Bruce Rhodes to Headline AWE's Annual Membership Meeting on October 7, 2014

Be sure to come to Las Vegas early on Tuesday, October 7, 2014 to catch the AWE Committee Meetings during the day and the Annual Membership meeting and reception starting at 5:00 p.m. Tuesday evening. Bruce Rhodes, Manager of Water Resource Management at Melbourne Water, will be the headline speaker at the Annual Membership meeting, with a talk entitled Lessons Learned from Australia: What Happens when the Drought is Over?   

Bruce played a central role in the management of the ‘Millennium drought’ in the Melbourne region, which deeply affected southern and eastern Australia between 1997 and 2009. This drought resulted in the lowest inflow recorded into Melbourne’s water storages, significant falls in storage levels, impacts on environmental flows, and severe demand reductions across the entire Melbourne region. Following this epic drought, Australia then experienced record floods. This wide swing in hydrology had serious repercussions for Australia’s demand management programs.

Bruce has presented widely on water resources planning and management, catchment hydrology, climate change and drought management at Australian and international conferences. A Civil Engineer by background, he holds a Master of Engineering Science in Water Resources and has over thirty years of water resources management experience. He has authored numerous papers and has contributed to a range of publications, including the recently released IWA publicationPreparing Urban Water Use  Efficiency Plans – A Best Practice Guide. He is also a member of the American Water Works Association Climate Change Committee and a loyal member of AWE.