Registration now open for the Virtual Great Lakes Water Infrastructure Conference!

Join the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) on May 10 and 11 for this free virtual conference focused on the water infrastructure challenges faced by the Great Lakes region and solutions to those challenges. Infrastructure is the unseen backbone supporting our modern lives, but investment has lagged nationwide and much of it is aging. The communities of the Great Lakes Basin face critical water infrastructure needs for rehabilitation and replacement. Shifting population patterns and the need for preparedness against man-made and natural threats place increasing demands on drinking water and wastewater utilities. 

This conference will focus on sharing how Great Lakes states are addressing their water infrastructure challenges, imagining a better future, and mapping out how to get there.

Conference highlights include:

  • Keynote speakers, including Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and EGLE Director, Liesl Clark.
  • Several timely topics, including:  
    • Resiliency planning and response to flooding in southeast Michigan
    • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Atlas 14 Precipitation Frequency Estimates
    • Engineering for a changing rainfall
    • Challenges and solutions across Great Lakes States (Regional Panel)
    • Lessons learned in Lead Service Line Replacement
    • Contributing Municipality Collection System Permitting
    • Grand Rapids stormwater: What a difference a decade makes
    • Connecting to another drinking water system - when is the problem too big and is cooperative/regionalization a better option?
    • Sterling Relief Drain daylighting and green infrastructure retrofit
    • Reducing stormwater runoff through green infrastructure in a built community
    • How to incorporate climate change into infrastructure funding
    • Funding infrastructure projects, what municipalities should know about bonds, grants, and timing
    • How to engage with your local council to get projects implemented
    • EGLE funding/financing programs
    • The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) Water Apprenticeship Program - How to replicate in other communities
    • Water/ Wastewater Tech Programs in Michigan
    • Water affordability and public engagement

This conference has been approved for up to 0.9 CECs in the Technical Category for both Drinking Water and Wastewater Operators and up to 9 PDHs for Professional Engineers.

Click here for the agenda.

This conference is intended for local drinking water and wastewater administrators and professional staff, planning officials, consultants, federal, state, and local governments, policy makers, and anyone in the Great Lakes region interested in moving our aging infrastructure into the future. All sessions will be recorded and made available online after the event.  

We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reinvest in our water infrastructure with a much-needed inflow of funds coming from federal government. Through sharing our stories and coordinating our efforts, these investments can be transformative in improving water infrastructure and ensuring safe drinking water is available to all of our communities.

By registering today, you will join hundreds of professionals in this national conversation about the urgent need for reinvestment in critical water infrastructure and share the floor with other key stakeholders who are committed to be part of the solution for our health and for the health of future generations. 

Register HERE