Stormwater Infrastructure in the U.S. and the Challenge Ahead

Originally presented at StormCon 2022 on September 27, 2022, 8:00-9:30 AM

With a focus on the Chesapeake Bay region and an eye on the importance of stormwater management throughout the United States, StormCon’s 2022 keynote address will focus on where the industry is today and the challenges that lie ahead.

Adam Ortiz serves as EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator where he oversees federal environmental and public health protections in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, the District of Columbia, and seven federally recognized tribes.

At StormCon 2022, he will speak from his perspective today as the regional administrator, but also from his previous experience as a small-town mayor who faced a devastating flood in the first month on the job in 2005. That was just one of four years of consecutive flooding in Edmonston, Maryland – floods that changed his career and perspective on our time in history, having occurred at the beginning of what is now our present era of climate disruption.

We have massive and imminent climate threats to the stability of our communities and our economy, and we need to step up and accelerate the stormwater infrastructure industry. As an industry of stormwater professionals, we have learned much in recent decades, but have an imperative challenge in front of us — of speed and scale to be able to adapt in time. 

Presented by:

Adam Ortiz – Environmental Protection Agency
Angela Alsobrooks – Prince George’s County