Almost every time water is used, released water has higher salt content than intake water, thus contributing to a growing salinity problem. This phenomenon is illustrated in many groundwater basins, such as California’s Tulare Lake Basin in the Central Valley, which have a very limited ability to discharge salts. Salts generated in and imported into these basins are accumulating in soil and water, and salinity impacts are gradually increasing. Impacts of groundwater salinity are being felt throughout California, the semi-arid lands of the southwest and elsewhere globally from increasing chloride concentrations in groundwater used for municipal supplies, to retirement of hundreds of thousands of acres of agricultural land due to saline-sodic soils, and drainage problems from highly saline shallow groundwater. Meanwhile, more and more resources are directed toward monitoring, treatment, and management of salinity by agricultural, industrial, and municipal dischargers.
The University of California Center for Water Resources and the Groundwater Resources Association of California seek to provide a forum for various stakeholder groups to express their perspectives and gain an appreciation of other groups’ interests on issues related to groundwater salinity. The focus will be on shared interests in assessing the scope of the problem and finding solutions, and on current practices for regulating and managing groundwater salinity.
Join us March 24 and 25, 2009 at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento, California for a UC Center for Water Resources & Groundwater Resources Association joint conference "Groundwater Salinity: A Groundwater Dilemma"
This conference is the 22nd in GRA’s Series on Groundwater Contaminants. Conference sessions will cover a variety of topics, including but not limited to:
Impacts
- the nature and distribution of salt impacts
- trends and long-term projections
- salt balances and budgets for individual basins
- data sources, data gaps, and data quality
- impact of CVP and SWP on salinity
- impacts of increasing salinity on agriculture, urban water users, natural resources, industry, water providers, regulators, policy makers
- impacts from food processing, the dairy industry, agriculture, land application of wastewater, ponds and lagoons, and natural processes
Characterization and fate and transport:
- tracing sources of salinity in groundwater
- anthropogenic vs. natural sources of salts
- fate and transport of salts in the vadose zone and in aquifers
- salinity toxicity to crops
- salt accumulation in soils
- seawater intrusion
- groundwater monitoring at dairies
Regulatory management strategies:
- implementation of basin plans
- water quality objectives
- WDRs/permits
- defining the “salt inventory”; mass balance approaches
- anti-degradation policy, effluent limits
Technical management strategies:
- brine lines and brine management
- integrated on-farm drainage management
- nutrient management
- source reduction
- land application
- desalinization technologies
- centralized treatment (POTWs)
- deep well injection
- water softener control programs
- conjunctive use
Experts from academia, consulting, regulatory agencies and industry will participate in moderated speaker sessions and posters sessions. The combination of invited speakers and experts from key areas, along with talks chosen from submitted abstracts, will make this an important event for all professionals grappling with salinity issues in groundwater applications.
Hotel Information
Radisson Hotel
500 Leisure Lane
Sacramento, California 95815
888-201-1718 or 916-922-2020
Room rates (if booked by 3/6/09): Single - $84(+ taxes), or Double - $104(+taxes)
website: http://www.radissonsac.com
Exhibitors: In-Situ Inc. | Solinst Canada Ltd.
Sponsors and Exhibitors
If you are interested in exhibiting your organization's services or products, or being an event sponsor, please contact Mary Megarry at mmegarry@nossaman.com or 916-446-3626. UC Center for Water Resources and GRA welcome co-sponsors, lunch, refreshment and reception sponsors. |
