One Water Summit 2017 Program as of 3/1/17 Visit the website for One Water Summit 2017 for the most up-to-date information: bit.ly/OWSummit Overview Water touches everything we do: it drives our economy, helps communities thrive, and shapes our environment. The challenges facing our water supplies and systems are complex and immense, both in scale and importance. From aging infrastructure, to demographic and economic shifts, political uncertainty, climate change, inequality—water cuts across so many of our country’s most pressing issues. At the One Water Summit 2017, the nation’s brightest minds and most committed leaders come together to discuss solutions that can create a more sustainable water future for all. Won’t you join us? Convened by the US Water Alliance, One Water Summit 2017 brings together hundreds of leaders from across the country to network, engage in thought-provoking dialogue, share best practices, set strategic priorities, amplify great ideas, and take actionable ideas back home. One Water Summit 2017 is a unique venue to craft innovative solutions, connect with influential leaders across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, and forge the alliances needed to advance sustainable water solutions. Many thanks to the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans for serving as our local host for One Water Summit 2017. New Orleans is the perfect backdrop for a dynamic, solutions-focused conversation about how we view, value, and manage water—now and for future generations. We look forward to seeing you, June 27-29 at the InterContinental in New Orleans. Register today! You won’t be disappointed. Visit the website for One Water Summit 2017 for more information: bit.ly/OWSummit Key Themes One Water Summit 2017 will explore four critical arenas for building the One Water movement: 1. Collaborating Across and Beyond Water. Integrated and sustainable water management requires effective partnerships across the water industry and beyond. Urban and agricultural leaders are partnering for healthy watersheds, while public-private partnerships are reshaping how projects are financed and operated. Water reliant businesses are working with utilities, environmental groups, and community leaders to rethink sustainable water stewardship. Attendees will hear from the leaders who have created successful collaborations and develop a deeper understanding of how to forge partnerships for progress in their own work at home. Page 1 of 10 2. Financing and Delivering One Water Projects. Attendees will examine innovations in financing and delivering projects that embody the One Water approach. Leaders will share case studies and strategies for projects that maximize economic, environmental, and community benefits. Summit attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of emerging and proven project delivery and financing models. 3. Building Will for One Water. To help build political and public will for adopting One Water advances, attendees will explore strategic communications and research to help advance the One Water movement. Summit attendees will have robust opportunities to strategize on how we make the case for One Water, and to hear fresh ideas for communicating the value of water and engaging stakeholders across the value chain as water stewards. 4. Changing the Landscape. Supportive policies and regulations are crucial for managing water resources in an integrated, sustainable, and inclusive way. Summit attendees will engage in robust discussion on the policy and regulatory hurdles, and successes, that determine the landscape for the One Water movement. Join the conversation about how together we can create institutional change and build the policy environment for One Water projects to thrive. Site Visits One Water Summit 2017 offers several site visits that provide attendees with an unparalleled opportunity to see first-hand some of the innovative water work in Greater New Orleans. Generously hosted by local organizations, the site visits offer an in-depth view into the challenges, opportunities, progress, and partnerships to secure New Orleans’ water future. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Building Resilience Through Green Infrastructure Hosted by the City of New Orleans and the Greater New Orleans Foundation Participants will learn about New Orleans’ approach to green infrastructure and how it supports the city’s existing drainage system. They will explore green infrastructure demonstration projects implemented by various public agencies and nonprofits and learn about large-scale innovative urban water management projects that support the region’s vision of “living with water”. Participants will learn how New Orleans is reducing flooding and subsidence, improving water quality, reducing the burden on existing drainage infrastructure, creating inclusive workforce and economic development opportunities, and improving health and quality of life through a comprehensive approach to building city resilience through green infrastructure. Comfortable walking shoes, hat, and sunscreen recommended. Extreme Water Infrastructure: Historic Drainage Pump Station Number 6 and the 17th Street Outfall Canal Closure Structure Hosted by the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans and the US Army Corps of Engineers Built in 1899, Pumping Station Number 6 holds a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, and is the largest pumping station in the world. The levee breaks following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 were an anomaly for New Orleans. During heavy downpours before and since then, New Orleans is protected by an elaborate drainage network, featuring 24 drainage pumping stations which collect water from street drains and canals throughout the city. The crown jewel is Pumping Station Number 6, which then delivers stormwater to Lake Pontchartrain. The system's pumping capacity is over 32 billion gallons a day, enough to fill the Superdome in 42 minutes. Participants will also tour the US Army Corps of Engineers’ massive 17th Street Outfall Canal Closure Structure, a post-Katrina structure designed to work in tandem with Pump Station Number 6 during a storm by Page 2 of 10 preventing hurricane surge from entering the canal while still allowing critical internal drainage operations to continue unimpeded. Comfortable walking shoes, hat, and sunscreen recommended. Wetlands in the Backyard: Bayou Bienvenue & the Lower 9th Ward Hosted by the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, and the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement & Development New Orleans’ vibrant and historic Lower 9th Ward neighborhood was the hardest hit when the Industrial Canal levee broke and Hurricane Katrina’s storm surge into the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet inundated the community. This tour will bring participants to see the remarkable progress the community has made, including a stop at Bayou Bienvenue—an urban wetland, which has been the focus of national interest and a beacon of hope for solutions. Less than five miles from downtown New Orleans, this special place is a classroom, a laboratory, a gathering place, and a window to the threatened landscape. Institutes Issue and Skills-based Institutes offer Summit attendees the opportunity to delve deeply into a key issue facing the water sector. These sessions allow for ample dialogue and skills-building. One Water Council The US Water Alliance’s One Water Council will meet in-person for an extended session that brings together utility managers, business and agricultural interests, community leaders, and others who are driving the shift towards One Water management. This robust, cross-sector network of practitioners uses the Council as a forum for peer-to-peer learning, policy development, and advancing integrated approaches to solving our nation’s water challenges. The agenda and speakers will be posted on the Summit website prior to the meeting. Value of Water Communications Bootcamp Communicating the value of water and the importance of the often-invisible water systems is challenging. A successful communications strategy needs to identify your audiences, your strongest messages, and the most effective tactics for delivering that message. This communications workshop, developed by the Value of Water Campaign, is designed as an interactive, working session for communicators. We will review the key elements of a strategic communications plan and how to build a persuasive message. Experts will discuss public speaking and on-camera interview tips, as well as best practices for earned media, social media, and crisis communications. Through presentations, moderated Q&A, and breakout groups, attendees will build new skills and leave better equipped to tackle the communications challenges they face at home. Attendees are encouraged to come with specific questions and issues they are grappling with for discussion with peers. Water Equity Institute Aging infrastructure, water quality crises, affordability, flooding, and drought disproportionately impact lowerincome people and other vulnerable communities. At the same time, there are promising examples of community organizations, utilities, businesses, and others who are advancing a new paradigm of equitable water management. This session will present the US Water Alliance’s water equity framework and national clearinghouse of promising practices that can improve economic, environmental, and community outcomes for vulnerable communities. Presentations, moderated discussions, and case studies will give session participants in-depth understanding of equitable water management. Page 3 of 10 Mississippi River Nutrient Dialogue Several years ago, the US Water Alliance convened agriculture, drinking water, wastewater, and environmental leaders in the Mississippi River Basin to explore how their sectors might mutually benefit by working together to reduce excess nutrients in waterways within the Basin. Through honest dialogue, skepticism about the benefits of collaboration between the agriculture and water communities was transformed into optimism and a readiness to work together. Participants agreed that in order to safeguard critical freshwater assets like Mississippi River Basin we need new, collaborative approaches that look beyond the current regulatory context and traditional silos in which we have operated. Since that time, much progress has been made, and much more is needed. This dialogue, amongst the One Water Delegations from the Mississippi River Basin states and other interested stakeholders is an opportunity to take stock of where we are, what’s working, unresolved challenges, and to surface collaborative opportunities coming off of One Water Summit 2017. The Governing Boards of Utilities: A Leadership Roundtable Elected and appointed members of the governing boards of utilities play an essential role in securing America’s water future. They are responsible for making important policy and investment decisions that drive water resource management in every community across the country. They are also on the frontlines of communicating the value of sustainable water decisions. This is a particularly daunting task at a time when confidence in government is at an all-time low generally, and with water utilities in particular, as a result of the water crisis in Flint. This roundtable brings together members of the governing bodies of utilities to dialogue with each on the critical issues that face the water sector. It’s an opportunity to consider the big trends facing the water industry and strategize with peers from other governing boards. Attendees will expand their knowledge of issues critical to effective governance, share experiences, and ask national industry leaders questions in a safe environment, free from utility staff. Topics will include the effect of changing demographics on the utility workforce; affordability and challenges with full-costing of services; the role of the private sector (manufacturers, consultants, private capital, private operators); how to effectively convey the importance of One Water management; and what to expect in the current regulatory environment with the changes at US EPA. Participation in this session is limited only to appointed and elected members of the governing boards. A brief survey will be sent out in advance of the session so that participants can help shape the priorities items for discussion. Finding Common Ground Hosted by Loyola University’s Center for Environmental Communication and e/Prime Media One Water Summit 2017 is pleased to host a film screening of Finding Common Ground, a recently-released documentary exploring “traditional ecological knowledge” and its importance in planning for coastal restoration in Louisiana’s Mississippi River Delta. Award-winning documentary producer Kevin McCaffrey teamed up with co-Executive Producer Dr. Robert Thomas, Director of Loyola University’s Center for Environmental Communication, to produce this rich and informative first-hand look at the existential crisis unfolding in Louisiana’s disappearing wetlands. Summit participants can learn about this complex environmental challenge, and some of the proposed solutions, through the eyes and voices of local residents, scientists, fishermen, and policymakers. Dr. Thomas, a widely-respected player in efforts to educate the public about Louisiana’s disappearing coast, and will be on hand to answer questions following the 90-minute film screening. Page 4 of 10 Plenary Sessions Plenaries gather all Summit participants for cornerstone conversations that set the stage for One Water Summit 2017, with a focus on exploring the big trends and issues facing the water sector, and the power of partnerships to secure a sustainable water future for all. Opening Plenary: Setting the Stage for One Water Summit 2017 & Spotlight on New Orleans In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent levee breaks flooded most of New Orleans and surrounding parishes, resulting in over 1000 deaths and the costliest disaster in United States history. In the wake of utter devastation, the New Orleans story is one of hope and resilience. Greater New Orleans is rebuilding and transforming itself with an eye to the future, and embraces plans that work with the surrounding water, rather than against it. In addition to over $14.5 billion in hard infrastructure investments, coastal restoration and comprehensive urban water management are equally important facets of the region’s resilience strategy. This plenary session will spotlight the diverse projects and partnerships underway to secure a sustainable water future for Greater New Orleans. Luncheon Plenary: America’s Watershed Moment How we manage water as a nation has a ripple effect on so many aspects of daily life, from the food we eat to the rivers that run through our hometowns. The One Water movement recognizes the choices we make today, set the course for future generations. How do we drive the economy, improve environmental health, and create opportunity for all using the One Water approach? This session will look at the big trends that face our communities—demographic and economic shifts, aging infrastructure, the changed and changing political environment, climate impacts, and growing income inequality—and consider water’s role in fostering a prosperous America. The bold and visionary leaders featured on this Luncheon Plenary will inspire and set the context for One Water Summit 2017. Closing Plenary: Building the One Water Movement How do we make the One Water approach the new normal? Our closing plenary will challenge us to consider the role we can each play in securing America’s water future. Our closing plenary will feature national leaders discussing how we can work together to build public and political will for investment in sustainable water infrastructure and water resources. Through though-provoking conversation, we will grapple with how to elevate water as a top national priority, with the 45th President, Congress, in statehouses, city halls, and beyond. Our closing session will also celebrate our One Water delegations—we will receive the latest updates from several of 2016 delegations who moved forward with successful initiatives, as well as selected 2017 regional delegations who will share their commitments to action for the coming year. You will hear firsthand about new initiatives being launched across the country, and to get concrete ideas for how to stay connected to the One Water movement long past the summit. This session is not to be missed—be prepared to leave inspired! Page 5 of 10 Workshop Sessions Workshop sessions dive into a wide range of One Water issues, models, and approaches, allowing summit participants to focus on a particular topic of interest and explore connections across issues and disciplines. Strategies for Building Resilient Water Infrastructure With increased water stresses impacting communities—from drought, to flooding, and related extreme weather events—there is increased attention to making communities and their water infrastructure more resilient, ready to adapt, and incorporating proactive hazard and flood mitigation measures. Resilient and reliable infrastructure is able to respond and bounce back from natural disasters, it builds in redundancies, and vulnerabilities are minimized to the greatest extent possible. Utilities have been preparing to make these investments for infrastructure resilience but it is not without cost. Hear from city and water utility leaders about their plans, progress, and how they were able to make the case of taking the long-view and prioritizing resilient water infrastructure. The Maturation of Multi-Benefit Green Infrastructure Strategies Green infrastructure is a cost-effective strategy to reduce stormwater runoff, improve water quality, and strengthen neighborhoods. The water sector has seen a maturation of green infrastructure implementation, with a robust set of stakeholders from utilities, community organizations, conservation groups, philanthropy, and others engaged in innovative projects. This session will spotlight citywide plans, creative financing, programmatic approaches, and the role of networks to accelerate the adoption of this effective One Water strategy. During this session, leaders will share their insights on best practices, policy barriers, and opportunities to further leverage green infrastructure strategies. Water Reuse: Maximizing Benefits, Reducing Unintended Consequences Diverse water reuse strategies are taking root and gaining traction, allowing municipalities to stretch precious water supplies and reduce their footprints. Improved treatment technologies, refined monitoring techniques, and more are allowing utilities to further refine reuse strategies to maximize benefits. Gaining experience with implementation and deployment, leading utilities have been able to reduce externalities to water conservation and reuse such as strain on existing infrastructure and financial considerations. This session will feature leaders in water reuse and the most valuable lessons they have learned along the way as they expand their programs and set ambitious goals. One Water Planning: How to Make It the New Norm Managing across water’s lifecycle to maximize benefits and efficiencies is no easy feat. But it’s essential. Watersheds do not adhere to political boundaries, and lasting solutions require designing integrated one water planning processes that can leverage resources, unlock new sources of funding, diversify and stretch a community’s water supplies, and achieve water quality and environmental improvements. This panel will feature three diverse regions and the silo-busting leadership that is forging new approaches to one water planning, both within the water sector and beyond. One Water: Communicating Its Value Strains on water resources, and compromised water quality have increased the appetite for One Water management. The environment is riper today than ever before for accepting more integrated approaches. Advancing One Water approaches requires support from the public, policymakers, and a wide range of stakeholders. How can we communicate in a way that builds political will? How can we make the case for Page 6 of 10 sustainable approaches to water management that enlists key partners and effectively persuades key constituencies? One Water communicators and leaders will share their perspectives on how best to persuade, inspire, and engage others in a vision of managing water that is integrated, sustainable, and inclusive. One Water Coalitions that WIN For One Water management to be the new normal in regions and states across America, we must unite stakeholders around a common vision and approach. Building cross-sector coalitions to secure a sustainable water future is hard work. How can we develop a shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities with diverse constituents? How do we build trust? This session will feature watershed-scale and state-wide efforts to advance One Water management. Our speakers will share the lessons they have learned, challenges they have faced, how they have overcome legislative, regulatory, and public perception hurdles, and share their successes. Water = Competitive Businesses and Thriving Industry Achieving a secure One Water future would not be possible without direct business involvement. And, water is essential for all industries to thrive. Water challenges—whether it’s too much, too little, or poor quality— threaten business growth, impact bottom lines, and create direct operational risks. There is a business imperative for companies to adopt One Water practices both within their operations as well as in their engagement in the broader communities and watersheds in which they do business. This session will forward looking businesses from diverse industry sectors who are taking a more comprehensive approach to water sustainability—thinking and acting across their supply chains and within the watersheds in which they operate and source. The Ambidextrous Utility Organizational ambidexterity is the ability of an organization to be aligned and efficient in its management of today's business demands while simultaneously adapting and preparing for future opportunities in their market space. This is a time of incredible creativity in the water industry, as utilities and other water leaders are defining new business models without compromising the quality service they are expected to deliver each and every day. By pursuing new business lines to generate review, providing high value products at the end of their business cycle, reengineering their operational practices, utilities of all sizes are realizing increased revenue AND decreased costs—all while improving water quality in their watershed and increasing customer satisfaction. This session will explore how dynamic utilities have become ambidextrous—highlighting key issues related to financing, partnerships, risk and profit sharing, as well as project design, delivery, and maintenance. Strengthening Smaller Water Systems Smaller water systems represent nearly 85 percent of the approximately 54,000 community drinking water systems nationwide. While they serve less than 10 percent of the population, they face an outsized share of America’s water resource and infrastructure challenges, including protecting water quality, making needed infrastructure investments, and diversifying their local water supplies. This session will feature different models of collaboration, coordination, partnerships, and business models that can help strengthen smaller water systems—all with the goal of delivering essential water and wastewater service. A Water Safety Net: Ensuring Access & Affordability for All Across the US, vulnerable communities struggle to access safe, clean, and affordable water services. In some regions, contaminants make drinking water unsafe, or drought limits water supply. In others, centralized wastewater systems don’t not reach rural areas, leaving lower-income people to fund their own septic systems. Aging infrastructure, lack of centralized infrastructure, compromised water quality, climate impacts, inability to pay, and other factors impact vulnerable communities. Providing all Americans with safe, reliable, and affordable drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater service is essential to our wellbeing as a nation, and all Page 7 of 10 stakeholders—policymakers, utilities, non-profits, foundations—have a role to play. This session will discuss water access and affordability challenges in the United States, and present potential solutions for creating a safety net for all. Leveraging Water Investment to Create Workforce Opportunity The water sector is facing a workforce crisis: up to 50 percent of utility employees will reach retirement by 2020, and there is a shortage of skilled workers to take their place. At the same time, lower-income people, communities of color, and dislocated workers are struggling to access quality employment with career pathways. Tremendous opportunity exists as the water sector spends billions of dollars repairing and upgrading aging infrastructure. These investments can be maximized to create local employment and career pathways, opportunities for small business, and educational programs. Water is a promising economic growth strategy, and investments in infrastructure are proven to create solid, middle-class jobs that provide a pathway out of poverty. This session will spotlight promising workforce strategies with an emphasis on the power of partnerships between utilities, institutions of higher education, nonprofits, and philanthropy to achieve of winwin of workforce inclusion and trained workers ready to serve the water industry. Elevating Water as a National Priority Polling suggests that a strong majority of Americans think investing in water infrastructure is very important for government, yet federal funding has declined significantly even as our nation’s pipes and treatment plants continue to age. As the 115th Congress and the Trump Administration work towards advancing a proposal to modernize our nation’s infrastructure, how do we ensure that investment in water and wastewater systems is a central component? Hear from a panel of key decision-makers and influencers at all levels of government on the current political landscape and prognosis for water infrastructure as a high priority for investment. Building the Water Economy How is the new water economy taking shape in regions across the country? How can we utilize water assets to drive economic competitiveness and growth? What are the successful economic development initiatives being advanced that use water innovation and investment as a linchpin strategy? This session will feature regional approaches to leveraging water assets to fuel economic growth, with a particular focus on efforts to grow and expand entrepreneurship and small business development in the water sector. Strategic Dialogues Strategic Dialogues are all about identifying solutions, embracing possibility, and planning effective action. Each Strategic Dialogue is tightly focused around one critical question for America’s water future. Dialogues are dynamic conversations that surface bold and pragmatic solutions. Each of these high-level working sessions will produce a thematic summary of specific action items and recommendations that are ripe for advancement after One Water Summit 2017. What are the critical success factors to effective agriculture-municipal partnerships to solve America’s nutrient challenge? Across the country, effective agriculture-municipal collaborations are underway to restore and maintain healthy watersheds and high water quality in our streams, rivers, lakes, and coastal waterways. Joint projects, regional pilots, watershed scale planning and monitoring, statewide nutrient strategies, and more are making progress. But the successes don’t match the scope and scale necessary. How do we accelerate what’s working? This session will feature forward looking agriculture and municipal leaders in a laser-sharp focused discussion to unearth the critical success factors to make these partnerships work at a scale more comparable to the water Page 8 of 10 quality challenge before us. These critical success factors will build towards shared policy principles for the next farm bill that will be developed post One Water Summit 2017. How do we cultivate a One Water partnership mindset between regulators and the regulated? More often than not, One Water innovation happens in spite of (not because of) a supportive regulatory context. Yet, there are also examples of regulators as true partners in driving towards One Water success. How do we cultivate shared understanding amongst utilities, regulators, environmental and community leaders? The aspiration for this off-the-record, “check your assumptions at the door” session is to engage in honest dialogues about what is working, what’s not, and what it will take to build the One Water partnership mindset between regulators, the regulated, and interested partners. What are the biggest gains to be realized from collaboration between the energy and water sectors? For the past 30 years, the energy sector has widely pursued strategies to increase efficiencies and water has been an essential part of the solution. The water sector has been working towards energy efficiency and generation through a range of projects and programs as well. Despite having similar objectives, the two communities have historically worked separately on parallel efforts rather than working together in a coherent, collaborative manner. Both sectors stand to gain from collaboration, as maximizing water efficiency strengthens energy efficiency, and vice-versa. This dialogue features cross-sector exchange between water and energy executives with the goal of identifying concrete and specific collaborative actions that can be taken together. Big data: A coming tsunami or all washed up? Big data and smart technologies have generated tremendous excitement in the water industry, promising to transform the productivity and effectiveness of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater management. Will the adoption of these technologies keep pace with the hype? What concerns do these technologies raise for utilities and consumers? What changes need to take place in the industry to capture value from data while managing new risks from connecting our infrastructure? This panel will advance the debate on how deploying big data solutions might help to secure a sustainable water future. It will also discuss potential policy approaches to assist growth in these arenas and look at successful outcomes through prior demonstrations or collaborations across the public and private sectors. How can we institutionalize policies and practices that advance water equity? Many communities across the country are pioneering promising efforts to leverage effective water resource management and infrastructure investment to improve outcomes for vulnerable communities. Water utilities, government agencies, community organizations, and private sector actors are deploying a range of approaches to build a more equitable society. From low-income assistance programs, to workforce development and inclusive contracting, to capital projects that revitalize neighborhoods, to restoring watersheds and enriching communities—there are tremendous examples of how water can build communities of opportunity. How we ensure that these promising equity practices flourish, grow, and spread even as committed staff or leadership change within utilities and other government agencies? This session will take a closer look at how utilities and government agencies are institutionalizing water equity at the program, utility, and city-wide scale. What is the sweet spot for blending public and private investment and expertise to tackle the water infrastructure crisis? In order to bridge the water infrastructure investment gap in the 21st century, all stakeholders need to be engaged and all options for funding and financing need to be on the table. What is the best return on investment for utilities and for the public, when considering public private partnerships? Should private capital be put to work on capital improvement? Should it be directed toward resource recovery or technological Page 9 of 10 advances? This dialogue will seek to determine where private capital is best situated to maximize the return on investment for investors AND the public with the goal of surfacing actionable lessons that can be deployed. How are water associations advancing the One Water movement? One of the most important elements of the One Water Summit is to foster discussion amongst leaders on how progress is forged. Partnerships and collaboration are essential to drive towards a more integrated and sustainable approach to have we view, value, and manage water. During this strategic dialogue, hear from the heads of leading national water associations about the research, tools, and initiatives they have developed to help advance the One Water movement. Discussion will highlight the unique roles and perspectives each organization brings to the One Water movement, as well as synergies across efforts. Page 10 of 10
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