UDC to Host April 4 National Capital Region Water Resources Symposium

For the second consecutive year, the University of the District of Columbia will host the National Capital Region Water Resources Symposium, “Water Resources and Water Infrastructures: Emerging Problems and Solutions,” bringing together water resources professionals from across the region. The one-day symposium will be held Friday, April 4, 2014, from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law, located at located at 4340 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington DC, 20008. The full agenda is available here.

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The symposium will bring together experts from governmental agencies, academia, the private sector, and non-profits to discuss sustainable management of water resources and infrastructure in the region, as well as nationally and internationally. The symposium program will include a keynote address, invited panelists, breakout sessions and poster displays. The program will also highlight student research and students will have the opportunity to meet with experts in the water field.  Eight UDC faculty members and five students (undergraduate and graduate) will participate in the symposium as panelists or poster presenters.

The keynote address will be delivered by George Hawkins, General Manager, District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water). Featured panelists include Benjamin Grumbles, President, U.S. Water Alliance; Claudia Copeland, Resources and Environmental Policy Specialist at Congressional Research Service; Emily Fishkin, Director, Infrastructure Initiatives, ASCE; and Jerry Johnson, General Manager, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. In addition, research papers will be presented during poster sessions.  

“We are pleased to host the second annual NCR water resources symposium, bringing together water researchers, managers, regulators and DC residents to share their perspectives towards sustainable water resources management,” said Dr. Tolessa Deksissa, Director of UDC’s Water Resources Research Institute and Professional Science Master’s Water Resource Management Program. “The National Capital Region is not only important to the Greater D.C. metropolitan area, but impacts the nation as a whole. Addressing its challenges and opportunities will positively affect us all.”

The National Capital Region (NCR) encompasses the District of Columbia, and parts of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. NCR is the gateway to the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the U.S and provides water for six million people. The region has unique and challenging opportunities for sustainable management of water resources and water infrastructures, which will be addressed at the symposium.

Water Resources and Water Infrastructures: Emerging Problems and Solutions is hosted by the AWRA-National Capital Region Section and the Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI), part of the Center for Sustainable Development of the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) of the University of the District of Columbia.