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Sustainable Water Resources Management: 
On March 16, 2006, about 150 leaders from local government, county,
state and Federal agencies, and environmental organizations, together
with consulting engineers and planners and interested citizens, all came
together for a half-day conference, “Sustainable Water Resources
Management: Working With Nature”.This conference, sponsored by the Hudson River Watershed Alliance and a number of co-sponsors, was held in an auspicious setting at the Garrison Institute overlooking the Hudson River. The conference was guided by an overall vision of integrating land use, watershed planning, and innovative technology and design practices to preserve the region’s surface and groundwater resources. After welcoming remarks by Patricia Ackerman, Jean P. Bordewich opened the program by emphasizing the need for new strategies to address wastewater management in the region. Simon Gruber described the linkages between decentralized wastewater management and low impact strategies for stormwater, and noted that these approaches require a paradigm shift from conventional thinking. Russell Urban-Mead and Dan Miller then gave an overview of groundwater resources and water supply trends in Rockland, Putnam and Dutchess counties. The heart of the program included several talks about the potential for using decentralized wastewater technology, design principles, and management programs to protect water quality and facilitate clustering and smart growth. Speakers in this part of the program included Carl Etnier, Ed Clerico, Donna Somboonlakana, and Gerry Chartier. Jennifer Smith and Mark DelBalzo then described low impact design concepts (also known as better site design) for stormwater management. The conference concluded with a roundtable discussion featuring panelists Manna Jo Greene, Rich Schiafo, and Sean Nolon as well as a number of the previous speakers (please see the Conference Agenda for all speakers’ affiliations and a complete schedule.) A key outcome of this conference was a consensus about the inherent benefits of returning water to the land, focusing development in compact areas, and of using soils and plants to provide filtration for wastewater and stormwater. The presentations and audience participation also, however, highlighted the need for more training, demonstration projects, regulatory changes, and other steps to facilitate implementation of these strategies. Please watch this page or contact the HRWA for information about other upcoming conferences and trainings about this and related issues.
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