A panel of regional and local stakeholders will share progress on the Wissahickon Clean Water Partnership and discuss the watershed-wide research and planning that will result in a new holistic approach to improving water quality. Friends of the Wissahickon (FOW) and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association (WVWA) are co-hosting this event, along with our like-minded partners, as a follow-up to two previous town hall meetings held in 2012 and 2015 on an issue that impacts all of us.
FOW’s Executive Director Maura McCarthy and Gail Farmer, WVWA’s Executive Director, will be moderating the panel of these local experts:
Patrick Starr is Executive Vice President of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. He will be providing background on the regulatory framework that made this collaboration possible.
Laura Toran, Ph.D., the Weeks Chair of Environmental Geology at Temple University, who teaches and conducts research on hydrogeology and urban hydrology. A team of experts from Temple, led by Dr. Toran, is providing support to better understand the Wissahickon Creek through monitoring, computer modeling, and assessment.
Jay Cruz is an environmental scientist at the City of Philadelphia’s Water Department. He has directed many watershed assessment, water quality modeling, and green infrastructure monitoring projects. Jay has extensively studied the physical, water quality and ecosystem-level changes that occur in small watersheds due to urbanization as well as the water quality and hydrologic performance of stormwater management best practices.
Mary Aversa, Ambler Borough Manager, will bring her knowledge about operations at the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) and the Water Company, both owned and operated by the Borough and serving several municipalities. Her background also includes all aspects of the Borough’s municipal stormwater runoff management and wastewater treatment as it relates to the WWTP’s discharge.
Ellen Kohler, JD, MS is water quality program manager at the University of Maryland’s Environmental Finance Center. Her projects focus on water resources, particularly water quality issues facing communities in the Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds.
Mark Grey is a Township Supervisor in Lower Gwynedd Township and serves on several sub-committees including Environmental Advisory Council. He also co-chairs the Wissahickon Clean Water Partnership, which includes 13 municipalities and four waste water treatment facilities.
This event is free and open to the public. Watershed partners, local organizations, and businesses will also be exhibiting before and after the meeting. Find out more and register online.