Stormwater in the City:
Stormwater Management Training Held in Hartford, CT
September 27, 2007

On September 27, 2007, Connecticut Regional Council of Governments, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in New England co-sponsored a daylong conference entitled “Stormwater in the City: Managing Runoff, Improving Water Quality, Helping Neighborhoods.” This conference was attended by approximately 200 people from state, federal, and local governments, as well as non-profits, colleges and universities, and private organizations. While most attendees hailed from Connecticut, the conference hosted individuals from New Jersey, New York, Colorado, and Massachusetts. Stormwater in the City was designed to educate and inform local decision-makers, planners, engineers, government officials, and citizen advocates about managing stormwater in ways that can improve water quality and the urban environment. During the day, speakers shared success stories, provided training on techniques to restore urban waters, and generated dialogue on how to address stormwater in an urban environment.

Opening remarks were made by Eric Hammerling of the Farmington River Watershed Association, Lyle Wray of Capitol Region Council of Governments, and Lynne Hamjian of EPA New England. The keynote address was given by CT Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Gina McCarthy. She noted, “Don’t think little, think ‘big’ and I think you will get solutions that will build collaborations,” and that “… the best cities, in my opinion, are those that have great public transportation, and those that are either on the ocean or have rivers that run through them, and they celebrate those rivers, they open them up and make them publicly accessible.”

The day was packed full with presentations and discussion. To see the presentations, please visit Capitol Region Council of Governments website at: www.crcog.org/about/regional_conferences.html .

The conference was well received with 102 evaluations returned. Ninety-five percent of respondents stated that the conference met or exceeded their expectations. Here is what attendees had to say:

“It was a nice mix of looking at urban river/stormwater issues from many different angles.”

“This is one of the best conferences I have ever attended! Great speakers, very knowledgeable and interesting… and funny!

“Every single section of this program was well planned out. The conference touched upon planning, science, engineering, regulations, and municipal involvement.”

The program was also videotaped by the Connecticut Television Network and is available for viewing or purchase on DVD or tape at www.ctn.state.ct.us . Search the video archive with “EPA” to find it.

EPA New England and co-sponsors would like to thank the following organizations for their assistance in planning the conference agenda: Park River Watershed Revitalization Initiative; CT River Watershed Council; Farmington River Watershed Association; Rivers Alliance of Connecticut; UCONN-NEMO Program; Hartford 2000; CT Coalition for Environmental Justice; The Metropolitan District and Yale University.

Urban Rivers Conference Brochure, September 27, 2007 (PDF) (8 pp., 691 KB, about PDF)