The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), two of its member agencies, and the CALFED Bay-Delta Program were featured on an episode of "American Environmental Review," which was distributed to PBS stations through the month of October and to the American Independent Network (AIN), to Worldnet and to ExtraNetTV.com.
ACWA Executive Director Steve Hall is one of four water industry officials who were interviewed for and appeared in the segment. ACWA also provided much of the background information for the piece that highlights efforts by public water agencies to restore the environment, while addressing water supply and quality issues.
"American Environmental Review," or AER, is a television series aired on PBS that focuses on innovative problem solving ideas and takes a look at how the decisions we make today can impact our environment in the future. The California water episode, hosted by CBS News correspondent Morley Safer, was uplinked at the beginning of October via satellite at which point 345 public television stations nationwide had 30 days to access and downlink the production for airing.
The segment tells the story of what is possible through cooperation and collaboration. This piece focuses on Western Canal Water District in Northern California, which removed four dams on Butte Creek to improve fish passage and built a siphon under the creek to improve water delivery to its irrigator customers. This project was initiated prior to the launch of the CALFED Bay-Delta Program and was funded in large part by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and other urban water agencies. It serves as a model of the type of efforts that can be accomplished through partnerships.