- Date published
Registration open for Sept. 23 event.
Leaders and stakeholders from across the region will gather in Springfield for the annual Southwest Missouri Regional Water Conference, Reliable Water – In an Unreliable World, to address critical long-term water supply challenges and plan for a sustainable future. The conference, a collaborative effort by Southwest Missouri Water (Tri-State Water Coalition and the SWMO Joint Municipal Water Utility Commission) and Missouri State University, is scheduled for Sept. 23 at the Darr Center, 2401 S. Kansas Expressway.
An adequate and affordable water supply is essential for maintaining both the quality of life and economic competitiveness throughout the area. As the region anticipates continued development, ensuring a reliable water source becomes paramount. The conference will delve into the juxtaposition of establishing a reliable water source in an often chaotic and unpredictable world. Challenges such as new federal priorities, evolving litigation, and mounting uncertainty in the funding landscape make economic growth and evolving water demand a challenge to forecast. The investment value of water, next steps to weather potential drought conditions, and regional collaboration are strategies that allow for a more robust foundation for the region’s future.
“We aren’t important to water — it’s the other way around,” Roddy Rogers, executive director of SWMO Water, stated, emphasizing the need for proactive planning. “Now is the time to work together as a region to address long-term water supply and its impact on individual communities. Working together allows us to share information, leverage resources, and create efficient solutions and this will be the first conference where we will be able to discuss next steps in implementing an approved and established source to meet nearly 70% of our gap needs.”
The event will provide a vital platform for stakeholders interested in water issues to learn about current supply challenges and strategize for the region’s water future.
