Prioritizing the availability of safe, affordable water, and mitigating flood risks.

Greenleaf co-hosted a Chicago roundtable (one of five nationally) to aid Resources for the Future, an independent research institution in Washington, DC, in establishing its water resources research initiative. We convened experts from the Midwest on urban water infrastructure needs, prioritizing the availability of safe, affordable water, and the mitigation of increased flood risks through improved stormwater management. Issues of governance, fragmentation, equity, and affordability were explored.

Resources for the Future released “Facing the Nation’s Water Challenges: Results from Resources for the Future’s Roundtable Series” to advance research and policy related to water resources and gain insight into participant interests of water access, affordability, and equity; watershed protection and resilience; agricultural water use; green, distributed, and source watershed infrastructure; water markets, allocations, and efficiency; and demand management and forecasting.

Resources for the Future convened roundtable discussions with water experts from private industry groups, utility companies, philanthropic organizations, academia, and representatives from all levels of government. Held in different cities across the country—Chicago, San Francisco, Denver, Houston, and DC—each roundtable discussion identified critical regional and national water challenges.