Client Projects
CEQA and NEPA Compliance for Water Projects
California Department of Water Resources
From 2003 to 2007, UC Davis Extension helped the Department of Water Resources stay up-to-date in the constantly changing sphere of water law and policy by providing a series of courses specifically geared to the needs of DWR staff.
The need: DWR needed to train staff from all program areas and job classifications in emerging CEQA and NEPA topics. It was crucial to the mission of the agency that staff stay current with case law and be prepared to deal with environmental permit integration issues for CEQA and NEPA projects.
The solution: UC Davis Extension created a course that clarified current CEQA and NEPA issues and taught DWR staff how to develop compliance documents more efficiently. Through lectures, discussions and hands-on group exercises, participants examined the necessary contents of CEQA documents and joint CEQA/NEPA documents for certain types of water storage and delivery projects.
Participant feedback was overwhelmingly positive and focused on the immediate relevance of the course content. Comments included: "I am now better equipped to critique/direct CEQA activities on projects I am responsible for," "The class exercises relating the specific DWR/water issues was great," and, "Overall explanation of CEQA and NEPA was complete to a layperson."
Meet the instructor:
Ken Bogdan, J.D., is a principal and senior environmental counsel for ICF International in Sacramento. He specializes in issues regarding compliance with environmental laws and regulations, including CEQA, NEPA, wetlands and endangered species regulations. He has authored numerous articles and publications, including CEQA Deskbook, The NEPA Book and Wetlands Regulation.
