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THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
ABOUT MET THIS WEEK
A weekly newsletter by and for Metropolitan employees
December 16, 2019
Here is a slideshow of l ast week's "Water is Life" student art calendar event. For a copy of the calendar, contact Royetta Perry at (213) 217-6926.
2019 CRWUA Conference: Exploring the River
“Well done, everyone.”

That was the message from US Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner (and former Metropolitan employee) Brenda Burman at last week’s conference of the Colorado River Water Users Association. 

She was praising the great work by Metropolitan, other California agencies, as well as the rest of the Upper and Lower Basin states and tribes, to finalize the historic Drought Contingency Plan for the Colorado River.

“You all are an example to the world,” Burman said of the combined efforts by the states and agencies to develop the voluntary agreements to use less water. “We are taking action to avoid a crisis,” she said.  

The hard work to implement the Plan and protect the river for the 40 million people who receive its water has begun, Burman said at the 75th annual meeting of Western water officials at CRWUA.

One area where significant progress is already happening is the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program - supported by Metropolitan and other agencies - to balance the use of Colorado River water resources with the conservation of native species and their habitats. 

As part of her presentation, Commissioner Burman also showed the new design of Reclamation’s logo. Here is a short video about the symbol.
MWD Board Supports San Diego Pure Water Project
Metropolitan’s history may be rooted in importing water to Southern California, but the Board of Directors just made a huge commitment to develop a new local supply.

The Board voted last week to commit up to $286 million in incentives to San Diego’s Pure Water recycling project over the next 25 years.

The $1.4 billion project, being developed by the city of San Diego, will use advanced treatment processes to purify cleaned wastewater to create a drinking supply for the city’s residents. The first phase is expected to produce 33,600 acre-feet of water annually, which will be used to help fill the city’s Miramar Reservoir.

The funding will come from Metropolitan’s Local Resources Program (LRP) which provides financial incentives to member agencies to develop local water supplies, such as water recycling, groundwater recovery and desalination.

The Board’s decision is just the latest commitment to recycled water. Since 1982, Met has invested $500 million in 85 LRP recycling projects, resulting in 2.9 million acre-feet of water.

“Recycling projects like Pure Water San Diego help reduce demand on imported water, decrease the burden on our infrastructure and free up capacity on Metropolitan’s conveyance system. That is immensely valuable to the entire region,” General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger said after the Board’s vote. 
Navigating the Great Outdoors at Work & Play
Ask Tania Asef where her favorite place is and she’ll tell you that it’s anywhere outdoors.

She recently returned from a five-week honeymoon to Portugal, Morocco, Thailand and Kauai that included snorkeling the clear waters of the Indian Ocean, spending time in a hot springs waterfall in the Azores, and feeding elephants in an ethically run camp in northern Thailand.

Here at Metropolitan, she is the district's only wildlife biologist and helps ensure that our construction work, repairs and maintenance activities are done in ways that protect species and wildlife.

“My two main areas of responsibility are nesting birds (there are strict rules to comply with laws including the federal Migratory Bird Act) and dewatering activities that can impact fish and other species.” For example, during the CRA shutdowns, Tania helps protect desert tortoises, a threatened species, and their habitat.

Tania previously worked for Caltrans and several consulting firms. A native of Southern California and the daughter of Persian immigrants, she earned her Bachelor’s degree at UC Irvine and her Master’s in Biology from Cal State Long Beach. There, Tania was honored for her academic work, including completing the first-ever study of genetically diverse tamarisk (an invasive plant) in salt marshes and how it impacts ecosystems in the region.  
New hires, transfers, promotions & retirements are posted here each month.
NEXT LIST: JANUARY 6
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