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	Florin Resource Conservation District – Water and Conservation
	by Sandi Russell
	Approximately four years ago the Florin Resource Conservation District (FRCD) purchased the Elk Grove Water Works, and the FRCD was divided into two operations:
	1.	The Elk Grove Water Service provides potable (drinkable) water to Elk Grove homes and businesses in a triangular area east of Hwy 99 from Sheldon Road to Grant Line Road, and
	2.	The Resource Conservation District (RCD) concentrates on:
		•Improving the quality and availability of surface and ground water.
		•Educating students about urban streams and other conservation education activities.
		•Reducing the amount of noxious weeds (especially Water Hyacinth) in the waterways.
		•Reducing erosion and improving riparian vegetation and wildlife habitat in the Elk Grove and Laguna Creeks, and
		•Exploring flood management alternatives for the Cosumnes River.
	In 2004, the boundaries of the FRCD were expanded to cover 91,450 acres that range from Grantline Road on the east to Lambert Road on the south, the Sacramento/Yolo County border on the west, with Mack Road, Florin Road, and Douglas Boulevard comprising the northern border.
	When I started attending the FRCD meetings almost four years ago, the five-member Board was mainly composed of farmers and ranchers who were concerned about improving the availability of surface and ground water, reducing erosion, and sponsoring educational programs for students in the area. However, once FRCD purchased the Water Service, the composition of the Board changed, and its focus changed to center mainly on the Water Service.
	This change was inevitable and logical because the Board was assuming new responsibilities. However, I would like to refocus some, not all, of the Board's attention back to the RCD. I would like to revitalize the Associate Director program. I would like to see the Associate Directors work with the RCD's Resource Conservation Coordinator on individual conservation projects and report to the FRCD Board. This is nothing new; it is a past practice that has been dropped since acquiring the Water Service; I believe it's time we refocus our energies on the entire Florin Resource Conservation District.
	The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent those of the Elk Grove Insider or any other entity.
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