ERA Economics is excited to be attending and presenting at the Groundwater Resources Agency (GRA) Western Groundwater Congress (WGC) for the fourth consecutive year.
This year’s event will be in San Diego, California and will showcase recent work in groundwater management across the western U.S. We look forward to seeing our friends, colleagues, and clients at the event.
Where can you find us? The ERA team will be at a few sessions throughout the week:
- The Demand Management Network’s pre-conference workshop on groundwater demand management. We’ll be there to share our experience developing several demand management programs. How do we pay for demand management programs? How does demand management fit with supply augmentation projects? What are cost effective ways to achieve groundwater sustainability that work for growers, landowners, and the local communities that directly and indirectly pay for these types of programs? If you’re there early, join us on Monday, October 6th at 1:30pm during Pre-Conference Workshop #4 (and if you do, don’t forget to separately pre-register!).
- “Groundwater Demand Management: Economic Incentives and Program Design.” This presentation outlines a framework for developing demand management programs, incentives, and funding mechanisms. We draw from case studies from our work across California—including DWR’s LandFlex, DOC’s MLRP, and local self-funded GSA efforts—with a focus on the Napa Valley, Salinas Valley, and Madera Subbasins. We describe program structures, incentives, economic impacts, funding mechanisms, and how demand management integrates with a broader project portfolio for GSP implementation. Don’t miss out on Wednesday, October 8th at 8:30am during Track 4.
- “Groundwater Sustainability through Environmental Stream Flows, Demand Management, Incentives, and Community Engagement – A Case Study of the Napa Valley Subbasin Panel.” DWR will join the panel to talk about its new work on interconnected surface water (ISW) and groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs) guidance. The panel will explore interesting work in the Napa Valley Subbasin with Luhdorff & Scalmanini covering ISW/GDEs, application of the CEFF framework led by Stillwater Sciences, and our work on incentivizing groundwater demand management through a range of programs. This has included extensive stakeholder engagement—including with wine industry groups, conservation organizations, and state agencies—to develop effective subbasin groundwater management. Join us on Thursday, October 9th at 10:30am during Track 2.
We greatly appreciate GRA bringing together leading experts that are working on tough and interesting groundwater management issues. We also want to thank especially those involved organizing the WGC. We are proud to be a GRA WGC sponsor for the fourth consecutive year. Look for some ERA gear in the conference swag bag!
