• About
    • About Us
    • Staff
    • Staff Pets
    • Board of Directors
      • Meet the Board
      • Board Documents
    • Annual Report
    • Board of Advisors
    • Contact Us
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Our Work
    • Wins for the Bay
    • Addressing Bay Issues
    • Pro Bono Projects
    • Services Provided
    • Get Legal Help
    • CLA Testimonials
    • CLA’s Legal Documents
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
    • Job Opportunities
    • Get Legal Help
    • Calendar
  • Home
  • CLA Resources
    • Guides + Reports
    • Maryland Violations Tracker
    • CLA Webinars + Multimedia
  • News
    • Top News
    • CLA In The News
    • CLA Publications
    • CLA News
    • Annual Report
    • BAY BRIEF Newsletter
    • Calendar
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Foundation Partners
    • Planning for the Future
    • Become A Law Firm Partner
    • Gifts Of Stocks + Securities

Contact Us | Donate

Chesapeake Legal AllianceChesapeake Legal Alliance
  • About
    • About Us
    • Staff
    • Staff Pets
    • Board of Directors
      • Meet the Board
      • Board Documents
    • Annual Report
    • Board of Advisors
    • Contact Us
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Our Work
    • Wins for the Bay
    • Addressing Bay Issues
    • Pro Bono Projects
    • Services Provided
    • Get Legal Help
    • CLA Testimonials
    • CLA’s Legal Documents
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
    • Job Opportunities
    • Get Legal Help
    • Calendar
  • Home
  • CLA Resources
    • Guides + Reports
    • Maryland Violations Tracker
    • CLA Webinars + Multimedia
  • News
    • Top News
    • CLA In The News
    • CLA Publications
    • CLA News
    • Annual Report
    • BAY BRIEF Newsletter
    • Calendar
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Foundation Partners
    • Planning for the Future
    • Become A Law Firm Partner
    • Gifts Of Stocks + Securities
Home CLA NewsCLA Makes a Splash at 2023 Choose Clean Water Conference
CLA Makes a Splash at 2023 Choose Clean Water Conference

CLA Makes a Splash at 2023 Choose Clean Water Conference

May 30, 2023 | CLA News, CLA Publications, Top News |

On May 23rd, CLA Staff and Summer Clerks made their way to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to attend and speak at this year’s Choose Clean Water Conference, a meeting of Choose Clean Water Coalition members consisting of over 275 nonprofit organizations, where attendees have the opportunity to share tools, resources, and experiences, and cultivate new relationships that accelerate our work for clean water. 

On the first day of the conference, three members of CLA Staff presented to conference attendees. Senior Attorney and Director of CLA’s Legal Education Center, Molly Brown, and Senior Attorney and Director of CLA’s Environmental Action Center, Angela Haren, hosted a workshop on interest-based communication in conservation. This workshop introduced participants to the principles of interest-based communication – a tool that allows people to create and collaborate around issues that traditionally cause disagreement and conflict. By developing a better understanding of the interests involved in a situation, participants learned to build value out of disagreement and find solutions through communication, collaboration, and creativity.

Also presenting on the first day of the conference was Staff Attorney and CLA’s Outreach and Engagement Coordinator, Will Halnon. Will, alongside Kyle Hart of the National Parks Conservation Association, and Julie Bolthouse of the Piedmont Environmental Council, discussed the direct consequences that data centers, one of the fastest-growing industries in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, have on local water quality, as well as strategies to regulate them locally and regionally. In October, Will will return to Pennsylvania to present on the life cycle of nonprofit organizations at the Pennsylvania Statewide Watershed Conference in Altoona.

On day two, Angela Haren, presented on a panel alongside Renee Reber of the National Parks Conservation Association, Ted Evgeniadis of the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association, Lia Mastropolo of American Rivers, and Tom Pelton of the Environmental Integrity Project. The panel discussion focused on the aging and outdated infrastructure of older cities and towns like Harrisburg and Baltimore, that pollute waterways with sewage during “combined sewer overflow” (CSO) or “sanitary sewer overflow” (SSO) events when these systems experience flows beyond their capacity and discharge untreated sewage directly into waterways. The panel discussion featured case studies, including what’s being done to address CSOs and SSOs, what the hurdles are, and how affordability and access to funding play a role.

Finally, during the last session of the conference, CLA’s Executive Director, David Reed, presented on Animal Feeding Operations across the Chesapeake Bay watershed, how these operations constitute a point source under the Clean Water Act, and how they are integrated into an agricultural system of point and nonpoint source pollution that is regularly the largest contributor of nutrient pollution in a given watershed. Specifically, David reviewed the permitting scheme for Maryland and discussed CLA’s related landmark victory with Assateague Coastkeeper and how it may implicate other jurisdictions and watersheds. He then further explored some similarities and differences with other Chesapeake Bay states and offered an interactive audience discussion of how these pollution streams may be addressed in other watersheds.

It wasn’t all work for the CLA team, however. After workshops came to an end on day one, CLA Staff had the opportunity to get some fresh air and paddle the mighty Susquehanna, taking in gorgeous views of Harrisburg and the Capitol, while our Summer Clerks enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of the Pennsylvania Capitol building. Conference attendees then joined the Coalition at Historic King Mansion for an evening networking reception where CLA Staff showed off our flashy new team threads. Overall, the 2023 Choose Clean Water Conference proved to be highly successful for the Coalition and CLA’s Legal Education Center.

To be alerted of any upcoming seminars from CLA, join our mailing list, or to help support our Legal Education Center, consider making a donation today.

 






Client: Choose Clean Water CoalitionChoose Clean Water CoalitionNational Wildlife Federation
Services: Education & Training Legislation and Policy Advocacy
Issues: Agricultural Pollution Environmental Justice Bay Cleanup + Government Transparency Land Use + Habitat Protection Municipal and Industrial Waste Water
« Previous Post
Next Post »

You also might be interested in

CLA Files Suit Challenging Menhaden Regulation

CLA Files Suit Challenging Menhaden Regulation

May 10, 2023

On May 10th, Chesapeake Legal Alliance filed a petition on[...]

Landmark AFO ruling will require low cost solutions with enormous pollution reductions
Animal feeding operation ventilation system. Credit: USDA

Landmark AFO ruling will require low cost solutions with enormous pollution reductions

May 27, 2021

By Evan Isaacson A recent decision by a Maryland court[...]

CLA Issues Report Card Assessing Maryland Counties’ Floodplain Protections

CLA Issues Report Card Assessing Maryland Counties’ Floodplain Protections

Sep 14, 2023

This past summer brought some of the wildest weather many[...]

News + Updates

  • CLA News
  • CLA Publications
  • Wins for the Bay
  • BAY BRIEF Newsletter
  • Annual Report
  • All News

Recent Posts

  • Sackett, Today’s Supreme Court, Trump 2.0- What’s Next? June 16, 2025
  • 2024 Annual Report June 14, 2025
  • Small Actions, Big Impact Webinar April 25, 2025

Search

Contact Us

We're currently offline! Send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap.

Send Message
Need legal assistance? We Can Help

Contact Us

Chesapeake Legal Alliance
1212 West St.
Annapolis, MD 21401

P: (410) 216-9441
F: (410) 216-7077

USFCR Verified Vendor

1% For The Planet

Charity Navigator
Platinum Transparency 2024 - Candid

Search

Strategic Plan
Annual Report

© 2025 Chesapeake Legal Alliance. All Rights Reserved. Website by The Downstream Project

  • Addressing Bay Issues
  • Pro Bono Projects
  • Services Provided
  • Get Legal Help
  • CLA Testimonials
  • CLA Legal Documents
Prev Next