Remotely Participating in Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board Meetings
Please check this page regularly and again before the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board (Lahontan Water Board) meeting starts as it will be updated with additional information to facilitate the public’s participation in the meeting.
Table of Contents
You only need to review this page if you want to comment. Watching the webcast remains unchanged. https://cal-span.org/
Details for March 1, 2023 Lahontan Regional Water Board Meeting
The Lahontan Water Board is conducting this meeting on March 1, 2023.
Information about participating in the Lahontan Water Board meeting remotely is further down on this page and should be reviewed before joining the meeting. Once you have reviewed details on this page, including instructions for attending remotely and submitting a "virtual orange speaker card," please use the link below to join the meeting if you wish to comment on an agenda item or during public forum
You do not need to create a Zoom account to join the meeting.
- 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
Resumption of In-Person Meetings with a Remote Participation Option
Beginning with the May 11, 2022 Lahontan Regional Water 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 Board Clerk by email at: Lahontan@waterboards.ca.gov.
If you only want to watch and/or listen to the Board meeting
The webcast can be viewed through most web browsers from 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.
Requesting to Speak In-Person (Orange Speaker Card)
If you wish to speak on an agenda item, and plan to attend in-person, please fill out the orange “Speaker Card” available during the meeting, and hand the card to Katrina Fleshman our Board clerk.
If you have any written materials as part of the agenda item, send to the Board clerk at least 10 business days in advance of the meeting to RB6-Lahontan@waterboards.ca.gov so the Board Clerk can distribute the materials to the members of the Board.
Requesting to Speak Remotely (the “Virtual Orange Speaker Card”)
To allow for a more orderly process of identifying speakers in advance, the Lahontan Water 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 Water Board at the appropriate time.
To request to speak on an item and to receive the meeting password:
- Click on the link below to register by 5:00 p.m. February 27, 2023, prior to Lahontan Water Board Meeting
Register in advance for this webinar: LINK to request to speak on an item.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. - Once you receive confirmation, please email the Board Clerk at: Lahontan@waterboards.ca.gov, and provide the following information.
- In the subject line, indicate: “March 1, 2023 Speaker Comment, item number ___”.
- 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 whether you are unsure and will decide during the item whether you want to speak. This will help the meeting run smoothly and allow you to participate timely
- Whether you intend to participate via videoconference or telephonically (note: through Zoom video conference, you will be able to see the Water Board Meeting video, but you will not have the option to show your own video)
- If calling in, please provide the last three digits of the phone number you will be calling from
Guidelines for Orderly Participation for Those Who Want to Comment via Zoom 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 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
- The Lahontan Water Board will be using the Zoom meeting service to allow remote participation
- Do not use the webcast if you are participating through the Zoom remote service. See “Requesting to Speak” section above.
- A link to join the Zoom meeting is located above.
Participating via Telephone
- The Zoom remote meeting service allows individuals to dial from a list of California phone numbers.
- See instructions above for joining the Zoom meeting via telephone.
- General information about using a phone to participate in a Zoom meeting is available here.
- When you are asked to comment during the meeting, the meeting organizer will unmute your phone, but you may also need to press *6 on your phone.
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 (#[Participant Number]#]).
(Page last updated 02/13/2023)