The third in a series of National Dialogues sponsored by the Clean Water America Alliance will focus on breaking down the silos within the water community. "Managing One Water," will be held Sept. 28-29 in Los Angeles, Calif.
The dialogue will bring together the nation's leading water policy experts, including representatives from state water authorities, the federal government, municipal water and wastewater agencies, engineering firms, academia, energy, industry, green infrastructure interests, agriculture, and conservation to explore how the U.S. can begin to better integrate water management at the local and regional level.
A common thread throughout the National Dialogue series has been the need to think holistically about the problem and the solutions to sustainable water management.
"Traditionally, primary control of the nation's water resources has been in the hands of a diverse range of local or regional entities," said Alliance Chair Dick Champion. "Fragmentation in water resource management has occurred as state and federal agencies developed separate views (and regulations) for what is, essentially, the same resource.
"Today, a myriad of often disparate state approaches as well as federal laws and regulations exist, many of which treat the same resource differently, and some of which are in conflict with each other."
The Alliance believes that the silo thinking of the past has kept clean water, drinking water, stormwater, water reuse, energy and agriculture interests segregated and does not encourage comprehensive thinking, planning and management of U.S. waters on the transformational scale needed.
Participants in the first two dialogues agreed that the seriousness of the challenges facing the U.S. require the development of a new approach to water management - where we think differently, and holistically, about the problem and the solutions. New partnerships which seek to encourage the best from every organization can maximize innovation and creativity, yet provide a coherent vision and effective resources.
Highlights of Managing One Water will include a special keynote address by Peter Silva, Assistant Administrator of Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. An evening reception (September 28th) will feature a screening of The American Southwest: Are We Running Dry. Jim Thebaut, Producer and President of The Chronicles Group, will be attending to talk about the film.
National Dialogue Series
The Alliance believes that the nation must re-evaluate how it uses and manages its water resources if it is to continue to have a reliable source of water. To that end, it has conducted a series of National Dialogues calling for an integrated national water policy focused on sustainability. The first two Dialogues, held in September 2009 and March 2010, brought together leading water policy experts from around the country, not as representatives of their organizations, but as individuals willing to share their expertise and perspectives in searching for common ground and concrete solutions.
Reports summarizing the dialogues are available to download on the Alliance website www.cleanwateramericaalliance.org. WW
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