Upcoming Conferences:

ICWP 2006 Annual Members’ Meeting (Nov5-Nov6 in Baltimore, MD): Planning for our 2006 Annual Meeting is well underway, so SAVE THE DATES and MAKE YOUR TRAVEL PLANS SOON! We will be meeting in Baltimore, MD in conjunction with the American Water Resources Association (AWRA), so that our Board of Directors can meet with theirs to guide and strengthen future collaborative efforts. AWRA has blocked all the necessary rooms at the Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel and we have made arrangements allowing ICWP members to reserve and use sleeping rooms within that block. Even if you aren’t AWRA members, your membership in ICWP will qualify you to register for the conference at AWRA member rates. Our collaboration with AWRA in this event also means that you can register using a check or your credit card and that it will not be necessary for ICWP to collect a separate registration fee for our meeting. Additional conference information is available at the AWRA website.

        ICWP PROGRAM: ICWP will hold its Annual Meeting on Sunday afternoon,         November 5. Our contribution to the joint meeting with AWRA members on         Monday, November 6 will include a panel on the effectiveness and potential of         interstate water organizations. Our Annual Meeting program will be available (here)         following the September 6 Board meeting and will include an election to fill two         vacancies on our Board of Directors. Please contact Peter Evans if you are         interested.  

       MEETING REGISTRATION: You can register for the one day combined meeting       (Monday) or for the full four-day AWRA using the AWRA Registration Form. Early       registration for one day is $225 (after October 16, it will cost $275); the full, 4-day       registration fee is $445 ($495 after October 16). If you are not a member of AWRA,       just write “ICWP Member” on the form where the AWRA  member number is       requested, and mail it to AWRA with your check or credit card information.

      HOTEL: for accommodations, contact the Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel directly by       telephone, (800) 325-3535 or (410) 692-8300, or using their internet site. The hotel       is located at 300 South Charles St. in Baltimore, MD and sleeping rooms can be       reserved for $152/night (+taxes, etc) until the block reserved by AWRA is filled. DO       NOT  DELAY! 

3rd National Water Policy Dialogue (January 22-23, 2007): We are collaborating with AWRA in the organization and promotion of the 3rd National Water Policy Dialogue. Plans are still in formulation, but it will be held in the Sheraton National Hotel in Arlington, VA and more information will be available soon. The intent is to build upon the results of the September 2002 and February 2005 events and produce more definitive implementation measures. The results of the 2nd Dialogue emphasize the value of integrated management using the watershed approach and sound science, the need for better funding for infrastructure maintenance and better public explanation of water resource management options.

       CO-SPONSORS: if you are interested in listing your agency as a co-sponsor,           contact Peter Evans.

ICWP 2007 Washington Roundtable (Feb. 26-27, 2007): Our 2007 Washington Roundtable is scheduled for February 26-27, 2007 with the probability that we will have a Board of Directors meeting and strategic planning meeting the afternoon before (February 25). This Washington Roundtable will provide an effective opportunity for meeting federal officials to discuss current regulatory, budgetary and legislative priorities. We will also have a fun reception Monday evening, February 26, for our many friends in federal, congressional, state and NGO offices in DC! SAVE THESE DATES, keep your eye on this part of our website for a draft program and travel details and contact either Sue Lowry or Peter Evans for more details.

Recent Conferences:

2nd National CWP Stakeholders' Roundtable (Jan31-Feb2, 2006): The meeting in Austin, TX was a big success, both in terms of the cross section of Cooperators and USGS Centers that participated and in terms of the information and opportunities we developed! A summary of the discussions with many of the handouts and PowerPoint presentation files AND the recommendations for future management of the CWP are available (look on our Streamgage Funding page).

ICWP Washington Roundtable 2006 (Feb28-Mar2, 2006): Our 2006 Washington Roundtable was held on March 1 and the unveiling of our report “Interstate Water Solutions for the New Millennium” took place March 2. The setting was intimate and the discussion both days was direct and focused on useful topics (as you can see from our meeting program). Contact Peter Evans or any board member for details.

ICWP 2005 Annual Meeting in San Antonio: A big success, thanks to everyone who attended! The Conference discussions provided an excellent view of our existing strategies for mitigating flood and drought risks and the implementation difficulties we face at the local, state, interstate and national levels. Actions during the Annual Meeting included revision of our By-Laws, election of Directors and Officers for the next two years and discussion of priorities for 2006 (the minutes are available below). We also established two strong Committees (one concerning interstate water organizations and the other for legislative & policy development) and enjoyed an informative evening with members of the Western States Water Council Executive Committee, which resulted in an agreement to explore collaborative opportunities related to the following issues: Streamgaging, Drought (monitoring infrastructure, NIDIS and federal legislation), the Farm Bill, desalination legislation, funding for water infrastructure, water supply planning, flood risk mitigation, ESA reform.