Conference February 15-16, 2005
Holiday Inn – Merchandise Mart, Chicago, Illinois

Thanks to everyone for making the Straddling the Divide conference a great success. Over 200 attendees were registered, representing municipalities, councils of government, regional planning commissions, water resources consulting firms, universities, and others. The conference was organized in response to the clear potential for water supply shortages as the population of the Lake Michigan region continues to grow. A working principle of the conference, therefore, was that local governments in this region need to integrate water supply considerations into local and regional planning processes. Straddling the Divide strove to enhance the understanding of both policy makers and the technical community through invited talks in two tracks:

• Policy Track: Geared towards municipalities, counties and regional planning agencies. Emphasis on water supply planning and decision making for communities not receiving Lake Michigan water or using both Lake Michigan and other water sources.
• Technical Track: Geared towards scientific and engineering professionals. Emphasis on how science and engineering can support regional-scale management of water resources.