Join Us for the Washington D.C. Policy Forum
2020 holds great possibilities and opportunities for our federal legislative priorities. Join us next month to hear from policy makers and advocate on priority clean water issues face to face with your Congressional Representatives in the nation’s capital. Our Washington D.C. Policy Forum is February 24 – 26, 2020 and once again we’ll be featuring a joint reception and session with our drinking water colleagues at ACWA. Registration is open and hotel space is limited. Find more information about the forum and the preliminary program. We look forward to seeing you there!

 

Winter Conference Recap
What a great start to 2020! Our Winter Conference held at the Renaissance Indian Wells last week was a resounding success. Our conference theme was “2020 Vision: The Next Generation.” Together with some of the clean water industry’s best and brightest, we focused on the future and preparing for new challenges. This year’s program included our popular and interactive roundtable series, a general session focused on building the next generation of the clean water sector, and updates on important state and federal policy topics. A special conference luncheon dedicated to honoring CASA’s former Executive Director Bobbi Larson was a touching celebration of her long and storied career in the clean water industry.

For those who were unable to attend, check out our website to view the informative presentations and handouts shared by our speakers and panelists. Be sure to keep an eye out for the next edition of CASA Connects where we will include a link to the photographs taken at the 2020 Winter Conference!

We kicked off the first day of the conference with the ever-popular roundtable series which consisted of discussions on a number of priority topics in the wastewater sector including Wipes, PFAS, Exfiltration, Air Toxic Emission Requirements, and Agency Rebranding to name a few! On day two we heard from keynote speaker Maggie Frye about the importance of mentorship, followed by presentations on climate resiliency, future workforce development, tailoring solutions to medium and small agencies, and a panel for cutting edge technologies and research partnerships. At the Wednesday luncheon, we got the opportunity to share our mutual admiration and appreciation for the wonderful Bobbi Larson with a tribute to her retirement from CASA. Thank you to all who sent in pictures and videos to make it so special!

Thursday we received state and federal legislative updates and learned more about what we can expect in the 2020 legislative session. In the closing session, we heard from Sonoma Water about their recent disaster experience, and from Adam Krantz of NACWA on national partnerships and priorities. In addition to all the exciting speakers and panels, we hosted several successful networking events and receptions.

Thank you everyone who attended or served as a speaker! We look forward to seeing you at the CASA Annual Conference in Squaw Valley this August.

BACWA Announces New Executive Director
The Bay Area Clean Water Agencies (BACWA) Executive Board has appointed Dr. Lorien Fono as their new Executive Director, replacing current BACWA Executive Director Dave Williams who will retire at the end of January. Dr. Fono has served as BACWA’s Regulatory Program manager since 2012 and has supported its committees, engaged with regulators on key issues, and been involved with the day-to-day administration of the BACWA organization. She looks forward to working with the Bay Area POTW community in this new capacity, and to guide BACWA in continuing to provide the high level of service that their members expect. Congratulations to Dr. Fono and BACWA on this new chapter! Learn more about BACWA and their activities at BACWA.org.

Committee Seeks Suggestions for Potential CASA Board Members
The CASA Nominating Committee, chaired by past president Traci Minamide, will convene in early spring to consider CASA Board of Directors candidates for the August 2020 ballot. The committee will be recommending candidates for four of the twelve elected seats.

The board of directors is the governing body responsible for policy decisions and oversight of the executive director. Board members are expected to:

  • Attend all CASA conferences and the Washington D.C. policy forum
  • Participate in monthly board conference calls and in-person meetings
  • Attend an annual strategic planning session for the association
  • Assist in member recruitment and retention
  • Represent CASA at events and meetings as requested by the President

CASA attempts to include geographic diversity as well as a balance of agency managers and elected officials on our Board. This year we anticipate the need for a Southern California manager and a Northern California elected official. Ideal candidates will be familiar with CASA as an organization and preferably will have served on or actively participated in CASA workgroups, committees and events.

If you know someone who would be a valuable board member, please send a brief email to nominations@casaweb.org with their name, agency and a few sentences about his or her qualifications. Please send your recommendation by March 15, 2020.