Last week, I attended the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) Semiannual Meeting and Great Lakes Day in Washington, D.C on behalf of Cleveland Water Alliance (CWA). It was a spirited week of discussions and collaboration, highlighting the collective commitment to protecting and advancing the Great Lakes. CWA’s Executive Director & President, Bryan Stubbs, joined me to participate in a panel on “New Technologies and Innovations in the Water Sector,” where he sat alongside several of our partners to discuss the advancements shaping the future of water management. It was a great opportunity to highlight CWA’s leadership in driving both innovation and economic growth in the Great Lakes region.

Exploring AI for Water Management

The Great Lakes Commission Semiannual Meeting brought together leaders, researchers, and policymakers to discuss the most pressing issues impacting the Great Lakes region. A major focus of this year’s sessions and discussions was the integration of new technologies, including artificial intelligence, into water management and early warning systems. Powered by our Smart Lake Erie Watershed telecommunications infrastructure, CWA is excited to continue advancing these technologies and driving forward solutions that support the future of the Great Lakes.

Strengthening Cross-Border Collaboration

After the GLC Semiannual Meeting, I attended an event at the Embassy of Canada, hosted in partnership with Healing Our Waters. It provided a great opportunity to reconnect with valued partners and friends, including Crystal Davis, a longtime friend of CWA and currently involved in the Great Lakes Coalition of Healing Our Waters, who delivered the welcoming remarks. The event reinforced the multinational collaboration needed to manage and protect our shared water resources—because water knows no boundaries.

Bipartisan Support for the Great Lakes

The Great Lakes Day Congressional Breakfast brought together legislators, Canadian representatives, and Great Lakes advocates. Representative Debbie Dingell, Co-Chair of the Great Lakes Task Force, set the tone with opening remarks, emphasizing the collective responsibility of stewarding the Great Lakes, which contain about 90% of the nation’s freshwater. Lawmakers from the U.S. and Canada expressed strong, bipartisan support for protecting our freshwater resources, recognizing the importance of the Great Lakes and the need for continued collaboration across the aisle, across states, and across countries.

In addition to attending key discussions, I had the chance to meet with Ohio legislators throughout the week, ensuring they were informed about CWA’s expanding impact across the state. These conversations were an important step in strengthening relationships and advancing our mission at both the state and national levels.

The Future of Our Freshwater

Our time in D.C. reinforced the importance of our work and the power of collaboration at every level. Cleveland Water Alliance is proud to be a leading presence at prominent events and discussions like these. As we continue to build on these conversations, we remain committed to advancing innovative solutions for the most pressing challenges in the Great Lakes region.

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