Regional leaders, water providers, municipalities and other stakeholders will gather in Springfield on Sept. 29 for the annual Southwest Missouri Regional Water Conference, focused on the theme "Water — What Do You See?"
Registration is open for the event, which will be held at the Darr Agricultural Center, 2401 S. Kansas Expressway, according to a community announcement. Organizers said in the announcement that the conference will explore water-resource planning and efforts to secure a dependable long-term water supply for Southwest Missouri.
The conference is being organized through Southwest Missouri Water, including the Tri-State Water Coalition, the SWMO Joint Municipal Water Utility Commission and Missouri State University.
Organizers said
in the announcement that the theme is intended to highlight the different perspectives and priorities that influence water planning and management across the region.
The event comes after several developments in long-term water-supply planning, including an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that secures rights to water storage in Stockton Lake. Organizers said in the announcement that the storage capacity is expected to meet about two-thirds of projected regional water needs through 2060.
A separate agreement with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources will cover half the cost of the water-storage project. According to the announcement, the agreements mark major milestones in a cooperative effort that has spanned more than 20 years to identify additional water sources for Southwest Missouri.
Regional water challenges and future planning
Conference sessions will address issues affecting future water planning, including competing priorities, changing federal priorities, stakeholder engagement and implementation of the region's long-term water-supply strategy.
Additional discussions are expected to focus on water demands associated with data centers and economic growth, drought resilience, infrastructure investment and regional collaboration.
"Water matters because people matter," Roddy Rogers, executive director of the Tri-State Water Resource Coalition and executive director for the Southwest Missouri Joint Municipal Water Utility Commission, said in the announcement. "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 develop efficient solutions."
Rogers said in the announcement that the conference represents an important point in the region's planning efforts because contractual commitments for an additional water source are now in place.
Organizers said in the announcement that the event will provide opportunities for participants to learn about current water-supply issues, discuss regional challenges and examine strategies for meeting future water needs across Southwest Missouri.
More information about Southwest Missouri Water is available at swmowater.org.
Conference registration information is available at missouristate.edu.
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This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Conference will examine Southwest Missouri's long-term water future
