Using Geosynthetic Cementitious Composite Mats (GCCMs) Specified to ASTM D8364 to Virtually Eliminate Seepage Losses, Reduce Erosion and Increase Holding Capacity in Earthen Canals and in Remediation of Concrete Lined CanalsNathan Ivy, Concrete Canvas USA
Know Your System’s Past Before Planning Your Water FutureSteve Knell, Steve Knell Ag Water Consulting
Flowing Into the Future: Canal Lining Strategies for Water ConservationBrad Kirksey, Freese and Nichols, Inc.
Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District Engine Replacement ProjectNoelle Penner, Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group

2:45pm – 3:00pm

Break

3:00pm – 5:00pm

General Session 2

Technologies “A”

Moderated by Amy Johnson

The Great Recalibration: Breathing New Life into Legacy Flow Measurement StructuresJosh Mortensen, US Bureau of Reclamation
Multi-District Evaluation of FLUID and PRIME SCADA Control ProgramsDylan Tuttobene, Cal Poly ITRC
Modernizing Irrigation Pump Station Operations Using Software-Defined AutomationKyle Sanders, Schneider Electric
Comparing Overshot and Slidegate Control Performance for Local Downstream Water Level ControlBlair Stringam, NMSU
The Modern Irrigation District Responding to Growing Water ScarcityPeter Moller, Rubicon Water

5:00pm – 7:30pm

Wednesday

October 21, 2026

Schedule is subject to change.

7:00am – 8:00am

Continental Breakfast with Exhibitors

8:00am – 9:30am

General Session 1

Surface Water Supply

Moderated by Therese Ure Stix

Construction of a Flood Water Diversion Facility in Aliso Water DistrictAntonio Bejarano, Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group
Monitoring Salinity Across Space and Time to Support Drain Water Recycling within a Rice-Dominated Water DistrictJi Yeow Law, Davids Engineering
Treasure Valley Water Supply Project — An Effort to Avoid Water Supply Shortfalls Resulting from Declining Drain FlowsDaniel Hoke, Idaho Water District 63
Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program (OGWRP): Adapting Irrigation Delivery Systems to Meet Long-Term Water Supply ChallengesJennifer Hickenbottom, Bureau of Reclamation

9:30am – 9:45am

USCID Update / USCID Annual MeetingTherese Stix, USCID President, Schroeder Law Offices P.C.

9:45am – 10:15am

Break

10:15am – 11:30am

General Session 2

Evapotranspiration

Moderated by Forrest Killingsworth

Field Evaluation of Conventional and Compact Eddy Covariance Systems using Large Weighing LysimetersGary Marek, USDA-ARS Conservation and Production Research Laboratory
OpenET: How Well Does it Estimate ET from Lysimeters in an Advective Region?Paul Colaizzi, USDA-ARS Conservation and Production Research Laboratory
Evaluating Multi-Satellite and UAV-Based Remote Sensing for Evapotranspiration, Irrigation Management, and Crop Yield AssessmentIvo Goncalves, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, University of Nebraska

11:30am – 12:00pm

Meet the Exhibitors

12:00pm – 1:15pm

Lunch with Speaker

Conjunctive Management

Introduction by Therese Ure Stix

Joe Cacioppo — State Engineer, Nevada Division of Water Resources

1:30pm – 3:00pm

General Session 3

Technologies “B”

Moderated by Alejandro Paolini

TID Ceres Main Total Channel Control Pilot ProjectMatthew Hazen, Turlock Irrigation District
Irrigation Delivery Operations: Adapting to Current and Future Demands Using TechnologyAlex Buenrosto, Turlock Irrigation District
Applying Computer Vision Approaches to Hydrological MonitoringDaniel Ritter, SonTek
Modernizing Meter Monitoring at Scale: Arvin-Edison Water Storage District’s Transition from Manual Reads to Real-Time Flow ManagementAndrew Gray, Wildeye

3:00pm – 3:15pm

Break

3:15pm – 4:45pm

General Session 4

Infrastructure Design and Construction “B”

Moderated by Kent Norman

60 Years of Irrigation District Modernization — Then and NowCharles Burt
Semitropic Water Storage District Delta Pipeline Improvements ProjectEthan Hunter, GEI Consultants, Inc.
Full Structural Rehabilitation by Spray Applied Pipe Lining (SAPL) and Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (FRP) for Water Conveyance SystemsKurt Chirbas, Henkel
Beaver Control Implementation Results from Several Western StatesStephanie Gwerder, Briggs Manufacturing

4:45pm – 6:30pm

Thursday

October 22, 2026

Schedule is subject to change.

7:00am – 8:30am

Continental Breakfast with Exhibitors

8:30am – 10:30am

General Session 1

Groundwater

Moderated by Sara Harper

Measuring What Matters: Spatial Water Accounting Towards Sustainable Groundwater ManagementJeff Davids, Davids Engineering
Driver Road Pipeline Design and Construction in Southern San Joaquin Municipal Utility DistrictSam Schaefer, GEI Consultants, Inc.
North Kern Water Storage District Return Capacity Improvements (Nk-622)Fabian Acuna, GEI Consultants, Inc.
The Groundwater Demand Management (GDM) NetworkJeff Davids, Davids Engineering
Canal Capacity for Water Delivery to Recharge Basins in Consolidated Irrigation DistrictBryan Thoreson, GEI Consultants, Inc.

10:30am – 10:45am

Break

10:45am – 11:30am

General Session 2

Planning

Moderated by Emily Brengarth

A Three-Part Readiness Test for Modernizing Water Delivery SystemsSteve Knell, Steve Knell Ag Water Consulting
Adapting Irrigation Delivery to Land Subsidence: A Phased Approach for the Delta-Mendota CanalNuman Mizyed, Bureau of Reclamation, Technical Service Center
FID’s Capital Improvement Project Pipeline Replacement Index Matrix ProgramFelix Vaquilar, Fresno Irrigation District (FID)

12:00pm – 1:15pm

Lunch with Speaker

Coordinated Vegetation Management

Introduction by Amy Johnson

Iris Jehle-Peppard — One Truckee River Organization

1:30pm – 3:30pm

Panel Discussion

Ways and Means to Achieve Construction Efficiency in District Operations

Moderated by Steve Knell

Ismail GomezImperial Irrigation District
Barron SweetSouth San Joaquin Irrigation District
Cody ArnoldNorthern Water
Kevin Cunningham (invited)Salt River Project

Friday

October 23, 2026

Schedule is subject to change.

7:30am – 12:30pm

Field TourSeparate registration required

Field Tour

Valley Road Experiment Station — CABNR, University of Reno

Tour the UNR experiment station and hear about research studies involving variable rate irrigation and deficit irrigation of alfalfa and sweet sorghum field studies, as well as the “MoistureMapper” robotic soil moisture sensing system.

Reno Stead Water Reclamation Facility

Technical tour of the RSWRF, the pilot trailer which produces drinking-water-quality water from reclaimed water, and the adjacent site where the future full-scale potable reuse facility will be built based on the pilot-scale work.

Continental breakfast and beverages will be available to “grab and go” beginning at 7:00am.
A box lunch will be provided at the end of the tour.
The tour bus will drop participants at the Airport by 1:00pm and the Eldorado by 1:30pm.

Please note that closed-toe shoes are required.