Join us for a forum exploring the essential practices, innovations, and tools that ensure the responsible, sustainable use of water from the Delaware River Basin.
This conference will investigate the story of what happens to water once it is withdrawn: how it powers industries, enables vital services, and supports the production of goods that sustain the region and reach far beyond.
A well known speaker in water circles world wide, Hu’s 46 year career has taken him from technologist, to business, to speaking extensively about water, infrastructure and finance. He is President and Partner, Upwell Water, a leading private equity firm in water infrastructure. He holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Cornell and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Among his other affiliations are Limited Partner at Goldman Sachs, Sr. Advisor at Morgan Stanley Infrastructure. He serves on numerous boards, including the World Bank’s infrastructure investment committee and the board of directors, International Desalination and Reuse Association. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Engineering.
Hu was formerly President of Severn Trent Services, and Global Managing Director, Hatch Ld. He has written extensively, as author / co-author of 4 books, numerous publications. He’s often on TV, appearing as a financial contributor on CNBC and Fox Business.
How do we ensure resilience and prosperity, while fostering enhanced cooperation and innovation among water users, researchers, and policymakers working toward a sustainable future? Join the conversation to learn about the latest cross-sector strategies to strengthen our region’s water infrastructure, and foster opportunities for meaningful networking and partnership.
Lightning Talk: Rebuilding Trust, From Soil to Supper
Eli Moraru co-founded The Community Grocer, reimagining the corner store as community infrastructure. Their model gives SNAP recipients access to hot, healthy meals, fully compliant with federal policy, weaving workforce development, community resilience, Food as Medicine into everyday retail. Their pilot in Southwest Philadelphia serves as a national blueprint for urban and rural communities throughout our region.
In this talk, Eli will share the insights he has learned working with communities that struggle to access healthy food for their families, and the trust gap he sees with our water systems. His work in food security offers a lens on a shared challenge – building public confidence in the systems that sustain us.
8:30 – 9:15 AM | Coffee & Networking
Registration opens. Coffee and light breakfast served overlooking the Schuylkill River and Cira Green. Arrive early and meet fellow attendees before the program starts.
9:15 – 9:45 AM | Welcome & Event Objectives
Larry Finnicum, Veolia and Emily Pronchik, FMC open the conference.
9:45 – 10:30 AM | Hot Topics in the Basin: Resilience, PFAS, & the Regulatory Landscape
Kristen Kavanagh and Beth Brown with the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) break down the issues shaping the Basin today: resilience planning, PFAS contamination, and the shifting regulatory landscape.
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM | Communicating the Value of Water
Liesel Gross, Lehigh County Authority leads this discussion with Lindsay Hughes, TappedIn PR and Beth Brown, DRBC.
The panel explores the challenges of communicating the value of water to stakeholders – residential customers, industrial customers, elected and appointed officials – and the media who cover the complexities of water and wastewater treatment.
How can providers of critical water services communicate the science and economics of water resources in a meaningful, memorable way?
12:00 – 1:30 PM | Lunch: Tours of Cira Green offered
Two tours will be offered – 12:10 PM, 12:45 PM.
Scott Erdy, Principal at Erdy McHenry, designer of Cira Green, leads the tour of this award-winning park in the sky and its innovative green stormwater system.
1:30 – 2:15 PM | Keynote Address
Hu Fleming, President and Partner, Upwell Water speaks on water infrastructure’s evolution.
2:15 – 2:55 PM | Data Centers & Water Use
Ryan Tookes, Veolia moderates a panel featuring Kate Vaccaro, Manko Gold Katcher & Fox LLP & Andres Luna, AECOM
Topics will include land-use impacts on the watershed, low-water-use operations, evolving technologies and regulations, and insights from projects around the world.
2:55 – 3:15 PM | Break
3:15 – 3:30 PM | Lightning Talk: Eli Moraru, Co-Founder & President of The Community Grocer & Forbes 30 Under 30 Honoree
In this talk, Eli will share the insights he has learned working with communities that struggle to access healthy food for their families, and the trust gap he sees with our water systems. His work in food security offers a lens on a shared challenge – building public confidence in the systems that sustain us.
3:30 – 4:15 PM | Global Water Stewardship Program for FMC’s Agricultural Manufacturing Portfolio
Introduction: Joe Tarsavage, Battelle
Speaker: Emily Pronchik, PE Enterprise Sustainability Leader at FMC
Emily Pronchik, PE, FMC, presents on the company’s global water stewardship program and its impact at the local level.
FMC advances farming through crop protection technologies. Its products help farmers grow more resilient crops; its manufacturing plants make those products possible. Both depend on water: farmers need it in the field, FMC needs it at the plant.
This session traces that connection. Emily Pronchik describes how FMC protects water resources at its manufacturing sites worldwide, using the Alliance for Water Stewardship’s Standard, which addresses water scarcity and water risk at the local level. Risk assessments, programs, and solutions take shape in the catchment where they drive real impact.
The presentation will cover:
4:30 – 5:00 PM | Awards Ceremony
The 2026 Innovation & Collaboration Awards presentation honors standout contributions to water resource management in the Delaware River Basin.
5:00 PM | Conference Conclusion
Closing remarks. A call to action for continued collaboration.
5:00 – 6:00 PM | Reception for Awardees
Join colleagues, celebrate this year’s Innovation & Collaboration Award recipients.
The 2026 Innovation & Collaboration Awards will be presented during a ceremony at WRA’s Value of Water 2.0 Event. The awards presentation will be followed by a reception immediately following, celebrating the recipients and fostering continued collaboration among water resource professionals.
Douglas H. Fisher, NJ Secretary of Agriculture under Governors Corzine, Christie and Murphy (2009 – 2023) for leading initiatives to ensure water resources for farmers, and drive collaboration across multiple state agencies to promote the implementation of water and soil conservation measures and promote innovation in agricultural water resources treatment.
As Secretary, Fisher served as the Chairman of the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC), Chairman of the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) Bank Board, and Chairman of the State Soil Conservation Committee. In addition, he served as Vice President of Food Export-Northeast, Secretary/Treasurer of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, and Secretary for the Northeast Association of State Departments of Agriculture.
Upon Secretary Fisher’s retirement, Governor Murphy stated “Doug has been an important partner in our administration-wide efforts to fight hunger and food insecurity. He has advocated for agra-tourism and supported the growth of businesses that are keeping farms financially viable and our agricultural heritage alive.”
Historically, hurricanes, tropical storms, and other major rain events in the region have impacted Chester County communities by endangering lives, disrupting economic activities, and causing extensive damage. In response to these severe storms, in the 1950s, local, state, and federal partners active in the watershed collaborated on the development of the Brandywine Watershed Work Plan, which ultimately resulted in the construction of five major flood control structures in the upper reaches of the watershed. Together these facilities (Struble Lake, Marsh Creek Reservoir, Beaver Creek Dam, Barneston Dam, and Hibernia Dam/Chambers Lake), completed between 1971 and 1996, provide 5.5 billion gallons of total flood storage capacity, to protect thousands of lives and properties downstream.
The remnants of Hurricane Ida, which occurred September 1-2, 2021, caused nearly $45 million in damage to private property and public infrastructure in southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware. Several communities within the watershed are still actively recovering from Ida. The devastation caused by Hurricane Ida brought renewed attention to flood mitigation efforts in the Brandywine watershed.
To address these longstanding challenges, and as storms become more frequent and intense, and development continues throughout the watershed, a bi-state, multi-county collaborative of government agency, non-profit and academic entities worked together to conduct a flood study of the Brandywine Creek and its tributaries. The team project team included the Chester County Water Resources Authority (CCWRA), Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art (BC), University of Delaware Water Resources Center (UDWRC), and Delaware County, PA. The project assessed impacts during intense storm and flooding events and produced an actionable suite of flood mitigation recommendations. The final report provides a summary of the research and community outreach conducted, along with proposed implementation strategies to address flooding throughout the watershed.
2026 Innovation & Collaboration Award – Government
The Water Resources Association of the Delaware River Basin is proud to recognize Douglas H. Fisher with its 2026 Innovation & Collaboration Award for Government. Throughout more than 14 years as New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture, Fisher championed innovative partnerships that strengthened water resource management, supported agricultural communities and protected the state’s natural resources.
Serving under Governors Jon Corzine, Chris Christie and Phil Murphy, Fisher led the New Jersey Department of Agriculture from 2009 to 2023. He also chaired the State Soil Conservation Committee, State Agriculture Development Committee and Transfer of Development Rights Bank Board. Across these roles, he brought together state and federal agencies, soil conservation districts, farmers, utilities and other partners to advance practical, collaborative solutions.
Fisher’s leadership helped strengthen coordination among New Jersey’s soil conservation districts, improving the delivery of projects that reduce erosion, prevent sediment from entering waterways and protect water quality. He worked closely with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to ensure that agriculture’s water needs were represented in state planning and allocation decisions. He also promoted an innovative approach that recognized farmers for implementing water-conservation measures in their fields, packing facilities and other operations.
His commitment to cross-sector collaboration was evident in his support for the Landis Sewerage Authority’s liquid food waste and fats, oils and grease receiving facility. Supported by federal funding, the project transformed food waste into additional methane for a combined heat and power system, producing electricity and hot water to support clean-water operations while providing an environmentally responsible alternative for food-waste disposal. Fisher played an active role in making this project hapen.
Fisher’s environmental leadership began before his tenure as Secretary. As a member of the New Jersey General Assembly, he chaired the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and sponsored legislation banning the harvest of horseshoe crabs, helping protect an ecologically vital species and the migratory shorebirds that depend upon it.
Upon Doug’s retirement, Governor Murphy stated, “Doug has been an important partner in our administration-wide efforts to fight hunger and food insecurity. He has advocated for agra-tourism and supported the growth of businesses that are keeping farms financially viable and our agricultural heritage alive.”
Fisher, in his own farewell statement, pointed elsewhere to “extraordinary accomplishments” achieved by “organizations and individuals representing all the constituencies we serve.” He was a committed collaborator, and true public servant.
Through thoughtful leadership, creative problem-solving and an enduring commitment to partnership, Douglas Fisher demonstrates how government can unite diverse interests to advance agriculture, water conservation, biodiversity and resilient communities.
To address these longstanding challenges, and as storms become more frequent and intense, and development continues throughout the watershed, a bi-state, multi-county collaborative of government agency, non-profit and academic entities worked together to conduct a flood study of the Brandywine Creek and its tributaries. The team project team included the Chester County Water Resources Authority (CCWRA), Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art (BC), University of Delaware Water Resources Center (UDWRC), and Delaware County, PA. The project assessed impacts during intense storm and flooding events and produced an actionable suite of flood mitigation recommendations. The final report provides a summary of the research and community outreach conducted, along with proposed implementation strategies to address flooding throughout the watershed.
The Brandywine Flood Study includes the following key elements:
1) Flood Working Group: Include representatives from the public, private, and nonprofit entities to inform and advise on the initiative.
2) Flood Identification: Identify and map chronic flooding areas.
3) Storm Event Analysis: Develop a series of storm events using historical records and future potential increases in intensity and duration to analyze hydrologic and hydraulic models.
4) Hydrologic Model: Utilize hydrologic models to estimate flooding under existing and proposed conditions for the 2-, 10-, 50-, 100-, 500-, 1000-year, and storm of record flood frequency scenarios. The scenarios also incorporated projections related to climate change and anticipated population growth and related future development.
5) Hydraulic Model: Conduct field surveys and utilize existing hydraulic models and FEMA data to evaluate existing flooding conditions and perform proposed future conditions analyses.
6) Flood Relief Analysis: Perform flood control analysis using hydrologic/hydraulic models and assess opportunities for structural and non-structural mitigation projects.
7) Public Engagement: Solicit public input on flooding hot spots, areas of concern, and ideas for future solutions through live and pre-recorded presentations, web-based surveys, an interactive flood mapping tool, and community listening sessions.
8) Municipal Outreach: Meet with staff and officials from each municipality in the watershed to gather feedback on localized flooding challenges as well as ongoing/planned efforts to address them.
To address the scope and breadth of flooding challenges in the Brandywine watershed, a variety of structural and non-structural improvements are recommended in the final report and executive summary that can be found here. Potential improvements vary in terms of scale, complexity, capacity and expense but each can play a role in mitigating impacts of flooding in local communities. Achieving full implementation of this study’s potential will require engagement from individuals, municipalities and organizations throughout the watershed. The Brandywine Flood Study partners are committed to supporting the implementation of these strategies and to continue evaluating new opportunities to reduce localized and regional flooding and its impact on communities in the Brandywine watershed.
This study was funded through grants from FEMA, and Chester and Delaware Counties. Multiple project partners have contributed significantly to the study including the Stroud Water Research Center, West Chester University, and Meliora Design. In addition, a Technical Advisory Committee was convened for the duration of the project to incorporate additional government officials, nonprofit organizations, and private entities.