Belmont Forum and G8 Research Council InitiativeTHE CITY OF
DUB
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Dubuque
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AFAmelica
11111.F
2007
October 30, 2012
Dr. Nathaniel G. Pitts, Director
Office of Integrative Activities
Belmont Forum and G8 Research Council Initiative
National Science Foundation
4201 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, Virginia 22230 -0001
Dear Dr. Pitts:
City Manager's Office
City Hall
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001 -4805
Office (563) 589 -4110
Fax (563) 589 -4149
TTY (563) 690 -6678
ctymgr@cityofdubuque.org
www.cityofdubuque.org
The City of Dubuque is excited about the prospect of participating in the proposed
Belmont Forum and G8 Research Councils Initiative on "Urban Hydrology and Water
Sustainability" with the University of Iowa and allied institutions throughout the world.
We at the City of Dubuque are pleased that this Belmont Forum proposal highlights the
importance of solving hydrologic problems associated with periurban development, and
we welcome the comparison between the issues in water -short Los Angeles with those
or periurban development in medium -size urban centers like Dubuque. We view the
development of a scientific basis for assessing the environmental and hyrologic impacts
of urban runoff, green infrastructure, and floods and droughts associated with land -use
and climate change as imperative for communities such as ours.
The City of Dubuque is actively researching the issues of focus in our Sustainable
Dubuque project through our participation with the Department of Urban and Regional
Planning, the IIHR Hydroscience and Engineering Institute, and the Center for Global
and Regional Environmental Research (CGRER) at the University of Iowa. These
participants form a dynamic team for the Belmont Forum project, along with the
additional strengths offered by the University of Waterloo, Canada, and its partners.
What an excellent team for this Center. We view the education of the next generation of
scientists and engineers as vital to the supply of well- trained future employees for our
City and society.
We anticipate interacting with the Belmont Forum and G8 Initiative through joint
workshops and seminars, student internships, and specific or tailored research in urban
and regional planning.
Service People Integrity Responsibility Innovation Teamwork
Dr. Nathaniel G. Pitts, Director
October 30, 2012
Page 2
Specifically, we will look at the following issues explored by Belmont Forum as
important to our sustainable development:
1) Plan to solve the problem of hydraulic overload and (occasional) by -pass of sewage
to the Mississippi River through green infrastructure like porous pavement, rain
gardens, green roofs, and day - lighting urban streams.
2) Employ mathematical models like GSSHA to determine the optimum placement and
economics for such green infrastructure and the effect of scale -up to larger urban
watersheds.
3) Collaborate with IBM and the University of Iowa on Smarter Sustainable Dubuque
for water conservation by smart metering.
4) Collaborate on studies of siting alternative energy sources for Dubuque and similar
cities, such as distributed wind power, solar photoelectric, electric vehicles and fuel
cells, which may be applicable to meeting residential and business energy needs.
5) Utilize the University of Iowa economic and planning expertise for regional planning.
6) Determine the value associated with our current environmental stewardship
activities. Plan to make the City of Dubuque a model for adapting to climate change
and future floods and droughts.
This project will educate us as we work with others in the research and development of
the Belmont Forum.
We view this as very important proposal for the City of Dubuque to participate in global
water sustainability research and to maintain our healthy environment.
Sincerely,
Michael C. Van Milligen
City Manager
MCVM:dI