2009-07-16 20:32:18 -

The Chronicles Group announced today its National Water Policy Event, a bipartisan dialogue about the critical need for a comprehensive water policy, Tuesday, July 28, 5:30 p.m. in the auditorium at the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C. Expert panelists include U.S.

government officials from the executive and legislative branches, public and private-sector water industry professionals, representatives from the Native American community and other interested parties and entities involved in water planning who will discuss the urgency of the implementation of a Comprehensive Integrated Water Policy (CIWP) and unifying the country’s fragmented water conservation and regulatory framework. The event will provide crucial information to Congress and the Obama Administration about how to preserve our nation’s water resources and tackle the

issues related to our raw water supply challenges as policy experts prepare to create new legislation.

“Over-consumption, climate change, and significant population growth have caused the United States to begin to experience the dire effects of water shortage. Our country’s supply of sustainable, clean drinking water is drying up, but we aren’t truly aware of the reality,” says Jim Thebaut, president of The Chronicles Group, veteran filmmaker and writer, producer, director and executive producer of the critically acclaimed documentaries “Running Dry” (2005) about the global water crisis and “The American Southwest: Are We Running Dry?” : (2008), airing on public television throughout the U.S. “We can solve this crisis if the United States chooses to establish a modern, integrated national water policy framework, implements sustainable water use planning models, invests in the changes needed to pursue water resource sustainability for future generations, and provides leadership to help the rest of the world meet similar goals.”

In association with former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon until his untimely death in 2003, Thebaut based his last two documentaries on Simon’s book, “Tapped Out: The Coming World Crisis in Water and What We Can Do About It” (1998), considered by many a harbinger of things to come. Two major screenings of Thebaut’s “Running Dry” in Washington, D.C., for Congressional Members and staff led to the passage of landmark legislation, “The Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act” in late 2005.

Congressional sponsors of the water policy dialogue include U.S. Sen.

Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), John Linder (R-Ga.), Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.) and Jim Costa (D-Calif.). The evening event will follow an afternoon session with Members of Congress who will discuss the development of CIWP policy with various experts – all in anticipation of creating new legislation to provide funding for fiscal year 2011 for the Executive Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) research account to study current water management programs.

Some of these programs include water-borne illnesses, national security at the State, regional and international level, freshwater resources and how they can meet critical municipal, industrial, agricultural, energy, and environmental needs – all in consultation with States, Native American Nations, and local public and private entities responsible for water management. The legislation’s goal is to coordinate OSTP with numerous Federal agencies including the Council on Environmental Quality, the Environmental Protection Agency's Science and Technology Office, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Parasitic Diseases and Drinking Water, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S.
Department of Interior, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Agriculture, United States Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and other Federal agencies in order to develop a comprehensive integrated water policy.

Highlights of the evening will include a screening of the Call to Action version of Thebaut’s “The American Southwest: Are We Running Dry?” narrated by actress Jane Seymour, along with distinguished water leaders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Special guest speakers include Members Earl Blumenauer, John Linder and Jim Costa. Additional speakers include Peter Silva, the recently confirmed Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water for the Environmental Protection Agency; Steven Stockton, Director of Civil Works, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Timothy F. Brick, Chair, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Board of Directors; and Valentina Valenta, Legislative Director, Office of Rep. John Linder (R-Ga.).

Congressional sponsor John Linder (R-Ga.), who, for many years, has worked to recommend to Congress a comprehensive Federal water policy, says, “One of the most pressing challenges of this century is preserving our fresh water. In coming years, many states will face a water crisis.
We have to find ways to use water more efficiently, capture more runoff, restore broken infrastructure and reuse water multiple times before it flows to the sea. As certain regions experience increased rainfall this year, it will be easy for the importance of establishing a Comprehensive Integrated Water Policy (CIWP) to become overshadowed. Allowing that to happen would be a mistake that we cannot afford to make, and it is my hope that the July 28 event will do its part to prevent that.”

Says congressional sponsor Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), “In 2005, Jim Thebaut’s groundbreaking documentary `Running Dry' helped inspire me to take action to bring clean water and sanitation to the world’s poorest.
`The Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act' has helped a great deal, yet more must be done both to solve this public health and environmental crisis. Jim’s follow-up film, `The American Southwest: Are We Running Dry?' highlights America’s own failing water management. I have introduced legislation to create a national water trust fund, which will help our country achieve the comprehensive, integrated water policy we desperately need. I look forward to a discussion of these ideas so that we can rebuild and renew our nation’s outdated infrastructure.”

Confirmed panelists include Pat Mulroy, General Manager, Las Vegas Valley Water District and Southern Nevada Water Authority; H. David Nahai, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the largest municipal utility in the United States; Lena Fowler, former head of the Navajo Nation Water Commission, who now serves on Arizona’s Coconino County Board of Supervisors, District 5; Mark Bernstein, Managing Director, USC Energy Institute; Bradley H. Udall, Director of the University of Colorado Western Water Assessment; Dr. Gene Whitney, Research Manager for the Energy and Minerals Section of the Congressional Research Service in the Library of Congress; Donald L. Smith, Vice Chairman, MWH Global, provider of comprehensive management services and primarily in the wet infrastructure sector; Scott S. Slater, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP, whose legal practice emphasizes negotiation and strategic planning for clients seeking to secure new water supplies and assisting to meet objectives for reliability and sustainability; and Dr. Joan Brunkard, the lead drinking water epidemiologist in the Division of Parasitic Diseases, National Center for Zoonotic, Vectorborne and Enteric Diseases at Centers for Disease Control.

Non-congressional sponsors include Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA); California Water Association (CWA); MWH Global; Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD); Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP); the CSIS Global Water Futures Project; and the Imperial Irrigation District (full list follows).


About The Chronicles Group

The Chronicles Group is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit 501(c)(3) public information and education film production company headed by veteran filmmaker Jim Thebaut, dedicated to providing visual and education records for the general viewing public about profound issues facing the 21st century. The Chronicles Group’s next project, “ Running Dry – South Africa : ” will document the South African water crisis and provide understanding of sustainable solutions through a comprehensive media and education campaign.


Non-Congressional Sponsors (In Formation)

Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA)California Water Association (CWA)MWH GlobalMetropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD)Los Angeles Department of Water and PowerThe CSIS Global Water Futures ProjectImperial Irrigation DistrictBrownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLPUSC Energy Institute (University of Southern California)Water for Life GlobalUrban Water Research Center - University of California IrvineOregon State UniversityDesert Research Institute (DRI)Alliance For Water EfficiencyUniversity of Colorado – NOAA Western Water Assessment RISAThirst Aid LiveThirst Relief InternationalWater CharityAmerican Water Resources Association (AWRA)National Water Resources Association (NWRA)

For more information, log on to www.runningdry.org : .

Additional helpful resources: A Water Strategy for the United States : By Jim Thebaut and Erik Webb, Sandia National Laboratories


KEYWORDS: drought water policy water strategy Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act American Southwest water resources sanitation Native American American Recovery and Reinvestment Act raw water watershed climate mitigation and adaptation Clean Water Restoration Act Sustainable Watershed Planning Council on Environmental Quality land use wastewater resilient EPA conservation efficiency sustainable

Carol Eisner (The Chronicles Group), 310-839-1400Brenda McGann
(The Chronicles Group), 310-649-1450 carol@chroniclesgroup.org : mailto:carol@chroniclesgroup.org orStephanie
Cappa (Blumenauer), 202-225-4811 Stephanie.cappa@mail.house.gov : mailto:Stephanie.cappa@mail.house.gov orDerick
Corbett (Linder), 770-777-1955 Derick.corbett@mail.house.gov : mailto:Derick.corbett@mail.house.gov orValentina
J. Valenta (Linder), 202-225-4272 valentina.valenta@mail.house.gov : mailto:valentina.valenta@mail.house.gov