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Getting the Water Right
Getting the Water Right Workshop
Wednesday, July 30 – 8:00 a.m.
Workshop Purpose and Objectives
Water, energy, and climate change are likely to be among the most important environmental and economic challenges we confront in this century. How well we manage watersheds—most of which are dominated by privately owned agricultural and forest land—will determine how well we meet this challenge.
Hydrology is central to many, if not most, agricultural and environmental interactions. Intensification of grain and/or biomass production could exacerbate current problems caused by altered or degraded hydrologic systems. Alternatively, introduction of perennial, dedicated “energy crops” could be an opportunity to repair and restore those systems. Climate change makes more effective management of hydrologic systems in agricultural landscapes more urgent and more difficult.
The purpose of this workshop is to explore the connections between hydrology, climate change and the bio-economy. More specifically, the workshop will focus on what needs to be done to “get the water right” in the face of climate change and the bio-economy.
View agenda...
Registration
As a part of full conference: $125 ($175 late) CLICK HERE
Independent from SWCS Conference: $225 ($275 late) Call 515-289-2331 x118
Workshop Schedule
8:00 a.m. Opening Session
National Water Availability and Water Use
Speaker: Bill Alley, USGS
8:30 a.m. Panel 1: The Case for “Getting the Water Right”
Followed by open discussion among audience and panel.
Moderator: Janice Ward, USGS
This panel will consist of three 15-minute regional presentations (West, Midwest, East) on water use and availability in the region and a fourth presentation on Midwest biofuels. The three regional presentations will include a summary of the current picture of water use and availability, regional concerns, and impacts of the competing demands for water in the region (questions further outlined below). The fourth presentation on Midwest biofuels production will include a projection of the increasing demands on water supply from the biofuels industry (including processing, conversion and cropping system demands) and potential impacts by climate change.
. Speakers:
. 1. Trends in Western US Hydrology and Climate Change
. Julio Betancourt, USGS
. 2. Midwestern Water and Biofuels
. Mary Scopec, Iowa Department of Natural Resources
. 3. Southeastern Water and Biofuels
. Jim Hook, University of Georgia
. 4. Biofuels- Corn and Cellulosic Ethanol
. Tom Simpson, University of Maryland
10:15 a.m. Break
10:30 a.m. Panel 2: Research and Data Needs
Followed by open discussion among audience and panel
Moderator: Mark Weltz, USDA-ARS
This panel is focused on the capacity to (1) monitor and model changes in hydrologic systems in response to changes in climate, land use and management in agricultural landscapes and (2) our capacity to monitor and understand the economic and social factors driving change in agricultural landscapes. The goal for the panel is to shed light on how biophysical models can be combined with economic and social "models" to help us prepare to meet the new stresses that will be placed on hydrologic systems in the U.S.
The panel will have 3 speakers:
1. Richard Alexander, USGS, will discuss the SPARROW model.
2. Jeff Arnold, ARS, will discuss the CEAP model development.
These two speakers will discuss why and how each model was developed, what they are designed to tells us, what lessons have been learned during development, and what additional research and data would lead to greater capacity to look at the implications of climate change, biofuels, and land use and management.
3. Marcel Ailery, ERS, will discuss ERS's attempts to combine social and economic data (largely ARMS data sets) with other information to develop policy relevant analyses.
12:15 p.m. Lunch (included with registration)
1:00 p.m. Policy Implications and Opportunities
Followed by open discussion among audience and panel
Moderator: Andy Manale, U.S. EPA
How must public policy and programs be adapted to ensure we get the water right in the face of climate change and the current and emerging bio-economy?
. Speakers:
. • Duane Sand, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (Federal/State Ag Policy)
. • Allan Hoffman, US Department of Energy (Energy Policy)
. • Jimmie Powell, The Nature Conservancy (Climate Change Policy)
. • Kathy Jacobs, Arizona Water Institute (State Policy)
2:45 p.m. Break
3:00 p.m. Key Points
Moderators of each panel session present the key points they think were identified by their panelists and doing the discussion following the panel. Audience invited to add new key points and/or comment on key points presented by moderators.
4:30 p.m. Closing Remarks and Adjourn
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