Butte County’s Ground Water

PRESS RELEASE: For Immediate Release

Butte County’s Ground Water
What do we know and how are we trying to protect it?

Chico, October 21, 2013 – Butte County, the City of Chico, and AquAlliance will host a forum to provide the public with an update on local ground water monitoring, the County’s current and past efforts to protect ground water, and the current and pending threats to this life-sustaining resource. After the 1994 Drought Water Bank, many farmers, residents, and policy makers became aware of the intense interest in Northstate ground water by state and federal water agencies. The resulting local response created a foundation for protecting the regional aquifer through County ordinances, legal challenges, and increased awareness.


Speakers will provide a historical, political, and policy perspective from 1994 to the present. The emphasis of the program will be on the current status of groundwater conditions, trends and future research areas. The program will highlight current groundwater conditions compiled from over 100 wells monitored on a quarterly basis. Finally, a discussion of the emerging threats to the region’s ground water will be presented.

Speakers include:

 Christina Buck, PhD., Water Resource Scientist for Butte County

 Paul Gosselin, Director of the Butte County Department of Water and Resource Conservation

 Ed McLaughlin, former Butte County Supervisor and Durham farmer

 Barbara Vlamis and Jim Brobeck of AquAlliance

"We want our residents to have the opportunity to understand how essential ground water is to Butte County’s communities, economy, and the environment and what are the opportunities to protect it," stated Butte County Supervisor Maureen Kirk.

What: Butte County Ground Water Forum

When: Thursday, November 14, 2013 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Where: Chico City Council Chambers, 411 Main Street in Chico

Who: Butte County, City of Chico, AquAlliance

CONTACT INFORMATION AquAlliance Barbara Vlamis, Executive Director (530) 895-9420 info@aqualliance.net

Butte County Department of Water and Resource Conservation Paul Gosselin, Director (530) 538-4343 BCWater@buttecounty.net