ASCE to Discuss U.S. Water/Transportation Needs at Conference

According to a recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assessment, an estimated $277 billion in investment over the next 20 years is needed to ensure that drinking water remains safe. In 2002, U.S. commercial port systems provided 1.1 million jobs and contributed over $700 billion to the national economy. To address the current and future needs of these two vital infrastructure systems, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will examine all aspects of visionary leadership in transportation and water infrastructure at its 2005 Annual Civil Engineering Conference, held October 27-29, 2005, in Los Angeles.

The next generation of infrastructure will be the focus of the transportation and water infrastructure conference forums. Both will examine management and leadership issues, including the planning and financing of major improvement projects, and project delivery management. The transportation sessions will explore the improvement and expansion plans for the ports of Los Angeles and San Pedro Bay Ports in Long Beach, Calif.—the busiest port systems in the nation--and will include an all-day tour of the ports as well as the Alameda Corridor, a 17-mile, grade-separated railroad express line from the port complex.

The water infrastructure forum will examine California's various innovative water systems and management plans, including: the California Water Plan; San Diego Creek Watershed Natural Treatment System; Santa Ana Watershed Project; and a Groundwater Replenishment Project, among others. The forum will include a two tours: one exploring the city of Los Angeles' Owens Valley Water Supply at the Los Angeles Filtration Plant, the city of Long Beach Desalination Facility and the Sun Valley Watershed Management Plan project sites; the other visiting the Orange County Water Recycling Projects, including the wetland restoration projects along the Santa Anna River, the water reuse project in the city of Irvine, the Orange County Groundwater Replenishment System and the Southern California Integrated Watershed Program.

The conference will also feature a Visionary Leaders Forum, a Student Forum on Career Development and Leadership, and two special pre-conference programs—one presenting the lessons learned from the 2004 Asian tsunami disaster and the other a workshop on global principles for professional conduct. The conference's opening session will include a presentation of the ASCE Los Angeles Section's Report Cards on local infrastructure from four regional counties, the national 2005 Report Card for America's Infrastructure and the 2005 Excellence in Journalism Award.

The opening plenary keynote speaker will be Alan Boeckmann, chairman of the board and CEO of Fluor, and chairman of the World Economic Forum's Engineering and Construction Task Force Partnership Against Corruption Initiative.

Source: American Society of Civil Engineers