UDWRC staff and faculty participated in the 12th Annual Delaware River Watershed Forum, and the 60th Anniversary Joint Conference for Water Resource Organizations

On Sept. 25–27, 2024, the Institute for Public Administration’s (IPA) Water Resources Center (UDWRC) participated in the 12th annual Delaware River Watershed Forum, held at Wind Creek in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Watershed Forum hosted by the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed (CDRW), features engaging sessions, keynote speakers, networking with watershed advocates, a reception dinner and field trip excursions. This annual event serves as a fun and impactful opportunity for all coalition members, legislators, agencies, community organizations and more to collaborate on protecting the Delaware River Watershed. UDWRC’s director Jerry Kauffman Jr. and associate director Martha Narvaez attended this year’s CDRW. During the forum, Kauffman led a presentation titled “Hurricane Ida: An Interstate Floor Resilience Plan for the Brandywine in Delaware and Pennsylvania,” and Narvaez moderated.

On Sept. 29–Oct. 2, 2024, representatives of the UD Water Resources Center (UDWRC) attended and presented at the American Water Resources Association (AWRA), the Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR) and the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR) 60th Anniversary joint conference in St. Louis, Missouri. All three organizations collaborated in celebration of the water resources community’s accomplishments over the past 60 years. The celebration included higher-level networking, engagement and learning through the theme "Celebrating the Past and Planning for the Future of Water." In attendance were Jerry Kauffman Jr., UDWRC director; Martha Narvaez, UDWRC associate director; Andrew Homsey, IPA associate policy scientist; Cooper Feeny, UDWRC student; and Rushabh Dhoke, UD graduate student. Presenters included Narvaez (City of Wilmington Green Jobs Program) and Kauffman (Water Resources Management Policy: 60-Year History of Water Resources Management in the United States, 1964–2024). Other presenters included Feeny (City of Wilmington Lead and Copper Rule Inventories—An Insight in Local and Federal Policy Implementation), Dhoke (Poster—Dynamic Assessment of Saltwater Intrusion in Rivers and Estuaries Using Aquatic Drones). IPA is a research and public service center in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration.​

Article by Sophonie Milord. Originally posted in UDaily's For the Record​​.​​​