State Water Resources Control Board

Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution Control Program

California Nonpoint Source Conference
Fall 2001

The year, 2001 will go on record as the year of the State's first conference on Nonpoint Source Programs. The conference entitled Demonstrating Nonpoint Source Solutions (NPS Conference) was held on October 23-25 at the Holiday Inn of downtown Sacramento and developed in order to meet several objectives. These objectives included providing an opportunity for landowners, watershed coordinators, local resource groups, nonprofit organizations, and local agencies to convene and learn from the wealth of knowledge that has developed in nonpoint source pollution prevention programs over the last 10 years.

The opening session was moderated by Ken Harris of the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Division of Water Quality, with Keynote Speakers Arthur Baggett from SWRCB, Sara Wan from the California Coastal Commission and Alexis Strauss from the USEPA Region 9 Water Division. The conference panels were moderated by staff members from the State and Regional Boards and the project presentations were made by more than 40 representatives of the various 319(h) grant programs, including speakers from agricultural committees, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Resource Conservation Districts and various nonprofit organizations. Concurrent sessions for these presentations and poster session were held during the first two days of the conference, and a very successful field trip to rural and urban nonpoint source solution sites was conducted on the third day.

The contents of these exhibits and project reports do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the SWRCB, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

To review project presentations and poster session information, please visit the Abstracts link.

Martha Davis from the Inland Empire Utility Agency moderated the closing panel and introduced a select and lively group of closing panel speakers. These speakers included Celeste Cantú from SWRCB, Nettie Drake from Panoche-Silver Creek CRMP Council, Thomas Mumley from San Francisco RWQCB, John Schramel from California Association of Resource Conservation Districts, Linda Sheehan of the Ocean Conservancy and Dov Weitman from U.S. EPA in Washington D.C.

The positive response from the conference was evident not only in high enrollment with 350 registered participants from all over the State, but also in multiple post-conference comments and evaluations. Compliments that were heard (or written) included, "You really hit a home run", "Best conference I ever attended", and "The only conference I have been to where I can take home something I have learned and use it." One contract manager/grant administrator said, "this conference provided tremendous insight into other projects statewide, the uniqueness of each set of conditions, and the workmanship of the project proponents." It is this type of success that ensures that the USEPA, SWRCB, RWQCB and NPS Conference Committee members will produce another event in the year 2003.