2014 One Water Leadership Summit Two Rivers, Two Cities, Two States, One Water

Kansas City, MO  September 15-17, 2014

Shifting the paradigm to one water management, the U.S. Water Alliance will hold the 5th annual One Water Leadership (OWL) Summit, in Kansas City, MO on September 15-17. The Summit will look at the many ways water unites us and ways we can unite its many silos. As a focal point for the national dialogue on resource recovery and green infrastructure, the OWL Summit has been driving the notion of water as an integrating strategy for the urban environment. “Innovation springs from collaboration,” explains Ben Grumbles, President of the U.S. Water Alliance, “so the more we connect leaders from all regions and aspects of the water cycle the bluer America's water future will be."​

Spotlight community panels will feature cross-agency, cross-department, community and business leaders to share their models of creative integration and innovation. Multi-disciplinary and geographically diverse presentations will demonstrate the flexibility of green infrastructure to serve a multitude of needs. Spotlights will focus on Cape Cod, Massachusetts; the Edwards Aquifer, Texas; and the Upper Neuse River Basin, North Carolina. Strategic Sidebar Conversations will allow those at the cutting edge to compare notes and tackle obstacles. Water Table discussions will shed light on emerging opportunities and challenges. The Honorable Sly James, Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, will open the event at 2:00pm on Monday, September 15. The Cindy Wallis-Lage, President of Water Business, Black & Veatch, will also serve as a keynote speaker, Tuesday, September 16.

Attendees, presenters, and sponsors reflect the broad scope of stakeholders needed to rethink and renew our cities with resource recovery and green infrastructure. “Public, private, non-profit, they’ve all come together to support this Summit,” describes Dick Champion. “These leaders understand the necessity of these dialogues, these models, to move us toward water sustainability that is all the more challenging in a changing climate.” Champion is the Chair of the U.S. Water Alliance’s impressive 36 member Board of Directors representing a broad cross-section of interests that have come together to holistic, watershed solutions. The Summit is sponsored by Burns & McDonnell, Kansas City Water Services, Black & Veatch, Cardno ENTRIX, CH2M Hill, CDM Smith, L.A. Bureau of Sanitation, Grundfos, The Conservation Fund, URS Corporation, and NACWA.

Conference partnership organizations include Alliance for Water Efficiency, American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association, Cape Cod Commission, Center for Neighborhood Technology, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, Heartland Conservation Alliance, Kansas State University Urban Water Institute, The Conservation Fund, The Trust for Public Land, The Water Council, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and Water& Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Association.

The OWL Summit is organized annually by the U.S. Water Alliance’s Urban Water Sustainability Council. Through this Leadership Summit, the Council seeks to connect the dots among water, land use, parks, forests, transportation, energy and other sectors around a goal of revitalizing cities with multi-benefit projects that produce triple bottom-line results.

Fees for full registration are $445 for Alliance members and $495 for non-members. Reduced rates are offered for nonprofits and students. To register, visit http://bit.ly/2014OWLS.

About The U.S. Water Alliance
The U.S. Water Alliance was formed in 2008 as a 501c3 nonprofit educational organization whose goal is to unite people and policy for “one water” sustainability. The Alliance awards the U.S. Water Prize, organizes the One Water Leadership Summit annually, and is Project Manager for the Value of Water Coalition. A broad cross-section of interests has come together through the Alliance to advance holistic, watershed-based solutions to water quality and quantity challenges. For more information, visit www.USWaterAlliance.org.