Winter Conference Recap
What a fantastic start to 2025! Our Winter Conference in Palm Springs was a resounding success, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who attended.

The conference began on Wednesday, January 29, with a full day of committee meetings, concurrent sessions on hot topics, and ample networking opportunities including the ever-popular women’s networking session. Day two featured a panel on Artificial Intelligence (AI), exploring its growing impact on the clean water sector. We highlighted how agencies are using AI to optimize treatment processes, improve public communications, and collaborate within local governments to leverage this technology.

We’d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s conference a sold-out event. Your support and participation were integral to its success. For those who couldn’t attend, presentations and handouts from our speakers and panelists are available on our website.

During Thursday’s luncheon, we honored Greg Kester, CASA’s longtime Director of Renewable Resource Programs, who will be retiring next week. Greg has led CASA’s renewable resource and biosolids program for many years and is a leading expert on biosolids issues at both the state and national levels. We will miss him greatly but are glad to have gathered to celebrate his career. We wish him all the best in retirement! We also recognized former CASA President and Valley Sanitary District Director Bill Teague as he entered retirement and discussed the recent successes of the CASA Education Foundation. This was followed by a dynamic panel session on Renewable Energy and Innovative Technology.

To wrap up the day, we gathered with our national counterparts from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) for a joint reception. It was the perfect opportunity to connect with agencies from across the nation and discuss common issues facing the clean water community. Thank you to all who joined us!

On Friday, attendees received an in-depth debrief on the 2024 General Election from veteran California political insiders Paul Mitchell and Matt Rexroad. They provided valuable insights into the election dynamics and voter behavior that influenced the outcomes at the local, state, and national levels.

We can’t wait to see you all at our 70th Annual Conference this summer for what promises to be another great celebration! Thank you again for making this such a memorable and impactful event. – Team CASA

 

Apply Now for CASA’s Prestigious Award of Excellence!
Your organization works tirelessly to support California’s water and environmental efforts. CASA’s Award of Excellence honors your dedication, showcasing your hard work, credibility, and innovation. We aim to recognize members who go above and beyond to protect public health and the environment. We invite all member agencies and associates to submit an application by Tuesday, May 2, 2025. Award recipients will be announced and celebrated at CASA’s 70th Annual Conference this summer in San Diego.

Your commitment deserves recognition, and we look forward to celebrating your outstanding contributions. For more information on award criteria and categories, please visit the Awards Program Webpage.

 

CASA Education Foundation Scholarship Applications
The CASA Education Foundation is dedicated to ensuring clean water for Californians and shaping the future of the clean water sector by awarding scholarships to promising students pursuing careers in the environmental field.

Does your local college or university know about CASA’s financial aid opportunities for students interested in a water-focused career? We encourage you to share this opportunity with students in your community! The Foundation is accepting scholarship applications through May 17, 2025. Download this scholarship flyer to distribute to local schools!

For details on how to apply, eligibility requirements, and scholarship guidelines, please visit the website. Let’s work together to inspire the next generation of environmental leaders!

 

CASA’s Adam Link Discusses PFAS on Orenco Water Podcast
CASA’s Executive Director, Adam Link, was recently interviewed on Orenco Water’s Make it Clear podcast. Tune in to hear their conversation about the ongoing PFAS issues in California, CASA’s role, and the importance of public awareness and individual actions in tackling environmental challenges.

 

 

CASA Agency Salary Survey
CASA would like to encourage your agency’s participation in the annual Agency Salary and Benefits Survey which was distributed on Monday, January 27. The survey provides valuable information for our members. The more responses we receive, the more accurate the statistical summary we can create. If your agency participated previously, your data is important for those agencies that use benchmarks. For those of you who have not participated in recent surveys, or have never participated, you will find this information very helpful when conducting a salary classification and review. Monterey One Water has again graciously volunteered to coordinate and produce the survey report. We look forward to providing as much comprehensive benefit information as possible with the distribution of the results. Please complete the survey by this Friday, February 28.  

We can exclude listing salary data for any sensitive positions that you prefer not to have recorded on the report. However, we would still like to use that information in the calculations of the overall averages. To accomplish this, just make a notation on the survey.

For inquiries about the survey, please contact Shacara Gamboa at sgamboa@casaweb.org. Thank you for your participation in the development of this important member resource.