Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
UC Cooperative Extension outlines Lake County Water and Climate program, offers local drought and tribal collaboration support
Summary
UC Cooperative Extension advisor Dr. Laura Garza Diaz briefed the supervisors on a new Lake County Water and Climate program focused on water quantity, water quality and climate resilience. The program is working with tribes, farmers and GSAs and plans drought‑resilience planning and educational courses.
Dr. Laura Garza Diaz, area water resources management advisor for UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE), presented an overview of a new UCCE Lake County Water and Climate program at the Sept. 23 Board of Supervisors meeting.
The program focuses on three pillars: water quantity, water quality and climate‑resilience education and technical support. Garza Diaz described farm visits, irrigation workshops and drought‑resilience assessments developed in partnership with the Middletown Rancheria; she said the program is co‑designing work with tribes and supporting groundwater sustainability agencies.
“The mission of this program … is to provide research‑based guidance, education and technical support to community members, water users and stakeholders in Lake County,” Garza Diaz told the board. She described an outreach approach that spans local farm support, county coordination and regional watershed modeling (including work related to Scott Dam removal), as well as statewide bilingual training for early‑career water professionals.
UCCE’s work in Lake County includes small‑farmer irrigation scheduling, drought strategies for agriculture and a bilingual water training course that has enrolled a larger‑than‑expected cohort of students. The program also hosted a “Bridal Youth Day” (tribal youth outreach) and worked with Middletown Rancheria on an Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals summer internship.
Why it matters: UCCE’s program is pitched as technical and educational support aimed at building local capacity for drought response, conservation and watershed planning; it will inform county drought resilience work and could help small districts access grants for infrastructure improvements.
Questions and next steps: Supervisors and members of the public asked whether UCCE could help small water districts with chronic leaks and asbestos‑pipe replacement; Garza Diaz said the program can support grant writing and technical assessment. She encouraged districts and community representatives to contact her office and said outreach, including farm visits and technical assistance, is underway.
Ending: The board thanked UCCE staff; Dr. Garza Diaz invited residents and districts to reach out for site visits, technical support and to enroll in the statewide California Water Course being piloted by UC Davis and UCCE.
