Flood-MAR Forums

Flood-MAR forums have been held biennually since 2017 to discuss and address the opportunities and challenges of implementing flood-MAR in California. Below is the summary and agenda for the 2023 Forum.

 2023 Flood-MAR Forum | Flood-MAR in Action

The Flood-MAR Network hosted its fourth biennual Flood-MAR Public Forum on November 7 & 8, 2023, at the CSUS Harper Alumni Center in Sacramento.  Nearly 100 Flood-MAR practitioners gathered to share success stories and lessons learned from the landmark wet winter of 2022 – 2023 and identify areas for further preparation needed to implement projects that use floodwaters for managed aquifer recharge in future wet years, for the benefit of communities, ecosystems, and agriculture.  

  • Read the short summary document which synthesizes highlights of the event here. 
  • Watch recordings of the many excellent presentations and discussions from the event by clicking the links in the event agenda below. 

From this sharing of experiences and ideas, Forum discussions culminated in five main takeaways:  

  1. California is poised to scale up Flood-MAR as a significant strategy for addressing groundwater overdraft, but more work is needed. 
  2. Partnerships and collaboration among growers and water managers have been key to successful Flood-MAR.  
  3. Flood-MAR lends itself to multiple benefits beyond groundwater recharge and flood protection.  
  4. State support and coordination across agencies helps streamline and activate Flood-MAR.  
  5. Flood-MAR projects are a good investment for California.  
"For me, [Flood-MAR] is the solution that provides the hope. That proves the solutions are on our land, if we work together, and are willing to take an integrated resource management approach and think about all the multi-benefits."
Karen Ross
CA Dept. of Food and Agriculture Secutiry

2023 FLOOD-MAR FORUM | Flood-MAR in Action 

Tuesday, November 7, 2023, 12:00 PM – 6:30 PM 

Wednesday, November 8, 2023, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM 

 

FORUM AGENDA | DAY 1

 

Welcome | How Did We get Here, Network Story & Accomplishments 

  • Mike Antos – Stantec  

 

Agency Director Opening Remarks  

  • Karla Nemeth – California Department of Water Resources  

 

Keynote – Hear about Tulare Irrigation District’s amazing recharge year  

  • Aaron Fukuda – Tulare Irrigation District 

 

Success Stories and Lessons Learned – Hear From on-The-Ground Experts and What They Did in 2023 

  • Christine Gemperle – Grower  

  • Mark Hutson – Grower, Hutson Farm 

  • Julia Barfield – The Nature Conservancy  

  • Andy Fisher – U.C. Santa Cruz  

  • Kristin Sicke – Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District 

Table Discussions – Share Your Success Stories!

Panel Discussion – Hear about integrated approaches to advance Flood-MAR 

  • Moderator: Sarah Woolf – Water Wise 

  • Chase Hurley – Water and Land Solutions 

  • Bill Stretch – Fresno Irrigation District 

  • David Guy – Northern California Water Association 

  • Mike Mierzwa – CA Department of Water Resources 

  • Mike Myatt– Environmental Defense Fund 

Day 1 Wrap-up – Preparing for Future Wet Years 

  • Daniel Mountjoy – Sustainable Conservation 

 

 

FORUM AGENDA | DAY 2 

 

Welcome, Day 1 Recap, and Setting the Stage for Day 2  

  • Graham Fogg – UC Davis, Network Coordinating Committee Member  

State Leaders “Fishbowl” – Hear about how State agencies are helping to advance Flood-MAR in CA and what more can be done 

  • Moderator: Ashley Boren – Sustainable Conservation  

  • Paul Gosselin – California Department of Water Resources  

  • Erik Ekdahl – State Water Resources Control Board  

  • Don Cameron – California State Board of Food and Agriculture 

 

New Innovations in Flood-MAR – Hear the latest about new tools, guidance, and resources to advance Flood-MAR planning and implementation 

 

Network in Action – Hear about what the Network is doing over the next year. 

 

Table Discussions – What are your priorities to prepare for the next wet year?

 

Agency Secretary Closing Remarks  

  • Karen Ross – Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture 

 

 

 

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Thank you to this 2023 Flood-MAR Forum Sponsors!