Sarah Woolf, a California Ag and Water icon, joins Darcy and Darcy and discusses Water Wise - a water management company for farmers in the central San Joaquin Valley, the Change Coalition, the San Joaquin Blueprint, the San Joaquin Valley Water Collaborative Action Program, and family farming – just to name a few!

Sarah shares her perspective on California water and agriculture, how it has changed, and where it may be going over the next decade or two.  What was clear, was there is so much more to talk about!  Darcy & Darcy can’t wait to have her back! Sarah is truly a W.O.W. – a Woman of WATER! This is a conversation you can’t miss!

To learn more about Sarah’s consulting firm, Water Wise, visit, www.WaterWise.Ag

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Darcy and Darcy welcome back Westlands Water District's Assistant General Manager, Jose Gutierrez and for the first time, welcome Kitty Campbell, Supervisor of Resources. Westlands has been doing some innovative groundwater sustainability efforts and in this episode, Jose and Kitty talk about their Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Program. This program works with Westlands growers to use their existing wells and convert them to dual purpose, meaning they recharge the deep aquifer beneath Corcoran clay layer when surface water is available as well as pump when groundwater extraction is permitted.  Growers receive groundwater credits for each acre foot of water they store. Westlands has nine of these wells located throughout the District and over 70 have been installed by growers. Darcy and Darcy discuss the benefits for Westlands, the growers, and possibly for Southern California agencies looking for places to park water.  Join the conversation!

To learn more about Westland’s ASR program, visit https://wwd.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/asr-information.pdf. 

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Vivian Welsh, Founder and CEO of Vivians.io, a firm that develops Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions, joins Darcy and Darcy and discusses what AI is, how utilities or farmers use this technology, what guardrails (If any) are in place, and what’s been the biggest barrier to AI implementation.  Vivian shares great success stories, answers tough questions, and provides wonderful tips for getting started. Young, old, or in-between, this is an episode you can’t miss. Join the conversation!

To reach Vivian directly, visit her website www.vivians.io/ or email her at [email protected]

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

It’s finally February, and true-to-form, January has been the longest year! Los Angeles fires were and still are devastating. On the bright side, water, particularly, California Water, has been front and center.  Darcy V. and Darcy B. discuss how the information is evolving, and in some cases, literally changing by the second!  They also emphasize the importance of educating electeds at all levels on how California’s state, federal, and local water systems work, what they are actually capable of, (Please note that putting out a wildfire is not one of them), and what we need. (Spoiler alert – Storage, expanded system capacity, less regulations, cooperation, and improved system flexibility are all discussed!)

The Darcys also mention that if you live in the Exchange Contractor area, the Annual ECPAC Member meeting will be Wednesday, March 5th, at 6:00pm.  Chris White, Executive Director of the San Joaquin River Water Exchange Contractors will provide a water and operations update – including how President Trump’s recent Executive Orders impact the Central Valley Project.  Registration is required. The event is free to attend, however ECPAC contributions are strongly encouraged.

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

With Los Angeles and the surrounding areas still ablaze, the media is capitalizing with headlines like Washington Post’s recent article, “L.A. fires may have brought cancer-causing chemicals into drinking water.” Causing further concern are the various public health water notices including Do Not Drink and Do Not Boil.  Ultimately, people want to know, is their water safe to drink after a wildfire? What are local water systems doing to ensure the water is safe, and how are these efforts protecting public health?

Darcy B. is solo this week and was extremely grateful to welcome Dr. Andrew Whelton Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental and Ecological Engineering at Purdue University.  Dr. Whelton and his team investigate and solve problems that affect our natural and built environments. His expertise focuses on environmental chemistry and engineering, disasters, polymer science and engineering, water quality, infrastructure, and public health. His expertise has been called in on the Paradise Fire, Tubbs, Camps, and others. Darcy B. and Dr. Whelton discuss potential contaminants, recommended sampling, response protocols, recovery, and provides free resources for both the public and for water systems, on his website, Center for Plumbing Safety.

In addition, Dr. Whelton and other experts recently completed a Water Research Foundation project, Concepts of Operations (CONOPS) Plan for Public works and Water Utilities which is available for free on his website.  

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

First, Darcy and Darcy send their concern and sympathy for those impacted by the horrific southern California fires. We hope you're safe, and the fires are extinguished soon.

To start 2025 off, Mitch Partovi, a water broker from The Water Agency, is back!  Mitch joins Darcy and Darcy and discusses California’s current water supply, what activities are going on in California’s water market, and what might be expected. As our listeners have learned, the federal, or Central Valley Project, operates differently than the State Water Project.  Farmers are deciding now whether to carry over their water or not.  As Darcy V put it, “It’s a roll of the dice.” Darcy B took that to mean use or lose it, but nothing is quite that simple. Get the details by joining the conversation!

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Darcy B. and Darcy V. thought you could use a little refresh from all the election advertising, conversation, and in some instances, drama.  Just in time for the biggest food holiday of the year, Darcy V. and Darcy B. go over some fun Thanksgiving Dinner food facts.  Darcy V.  has been waiting to do this episode for over a year!  The Darcys share where the most popular holiday food comes from, how much in total receipts each item generates, and a multitude of other fun foodie facts! You’ll be the hit of the party with this information! Spoiler alert – California Farmers are a big reason you enjoy those Thanksgiving family favorites.  So, while we all count our blessings this holiday, please take a moment and offer thanks for our California Farmers. 

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

The November 2024 elections are over and a whole new class of elected water board directors are about to take their seats. Many of these individuals ran on the promise of lower water rates, improved water reliability, more transparency, etc. But what can they really deliver?  Darcy and Darcy welcomed Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District’s (EVMWD) Board President Chance Edmonson into the studio to share his perspective of what it was like when he became a board member.  Chance was appointed to the EVMWD Board in 2021 to fill a vacancy and then in 2022 ran for the seat and won. Chance shares what he thought being a board member was going to be like, what it really is, what he has learned, what has been the most difficult part of the job, and offers some advice for those that are about to take their oath.  Listen in and hear what he has to say and then share it with someone you know that’s about to take office.

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Johnny Amaral, Chief External Affairs Officer at Friant Water Authority, joins Darcy and Darcy in the studio this week for an enlightening conversation. Recently, Johnny moderated a panel that Darcy B. participated in and Darcy V. attended. This annual event was hosted by the Association of California Water Agencies, Regions 6 & 7. The panel focused on “successful” regulatory management strategies. 

As part of that panel discussion, Johnny shared that water agencies, irrigation districts, and water purveyors from all over the state have been negotiating themselves out of reliable water supply for over thirty years. This graph, known as the Golden Trophy chart, demonstrates the reduction in water supply. Each milestone was intended to be the trophy, or the finish line, ensuring a reliable supply from that point on.  However, guess what happened? Let’s just say, the last thing Californians need is another “Golden Trophy.” Listen in as Johnny shares the details!   

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

It’s October 2024 and the new water year has begun! Chris White, Executive Director of the San Joaquin River Water Authority Exchange Contractors joins Darcy and Darcy in the studio and lets us know how the California 2023-2024 water year ended, what water storage levels are, and what the next water year may hold.  The age old question is before us once again, “Will it be wet or dry?”  Tune-in and see what Chris has to say!

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We Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.