Conference Summary

The USCID Irrigation District Specialty Conference was held June 3-6, in Reno/Sparks, Nevada. The Conference theme was Irrigation District Sustainability — Strategies to Meet the Challenges. Feedback from the nearly 140 attendees was quite positive. A big thank you goes out to the large number of exhibitors who also came and set up shop to display some of the newest and latest technology during the Conference. A half day tour to the Derby Diversion Dam demonstrating how the restoration of this facility plays into the politics of the Truckee River was the starting event of the Conference. The opening tour also visited Fernly, Nevada; the site of a recent and much publicized canal break.

The great steak lunch provided by John Ascuaga's Nugget Hotel, the Conference Hotel, led the way to the opening session speaker. Introduced by USCID Board Member Laura Schroeder was Steve Knell, General Manager of Oakdale Irrigation District. Steve talked about the goings-on at OID and how "sustainability" plays a part in the operations plan for their district.

The opening Keynote presentation was given by Tim Quinn, Executive Director of the Association of California Water Agencies in Sacramento. Tim's presentation evaluated the past and present practices of the State with regard to water management and gave some great insight into the future needs and actions of the State, and its politicians, if California is going to survive this current water crisis.

Courtney Duke gave a solid and practical presentation on what irrigation districts need to consider when they accept municipal water into their canals.

Joe Burns, a Sacramento consulting engineer, gave a unique and historical perspective on the Truckee River Settlement Agreement and the politics leading to that agreement. Joe has been intimately involved in those talks for decades and gave the audience the benefit of his experience and insight into those decisions. After Joe's presentation, it was equally intriguing to hear from Mervin Wright, Jr., Tribal Chairman of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe of Nevada. Mervin shared his American Indian perspective on the Settlement Agreement and how that settlement impacted the long standing Indian rights and heritage as the Truckee River developed.

The opening Plenary Session ended with a USCID tradition — Meet the Exhibitors. All attendees heard a brief synapsis from each of the 22 exhibitors. The day concluded with the exhibition opening reception.

Thursday was filled with 27 solid presentations covering all aspects of irrigation district operations, during concurrent sessions on Construction and Maintenance and Environment; Administration, Policy and Governance; and Water Operations. A buffet lunch provided more time with the exhibitors prior to the afternoon technical presentations and the evening Poster Session. Eleven poster presenters treated the participants to some great discussions and interaction.

Following the Poster Session was the evening dinner highlighted by Steve Macaulay, West Yost Associates of Davis, California, giving his perspectives on the talks and information presented during the Conference and our roles as resource managers to meet those challenges.

Friday involved another day of information transfer covering the areas of Engineering and Water District Policies. The lunch speaker was Thad Bettner, General Manager of Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District. Thad talked about how Glenn-Colusa is addressing the many issues facing his District. The Conference concluded with three outstanding presentations in a Plenary Session. Mike Gabaldon, head of Reclamation's Technical Service Center in Denver; Greg Addington, Executive Director of the Klamath Water Users Association, and Donn Zea, President of the Northern California Water Association, provided interesting insights on a variety of water issues affecting irrigation district sustainability.

The Conference concluded on Saturday with a field tour led by Joe Burns and Martin Roche. Stops included the Mormon Station Museum; the Environmental Center at Sierra Nevada College, and Tahoe Dam on Lake Tahoe.

Conference Proceedings are available from USCID.

Conference Exhibitors

Conference Sponsors