By Jane Sooby
The Second Statewide Agricultural Expert Panel, convened by the State Water Board to advise the board on technical aspects of California’s Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program, is close to finalizing its recommendations. View more information on the expert panel’s charge and deliberations at its website here.
Following release of its draft report March 30 and a subsequent public comment period, the expert panel will assemble for two public working group meetings to discuss the submitted comments. The meetings will be 3-6 pm on Monday, May 18 and Wednesday, May 27 and will include time for public comment.
In addition to written comments on the draft report, oral comments were taken at a State Water Board staff-led public workshop on April 10. (An English-language recording of this meeting is available here.)
The working group meetings will be held in person at the Cal EPA building in Sacramento and will be broadcast via Zoom and the Cal EPA live webcast (https://video.calepa.ca.gov/#/).
For specific details on location and how to register to provide public comment, click here for the meeting announcement.
According to information presented at the public workshop, a final plenary meeting will be convened June 5 and, if all goes according to plan, expert panel chair Daniel Geisseler will present the panel’s final report and recommendations to the State Water Board at its June 16 meeting. The State Water Board will then commence a technical evaluation of the panel’s recommendations and determine what further actions to take.
