AGENDA
The West’s Water Future:
Water Information Needs and Strategies
Western Governors’ Association
Western States Water Council
Sheraton Downtown
Salt Lake City, Utah
November 17-19, 2008
Monday, November 17
7:30 am CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST
8:00 am Welcome
Garland Erbele, Chairman
Western States Water Council
Shaun McGrath, Water Program Director
Western Governors’ Association
8:20 am Water Needs and Strategies for a Sustainable Future: Next Steps Report
Weir Labatt, WSWC Vice Chair, Texas Water Development Board
8:50 am Integrated Watershed Based Planning in Support of the States
Brigadier General John R. McMahon, South Pacific Division
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
9:10 am Western Watershed Study – Future Directions Regarding Data Needs
Marcia Hackett, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District
9:30 am Shared Vision Planning – The Halligan/Seaman Experiment
Bill Werick, (movie) Consultant/Retired Corps Planner
10:00 am BREAK
10:20 am The Water for America Initiative and a National Water Assessment
Eric Evenson, U.S. Geological Survey & Avra Morgan, Bureau of Reclamation
11:00 am Natural Resources Conservation Service Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Activities
Mike Strobel, Director, National Water & Climate Center
11:20 am NRCS Rapid Watershed Assessments – Jan Surface, Natural Resources Conservation Service
11:40 am National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Data Needs and Activities
John Stein, Deputy Director, Northwest Fisheries Science Center
12:00 pm NOAA’s Integrated Water Resources Science and Services (IWRSS)
Don Cline, Director, National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center
12:30 pm LUNCH – Robert S. Webb, Chief, Climate Analysis Branch, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory
2:00 pm Water Information and Decision Support Systems: Issues and Solutions
Peter Williams, IBM, Big Green Innovations
2:30 pm Utah’s Water and Water Quality Information Management Challenges
Dennis Strong, Director Walt Baker, Director
Utah Division of Water Resources Utah Division of Water Quality
3:00 pm BREAK
3:20 pm [Parallel Concurrent Tracks on Water Quantity/Water Quality Data, Needs & Tools]
5:30 pm ADJOURN/ SOCIAL HOUR – Hosted by CDM
6:30 pm DINNER – Robert W. Johnson, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation
Day 2
Tuesday, November 18
7:30 am CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST
8:00 am KEYNOTE – Arlen Lancaster, Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service
8:30 am [Parallel Concurrent Tracks on Water Quantity/Water Quality Data, Needs & Tools]
Noon LUNCH – Benjamin H. Grumbles, EPA Assistant Administrator for Water
5:00 pm ADJOURN/SOCIAL HOUR – Hosted by CDM
6:00 pm DINNER – Robert M. Hirsch, U.S. Geological Survey, Senior Scientist
Day 3
Wednesday, November 19
8:00 am CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST
8:30 am Western Water and Information Management Challenges
Utah Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. (video presentation)
Chairman, Western Governors’ Association
Water Resources Data Centralization, Presentation and Dissemination
CUAHSI, David Tarboton, Deputy Leader, Utah HIS Project
National Climate Service, Ahsha Tribble, NOAA/NWS Climate Services
Jack Barnett, Bear River Commission/Colorado River Salinity Control Forum
9:30 am Summary of Discussion Groups’ Recommendations
10:00 am BREAK
10:30 am Prioritizing Next Steps
11:30 am WORKSHOP WRAP-UP
Noon ADJOURN
Day 1 - Water Quantity Track
November 17, Monday
3:20 pm Assessing Current Surface and Ground Water Supplies
Steve Wolff, Wyoming State Engineer’s Office
Bill Cunningham, USGS and Advisory Committee on Water Information
Tom Patton, Montana Tech, Ground-Water Information Center
Bill Rinne, Southern Nevada Water Authority
4:40 pm Group Discussions
5:30 pm ADJOURN/ SOCIAL HOUR – Hosted by CDM
6:30 pm DINNER – Robert W. Johnson, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation
Day 2
November 18, 2008
7:30 am CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST
8:00 am Arlen Lancaster, Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service
8:30 am Identifying, Measuring and Monitoring Existing Water Uses and Needs
Barney Austin, Texas Water Development Board
Timothy Martin, Riverside Technology, Inc.
John Tracy, University of Idaho
Hal Anderson, Idaho Department of Water Resources
Jean Thomas, USFS, Water Rights and Water Uses Program
10:30 am BREAK
11:00 am Group Discussion
Noon LUNCH – Benjamin H. Grumbles, EPA Assistant Administrator for Water
1:30 pm Projecting Future Water Supplies, Water Use and Uses
Molly Maupin, USGS Idaho Water Center, Agricultural Water Use
Bob DeVyldere, Oregon Department of Water Resources
Bryan Mitchell, CDM
Phil Pasteris, CH2M
Tom Brown, U.S. Forest Service
John Metesh, Montana Tech
3:30 pm BREAK
4:00 pm Group Discussion
5:00 pm ADJOURN/SOCIAL HOUR – Hosted by CDM
6:00 pm DINNER – Robert M. Hirsch, U.S. Geological Survey, Senior Scientist
Day 1 - Water Quality Track
Monday, November 17
3:20 pm Assessing the Quality of the Nation’s Waters
Gary Rowe, USGS Central Region, NAWQA
Richard Opper, Montana Department of Environmental Quality
David Stevens and Jeff Horsburgh, Utah State University
Bert Garcia, Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8
4:40 pm Group Discussion
5:30 pm ADJOURN/ SOCIAL HOUR – Hosted by CDM
6:30 pm DINNER – Robert W. Johnson, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation
Day 2
Tuesday, November 18
7:30 am CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST
8:00 am Arlen Lancaster, Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service
8:30 am Surface Water Quality Data, Measuring and Monitoring
Pat Lambert, USGS, Director, Utah Water Science Center
Travis James, NRCS and Heidi Hadley, BLM
John Baum, USACE, Environmental Engineer, Sacramento District
Jim Harris, Utah Division of Water Quality
10:30 am BREAK
11:00 am Small Group Discussions
Noon LUNCH – Benjamin H. Grumbles, EPA Assistant Administrator for Water
1:30 pm Ground Water Quality Data, Measuring and Monitoring
Mark T. Anderson, USGS, Director, South Dakota Water Science Center
Derek Smithee, Oklahoma Water Resources Board
Rachael Cassady, Utah Division of Drinking Water
Alan Packard, Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District
Steve Dundorf, Bureau of Reclamation
3:30 pm BREAK
4:00 pm Group Discussion
5:00 pm ADJOURN/SOCIAL HOUR – Hosted by CDM
6:00 pm DINNER – Robert M. Hirsch, U.S. Geological Survey, Senior Scientist