Elon University’s Center for Environmental Studies will examine issues critical to water supplies, protection and management during a seminar titled “A River Runs Through Us,” which will be held from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday, Sept. 27 in McKinnon Hall, located in Moseley Center on the Elon campus. This is the second year Elon will host the conference.
The seminar will offer a variety of presentations about water supplies in the North Carolina Piedmont, effects of the recent drought, and the impact of human activity on water resources. Government experts, scholars and representatives from various organizations will explore ways to protect the Cape Fear River Basin, which is the main source of water for almost a third of North Carolina residents.
Seminar speakers include John Morris, an administrator with the N.C. Division of Water Resources; Allan Williams, director of water resources for the city of Greensboro; and Bouty Baldridge, Cape Fear river keeper. Afternoon sessions will be moderated by Cary Allred, N.C. House representative from the 25th District.
Dry wells, mandatory water restrictions and massive agricultural losses in recent months have heightened awareness about the importance of water resources to the region, says Janet MacFall, coordinator of Elon’s environmental studies program and director of the university’s Center for Environmental Studies.
“Over 500 miles of river in the Cape Fear watershed are considered polluted by the EPA because of human activities,” says MacFall. “Economic and cultural development depends on careful stewardship of our water. Without planning for future needs now, the water limitations we are experiencing this summer will only be a mild foreshadowing of things to come.”
Established in 2000, the Center for Environmental Studies promotes environmental education, responsibility, stewardship and leadership while providing opportunities for students and faculty to work with individuals and organizations outside the university. The center is involved in the creation of a database of organizations that monitor the water quality in the Cape Fear basin, streamlining efforts to maintain the watershed’s health.
The registration fee for the seminar is $15 and includes five morning speakers, six afternoon speakers and lunch. Professional engineers, water treatment operators, wastewater treatment operators and educators can earn continuing education credit by attending the entire seminar. The N.C. Board of Landscape Architects has also approved the conference for continuing education credit.
Co-sponsors for “A River Runs Through Us” include the North Carolina section of the American Water Works Association, the North Carolina Water Environment Association, Duke Energy, the Piedmont Land Conservancy, the Haw River Lands and Trails Association and Alamance Community College.
More information about the seminar and speakers can be found at http://www.elon.edu/academics/environ/fallform/ariver.htm.