Remotely Participating in Colorado River Basin Regional Board Meetings

 Please check this page regularly and again before the board meeting starts as it will be updated with additional information to facilitate the public’s participation in the meeting.

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Details for 2024 Colorado River Basin Regional Board Meetings

Details for 2024 Colorado River Basin Regional Board Meetings

Information about participating in the Colorado River Basin Regional Board’s remote meeting is further down on this page and should be reviewed before joining the meeting. Once you have reviewed details on this page, and obtained the Meeting ID link, you may join the meeting as early as 8:40 a.m. on the meeting day.

Instructions for obtaining Meeting ID link are below.

You do not need to create a Zoom account to join the meeting.

Resumption of In-Person Meetings with a Remote Participation Option

Beginning with the April 12, 2022 Colorado River Basin Regional Board meeting, Board Members and staff will resume in-person meetings with a physical meeting location open to the public. Members of the public who wish to observe or to address the members may join the Board Members at the noticed, physical location, or may use the Zoom application to address the Board from a remote location. Members of the public will also be able to listen to and watch the meeting on: https://cal-span.org/.

Individuals who require special accommodations are requested to contact the Clerk to the Board by phone at: (760) 776-8945 or by email at: mary.castaneda@waterboards.ca.gov.

  If you only want to watch or listen to the Board meeting

The webcast can be viewed through most web browsers from this page: https://cal-span.org/.

Individuals who only want to watch or listen should use this option as it preserves interactive meeting resources for those who are commenting on items.

  If you want to provide oral comments to the Board during the meeting

Members of the public who wish to provide oral comments may join the Board Members and staff at the noticed meeting location. Alternatively, if a member of the public wishes to address the Board Members from a remote location, the Colorado River Basin Regional Board will continue using a remote meeting service to host the interactive part of the meeting. With the remote participation option, you can either call in or use a computer or mobile device (e.g., mobile phone or table) to participate via audio or video conference.

  Guidelines for Orderly Participation for Those Who Want to Comment During the Meeting

  • Remote meetings often lack the same visual and social cues available during public, in-person meetings. Please be respectful and patient so all interested commenters can be fairly heard.
  • Call in to the meeting or video conference in to the meeting a few minutes before the scheduled start of the meeting to ensure you can resolve any technical issues before the meeting starts. You will initially be in a virtual waiting room, and will remain there until the start of the meeting.
  • You will be muted until it is your turn to speak. While muted, you will be able to hear the Board meeting and can continue watching via the remote meeting service if you have connected from a computer or mobile device.
  • Even though you may only wish to comment on one item, the Board encourages you to participate in the entire meeting via the remote meeting service because there are at times brief delays associated with the webcast, and it may not be synchronized with the interactive meeting.
  • Regardless of whether you participate via phone, computer, or mobile device, please participate from a quiet environment so that the Board can hear you when you are called upon. If you are using the internet to connect to the meeting, try to ensure you have a good connection or strong signal.
  • It is important to avoid creating acoustic feedback. If there are other devices near you that are tuned into the meeting, please make sure that the speaker volume of those devices is turned down when it is your turn to participate.
  • The Board Chair will maintain decorum during the meeting as is customary in public meetings, and individuals who are disruptive may be removed from the remote meeting service or have their connection muted.
  • Other public commenters will be able to see your name (which is not unusual because commenters already have to identify themselves for the record before speaking), and if you call in, other commenters will see the last three digits of your phone number unless you have called in anonymously.

  Joining the Meeting Remotely if You Want to Participate

  Participating via Telephone

  If you want to use your phone to provide comments but follow along with the video presentations (e.g., because you do not have or want to use a computer microphone or camera), you can do so, but the computer or mobile device will need to be connected to the Zoom meeting using the steps below for “Participating via Video Conference.” When connecting to the Zoom meeting through a computer or mobile device select the option that you are participating by phone call. The Zoom service will give you a participant number that you can then enter on your phone.

  Participating in the Meeting with Zoom via Video Conference

  • The Colorado River Basin Regional Board will be using the Zoom remote meeting service for those who want to provide comments.  Do not use the webcast if you are participating through the Zoom remote service. And only use the Zoom service if you want to provide comment.
  • You do not need to create a Zoom account to participate in a Water Board meeting. The Meeting ID link provided by the Water Board are all you will need to join the meeting, but you will need to enter your name so the Board can identify and unmute you from the speaker queue.
  • You do not need to install software on your computer to participate. The Zoom service can run within an existing web browser.
  • Downloading the Zoom software may, however, provide a superior meeting experience for you. You can download the Zoom client in advance at: https://zoom.us/download.
  • Familiarize yourself with the Zoom features here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/200101697.

Requesting to Speak (the "Virtual Blue Speaker Card") and Obtaining Meeting ID link

Persons speaking at Colorado River Basin Regional Board meetings are accustomed to filling out a blue speaker card. To allow for a more orderly process of identifying speakers in advance, the Colorado River Basin Regional Board will use virtual speaker cards. The virtual speaker card will allow the Board Clerk to identify commenters interested in a particular item, locate them within the Zoom meeting waiting list, and unmute them so they can address the Board at the appropriate time.

To request to speak on an item, present materials, and to receive the meeting password:

  • By 3:00 p.m. one day before the Board Meeting
    • Send an email to mary.castaneda@waterboards.ca.gov
    • In the subject line, indicate: November 12, 2024 Speaker Comment
    • In the body of the email, indicate:
      • Your name
      • Who you represent (i.e., self, another person, an organization)
      • The item number and name you wish to speak on
      • Whether you definitely want to speak, or you are unsure and will decide during the item whether you want to speak
      • Whether you intend to participate via videoconference or telephonically
      • If calling in, please provide the last three digits of the phone number you will be calling from

The Clerk will respond to your email with the Meeting ID link for the meeting

Please send the email as soon as you can and no later than 3:00 p.m. on November 11, 2024. You cannot participate in the Zoom meeting until you receive an email with the Meeting ID link. This means you may need to begin watching the webcast available at: https://cal-span.org/.