The Tri-State Water Resource Coalition and Missouri State University hosted their fifth annual regional planning conference on October 22 & 23, 2015 called “Today’s Decisions, Tomorrow’s Water Supply” A copy of the conference agenda and links to PDF copies of the presentations are below along with bios for each presenter.

Download a PDF version of the . Speaker presentations are .

Thursday, October 22, 2015

9:00 – 9:10      Welcome and Housekeeping

• Gail Melgren – Executive Director, Tri-State Water Resource Coalition

9:10 – 9:30      Welcome

• Greg Burris – City Manager, City of Springfield

9:30 – 10:20    Water Supply from Global to Local

• Gail Melgren – Executive Director, Tri-State Water Resource Coalition

10:20 – 10:40  Break

10:40-Noon     State’s Approaches to Water Resource Management –

Ryan Mueller, Executive Director, Interstate Council on Water Supply, moderator

• Tracy Streeter – Director, Kansas Water Office
• Edward Swaim – Chief, Water Resources Management Division, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
• Andrea Collier – Director, Water Resources Center; Deputy Director, Missouri Geological Survey, Missouri Department of Natural Resources 
• Julie Cunningham – Chief, Planning and Management Division, Oklahoma Water Resources Board 
• Dean Edson – Executive Director, Nebraska Association of Resources Districts 
• Jody Henneke – Former Deputy Commissioner, Texas Land Commission

Noon                Lunch

12:30               Water Warrior Awards –

• Ozarks Water Watch

1:00-1:50         Regional Water Coalitions in Missouri

Moderator: Andrea Collier – Director, Water Resources Center; Deputy Director, Missouri Geological Survey, Missouri Department of Natural Resources

• Clarence Cannon Wholesale Water Commission – Elizabeth Grove, Circuit Rider, Missouri Rural Water Association; Former General Manager of Clarence Cannon
• Great Northwest Water Commission – Derek Brown, President; City Administrator, Albany MO 
• North Central Missouri Regional Water Commission– Brad Scott, General Manager 
• Tri-State Water Resource Coalition –  Gail Melgren, Executive Director, Tri-State Water Resource Coalition

1:50 – 2:10      Break

2:10 – 2:35      Small System Challenges: rates and finances

• Elizabeth Grove – Circuit Rider, Missouri Rural Water 

2:35 – 3:20     Climate and Water

• Pat Guinan – State of Missouri Climatologist; Assistant Professor, Climatology, University of Missouri 

3:20 – 3:30      Break

 3:30 – 4:00     Innovations in Water Resource Management: City of                                                    Springfield’s Integrated Plan

• Erin Kemper – Assistant Director, Department of Environmental Services, City of Springfield 

 4:00 – 5:00     Crystal Ball Panel of Municipalities and Water Providers

Tim Smith, Deputy City Manager, Springfield, moderator

• Matt Barnhart – Southwest Division Manager, Missouri American Water Company, Joplin
• Dean Thompson – Director, Water Treatment and Supply, City Utilities of Springfield
• Steve Walensky – Public Works Director, Cassville
• Skip Schaller – General Manager, Utilities, Monett

Friday, October 23, 2015

 8:00 – 8:30      Welcome and Current Water Initiatives from Missouri State University

• Anson Elliott – Director, Darr School of Agriculture, Missouri State University

8:30 – 9:00     The Nexus Between Water and Energy & CU’s Coal Ash Project

• Roddy Rogers – Manager Water Resources Projects, City Utilities of Springfield; Chair, Tri-State Water Coalition Technical Committee 

9:00 – 9:15      Break

9:15- 10:05      Safeguarding Water Supply – Nationally and Through Global                                   Strategic Initiatives

• Colonel Courtney Paul – District Engineer and Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District

10:05 – 10:35 Ozark Aquifer Study Update

• Brian Clark – Hydrologist, USGS

10:35 – 10:55 Break

10:55 – 11:45  National Trends and Emerging Issues in Water Resource                                          Management

• Ryan Mueller – Executive Director, Interstate Council on Water Policy 

11:45 – Noon   Conference Evaluation and Continuing Credits

• Gail Melgren – Executive Director, Tri-State Water Resource Coalition