Cal WaterFix Change Petition

January 21, 2017

Panelist, 13th Annual California Water Law Symposium


Downey Brand is proud to sponsor the 13th Annual California Water Law Symposium on January 21, 2017 at the University of San Francisco School of Law. This year's program will focus on the current state of the Bay Delta region, the litigation and initiatives presently underway, and proposals for the Delta's future.  Downey Brand water law partner Kevin O'Brien is a featured panelist on the Cal Waterfix Change Petition (2:30-3:45 p.m.).
 
Panel Overview
To implement Cal WaterFix, the Bureau of Reclamation and Department of Water Resources must obtain the State Water Board’s approval of petitions to change certain elements of the Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Project (SWP) water right permits and licenses, including most notably adding new points of diversion. The WaterFix hearing process is predicted to be the largest and most complex in State Water Board history, involving hundreds of water users, environmental interests, disadvantaged communities, and others.
 
The panel will describe the current operation of the CVP and SWP, and how those operations would change under the Cal WaterFix diversion change, explain the legal framework for the change petition analysis, present the arguments of key parties, and, finally, assess the potential conclusions the State Water Board could reach.
 
Moderator
Stuart Somach, Somach Simmons & Dunn
 
Panelists 
James Mizell, California Department of Water Resources  
Doug Obegi, Senior Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Counsel 
Stefanie Morris, General Counsel, State Water Contractors 
Kevin O’Brien, Downey Brand, LLP