Three Fresno State water management specialists — David Zoldoske, Sarge Green and Karl Longley — will speak at the Summit on Water Technology and the California Drought on Friday, July 10, at the California EPA Headquarters Building in downtown Sacramento (corner of 10th and I streets).

The seminar will be hosted from 9 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.

Speakers and a technology exposition will share technologies to strengthen the state’s drought resiliency. The summit will bring together water agencies, water technology companies, state and local government leaders, researchers, non-profit organizations and other stakeholders.

Zoldoske, director for the Fresno State Center for Irrigation Technology, will host an agricultural water technology session from 9-10:30 a.m. Topics will include successful technologies used by California farmers, new and promising technologies not yet commercialized and challenges to expanding and improving technologies for agricultural irrigation.

“It’s important that Governor Jerry Brown has provided leadership in this area and created this summit to bring state agencies together with practitioners,” Zoldoske said. “Technology holds the promise of maximizing our future water use, which includes new innovations and optimizing current equipment. Maintenance is a critical part of keeping our water management infrastructure operating efficiently so we can continue to extend our water supplies.”

Green, a project director for the California Water Institute, will serve as a facilitator at the 10:45-11:45 a.m. seminar for agricultural water-use efficiency for farming and ranching. He will speak with Karen Ross from the California Department of Food and Agriculture about irrigation technologies that need to be introduced or increased. Other topics include expanding the use of drip irrigation and water-saving irrigation technology, increasing broadband access to use with irrigation technology and precision agriculture.

Longley, a Fresno State Water Resource Programs coordinator, is a presenter at the 12:45-2 p.m. session covering the future state water sustainability report by the California Council on Science and Technology. An emeritus professor and dean of engineering, he is the California Water Institute founding director and serves on the California Council on Science and Technology and Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board.

“David and I have been involved as advisors for the California Water Plan and looked at the science and practices that need to change from various sectors such as urban, agriculture and more,” Longley said. “Among our top recommendations is to reform the lack of water use management information by various sectors and users. We also have to find ways here in the Central Valley to deal with the 7 million tons of salt that is brought into the area each year. Advanced water treatment technology tends to use lots of energy and is expensive, so we need to find more novel ways and fund research in this area. We’re moving our policy into 20th century, and now we need catch up with the 21st century.”

Due to space limitations, attendance will be invitation only, and webcasts of various speakers will be available online.

A full schedule of speakers and topics is available here.

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