Water, Energy, & Environment Task Force

Join the East Bay Leadership Council for an overview of the Advanced Quantitative Precipitation Information (AQPI) project. AQPI is a federal, state, and local partnership focused around new weather radar installations that provide a more accurate and detailed picture of precipitation across the Bay Area. It also includes additional radar-derived products, weather observations, and decision support tools. AQPI’s advanced forecasting will help flood agencies, emergency responders, wastewater plant managers, reservoir operators, water managers, and business owners better respond to extreme weather events such as atmospheric rivers. During this presentation we will learn more about the need for AQPI, its current status, and future plans.

OUR SPEAKERS


Dr. Jon Rutz is an atmospheric scientist and program manager at UCSD's Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E), where he serves as the Program Manager for AQPI. In this role, Dr. Rutz is responsible for overall program management, scientific leadership, and stakeholder coordination. He has over 13 years of experience in meteorology and related applications, with 10 years at the National Weather Service's Western Region Science and Technology Division. His primary areas of focus are heavy precipitation over the Western US, forecast product development, and scientific training. Dr. Rutz earned a PhD (2014) and M.S. (2011) in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Utah, and a B.S. in Science and Engineering (2009) from the University of Michigan. During his presentation, Dr. Rutz will provide an overview of the AQPI system.


Mark Boucher is a Senior Hydrologist for the Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. He has 35 years of experience in land development, transportation, and hydrology and earned his B.S. and M.S. from Washington State University. Boucher manages the Hydrology Section, which operates 45 rain and stream gauge data collection stations. He provides expertise in Hydrologic and Hydraulic (H&H) during the process of preparing and reviewing studies, models, and standards. Boucher has been working to utilize the AQPI data provided to Contra Costa County since it first became available in 2021. During his presentation Boucher will describe how he has been using this data to inform County crews and Emergency Managers about the level of flood threat days in advance of coming storms.


Dale Roberts is a Principal Engineer at Sonoma County Water Agency (Sonoma Water). Roberts manages Sonoma Water’s Energy Resources Group, developing and implementing projects to reduce Sonoma Water’s energy demands and cost effectively generate renewable power to offset Sonoma Water’s large energy demand. He has over 30 years of engineering experience in the private and public sectors in project management, planning, design, and construction management of water, wastewater, and energy systems. Roberts graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a B.A. in Environmental Studies. Roberts is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of California in Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.

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AQPI was funded in 2016 by a grant from the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Integrated Regional Water Management Program (IRWM) awarded to Sonoma Water and participating Bay Area agencies. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) are building the AQPI system and delivering the AQPI end-product to these agencies.

https://www.sonomawater.org/aqpi/