Quantum Spatial, the nation’s largest independent geospatial data firm, today announced that it will be presenting at WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition on Thursday, October 3, 2019 at 9:40 a.m. Pacific. During a session entitled “Major Water Conservation Initiative: New Approach Developed for First California Statewide Irrigated Landscape Analysis,” Dr. Andrew Brenner, Senior Program Director of Quantum Spatial, will report on the program of the Water Use and Efficiency Branch of the California Department of Water Resources addressing residential water use in California.
“The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has undertaken an unprecedented, first of its kind, statewide major water conservation effort that will help over 400 water districts in the State assess their water usage and ultimately help to create wiser use of California’s water resources in the future,” said Dr. Brenner. “California is one of the largest states geographically with a vast range of climates and varied populations with some residents more conservation-aware than others. This program will provide information on the area of landscape that is both irrigable and irrigated across all residential areas in California. The data will provide information that allows an assessment of appropriate water usage at a district level in order to build solid water policy that is fair to all California citizens.”
“I look forward to discussing with attendees how this water conservation initiative as well as the legislation that is driving it, can serve as a model to other states who want to fairly and equitably manage their water resources,” Dr. Brenner explained.
The session will begin with an overview of why the State of California is now conducting a major water conservation initiative that includes a landscape analysis of over nine million single family and multi-family residences in California. Dr. Brenner will discuss with attendees that the initiative is in support of newly enacted legislation – SB 606 and AB 1668 – that mandates equitable, district level water budgets statewide.
Dr. Brenner will then discuss the approach that the California Department of Water Resources, working together with Quantum Spatial and Eagle Aerial Solutions, has deployed that uses imagery, advanced remote sensing and statistical approaches to map irrigated and irrigable areas across California which when combined with climate data, can provide the basis for fair and equitable water allocations to individual districts.