Water Infrastructure Workshop

August 11 - 14, 2024


Sunday, August 11

6 p.m. - Liquid Assets: An Overview of Water Systems and Water Policy in America

Rachel Havrelock
Director, The Freshwater Lab, University of Illinois at Chicago

Mark Templeton
Clinical Professor of Law, Director of the Abrams Environmental Law Clinic

 

Overnight in Chicago


Monday, August 12

8 a.m. - Bus departs for Joliet, IL

9 - 11 a.m. - Sourcing a New Supply: To Head Off Future Groundwater Issues, Joliet Turns to Lake Michigan

Allison Swisher
Director of Public Utilities, Joliet, IL

Theresa O’Grady
P.E. Vice-President, Crawford, Murphy & Tilly

Joe Johnson
P.E. Vice President, Stantec

 

12 - 2 p.m. - Getting the Lead Out (Part 1): Chicago Grapples with the Prospect of Replacing a Half-Million Service Lines

Randy Conner
Commissioner, Chicago Department of Water Management

Joey Logan-Pugh
Chief, Bureau of Water, Illinois EPA

Debra Shore
Administrator, Region 5, U.S. EPA

Gary Bingenheimer
Manager, Infrastructure Financial Assistance Section, Bureau of Water, Illinois EPA

Tera Fong
Director, Region 5 Water Division, U.S. EPA

Steve Marquardt
Manager, Region 5 State and Tribal Programs and Support Branch, U.S. EPA

2 - 2:30 p.m. - Break

2:30 - 4:30 - Getting the Lead Out (Part 2): Residents Call for Quicker Action on Water Safety and Affordability

Sam Corona
Executive Director, Alliance of the SouthEast

Gina Ramirez
Local resident/activist (currently on leave from NRDC)

Brenda Santoyo
Senior Policy Analyst, LVEJO

Chakena Perry
Senior Policy Advocate, Environmental Health NRDC

Vanessa Bly
Bridges Puentes

4:30 p.m. - Bus departs for Benton Harbor

Overnight in Stevensville, Mich.


Tuesday, August 13

9 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Busted Pipes and Broken Contracts: Benton Harbor Works to Restore its Water Utility and Chart a Fuller Future

Marcus Muhammad
Mayor, Benton Harbor

Alex Little
Benton Harbor City Manager

Joey Andrews
State Representative, Michigan 38th House Dist.

Jason Marquardt
Senior project manager, Abonmarche

12:30 - 2 p.m. - The Devils in the Details: A Deep Dive into Water Utility Policy, Regulation and Reporting

Elin Warn Betanzo
Founder/President, Safe Water Engineering, LLC

 

2 - 5 p.m. - Tapped Out: Lead Lines are Gone, but Residents Still Fight for Safe, Affordable Water

Rev. Edward Pinkney
President, Benton Harbor Comunity Water Council

Jill Ryan
Executive Director, Freshwater Future

Anna Bunting
Program Co-Director, Freshwater Future

 

5 - 7 p.m. - Dinner with community members

Overnight in Benton Harbor


Wednesday, August 14

8 - 9 a.m. -Water in Washington: A Conversation with One of D.C.'s Top Water Infrastructure Lobbyists

Mae Stevens
Banner Public Affairs, Washington D.C.

 

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. - Pipe Dreams: Where the Grand Calumet Ends, a Vision for a More Resilient Future Begins

Kimmie Gordon
Founder/Director, Brown Faces Green Spaces

Corey Hagelberg
Artist/Community Activist

 

2 p.m - Bus departs for Chicago; workshop adjourns