DESCRIPTION:
Water management is a complex issue with unique challenges. This is especially true in Southern California. The San Diego Region relies heavily on imported water sources and regional water transfer agreements to provide it with its supply. As we set local and state goals to reduce carbon emissions, our current water conveyance system is at odds. By creating a plan at the regional level for more self-reliance, we can help the San Diego Region reduce its dependency on imported water and emissions associated with the movement of imported water.
This seminar will provide you with a background of the Region’s water supply and it’s connection to carbon emissions, examples of steps to change water management policy from the grassroots level and government perspective, and finally, innovative solutions to maintain and cultivate local supplies. At the conclusion of these presentations, there will be an opportunity to break out into groups and ask the tough questions. What will our region look like in 20, 50, and 100 years? How do we support a vision of self-reliance in a region of limited local supply? What policy changes need to be adopted? How does the built environment play a role in regional water management and what is its ecological impacts?
Lastly, we would encourage participants to continue the conversation within their own organizations and understand how they can enact change. The San Diego Green Building Council would like to harness this collaborative effort into a San Diego Water Working Group to move San Diego into a water resilient region.
SPEAKERS:
Patrick McDonough – Staff Attorney, San Diego Coastkeeper
Patrick McDonough joined San Diego Coastkeeper in early 2019, where as staff attorney he assists with all legal, policy, and advocacy work.
A surfer from Encinitas who became increasingly concerned about water quality issues the more time he spent in the ocean, Patrick pursued a law degree in order dedicate his career to environmental advocacy. He graduated cum laude from the University of Maryland School of Law with a certificate of concentration in environmental law from the school’s esteemed Environmental Law Program. In law school, Patrick worked on several Clean Water Act cases with Waterkeepers Chesapeake, another member of the Waterkeeper Alliance, through the school’s award-winning Environmental Law Clinic. Patrick also served as President of the Maryland Environmental Law Society student organization, and was a legal intern for San Diego Coastkeeper in 2011. He is licensed to practice law in state of California, the Southern and Central Federal Districts of California, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Molly Freed – Manager, Buildings + Water, International Living Future Institute
Molly’s passion for applying critical deep green theory to practical problem-solving found a home within the Policy Coordinator position. She supports the Institute’s policy program initiatives by identifying policy barriers and providing resources, research, toolkits, education, and advocacy to remove these obstacles. She also coordinates the Institute’s Affordable Housing work with pilot teams around the country.
Molly grew up in Seattle before traveling south for her degree in Environmental Analysis with a Minor in Gender and Sexuality Studies from Scripps College. She returned home after graduation and joined the Seattle 2030 team, working to promote a sustainable urban vision within the city. She moved to EnviroIssues in order to hone her inclusive public engagement skills for large infrastructure projects, and is happy to have landed at ILFI. She played soccer throughout college and continues to enjoy the sport, though she’s now supplemented it with ultimate frisbee and biking.
Celeste Cantú – Vice Chair, San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board
Celeste Cantú is Vice Chair of San Diego Water Quality Control Board. Previously she was CEO of Water Education for Latino Leaders (WELL), which informs local leaders about water policies that promote a robust economy, healthy communities, and a resilient environment for all Californians. Before joining WELL in 2017, she served as general manager for the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority. There she worked on an Integrated Regional Watershed Management Plan called One Water One Watershed. She previously served as the executive director for the California State Water Resources Control Board and as the USDA rural development state director for California. She was born and raised in Calexico, where she served as planning director and later as executive director for the Imperial Valley Housing Authority. She joined the PPIC Water Policy Center Advisory Council in 2015 and became chair in 2017. She holds a master’s in public administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a BA in urban planning and policy from Yale.
Catlow Shipek – Policy and Technical Director, Watershed Management Group
Catlow Shipek is a founding member of Watershed Management Group. He received a MSc in Watershed Management from the University of Arizona. Catlow has over ten years of experience in applied watershed management, planning and policy specializing in urban applications like water harvesting, green infrastructure, stream restoration, and eco-sanitation. Catlow has worked on several successful local policy initiatives including Tucson's Green Streets Active Practice Guidelines, Tucson Water's residential rainwater rebate program, Tucson's residential greywater ordinance revision process, and through the Complete Streets Taskforce the adoption of Tucson's Complete Streets Policy. Catlow has served on the Citizens’ Water Advisory Committee for Tucson Water including Chair of the Conservation & Education subcommittee and on the University of Arizona's School of Natural Resource and the Environment's advisory board. Catlow currently serves on the Complete Streets Coordinating Council following the 2019 adoption of the Complete Streets policy. Catlow's passion is to link people to their local environment for improved stewardship and prosperity.
