April Event - Legislative Update

Join us for the Women of Water’s virtual discussion on water and relevant issues considered by Utah's Legislature. During the 2023 General Session, the Legislature funded over $500 million for water conversation, development and infrastructure. How will their actions impact water resources in Utah?

Our special guest speaker is Heather Anderson from the Utah Association of Special Districts.

Presenter Biography: Heather has worked for the Utah Association of Special Districts as a lobbyist since 2012. Her role with UASD expanded to Government Affairs Director in 2018, allowing her to help districts by offering public information, community outreach and media consulting and training. Ms. Anderson worked in the Washington D.C. area from 2016-2018 as the Programs Director for the National Crime Prevention Council. From 2012-2016, Heather loved working for the Central Utah Water Conservancy District on water related issues and conservation education as Public Information Manager.

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Psychology from Utah State University and graduated Magna Cum Laude, and second in her class, earning a Masters Degree from the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business.

Heather is passionate about her family, the mountains and substance abuse prevention. Heather has spoken to schools, churches, businesses, and community organizations across the nation about substance abuse prevention for over a decade. Heather won the Power of Prevention Award for the state of Utah. She has worked extensively with the Utah Council for Crime Prevention as an executive board member and is a spokesperson for D.A.R.E. Heather serves on the National Crime Prevention Association and the National McGruff Board. She was also appointed by the Attorney General to serve on the Methamphetamine State Task Force. She served as the Honorary Membership Chair for the State of Utah PTA 2009-2011. She has been on the workgroup for Parents Empowered, USAAV, is an Honorary Colonel with Draper City PD and is a proud member of Rotary International.

Virtual Event - Meeting link will be sent prior to event.

Date: Thursday, April 20

Time: Noon-1 p.m.

RSVP: by April 19 to Women of Water to receive the virtual link for this event.

March Event - Analysis of Snowpack in the Jordan River Watershed

Join Women of Water for our March Event: An Analysis of Snowpack in the Lower Jordan River Watershed presented by Robert Thompson, Professional Geologist.

Bob will present information detailing the status of the snowpack in the lower Jordan River watershed. He will use data products from partner agencies including NOAA, CBRFC, NRCS and CUWCD to assess how much water is contained in the snowpack. This information in turn can be used by water managers to prepare for spring runoff related to snowmelt. He will also present the data collected by Salt Lake County and explain how it is used to prepare for spring runoff.

Presenter Biography: Robert (Bob) Thompson is the Watershed Section Manager of Salt Lake County Flood Control Engineering. His current assignments include management of the Watershed Planning and Restoration Program, Stream Gauging Program and Stormwater Program. Bob is a licensed professional geologist in the State of Utah specializing in fluvial geomorphology. He has studied fluvial systems and hydrology in Utah for almost 25 years including field data collection for Pfankuch Level 3 Stream Channel Assessments, Physical Habitat Assessments using EMAP, RSRA and EPA Rapid Bioassessment protocols, collected snowpack hydrology data, created multiple databases and GIS data sets and models related to field collection and has been the Project Manager for numerous Riparian Restoration projects in the Jordan River watershed. He spends his free time trying to keep up with his three boys and his dynamo wife on trails, snow and in rivers.

Virtual Event - Meeting link will be sent prior to event.

Date: Tuesday, March. 21

Time: Noon-1 p.m.

RSVP: by March 20 to Women of Water to receive the virtual link for this event.

February Event - Book Discussion

Join us for a book discussion to explore the lost art of verbal communication

The Women of Water virtual February event is a Book Review of "How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships" by Leil Lowndes. This book is available through Amazon, as a free download on Spotify and Audible, and for a small cost on Kindle. Don't have time to read the book beforehand? Come join the discussion anyway!

Virtual Event - Meeting link will be sent prior to event.

Date: Thursday, Feb. 23

Time: Noon-1p.m.

RSVP: by Feb. 22 to Women of Water to receive the virtual link for this event.

2022 Year in Review

Melissa Noble | Past President

Happy 2023 from the Women of Water Board. We hope you are looking forward to all the exciting and engaging activities we have planned for this new year. Before we sprint into 2023, I’d like to remind everyone of what we did in 2022. 

On January 25 we learned about the severe storm events in Salt Lake City from Mike Guymon, Salt Lake City Public Utilities.

In February, you’ll recall we had a fantastic virtual discussion on Envision Utah's 3-part series about the state of water in Utah. We focused on part 3: Utah’s strategic water plan.

March 24 we heard from Bob Thompson, Salt Lake County Watershed Section Manager, about measuring snowpack and an update on how the State was doing in the water year. You’ll recall it wasn’t a super stellar water year (unlike what we’ve got going on this year!)

April was our annual Legislative Update. We learned what occurred during the legislative session that affects water. There was a lot to discuss as 2022 was quite the water year!

In May we had our very first in-person gathering since the pandemic began. We met at Psomas and heard Scott Baxter discuss his kayaking adventures circumnavigating the Great Salt Lake at its lowest water level so far in 2022.

June was a pivotal month in the Women of Water organization! Our annual election was completed and you voted for our new President, Tamaran Woodland, and our new Secretary, Jessica Cooper. We want to thank the past president, Melissa Noble, and the past secretary, Jamie Bahn, for their service on the board. Both Melissa and Jamie are still members of the WOW board. Melissa is serving as the Past President, and Jamie is serving as the Activities Director.

The activity in June was a virtual Career Pivoting panel. The panel included: Michelle Barry with Salt Lake Public Utilities, Lizel Allen with Salt Lake County Flood Control, Marie Owens with AE2S, Krissy Beitel with Salt Lake Public Utilities, and Melissa Noble with the Division of Drinking Water (DEQ). We discussed career pivoting, among other topics.

In the heat of July, we met together in person and toured the innovative Cornell Lift Station in Salt Lake City. We enjoyed the ambiance of the Jordan River and saw the green infrastructure intalled there that improves the quality of water being discharged into the Jordan River. The site also adds a recreational ammenity for the community.

August was another virtual event with Emily Lewis frome Clyde Snow Attorneys at Law discussing Utah’s water banking update. The Utah water banking team worked hard to pilot the program. It is now moving into a new phase of the project, assessing lessons learned, best practices, and usable materials and content for Utah water users to explore water banking and water marketing more generally.

In September we hosted a social gathering and a paint night at Painting With A Twist in Murray. It was a fun evening of painting, laughing, trivia, and just enjoying getting to know other Women of Water members.

At the virtual October event, Paige Geslin, USU Career Coach and Jullian Morely, Assistant Director of USU Career Design Center, discussed the topic: Negotiating and Evaluating Job Offers.

2022 was a great year for the Women of Water organization. We transitioned from virtual-only events to meetings in person again. Thank you for your continued involvement as we seek to engage, empower, and educate women in the water industry!