Katherine Baer
Senior Director, Clean Water and Water Supply Programs
Department: Conservation
Area of Focus: Katherine leads federal clean water policy work to reduce sewage spills and polluted stormwater runoff and to increase green infrastructure.
Background: Katherine joined American Rivers in 2005. Prior to that she worked as a policy analyst for the legal think tank the Center for Progressive Reform, and as Director of Headwaters Conservation for the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper in Georgia.
Education: B.A. in Environmental Studies from Stanford University, M.S. in Conservation Ecology from the University of Georgia, and J.D. from the University of Maryland
Favorite River: Chattahoochee River
Blog Posts By This Author
The Clean Water Act Through the Generations Blog Series
October 1, 2012 | Water Pollution
This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act (CWA). This landmark environmental law protects and maintains the integrity of our nation’s waterways and is the foundation on which American Rivers was built.
Read more »White House Conference on Green Infrastructure
September 27, 2012 | Water Pollution
Last week I had the great opportunity to attend and speak at a White House Conference on Green Infrastructure convened by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the Environmental Protection Agency designed to bring together leaders in this area to figure out how to move forward the smart use of rain gardens, green roofs, permeable pavement and other techniques as a key strategy for clean water and vibrant communities. The level of energy in the room was high all day, from the welcoming remarks by CEQ’s Nancy Sutley, all the way through to the final break-out reports.
Read more »Mississippi River Mayors for Clean Water
September 18, 2012 | Water Pollution, Floods & Floodplains, Stormwater & Sewage, Climate Change
I can remember visiting my grandmother in Memphis and going to Mud Island on the Mississippi River to wade through the concrete, scaled model of the Mississippi River Basin, seeing how all of the different tributaries and states connected. An impressive model given that the river drains 40% of the country – and suffers from correspondingly big pollution problems.
Read more »Healthy Rivers and Vibrant Cities
August 29, 2012 | Water Pollution, Stormwater & Sewage, Blue Trails
Healthy rivers and vibrant cities go together – a Gallup poll reported that people who are more satisfied with their cities are those with access to clean and safe water. Like our work in Milwaukee, using rain gardens, green roofs and other approaches to treat and reuse water on-site creates cleaner water by reducing pollution and sewer overflows, and also improves public health, reduces local flooding and enhances drinking water supplies.
Read more »40 Years after Clean Water Act, Our Waterways Still Need Watchdogs and Stewards
July 16, 2012 | Water Pollution
In early 2012, Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced “America’s Great Outdoors Rivers Initiative,” an effort to protect and restore America’s rivers for people and wildlife and to support jobs in tourism and outdoor recreation. This is good news, because rivers— and oceans— are our lifeblood and need ongoing care.
Read more »