Scott Yates talking about his and Steve Maxwell's book,

"The Future of Water: A Startling Look Ahead"

Having grown up on the James River in Virginia with frequent summers camping and fishing beside the Salmon River in Idaho and Tupper Lake in New York, water has always been a big part of my recreational and spiritual life, maybe as it has been for you.

And then, while working on local government issues in Northern Virginia, water for me took on a community and political element - whether it be through my role in training staff in sediment control techniques and enforcement responsibilities, working with staff and officials on protecting the headwaters of small streams, or helping concerned citizens address riparian issues.

As a citizen stream monitor for a local conversation district, water became my personal science lab with "bugs" to be counted and samples to collect. And as a volunteer with an organization that partners with the Achuar people of the Amazon, water has become a health issue as well as a symbol of social justice and the rights of nature, as the constitution of Ecuador now recognizes.

So here I am, the new membership coordinator and editor of this newsletter, and the topic of water, while as inspiring as it has always been for me, now becomes a quest for connecting you each month to the kind of information that you care about - both professionally and personally.

Getting on top of the topic of water is a privilege but to do this well, I need your help.

In this newsletter, much of what you've grown accustomed to seeing is the same as it has been. One small change this month includes adding an Announcements section in my letter to you (see below) that highlights recent events and date sensitive actions.

While some colors and graphics have also changed (and likely will continue to change as we figure this out!) The Media of Water section as a resource for news and articles will remain the same.

In either case - finding and posting topics for the Announcement section or identifying stand out articles to feature in The Media of Water - I eagerly solicit your suggestions and comments during the months ahead. The topic of water is BIG in importance - that's why we're all here - but the breadth and variety of information is enormous ... as you know. Winnowing it down so that you can effectively use this newsletter as an easy source for staying up to date is a goal I intend to fulfill .... but I can't do it alone.

I eagerly solicit your help in identifying pertinent and timely news, ideas, and sources of information that pique your interest. I also hope you'll let me know whether the news and announcements you're seeing meet your expectations. Your comments are important!!

And I'm just an email or phone call away.

So until next month, best wishes for the weeks of summer left. I look forward to hearing from you.

Mary

Mary Ashton

AWRA

687.8390

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• AWRA Past President Dies

 Sadly, AWRA staff learned last week of the death of Edward Silberman, AWRA's President in 1969. After over 40 years of membership, an impressive academic career, and an active life of tennis, bridge, and travel, Ed passed away on July 5. He was 97 years old.

Ed's obituary reminds us how the passion for engineering and hydrology can run long and deep:

"As a kid, Ed used to dream of building a canal from the Missouri River to his tiny hometown and he would practice redirecting water in the tracks of horse-drawn buggies in the alley behind his home. Ed called it "child's play," but it turned out to be a tiny likeness of the hydrology work that would dominate his 40-year career at the University of Minnesota's St. Anthony Falls Laboratory serving as both its co-developer in 1946 and later its director from 1963 to 1974, where he harnessed the power of the Mississippi River for several decades. In 1935 and 1937, he respectively earned Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Civil Engineering with High Distinction....Ed formally retired in December 1981, but continued as an Adjunct Professor until 1988. As Professor Emeritus, he maintained an office at the Lab and continued commuting every Wednesday to mentor graduate students and critique their presentations, until recent months."

The Edward Silberman Fellowship Fund at the University of Minnesota has been established in honor of his remarkable contribution to engineering education.

Thank you Ed for helping to build AWRA's solid foundation.

 Ed Silberman's obituary from the Star Tribune

• The Preliminary Program for AWRA's 2011 Annual Water Resources Conference in November was posted online during the week of July 25.  

  This conference is being held in Albuquerque and will address topics including : climate change, remote sensing, instream flows, surface-water quality modeling, groundwater vulnerability, resource interdependencies, green infrastructure, water resources management, water marketing, among others.

• The comment period for the U.S.Clean Water Act (CWA) closed July 31. Ben Grumbles of The Clean Water Alliance shares his comments in "Blue Waves of Cooperation"
   
•  Presentations and proceedings for  AWRA's 2011 Spring Specialty Conference on "Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources" will be removed from general access to "member only" access August 5.  
   
•  NOAA's Draft Scientifc Integrity Policy - comments due by August 20 not August 15 as previously noted. A slide presentation of the policy is also available.
  
  This policy "lays out formal guidance with a "Code of Conduct" and creates the conditions for enabling first-rate science and guarding against attempts to undermine, discredit or change it" among other things. 
   
• Case studies on "Green Growth" sought by the World Water Council (WWC) - due September 15.
  
  

  The World Water Council is seeking case studies to help support the implementation of water and green growth policies. These case studies will be used to develop the framework, tools, and methods for helping the Korean Government evolve their economy to one more in line with principles and practices of "Green Growth." A WWC communication defines Green Growth as "fostering economic growth and development while ensuring that natural assets continue to provide the resources and environmental services on which our well-being relies."  It states that "Green Growth" is "an idea that has emerge out of the Far East where economic development ... has come at a high environmental cost ... and lessons learned by past mistakes ... can offer both cost savings and encourage more stable economies in the future.
   

•  International Water Summit at the United Nations will take place September 16.  

 

This conference is being organized by The Energy and Water Institute of New York, The Chronicles Group in cooperation with the United Nation's Institute of Training and Research, and the World Water Organization.

 

It's purpose is to inspire action plans, policies, creative media, and ultimate solutions.

  

• Call for Abstracts for AWRA's Spring Specialty Conference on GIS and Water Resource due October 3.

This conference, held once every two years, is a unique international forum addressing geospatial solutions to the challenges and applications of water resources.
• Position Open: Director, Water Policy  with the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions

 

 

Check the Water Resources Section Below for Information on:

 

 

Proposals sought to address  water resource and management challenges - due August 4
 

Funding awarded to western states for water supply and demand inbalances

 

EPA's inability to monitor contaminants as determined by GAO

 

Guidance on Appalachian Surface Coal mining

 

Draft report to Congress on climate change's effects on water resources

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