The 20th Anniversary Water Conservation Showcase will take place on June 15, 2023 at the San Ramon Valley Conference Center.
We encourage attendees to join us in person to engage with our expo and network with other water industry professionals. If you are unable to attend in person in San Ramon, you may register beneath individual sessions below to attend them online.
HOSTED BY:
AIASF, EAST BAY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT, SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION,
SAN JOSE WATER, PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC,
AND
U.S.GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL - NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Water is a limited natural resource heavily impacted by the built environment.
Using sustainable practices in a building's development speaks to
the triple bottom line — people, profit & planet.
Since 2004, hundreds of advocates, researchers, business leaders, product manufacturers and government officials have gathered every year to address the most pressing water issues and challenges facing the state of California. Grab a ticket today for the showcase to learn more about scalable strategies and solutions to conserve one of Earth's most precious resources.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Contribute to the success of one of Northern California's largest and most important water events. Sign-up to volunteer at the Water Conservation Showcase!
Volunteers are needed to help with way-finding at the event, manage registration, assist with lunch, support exhibitors, and ensure we meet our zero waste goals. Volunteers receive training and have the opportunity to connect and network while earning GBCI continuing education credit.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
WORKSHOP - Using Compost and Mulch to Enhance Water Savings, while Meeting California Regulations
WORKSHOP - Water Audit Basics for Commercial Facilities
Tour of Southeast Community Center, 10 am and noon (noon tour includes plaque ceremony)
Thursday, June 15, 2023
8:00 am - Doors Open
9:00 am to 10:30 am PT
- Water Rights and Scarcity: From Global to Local in Room J101
- Innovative Architecture for Efficient Water Use in Room J102
- Strategies to Engage Our Diverse Communities in Room G
11:00 am to 12:30 pm PT
- Frontiers of the Water-Energy Nexus in Room J101
- Finding Leaks in the Haystack in Room J102
- Climate-Wise Commercial Landscape Practices in Room G
1:30 pm to 3:00 pm PT
- Boosting Resilience with Groundwater Recharge in Room J101
- EcoBlock: Creating an Urban Block-Scale Microgrid in Room J102
- Drought to Deluge: A Rain Garden in Action in Room G
3:30 pm to 5:00 pm PT
- CA's Water Supply Strategy: Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future in Room J101
- Blue Architecture: Delivering Net Positive Watershed Impact in Room J102
Wednesday, June 20, 2023
Tour of Southeast Community Center, 10 am and noon
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
Hands-on Drip Irrigation Workshop at The Gardens at Heather Farm
PROGRAM
We encourage attendees to join us in person to engage with our expo and network with other water industry professionals. If you are unable to attend in person in San Ramon, you may register beneath individual sessions below to attend them online.
Doors open at 8:00 am
Water Rights and Scarcity: From Global to Local
9:00 am to 10:30 am PT in Room J101
The panelists will discuss their visions for the future of water stewardship and how it’s an opportunity to advance resilient communities and a healthy environment.
Speakers:
Aaron Tartakovsky, CEO and Founder, Epic Cleantec
Newsha Ajami, PhD, Chief Development Officer for Research, Earth and Environmental Sciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
Kyle Pickett, Co-Founder and VP of the Board, Worthern Foundation
Register HERE to attend the webinar of this session
Innovative Architecture for Efficient Water Use
9:00 am to 10:30 am PT in Room J102
Session will review water conservation strategies deployed at large corporate headquarters (Microsoft and Uber) and other sites including integrated water management and treatment systems and a circular water economy where water is collected for onsite gardens that produce food for a couple of the projects.
Speakers:
Erik Elmtoft, Associate Principal, AlfaTech Consulting Engineers
Wright Sherman, Partner, WRNS Studio
Host: Orrin Goldsby, David Baker Architects and AIA Committee on the Environment
Register HERE to attend the webinar of this session
Strategies to Engage Our Diverse Communities
9:00 am to 10:30 am PT in Room G
This presentation will share learnings from Santa Rosa Water’s efforts to expand the community benefits of water use efficiency programs through diverse and equitable outreach, identifying barriers to participation and best practices for enhanced engagement.
Speakers:
Amy Weinfurter, Director of Strategic Projects, WaterNow Alliance
Claire Nordlie, Water Use Efficiency Supervisor, City of Santa Rosa
Hugo Mata, Principal/CEO, Soluna Outreach Solutions
Host: Jolene Bertetto, East Bay Municipal Utility District
Register HERE to attend the webinar of this session
New Frontiers of the Water-Energy Nexus
11:00 am to 12:30 pm PT in Room J101
Session will examine the water/energy relationship, review water policy implications, share several case-study projects, and explore the concept of distributed water treatment and reuse systems.
Speakers:
Alvar Escriva-Bou, Assistant professor, UCLA
Peter Fiske, Executive Director, The National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI), LBNL
Host: Ryan Stroupe, PG&E Energy Centers
Register HERE to attend the webinar of this session
Finding Leaks in the Haystack
11:00 am to 12:30 pm PT in Room J102
Presentation will review program details and water savings data from two leak detection initiatives focused on multi-family buildings that utilize hourly AMI data or leak sensors.
Speakers:
Chris Hewes, Water Resources Planner, Woodard & Curran
Kevin Galvin, Water Conservation Administrator, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Sonali Abraham, Senior Researcher, Pacific Institute
Host: Julie Ortiz, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Register HERE to attend the webinar of this session
Climate-Wise Commercial Landscape Practices
11:00 am to 12:30 pm PT in Room G
The presentation will focus on the benefits of and approach to building resilient landscapes as they pertain to dealing with drought conditions, heavier storms, wildfires, and carbon sequestration.
Speakers:
Loren McIrvin, Owner, Allied Landscape
Dave Phelps, Landscape Architect/Consultant/Educator, Garden Enlightenment
Sarah Sutton, Landscape Architect/Author
Host: Geneva Gondak, East Bay Municipal Utility District
Register HERE to attend the webinar of this session
Boosting Resilience with Groundwater Recharge
1:30 pm to 3:00 pm PT in Room J101
Dr. Geoffrey Tick of Valley Water and Grace Su of East Bay Municipal Utility District will look at the groundwater management issues that each utility is addressing.
Speakers:
Dr. Geoffrey Tick, Senior Water Resources Specialist, Valley Water
Grace Su, Senior Civil Engineer, East Bay Municipal Utility District
Host: Kurt Elvert, San Jose Water Company
Register HERE to attend the webinar of this session
EcoBlock: Creating an Urban Block-Scale Microgrid
1:30 pm to 3:00 pm PT in Room J102
Session will focus on the water-related strategies deployed as part of the Oakland EcoBlock project including water conserving systems, rainwater harvesting and stormwater mitigation.
Speakers:
Therese Peffer, Associate Director, California Institute for Energy and Environment (CIEE), Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society and the Banatao Institute (CITRIS), UC Berkeley
Sandy Robertson, retired senior research engineer and lecturer in Stanford's Civil and Environmental Engineering Department.
Craig Boman, Project Manager, Sherwood Design Engineers
Host: Mark Kelly, BAR Architects and AIA Committee on the Environment
Register HERE to attend the webinar of this session
Drought to Deluge: A Rain Garden in Action
1:30 pm to 3:00 pm PT in Room G
Presentation will review stormwater management best practices deployed in the form of rain gardens at the Southeast Community Center in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco.
Speakers:
Jennifer Cooper, Landscape Architecture Bureau Manager, San Francisco Public Works
Brett Desmarais, Landscape Architect | Arborist, San Francisco Public Works
Host: Julie Ortiz, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Register HERE to attend the webinar of this session
CA's Water Supply Strategy: Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future
3:30 pm to 5:00 pm PT in Room J101
Presentation will explore how a changed climate is impacting water supply and demand and describe how California agencies are implementing Governor Newsom’s water policies.
Speakers:
Annalisa Kihara, PE, Assistant Deputy Director, Division of Water Quality, State Water Resources Control Board
Kris Tjernell, Deputy Director, CA Department of Water Resources
Host: Geneva Gondak, East Bay Municipal Utility District
Register HERE to attend the webinar of this session
Blue Architecture: Delivering Net Positive Watershed Impact
3:30 pm to 5:00 pm PT in Room J102
Presentation will explore the profound implications of working with water as a design protagonist and connective medium between site scale sustainable architectures and resilient urban landscapes.
Speakers:
Brook Muller, Author/Dean, College of Arts + Architecture, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Host: Orrin Goldsby, David Baker Architects and AIA Committee on the Environment
Register HERE to attend the webinar of this session.
WORKSHOPS & TOURS
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Water Audit Basics for Commercial Facilities
Reducing water use can yield water, sewer and energy savings. Learn basic skills to perform interior and exterior water evaluations including ability to identify water waste, use of proper tools and techniques, and analysis of water use data. Class will explore latest water-saving technologies and include a mock water audit.
7-hour workshop
Speakers:
Michelle Maddaus, Maddaus Water Management Inc.
Nikki Powell, Maddaus Water Management Inc.
Todd Bell, Frontier Energy/Food Service Technology Center
Register HERE to attend this workshop.
Wednesday, June 14 & 20, 2023
Tour of Southeast Community Center
This tour, offered twice daily on June 14 and June 20, will complement the Water Conservation Showcase session “Drought to Deluge” and provide an opportunity to see the landscaped bioswales of the new Southeast Community Center and learn about the center’s role as a hub to promote the health, well-being, cultural, educational, and financial empowerment of San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunter’s Points residents.
1-hour tour
Speakers:
Larry Berry, Southeast Community Center Deputy Director
Emily Rogers-Pharr, Southeast Community Center Director
Register for this tour on June 14 or June 20 at 10 am and noon. The June 14th noon Tour will also include a plaque ceremony for their recent LEED Gold certification, check out more details.
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Using Compost and Mulch to Enhance Water Savings, while Meeting California Regulations
Learn about regulations, best practices, specification details, sourcing, and application techniques for compost and mulch by attending this half-day, in-person, hands-on workshop.
5-hour workshop
Speakers:
Ron Alexander, R. Alexander Associates, Inc.
Lori Caldwell, StopWaste.org
Kim O’Cain, O’Cain Consulting
Register HERE to attend this half-day workshop.
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
Hands-on Drip Irrigation Workshop
This hands-on workshop will teach participants how to convert sprinkler zones to the most efficient irrigation available, drip. After a short talk on drip design and hydraulics, the instructors and students will convert two sprinkler zones at The Gardens at Heather Farm to drip.
6-hour workshop
Speakers:
Lori Palmquist, Irrigation designer and educator
Kim Titus, Urban Farmer Store
Register HERE to attend the webinar of this session.
SPEAKERS
Click on image to find speaker in the program, click on name for bio
Co-Founder and CEO, Epic Cleantec
Assistant Professor, UCLA
Assistant Deputy Director, Division of Water Quality,
State Water Resources Control Board
Landscape Architect | Arborist, San Francisco Public Works
Dean, College of Arts +Architecture, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Project Manager, Sherwood Design Engineers
Landscape Architect, Consultant, and Educator, Garden Enlightenment
Associate Principal, AlfaTech Consulting Engineers
Senior Water Resources Specialist, Valley Water
Grace Su
Senior Civil Engineer, East Bay Municipal Utility District
Principal/CEO, Soluna Outreach Solutions
Landscape Architecture Bureau Manager, San Francisco Public Works
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Water Conservation Administrator, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Kris Tjernell
Deputy Director, CA Department of Water Resources
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Co-founder & VP of the Board, Worthen Foundation
Owner, Allied Landscape
Chief Strategic Development Officer, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
Executive Director - National Alliance for Water Innovation, NAWI - National Alliance for Water Innovation
Oakland Ecoblock
Landscape Architect/Author
Senior Researcher, Pacific Institute
Associate Director, California Institute for Energy and Environment (CIEE), UC Berkeley
Partner, WRNS Studio
PARTNERS / SPONSORS / EXHIBITORS
2023 PARTNERS
2023 SPONSORS
Platinum
Gold
Silver
2023 EXHIBITORS
Premium Exhibitor
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Standard Exhibitor
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- Alliance for Water Efficiency a4we
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California Department of Water Resources
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Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA)
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City of Santa Cruz - Water Department
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CLCA East Bay Chapter
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Association of Professional Landscape Designers - APLD CA Chapter
2023 OUTREACH PARTNERS
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BOMA East Bay
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City of Palo Alto
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Santa Clara Valley Water District
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Regional Water Authority
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William J. Worthen Foundation
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San Diego Green Building Council
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Sustainable Silicon Valley
2023 Water Conservation Showcase Door-Prize Drawing
The Water Conservation Showcase Door-Prize Drawing will include over $3000 in raffle prizes! See below for items currently included in the raffle. Additional prizes are still being added regularly, so please check back!
OPPORTUNITIES
Call for Sponsors & Exhibitors
Show your support for water conservation and reach hundreds of interested attendees. Explore the WCS 2023 Sponsor and Exhibitor Prospectus to learn about opportunities.
Ready to sign up? Confirm your spot at the Water Conservation Showcase.
Thank you for your support! Contact us for more information.
FAQ
Q: Who can attend?
A: Everyone is invited to attend. All Water Conservation Showcase education is free to the public. This is made possible through the work of the Water Conservation Showcase partners AIA SF COTE, East Bay Municipal Utility District, San Francisco Public Utilities, San Jose Water, Pacific Gas & Electric, USGBC Northern California, and showcase sponsors.
Q: Will this be in-person or virtual?
A: In 2023, the Showcase is returning to a full-day, in-person conference this year! You can attend in-person (at the San Ramon Conference Center) or virtually (through PG&E Energy Center website).
Q: Will continuing education credits be available?
A: Yes, we will be offering GBCI and AIA continuing education hours for most sessions.
Q: Do I need to register for each session separately?
A: You will need to log-in/register for a free PG&E Energy Center account. You will then be able to register for all of the in person showcase at once.
Q: How do I get to the San Ramon Conference Center?
A: The Conference Center is located in San Ramon at 3301 Crow Canyon Road, off Highway 680, between Walnut Creek and Pleasanton. Free parking is available to all.
Driving Directions:
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From Highway 680, take the Crow Canyon Road exit.
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Head East until you pass Camino Ramon Road.
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Turn into the second driveway on your right
Local Public transportation:
The San Ramon Valley Conference Center is accessible by BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and County Connection bus. You can ride BART to the Walnut Creek station then transfer to the 95X, 96X or 21 County Connection bus, or ride BART to the Dublin/Pleasanton Station and transfer to the 97X or 35 County Connection bus.
If you have questions, please call the Conference Center at (925) 866-7500.
Q: How can I get help with the registration process?
A. Please email LMShelp@learn.pge.com.
ARTICLES:
Water Conservation Showcase: Visit the Southeast Community Center in San Francisco
View the 2023 Water Conservation Showcase program
A vision of ecological preservation for California’s water use
Take a California watershed walk and connect around conservation
Attend Webinar Home Water Solutions All Budgets
Water Conservation Showcase on stewardship, policy and equity
Water Conservation Showcase on water use and landscapes
Last day of the Water Conservation Showcase features technologies and design strategies
2020 Water Conservation Showcase reaches a wide audience
Continue learning about water policies at the Water Conservation Showcase