Clean Water Conference on May 3 to highlight the state of the Brandywine-Christina watershed
Chadds Ford, PA, April 16, 2018 — The Brandywine-Christina Watershed Partners, a group of six nonprofit organizations funded by the William Penn Foundation through its Delaware River Watershed Initiative (DRWI), will host a Clean Water Conference on Thursday, May 3 to share their work and findings with conservationists and policy makers. During the conference, the Partners will unveil the “Brandywine-Christina State of the Watershed Report,” highlighting projects they have implemented throughout the watershed. National and regional experts, Delaware and Pennsylvania legislators and dignitaries, and watershed stakeholders are encouraged to attend.
In addition to hearing from each of the six partner organizations, the conference will feature speakers from the William Penn Foundation, the National Wildlife Foundation, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, local municipal officials, and others. Following lunch, conference attendees are invited to attend a field tour to get a first-hand look at a local farm where agricultural best management practices are implemented, and a visit to the Hoopes Reservoir for an on-site discussion about water supply options and strategies for protecting source water in the watershed. The day will wrap up back at the Mendenhall Inn with a reception and networking event.
Tasked with leading one of the eight targeted areas identified by the DRWI as priority zones—where interventions could significantly safeguard or improve clean water—the Brandywine-Christina Watershed Partners consist of the Brandywine Conservancy, Brandywine Red Clay Alliance, Natural Lands, Stroud Water Research Center, The Nature Conservancy in Delaware and the University of Delaware Water Resources Center. The Brandywine-Christina watershed—one of the most historic small watersheds in the nation—supplies drinking water to over a half million residents in Delaware and Pennsylvania and supports $1.6 billion in annual economic activity and over 100,000 jobs.
The Clean Water Conference will be held at the Mendenhall Inn, in Mendenhall, PA, on Thursday, May 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person; $10 students (with student ID). Registration is available by visiting www.brandywine.org/conservancy/events/ or by calling 610.388.8340.
Conference Schedule:
8:30 a.m. — Registration/Breakfast
9:00 a.m. — Welcoming Remarks
David Shields, Associate Director, Brandywine Conservancy
9:10 a.m. — The Delaware River Watershed Initiative (DRWI)
Andrew Johnson, Program Director, The William Penn Foundation
9:20 a.m. — Two States Joined by a Common Watershed: Delaware and Pennsylvania
Secretary Shawn Garvin, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, and Secretary Patrick McDonnell, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
10:00 a.m. — Brandywine-Christina: America’s Most Historic Small Watershed
Gerald Kauffman, Director, Water Resources Center, University of Delaware
10:15 a.m. — The Brandywine-Christina State of the Watershed Report (The Brandywine, Red Clay and White Clay Creeks and the Christina River). Moderator: Martha Narvaez, Policy Scientist, Water Resources Center, University of Delaware.
Water Quality
John Jackson, Senior Research Scientist, Stroud Water Research Center
Agriculture Restoration and Land Preservation
Grant DeCosta, Senior Planner, Brandywine Conservancy
Stream Restoration
Robert Struble, Watershed Conservation Director, Brandywine Red Clay Alliance
Municipal Ordinances
Ann Hutchinson, Senior Director of Community Planning, Natural Lands
Brandywine-Christina Healthy Water Fund
Richie Jones, Executive Director, The Nature Conservancy
11:15 a.m. — Collaborative Work in the Watershed. Moderator: Janet Bowers, Executive Director, Chester County Water Resources Authority
City of Wilmington, Delaware
Chris Oh, Assistant Water Division Director, Public Works Department, City of Wilmington
Honey Brook Township, Pennsylvania
Shane Hadden, Chairman, Open Space Committee, Honey Brook Township
White Clay Wild and Scenic
Shane Morgan, River Administrator, White Clay Wild and Scenic River Program
12:00 p.m. — Going Forward
David Shields, Associate Director, Brandywine Conservancy
12:30 p.m. — Lunch/Keynote
Collin O’Mara, President and CEO, National Wildlife Federation
1:45 p.m. — Formal Meeting Adjourn
2:00 p.m. — Optional Field Tour (via bus) to Simpers Farm and Hoopes Reservoir
4:30 p.m. — Networking and Reception
About the Brandywine-Christina Watershed Partners:
The Brandywine-Christina Watershed Partners are a collaboration of six nonprofit organizations, funded by the William Penn Foundation through the Delaware River Watershed Initiative (DRWI), working together to protect and restore water quality. The Partners are comprised of the Brandywine Conservancy, Brandywine Red Clay Alliance, Natural Lands, Stroud Water Research Center, The Nature Conservancy in Delaware and the University of Delaware Water Resources Center. The Brandywine-Christina Watershed is one of eight targeted areas identified by the DRWI as priority areas where interventions could significantly safeguard or improve clean water. The watershed encompasses over 565 square miles in parts of Delaware and Pennsylvania, including the Brandywine River, Red and White Clay Creeks, and the Christina River. Streams and rivers in the Brandywine-Christina Watershed provide 100 million gallons of drinking water to more than 500,000 people each day.
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