MWRA: Creating and Maintaining a Resilient Water and Wastewater System
Climate Resiliency in Massachusetts – Turning Insights into Action
A Webinar Series with the EBC Climate Change Committee
Program Details
Join the EBC Climate Change Committee for a webinar series exploring how Massachusetts state agencies are turning key insights from their past work into action in 2026 and beyond.
Through this series, leadership from MBTA, Massport, MassDCR, MEMA, MassDOER, MA Fish & Game, and MWRA will present their key achievements in advancing climate resiliency over the past year, showcasing impactful projects, partnerships, and measurable outcomes from 2025. Agency leadership will also provide a forward-looking perspective on upcoming initiatives, programs, and policy developments planned for 2026 and beyond, offering insight into how each agency is preparing for evolving climate challenges. Together, these presentations highlight how agencies are implementing the Commonwealth’s ResilientMass Plan through coordinated investments, policies, and on-the-ground resilience actions.
This webinar also includes collaborative support from the EBC Water Resource Committee.
MWRA has worked extensively to create an enduring climate resilient water and wastewater system that will reliably provide clean drinking water and wastewater services well into the future. The Boston metro area is projected to experience substantial sea level rise, stronger coastal storms, more frequent, intense precipitation events, and hotter and longer heat waves over the coming decades, all of which will impact MWRA operations. In response, the Authority has taken proactive steps to prepare for this new normal and fortify critical infrastructure. Michael O’Keefe, Senior Program Manager, Planning will provide an overview of MWRA’s efforts to protect vulnerable coastal facilities from sea level rise, fortify dams for intense precipitation events, and maintain resilience to drought, as well as plans to continue to make the Authority’s infrastructure and operations more resilient to climate change.
The webinar will conclude with a moderated Q&A session for attendee questions.
General Continuing Education Certificates are awarded by the EBC for this program (1.0 training contact hours). Certificates are automatically provided via email link for registered attendees at the conclusion of the webinar.
Speaker & Moderator Details
Program Speaker:
- Michael O’Keefe, Senior Program Manager, Planning, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA)
Program Moderator:
- Andrea Braga, Leadership Team Member, EBC Water Resources Committee; PE, CPESC, Principal Water Resources Engineer, Jacobs
Series Planning Team
- Nasser Brahim, Vice Chair, EBC Climate Change Committee; Director of Climate Resilience, Mystic River Watershed Association
- Julie Eaton Ernst, PE, Chair, EBC Climate Change Committee; Resilient Infrastructure Solutions – Practice Leader, HNTB Corporation
- Donny Goris-Kolb, Senior Sustainability and Climate Planner – New England Lead, VHB
- Isabel Kaubisch, Manager, Permitting and Siting, National Grid Ventures
- Janan Reilly, Business Line Manager, Fuss & O’Neill, Inc.
Series Information
Climate Resiliency in Massachusetts Webinar Series
- July 15, 2026 – Featuring the MBTA: Resilience Roadmap
- July 29, 2026 – Featuring the Massachusetts DCR: Priority Actions
- August 12, 2026 – Featuring Massport: Reflections from the Chief Climate & Resilience Officer
- August 26, 2026 – Featuring Massachusetts DOER: Putting Climate Leadership into Practice
- September 9, 2026 – Featuring MEMA: Building Hazard Preparedness into Climate Resiliency
- September 22, 2026 – Featuring Massachusetts DFG: Advancing Climate Resilience for Nature & People
- October 7, 2026 – Featuring MWRA: Creating and Maintaining a Resilient Water and Wastewater System
Sponsorship and Material Distribution information can be found under the tabs above.
MWRA: Creating and Maintaining a Resilient Water and Wastewater System – Part Seven of the Webinar Series on Climate Resiliency in Massachusetts
EBC Member Sponsorship Levels & Benefits*
All sponsorships include the following basic benefits:
- Your company’s logo with link included on the program’s online listing
- Your company’s logo included on marketing emails
- Your company’s logo included in the program PowerPoint
$2,000 – Platinum Sponsorship benefits include:
- Basic Benefits listed above plus
- Eight (8) complimentary registrations for the program
- Your company name and link on program thank-you follow-up emails to attendees
- A LinkedIn post highlighting your company as the Platinum sponsor
- The first Platinum Sponsor to register receives the option of making brief two-minutes remarks
$1,000 – Gold Sponsorship benefits include:
- Basic Benefits listed above plus
- Four (4) complimentary registrations for the program
- Your company name and link on program thank-you follow-up emails to attendees
$500 – Silver Sponsorship benefits include:
- Basic Benefits listed above plus
- Two (2) complimentary registrations for the program
$250 – Bronze Sponsorship benefits include:
- Basic Benefits listed
- Bronze Level sponsorship DOES NOT include a complimentary registration. Any Bronze Sponsorship attendees must register separately
*Please contact EBC for sponsor rates for Non-Member Companies
The available PowerPoint presentations from MWRA: Creating and Maintaining a Resilient Water and Wastewater System – Part Seven of the Webinar Series on Climate Resiliency in Massachusetts will be shared with all registrants five business days after the conclusion of the program.
EBC does not guarantee that each speaker presentation will be posted.
Webinar Recording
Registered Attendees
All registered attendees receive the link to the webinar recording five business days after the conclusion of the webinar. If you are a registered attendee and did not receive the webinar recording, please contact the EBC office.
EBC does not guarantee that each speaker presentation will be recorded.
EBC Members
The webinar recording is available to EBC Members via the Info Hub. If you are an employee of an EBC Member Company and cannot access the Info Hub, please contact the EBC Office.
Non-Members
Non-Members are welcome to register and pay the Non-Member registration rate to receive access to the webinar recording.
