AGWT News

NEWS - May 2016 – Water Topics Workshop for Nebraska Teachers and Educators, Nebraska City, Nebraska

  A two-day training program for teachers, held in partnership with the Kregel Windmill Factory Museum, Nebraska City, Nebraska.  The old windmill factory (actually a wind-pump factory!) was a centerpiece of the program.  The event was sponsored by the Richard P Kimmel & Laurine Kimmel Charitable Foundation, Water for Food and the Nebraska Farm Bureau.

 
Presenters at the program included:
Lee Orton, Executive Director, Nebraska Well Drillers Association
Dean Shissler, Curator, Kregel Windmill Museum
Aaron Young, Survey Geologist, Conservation and Survey Division 
Andrew Stone, Executive Director, American Ground Water Trust
David Kill, Training Consultant, Xylem Goulds Water Technology
Roric Paulman, President, Nebraska Water Balance Alliance 
Cindy Kreifels, Executive Vice President, Groundwater Foundation, Lincoln, NE
Tom Christopherson, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
Nicholas Brozovic, Director of Policy, Water for Food Institute, University of Nebraska 
 
 
The American Ground Water Trust has organized over 70 training programs for teachers in 17 states attended by close to 2,000 teachers and educators.
 

NEWS - April 2017 – Water Market Solutions for California’s Water Issues, Sacramento, California

 
The Sacramento Water Market Conference was the first time the AGWT has addressed this emerging topic. Water trading
allows and enables water right-holders to sell or lease water. To be most effective in times of drought (with time-sensitive water needs by end-users), there needs to be a streamlined approval process for trades. This workshop explained water markets, outlined the current processes for California water trades, showcased successes and offered perspectives on the role water market trades can play to help successful implementation of California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
 
Presenters included:
Tony Morgan, Deputy General Manager, United Water Conservation District, Santa Paula, CA
Matthew Fienup, Economist, Center for Economic Research & Forecasting, Thousand Oaks, CA
Rabia Ahmed, Sr. Economist and Manager, Ramboll Environ, Seattle, WA
Dr. Rodney Smith – Managing Member, Stratecon, Claremont, CA 
Tom Rooney, President, WaterFind USA, Sacramento, CA 
Clay Landry, Managing Director, WestWater Research, Boise, ID 
Lee West, Director, CTX Global-North America, Los Angeles, CA
Vernon Crowder, Senior Vice President and Agricultural Economist, Rabobank, Fresno, CA    
Dr. Jay Lund, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UC Davis, CA
Jay Ziegler, Director of External Affairs & Policy, The Nature Conservancy, San Francisco, CA
Gary Bardini, Deputy Director, California Department of Water Resources, Sacramento, CA 
Brandon Goshi, Metropolitan Water District, Manager of Water Policy and Strategy, Los Angeles, CA  
Aaron Ferguson, Associate, Somach Simmons & Dunn, Sacramento, CA 
Dr. Ruth Langridge, UC Santa Cruz, Associate Researcher, Center for International, Global and Regional Studies, Santa Cruz, CA
 
 
 

NEWS - March 2016 – Geothermal Technology Workshop, Los Angeles, California

In partnership with the California Geothermal Heat Pump Association
 
Participants at the American Ground Water Trust Geothermal workshop heard the geothermal industry’s top experts provide a great learning experience about the design and installation of geothermal heat pumps and ground-source heat exchange systems for both new and retrofit applications. The program included explanations of financial incentives, operation economics  state-of-the-art computer design systems, best practices for installation and the benefits of hybrid systems to achieve “net-zero” for residential and commercial buildings.
 
Presenters included:
Bill Martin, President, California Geothermal Heat Pump Association, Santa Rosa, CA
Lisa Meline, President, Meline Engineering, Sacramento, CA 
Jay Egg, President, Egg Geothermal, Orlando, FL
Paul Bony, Director, Renewables & Contractor Development, Electric & Gas Industries Assn., Sacramento, CA
Bruce Sanguinetti, Sierra EcoSystems, Genoa, NV
Steve Guttman, Guttman and Blaevoet Engineers, San Francisco, CA
Bill Douville, Technical Field Representative, BAROID Industrial Drilling Products, San Francisco, CA
Michael Meyer, Gregg Drilling & Testing, Inc. Signal Hill, CA 
 

 

NEWS - February 2016 – Everything Aquifers and Groundwater Management, Ontario, California

Ontario, California was the location for the Association of Ground Water Agencies and the American Ground Water Trust annual California conference.  The event was held in cooperation with the Groundwater Resources Association and the California Groundwater Coalition.

 

 

 

 The first AGWA/AGWT joint conference was held in Ontario, CA in 2000. Since then, this annual program has provided an important information  exchange and networking opportunity for California’s water agencies,  utilities and water districts, and for all water professionals (scientific, engineering, managerial, legal, environmental, regulatory), end-users of water, and local and state elected officials involved with water policy issues. The focus of every program has been on current groundwater management issues in California. 

 
Presenters for the 2016 conference included: 
Rich Atwater, Executive Director, Southern California Water Committee, Los Angeles, CA
Debra Man, Assistant General Manager and COO for the Metropolitan Water District, Los Angeles, CA
Ken Manning, Executive Director, San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority, West Covina, CA
Jackson R. Gualco, President, The Gualco Group, Inc., Sacramento, CA
Hal Furman, Managing Director, The Furman Group, La Jolla, CA
Tony Morgan, Deputy General Manager, United Water Conservation District, Santa Paula, CA
Bryan Bondy, Groundwater Manager, Calleguas Municipal Water District, Thousand Oaks, CA
Gordon Kimball, Managing Partner, Kimball Ranches, Santa Paula, CA
Matthew Fienup, Economist, California Lutheran University, Center for Economic Research & Forecasting, Thousand Oaks, CA
Jeff Barry, Principal Hydrogeologist, GSI Water Solutions, Santa Barbara, CA
Ted Johnson, Groundwater Manager, Water Replenishment District of Southern California, Lakewood, CA
Sally McCraven, Principal Hydrogeologist, Todd Groundwater, Alameda, CA
Scott Fendorf, Professor, Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
David Jordan, Vice President, INTERA, Albuquerque, NM
Jan M. H. Hendrickx, Professor of Hydrology, Department of Earth & Environmental Science, New Mexico Tech, Socorro, NM
Alan Flint, Research Hydrologist, USGS Pacific Region, Sacramento, CA
Derrik Williams, President, HydroMetrics, Oakland, CA
Van Kelley, Principal Hydrogeologist, INTERA, Austin, TX
Anthony Brown, CEO, and Principal Hydrologist, Aquilogic, Costa Mesa, CA
Andy Campbell, Deputy Manager of Planning, Water Resources, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Chino, CA
Wayne Praskins, Remedial Project Manager, US Environmental Protection Agency, San Francisco, CA 
John Izbicki, Research Hydrologist, USGS Pacific Region, San Diego, CA
William Rowe, Project Manager, California Dep't Toxic Substances Control - Stringfellow Geology Unit, Sacramento, CA, and,
Jim Finegan, Principal Hydrogeologist, Kleinfelder, Riverside, CA
Andrew Stone, Executive Director, American Ground Water Trust, Concord, NH
Kent Madison, President, 3RValve LLC, Echo, OR
Vic Kelson, Chief Modeler, Layne Christensen, Bloomington, IN
Reymundo Trejo, Assistant General Manager, Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District, Monrovia, CA 
Scott Slater, CEO and President, Cadiz Inc, Los Angeles, CA
 

NEWS - December 2015 – New England Geothermal Workshop - Taco Innovation and Development Center, Cranston, Rhode Island

An AGWT  workshop highlighting the latest technical innovations in ground-source heating and cooling was held in Rhode Island in partnership with New England Geothermal Professional Association.
The program was held at the headquarters of Taco Comfort Solutions (a manufacturer of pumps and geothermal equipment.
The photograph shows Martin Orio, V.P. Business Development, Water Energy, Hampstead, NH talking to the audience of 50 geothermal professionals, architects and building managers.
 
Presenters included:
Martin Orio, V.P. Business Development, Water Energy, Hampstead, NH
Chuck Hammock, Principal, Andrews, Hammock & Powell, Inc, Macon, GA
Jay Egg, President, Egg Geothermal, Tampa, FL
Jeff Quinn, Account/ Field Representative, Baroid IDP, Nottingham, NH 
Greg Cunniff, Taco Applications Engineer, Taco Inc., Cranston, RI.
Richard Medairos, Director of Engineered Products & Systems Training, Taco, Cranston, RI.
Stephane Gonthier, President, Versaprofiles, Saint-Lazare de Bellechasse, Quebec, Canada
Jim Moran, President, Advanced Energy Group, Ann Arbor, MI
Greg Hosselbarth, Commercial Regional Manager, Mitsubishi Electric HVAC, Boston, MA

NEWS - December 2015 – To Drill or Not to Drill? To Pump or Not to Pump? Tulare, California

 
 
 
 
 
 
The workshop, held at the Southern California Edison Energy Education Center in Tulare, provided practical guidance for Central Valley water well owners making decisions about well drilling, equipment installation and water well operation. The objective of the program was to provide farmers, growers and other California Central Valley groundwater end-users with practical technical information to assist them with decisions about developing new groundwater supply, optimizing yield from existing water wells and managing pumping sustainability. The one-day information-exchange workshop involved water industry and irrigation industry experts providing presentations, panel discussions, audience Q & A.  
 
The program was organized in partnership with the Tulare Irrigation District.  The workshop audience of 100 included growers, water utility managers, groundwater end-users and well contractors. 
 
Presentation topics included:
SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT ACT
Paul Hendrix, General Manager, Tulare Irrigation District, Tulare, CA
FAILURES AND PROBLEMS THAT CAN RESULT FROM WELLS DRILLED IN A HURRY
Chris Johnson, President, Aegis Groundwater Consulting, Fresno, CA 
CRITERIA FOR SELECTING THE TYPE OF STEEL FOR WELL CASING AND WELL SCREENS
Kevin McGillicuddy, Hydrogeologist, Roscoe Moss Company, Los Angeles, CA:
AIRBORNE GEOPHYSICS AND HYDROGEOLOGIC FRAMEWORK DEVELOPMENT FOR GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT DECISIONS
James Cannia PG, Aqua Geo Frameworks LLC, Mitchel, NE
WATER WELL DRILLING TECHNOLOGY
Timothy Oman, District Manager, Layne Christensen Company, Santa Paula, CA
SELECTING THE RIGHT PUMP FOR THE JOB – 
Bill Green, Education Manager, Center for Irrigation Technology, Fresno, CA
ELECTRICAL ENERGY CONSIDERATIONS FOR WATER WELL OPERATION
Steve Villegas, Pump Specialist, Southern California Edison, Tulare, CA
FINANCING FOR NEW WELLS: HOW LENDERS AND BANKS ASSESS “RISK” 
 

NEWS - December 2015 – Colorado Groundwater Issues, Denver, Colorado

The American Ground Water Trust’s Annual Colorado Groundwater Conference covered a variety of issues. Topics included:
Groundwater management strategies and the State Water Plan 
Recharge and storage potential in the Denver Basin Aquifer 
Water Rights: Are current augmentation requirements preventing injury? 
Is Colorado’s agribusiness growth limited by assured access to water? 
Is the state wasting water because of evaporation from shallow groundwater? 
Challenges in coping with groundwater draining from Colorado’s abandoned mines 
Legislator panel: water management legislative initiatives expected in 2016 session 
Assuring sustainable supply for metropolitan area and Front Range developments 
Community education for implementing water conservation and aquifer protection
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Presenters included:
Amy Conklin, Board Member, Colorado Water Wise, Denver, CO
Kristin Maharg, Interim Director, Colorado Foundation for Water Education, Denver, CO  
John Stulp, Special Policy Advisor to the Governor for Water, Chairman of the IBCC, State of Colorado Water Conservation Board, Denver, CO 
Rick Marsicek, Director of Engineering, South Metro Water Supply Authority, Greenwood Village, CO 
Doug Kemper, Executive Director, Colorado Water Congress, Denver, CO
Daniel Ault, President and Victor deWolfe, Geological Engineer, Deere & Ault, Longmont, CO
Don Shawcroft, President, Colorado Farm Bureau, Centennial, CO
Joe Harrington, Vice President Business and Strategic Development, Alexco Environmental Group , Centennial, CO 
Joseph N. Ryan, Professor, AirWaterGas Sustainability Research Network, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
Larry Ross, Elbert County Commissioner, Kiowa, CO
Sean Conway, Weld County Commissioner, Greeley, CO 
Julio Iturreria, Long Range Planning Program Manager, Arapahoe County, Centennial, CO
Mary Hodge, Senator, Colorado State Senate District 25, Adams County, CO
Steve Humphrey, State Representative House District 48, Severance, CO
Vicki Marble, Senator, Colorado Senate District 23, Fort Collins, CO
John Cooke, Senator, Colorado Senate District 13, Weld County, CO
Larry Crowder, Senator, Colorado Senate District 35, Alamosa, CO
 

 

NEWS – November 2015 – Coloquio Nacional De Agua Subterranea En Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico

The AGWT Executive Director was an invited speaker at the Mexico Groundwater Colloquium held in Mexico City. The main focus of the event was on sustainability and the importance of having scientific understanding of regional groundwater flow concepts as a basis for groundwater management. The meeting venue, inside the Mexican Senate building, provided a great opportunity to increase legislator awareness of the vulnerability of Mexico’s aquifers to over-pumping.  The program was organized by the Instituto de Geografia, UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico) and several Mexican Water Agencies.  The event was attended by approximately 100 politicians, political advisors, municipal officials, water and groundwater agencies and academics. 
Andrew Stone’s presentation was, “Proper planning for water supply sustainability: All available scientific data should be used.” He participated in the event representing the AGWT and as the Director of the Commission on Groundwater Outreach, of the International Association of Hydrogeologists.
Also included in the international panel of experts invited to participate in the colloquium was Xiao-Wei Jiang, School of Water Resources and Environment, University of Geosciences, Beijing, China;  Judit Mádl-Szőnyi, Department of Physical and Applied Geology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary;  and Udo Weyer, WDA Consultants Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 
 

NEWS – September, 2015 – Georgia Ground Source Heating & Cooling Workshop, Atlanta, GA

 

The AGWT Atlanta workshop program showcased geothermal technology for energy conscious home buyers and commercial property owners considering “green energy” options. The photograph shows Chuck Hammock (Mechanical Engineer) providing explanations about the geothermal system installed in the seasonal cold storage geothermal heat pump system at Campbell Hall, Agnes Scott College, Atlanta.  The program held at the headquarters building of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers and was organized in cooperation with the Atlanta Chapter of ASHRAE. 

“Geothermal heat pump systems are the most energy efficient, environmentally friendly, clean and cost-effective space conditioning systems” - US Environmental Protection Agency

Presenters included:
Paul McCarty, Mechanical Engineer, US Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, AL
Brandon Caves, Commissioning & Test /Balance Supervisor, Andrews, Hammock & Powell, Inc., Macon, GA
Dustin Gregoire, Bosch Thermotechnology Corp., Dallas, TX 
Keith Swilley, Marketing Manager, Gulf Power Company, Pensacola FL
Mark Whittle, Senior Field Services Technical Representative, Baroid IDP, Lexington, SC
Chuck Hammock, Partner, Andrews, Hammock & Powell, Inc., Macon, GA
Paul Bony, Director of Renewables and Contractor Development, Electric and Gas Industry Association, Sacramento, CA
Deborah Fritz, Senior Associate, Lord Aeck Sargent (Architects), Atlanta, GA 
Dr Xiaobing Liu, Oak Ridge National Laboratory,  Oak Ridge, TN
Susan Kidd, Director of Sustainability, Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA 
 

NEWS - September 2015- AGWT’s 15th Annual Florida Aquifer Conference, Orlando, Florida

 The AGWT’s two-day Florida Annual Groundwater Conference was the meeting place for 150 engineering scientific and management professionals, end-users and citizens with an interest in the management of Florida’s aquifers The program provided updates on projects and technology innovations and the regulatory framework that allows for the development and the conservation of the state’s groundwater. 

Photographs:  Part of the Aquifer Conference Audience, Crystal-clear groundwater emerging at a Florida spring.

Presenters included:
Dr. Thomas M. Missimer, Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, FL
Janet G. Llewellyn, Policy Administrator, Office of Water Policy, Florida DEP, Tallahassee, FL
Joe Haberfeld, UIC Program Manager, Florida DEP, Tallahassee, FL
Greg Munson, Shareholder, Gunster Law Firm, Tallahassee, FL
Dr. Eve Kuniansky, Groundwater Specialist, United States Geological Survey, Norcross, GA
Dr. June Mirecki, Geochemist, US Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville FL
Dr. Dave MacNevin, Project Engineer, Tetra Tech, Miami, FL
Eric Olsen, Shareholder, Hopping Green & Sams, Tallahassee, FL
Dr. Bob Maliva, Principal Hydrogeologist, Schlumberger Water Services, Fort Myers FL
David Pyne, President, ASR Systems, LLC, Gainesville, FL
Jeff Barry, Principal Hydrogeologist, GSI Water Solutions Inc. Santa Barbara, CA
Daniel Clement, Engineer, Burns & McDonnell, Wichita, KS
Donald Ellison, Senior Professional Geologist, Southwest Florida Water WMD, Brooksville, FL
Mike Weatherby, CEO, HydroGeo Consulting LLC, Tampa, FL    
Dr. Poonam Kalkat, Assistant Director of Utilities, City of West Palm Beach, FL
James Andersen, JLA Geosciences, Jupiter, FL
Thomas Farkas, Senior Hydrogeologist, Water Systems Engineering, Atkins Global, Tampa, FL
John Mayhut, Senior Project Hydrogeologist and Mike Waldron, Senior Hydrogeologist,  Water Resources Management, Kadrmas Lee & Jackson, Lake Worth, FL
Mark McNeal, President, ASRus, LLC, Tampa, FL
Chuck Hammock, Partner, Andrews Hammock & Powell, Inc., Consulting Engineers, Macon, GA
Paul Petrey, Operations Manager, Applied Drilling Engineering, Inc., Tampa, FL
Pete Larkin, Vice President, ASRus, LLC, Tampa, FL
Robert Verrastro, Hydrologist, South Florida Water Management District, West Palm Beach, FL
Jennifer Hecker, Director of Natural Resource Policy, Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Naples, FL
Tom Larson, Conservation Chair, Sierra Club, Jacksonville, FL
Chuck Drake, Saint Johns River Water Management District Governing Board Member, Orlando, FL
Andrew Stone, American Ground Water Trust, Concord, NH

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