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