Rachford's Reflections

At the end of June, I had the pleasure of attending the 2004 EWRI World Water & Environmental Resources Congress in Salt Lake City. The attendance was gratifying; almost 900 people registered for the 2004 Congress.

Congratulations are due to Jerry Sehlke, the General Conference Chair and to his 2004 Conference Organizing Committee, particularly Don Hayes and David Stevens, the Technical Program Co-Chairs

The "congress" concept has its genesis in the merging of three former ASCE TAC Divisions (Environmental Engineering, Water Resources Engineering and Water Resources Planning and Management) and the Water Resources Standards Council. From the beginning, it was hoped that a congress involving the interests of all of the founder disciplines could offer a superior opportunity for cross-fertilization ...thus providing more value to the participants. This was the third congress offered by the EWRI following our establishment in 1999. The first congress was held in Orlando; the second congress was held in Philadelphia.

First and foremost, the Salt Lake City technical program was outstanding. The program included seven focused symposia, 275 paper presentations in 14 distinct tracks, poster sessions, six short courses and workshops, five award lectures and several technical tour opportunities. But the 2004 Congress offered much more to the participants ... a terrific opportunity for professional growth and interaction with otherparticipants.

The Salt Lake City facilities were great. The 2004 Congress was held at The Grand America; a new and modern five star hotel ... the food was well-prepared, the meeting rooms were comfortable and the hotel staff was accommodating.

The hospitality was ample ... participants were treated to a Sunday evening icebreaker reception; a Monday evening International Fellowship reception, a Tuesday evening combined Sections & Branches Council and Awards Reception and a Dutch Oven Supper on Wednesday evening at the "This is the Place" State Park. Special hospitality events were available to adult guests and children throughout the week.

The two plenary sessions were exceptional. Mr. Mark Limbaugh, Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, represented the Bureau at the Monday morning plenary session and gave a thorough overview of the Bureau's perspective on water issues in the Southwest and took extensive questions from the audience. Mr. Jerry Webb, Principal Hydrologic and Hydraulic Engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, provided a detailed briefing on the water resources situation in Iraq based on his recent six-month in-country experience.

Nearly 600 people attended the Tuesday Awards Luncheon, moderated by Awards Committee Chair Jery Stedinger.

Knowing that students are the future of EWRI, student activities were emphasized. A Student Social was held Monday evening. Student awards were presented at the Tuesday Awards Luncheon to the winners of the Parsons Brinkerhoff Capstone Design Contest, the 14th Annual Student Photography Contest and the undergraduate and graduate Student Technical Paper competitions.

Many EWRI committee activities were evident. A committee chair leadership workshop was held as part of a Sunday luncheon preceding the 2004 Congress. Many EWRI committees met around the periphery of the Congress throughout the week.

Finally, ASCE members attending the 2004 Congress were accorded the opportunity to vote electronically in the ASCE general election. Personal computer stations were manned by volunteer members of ASCE, including myself. A number of attendees did, in fact, take advantage of the opportunity.

For EWRI to be successful, our conferences must be successful. And for conferences to be successful, those who volunteer their time and energy to plan, organize, and participate in our conferences must have a good experience. In furtherance of that objective, we held a Sunday afternoon brainstorming session prior to the 2004 Congress to identify improvements in our conference management system necessary to expedite the flow of information from abstract submission to program development to paper presentations ... in other words, ways to make life easier for our volunteer organizers and presenters.

Participants in the brainstorming session included past and future congress chairs, members of the EWRI Conferences and Exhibits Council, representatives of ASCE conference staff and the EWRI staff and a few other EWRI members with significant prior conference involvement. At the end of the afternoon, a list of user-needs had been compiled and we look forward to seeing the beneficial impact of our collective thoughts on future conference management efforts.

At each congress we learn something that helps us to improve the next congress. The EWRI Governing Board and the Conferences & Exhibits Council continue to evaluate the pros and cons of whether a regular annual congress at about the same time every year, with events, exhibits, and programs focused upon general membership interest, can significantly increase participation by EWRI members as well as non-members and offer advantages with respect to the coordination of committee activities. We also continue to debate the best mix of paper presentations, poster sessions, plenary sessions, panel discussions, field trips, and guest activities ... as well as location, time of year, and so forth.

At present, we have determined to allow the results to speak for themselves by holding congresses in Anchorage in 2005 and in Omaha in 2006 while remaining open to non-competing events during the same years. Starting in 2007, we are considering an every other year approach, with multiple, narrowly focused specialty conferences or co-sponsored events in the off-years. Meanwhile, the EWRI Governing Board and Conferences & Exhibits Council members welcome input on the subject from the EWRI membership.

The 2005 Congress will be held during May 15 to 19, 2005 in the downtown Hilton Anchorage hotel. The General Conference Chair, Don Phelps, and his 2005 Conference Organizing Committee have been working closely with the Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau to ensure that the attendees have many opportunities for excursions to the countryside to maximize the value of the available 20 hours of daylight at that time of the year ... we anticipate a large turn out of visitors from the lower Forty-eight. I look forward to seeing many new faces in Anchorage.

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