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California Conference to Include Discussions of Recent Wildfires

November 21, 2007

More than 1,600 local water officials are expected to attend the Association of California Water Agencies' (ACWA) 2007 Fall Conference & Exhibition Nov. 27-30 in Indian Wells.

Speakers include state and federal elected officials and water policy leaders who will discuss the status of California's water; including recent federal court decisions and potential 2008 water initiatives. Kicking off the conference will be a keynote address titled, "California's Water: A Crisis We Can't Ignore," with moderator Jennifer Persike, director of strategic coordination and public affairs, ACWA; speakers John Fairbank, partner/principal, Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin & Associates, and Paul Mandabach, partner, Winner & Mandabach. The program will provide an overview of ACWA's multi-million dollar statewide public education program.

Additionally, speakers Laura Harnish, deputy regional director, Environmental Defense; Steve A. Merksamer, partner, Nielsen, Merksamer, Parrinello, Mueller & Naylor, and Allan Zaremberg, president & CEO, California Chamber of Commerce, provide their insight and expertise on planning for a statewide water initiative. The program will be moderated by Timothy Quinn, executive director, ACWA.

The conference concludes on Nov 30 with "Southern California Wildfires Put ACWA Member Agencies to the Test." Water agencies directly impacted by the fires will provide a rundown of what they had to cope with during and after the firestorms.