Indiana Water Summit

Managing regional and local water supplies and insuring a sustainable and resilient future for Indiana depend upon the cooperation of dozens of stakeholder organizations, public officials and state policy makers, as well as individual citizens.

About the Summit

The Indiana Water Summit is an apolitical and inclusive annual forum developed to examine the complex interests and issues that face our water supply. The Summit’s subject matter seeks to remain consistent with and build upon current legislative actions in order to provide a broad planning perspective, weaving together diverse topics that together demonstrate the interdependency of water issues and the science behind the state of the waters.

The overarching goal of the Summit is to lay the framework for state- and regional-level water planning. Topics are selected to align with relevant university research, as well as the current water needs and challenges facing all sectors of water users (agriculture, industry, utility, community quality of life, etc.) and the set of strategies outlined in the Indiana Water Roadmap. The format of the Summit includes a combination of national and local speakers; a review of best practices, case studies, and lessons learned; interactive elements; and an influential keynote address. The Summit is supported by many partners and individuals – learn more about supporting the Summit here.

Summit Schedule

The 4th Annual Indiana Water Summit returns this year on August 9 and 10, 2021.

We will host a hybrid event with both in-person and virtual attendance options. For those looking forward to in-person networking and on-site activities, the Summit will again return to the historic Athenaeum in downtown Indianapolis.

August 9 will be a half-day, afternoon event (1-5 pm), hosted in partnership with the Indiana Finance Authority. We will talk about the Central Indiana Water Study, what it means for our water resources over the next 50 years, and how such efforts can guide regional water planning.

August 10 will be a full day event (8:30 am – 5:00 pm) exploring the many complexities of managing our water resources ranging from climate impacts, to large and small-scale stormwater solutions, to agricultural edge of field findings, to interactive sessions with leaders on policy solutions and project cooperation.And for those joining us in-person, we’ll again have a networking happy hour gathering with live music in the Rathskeller Biergarten at the conclusion of the program.

Registration is now open for the 2021 Indiana Water Summit. Use the button below to register today! Registration will close on August 2nd.

REGISTER

Don’t miss Rachel Scarlett’s keynote address, Stormwater on the Margins. Rachel is an environmental scientist, advocate, mentor, teacher, a Ph.D. candidate in Ecological Sciences and Engineering at Purdue University, and a 2020 Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellow. As an interdisciplinary scholar, she strives to think beyond disciplinary silos. She considers human communities and Earth’s ecosystems to be intricately entangled and co-dependent on each other. Rachel studies and advocates for environmental justice and will help all of us understand what’s on the line when we’re planning for our water future.

AGENDA & SPEAKERS

Topical Forums & Roundtables Schedule

The Summit leadership is planning to offer a few topical discussion events between annual Water Summits in order to continuing advancing key strategies identified in the Indiana Water Roadmap. Sign-up here to stay informed about details of these casual, couple-hour events!

There are two forums that we are currently working on – an Outreach Advisory Forum and a PFAs Research & Policy Forum.

The Outreach Advisory Forum is planned for late July and is targeted toward educators, communication professionals, ecologists and other technical experts, and will kick-off the work of this new, on-going Outreach Advisory Council. The Council will be helping to grow several Water River Alliance educational initiatives, as well as those of its partners into a powerful outreach cooperative aimed at strategically protecting our critical natural resources.

The PFAs Research & Policy Forum is scheduled for late September and is designed to help you understand everything you want to know (or didn’t want to know) about PFAS (the ‘forever’ chemicals) invading our water, soil, and bodies. Researchers from Purdue University Center for the Environment will help us dive into what is known, and policy leaders will help us understand what we can do as we extend our discussions around what’s polluting our waters.

Stay tuned for more information and updates on both of these forums!

Support the Summit

Become a Water Investor

Everyone has a role to play! You can help us insure the Water Summit’s success and affordability by becoming part of this Water Investors group. The Summit offers three standard levels of giving to support specific program elements as well as welcomes individualize giving. No donation is too small or too large to be a Water Investor. All Water Investors are equally recognized and appreciated. All donations are tax-deductible and will be utilized specifically for the Indiana Water Summit and its related efforts. to Indiana’s water future.

Invest Now

FAQs

How is Water Summit being funded and organized?

The first few years of the Indiana Water Summit have been made possible by generous support from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust as well as potential Summit sponsors known as Water Investors (see below for more information on how to get involved).

A Program Steering Committee made up of high-level state and local leadership (state legislators, local public officials, agency heads, etc.) as well as key social and technical organizations (large utilities, agriculture, industry, professional organizations, universities, philanthropic CEOs, non-profit directors, etc.) are helping to guide the vision and insure diverse and relevant topics are addressed.

A Working Committee made up of a broader group of partners (chambers of commerce, aggregate neighborhood associations, development community representatives, etc.) and technical staff from cities/towns, consulting firms, researchers, agency staff, and other related professionals, as well as the staff from the White River Alliance who provide backbone support, are working on agenda development, guest speakers, and other related tasks.

Programs

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