Water Conference 2010

Water: A Finite Resource in a Growing Region

The Tri-State Water Resource Coalition and Missouri State University hosted their fourth annual regional planning conference on Nov. 18 and 19, 2010 called “Water: A Finite Resource in a Growing Region.”

Thursday, November 18, 2010

9:00 Welcome and Opening Remarks
Gail Melgren – Coordinator, The Leadership Project, Missouri State University; Executive Director, Tri-State Water Resource Coalition

9:10 Welcome from Springfield and Greene County
Mayor Jim O’Neal – Mayor of Springfield and owner of O & S Trucking Company
Commissioner Dave Coonrod – Presiding Commissioner of Greene County, Missouri

9:30 Water: a Global View
Roddy Rogers – Manager, Water Distribution & Supply, City Utilities of Springfield, MO

10:00 US Water Policy – Can We Find Opportunity Among These Dark Clouds
Peter Evans – Director, Interstate Counsel on Water Policy, Washington, D.C.

10:45 The State of Missouri’s Water Supplies
Bill Bryan – Deputy Director, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Jefferson City, MO

11:15 Water Supply in Our Region 
Ryan Mueller – Director, Water Resources Center, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Jefferson City, MO

12:15 Water Efficiency
Tom Crowley – Consultant, Corolla Engineers, St. Louis, MO

1:15 Tri-State Water Resource Coalition: Seeking Solutions, Defining the Path Ahead 
Gail Melgren – Coordinator, The Leadership Project, Missouri State University; Executive Director, Tri-State Water Resource Coalition

1:45 PANEL: Policy and Regulatory Considerations
Tim Smith – Administrator, Greene County, MO (Moderator)
Kyle Arthur – Director of Planning, Oklahoma Water Resource Board, Oklahoma City, OK
Bill Bryan – Deputy Director, Department of Natural Resources, Jefferson City, MO
Tracy Streeter – Director, Kansas Water Office, Topeka KS

3:00 Groundwater Flow Model and Effects of Projected Groundwater Use in the Ozark Plateaus Aquifer System in the Vicinity of Greene County, Missouri 1987-2030
Joe Richards, Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Rolla, Missouri

4:00 Financing Public Water Projects 
Eddie McLiney – Owner, McLiney & Company Investment Bankers, Kansas City, MO

4:30 Wrap Up Day One
Gail Melgren – Coordinator, The Leadership Project, Missouri State University; Executive Director, Tri-State Water Resource Coalition

Friday, November, 19, 2010

8:00 a.m. Welcome & Intro to Day Two
Gail Melgren – Coordinator, The Leadership Project, Missouri State University; Executive Director, Tri-State Water Resource Coalition

8:15 Ground & Surface Water Quality in the Ozarks
Bob Pavlowsky – Professor, Department of Geology; Director, MS program in Geospatial Science; Director, Ozarks Environmental and Water Resource Institute, Missouri State University

8:45 PANEL: Water Quality in the Ozarks and Its Intersection with Water Supply
Harold Bengsch – Commissioner, Greene County, MO (Moderator)
Loring Bullard – Director, Watershed Committee of the Ozarks, Springfield, MO
Bob Pavlowsky – Professor, Geology, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO
Jim Triplet – Professor, Zoology, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS
Jim Vandike – Groundwater Section Chief, Water Resources Center, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Rolla, MO

10:00 CASE STUDY: Lewis & Clark Regional Water System – Iowa, South Dakota & Minnesota Working Together to Meet Water Needs 
Dave Oden – Lead Engineer, Lewis & Clark Regional Water System, Banner Associates, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

11:15 PANEL: The Economics of Water
Gary Gipson – Director, Distribution, City Utilities of Springfield, MO (Moderator)
Jim Anderson – President, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce
Brian Bingle – City Administrator, Nixa, MO
Christine Voltman – Complex Environmental Manager, Tyson Foods, Noel, MO
Frank Kartmann – President, Missouri American Water Company

12:30 PANEL: Competing Uses for Water 
Bob Williams – General Manager, Carthage Water & Electric, Carthage, MO (Moderator)
Paul Blanchard – Stream Program Coordinator, Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City, MO
Ted Coombs – Executive Director, Southwest Power Resource Association, Tulsa, OK
Garrett Hawkins – National Legislative Director, Missouri Farm Bureau, Jefferson City, MO

1:30 Conclusion & Evaluations
Gail Melgren – Coordinator, The Leadership Project, Missouri State University; Executive Director, Tri-State Water Resource Coalition