UC Cooperative Extension outlines Lake County water and climate program to supervisors

Dr. Laura Garza Diaz, area water resources management advisor for UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE), presented an overview of the UCCE Lake Water and Climate Change Program to the Lake County Board of Supervisors and members of the public. The presentation described the program’s local, regional and statewide activities, partnerships with tribal nations and agencies, and educational and technical support available to small water districts and community members.

The program’s mission, Garza Diaz said, is “to provide research-based guidance, education, and technical support to community members, water users, and different stakeholders in Lake County,” focusing on three pillars: water quantity, water quality and climate change. She described outreach that includes farm visits, irrigation workshops and drought strategy events for growers, and work with tribes and small water suppliers.

The program operates at four geographic scales, Garza Diaz told the board: local (farmers, tribes and small communities); county (collaboration with Lake County departments and the Big Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency);…