AIWA Waterway's Economic Impact Conference November 15 & 16 in Wrightsville Beach

The future of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and its economic impact will top the agenda at the upcoming Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association's (AWIA) Annual Meeting to be held Thursday, November 16 at the Blockade Runner Resort and Conference Center in Wrightsville Beach, NC. "Working Together to Make a Difference" is the theme of this year's annual meeting.

"The good news is that we are making a difference," reportsRyck Lydecker, AWIA Board Member and assistant vice president of Government Affairs for BoatU.S. "Thanks to the support of ICW users and the many communities along the waterway that have joined forces, Congress is beginning to listen - last year it overrode the Bush administration's waterway maintenance budget of less than $4 million, increasing it to nearly $13 million. However, that is still far short of what is needed to keep the waterway open so one goal of the meeting is to develop grass roots strategies to continue the momentum," he added.

The meeting begins Wednesday evening November 15 with an opening reception and exhibits at 5:00 pm. The following day will feature reports from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is charged by Congress with maintaining the waterway; a report on the economic impact of the waterway in North Carolina; strategy sessions for continued waterway funding; a report on the Regional Sediment Management demonstration program; and a discussion on "short seas shipping" on the East Coast. The highlight of the day will be presentation of Waterway Stewardship Awards to 12 North Carolina communities that joined forces with the state and federal governments to address critical dredging needs.

More information plus on-line conference registration is available at http://www.atlintracoastal.org or by phone at: 703-719-7273.

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