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Winter Conference Recap CASA’s 2026 Winter Conference in Palm Springs kicked off the year with three days of collaboration, insight, and forward-looking discussions focused on building resilient, future-ready clean water agencies. The conference began with networking opportunities, including the Women of Wastewater gathering and a facility tour of Valley Sanitary District highlighting recent treatment plant [...]

Congress Passes Fiscal Year 2026 Appropriations Congress has finalized FY 2026 funding for key water, energy, and environmental programs with passage of the three-bill Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 minibus that includes the Interior-Environment and Energy and Water Development bills. The legislation keeps most programs funded at current levels, avoids the deeper cuts proposed by the [...]

Sign up for CASA’s Regulatory Updates CASA’s Regulatory Workgroup regularly puts together a comprehensive e-newsletter to share all regulatory updates on key issues and workgroup initiatives with the CASA membership. We recently trifurcated the single regulatory newsletter into biosolids, ACE, and water quality specific editions. If you are interested in receiving any (or all) of [...]

2026 WELL Annual Conference – Register Today Water challenges and climate change are reshaping communities across California. Want to better understand new water legislation, gain practical tools, and make informed, equitable decisions for your region? The 2026 WELL Annual Conference brings together leaders and experts for two days of powerful learning and collaboration on March [...]

Meet the CASA Board: David Pedersen, Director David Pedersen is the General Manager of Las Virgenes Municipal Water District and Administering Agent for the Las Virgenes-Triunfo Joint Powers Authority.  In these roles, he serves as the chief executive responsible providing water and sanitation services to residents of the Conejo/Las Virgenes Valleys.  Dave has a Bachelor’s [...]

Boundary Maps Submissions Due on December 31 This is a reminder that the sanitary sewer system boundary map submittal for existing enrollees under Sanitary Sewer Systems General Order is due on December 31, 2025. The Sanitary Sewer Systems General Order requires submittal of geospatial data detailing the sanitary sewer system service area boundary for each system [...]

Monterey One Water Cuts the Ribbon on New Food Waste Receiving and Co-Digestion Program Monterey One Water announced that it is now operating a food-waste receiving and co-digestion program. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, to mark the milestone. With the launch of this program, the agency can divert up to [...]

Webinar: Advancing PFAS Management Wednesday, December 17 | 12:00–1:00 PM Get an inside look at the Orange County Water District’s (OCWD) regional efforts to manage and mitigate PFAS. This webinar will highlight program progress, key operational lessons, and OCWD’s collaborative work with retail water agencies. Attendees will hear updates on countywide well restoration, now halfway [...]

Water Leadership Institute – Applications Opening Soon! Are you ready to take the next step in your career? The Water Leadership Institute (WLI) program is designed to educate, train, and connect emerging leaders across the water sector. Through a dynamic, blended learning experience, participants gain valuable management training, leadership development, and industry insight. The program [...]

Meet the CASA Board: Sandeep Karkal, Director Sandeep Karkal serves as General Manager-Chief Engineer for the Novato Sanitary District (NSD), which provides wastewater collection, treatment and disposal, recycled water production, and franchised solid waste services in northern Marin County.  Prior to joining NSD in 2004, he worked for over 17 years in the public and [...]