic Center, 200 Civic Center Drive, Vista, CA will center on the reality of today's water issue and innovative solutions available. To register free with required RSVP:  https://ncwatersummit.eventbrite.com

San Diego North Economic Development Council is hosting the Summit. Olivenhain Municipal Water District (OMWD) and Vallecitos Water District (VWD) are sponsoring with Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District, Rainbow Municipal Water District, Valley Center Municipal Water District, Vista Irrigation District, and Hunter Industries.  Two panel discussions will feature regional water agency executives, water suppliers, and businesses affected by the current water issues.  U-T San Diego Columnist Logan Jenkins will be the panel moderator:

1.      The New Water Reality in North County

• Maureen Stapleton, general manager, San Diego County Water Authority
• Mike Thornton, general manager, San Elijo Joint Powers Authority
• Peter MacLaggan, senior vice president, Poseidon Water
• P. Wesley Schultz, interim dean, CSU San Marcos Graduate Research Studies

2.      Adapting Through Innovation

• Gene Smith, vice president of marketing, Hunter Industries
• James Kasselmann, senior plant director, Gilead Sciences, Inc.
• Mike McSweeney, senior public policy advisor, BIA
• Gary Arant, general manager, Valley Center Municipal Water District
• Roy Coox, general manager, Vista Irrigation District

"Based on the regional investment in alternative water supplies from the IID water transfers, the regional desalination addition this fall, and agencies' local recycled water conversions, supplies are adequate to meet our customers' needs this year," said Kimberly Thorner, general manager, OMWD. "The state's set emergency restrictions for the next 270 days reflect the overall condition of water supply from a statewide level and are targeted at reducing potable water use on outdoor ornamental turf."

"The region's leading industries are implementing innovative water saving solutions, combined with recent efforts by local water agencies, to diversify our water supply," said Mike Sannella, board vice president, VWD.  "That's why our region is leading the way with a public-private approach to tackling the drought."

SOURCE San Diego North Economic Development Council