COLLEGE STATION – Increasing demands throughout Texas are creating a growing challenge to satisfy the water needs of rapidly expanding urban areas, agriculture and the environment. The Texas Water Summit: Focusing on Water for Agriculture and Natural Resources, on Nov. 5-6 in Austin, is planned to involve the participants in developing creative approaches to meet these increasing demands.
The Water Summit, sponsored by the Texas Agricultural and Natural Resources Summit Initiative, will encourage the participants to interact with state and national experts in the process of finding solutions.
The summit will be held at the Hilton Austin North and Towers in Austin.
The keynote speaker during the opening-day luncheon will be Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Susan Combs, who will speak on “Making the Most of Texas Water.”
Ronald B. Linsky, executive director of the National Water Research Institute, has been invited to be the keynote dinner speaker on Nov. 5.
Kathleen Harnett White, commissioner with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has been invited to respond to summit recommendations and conclude the summit at the Nov. 6 luncheon.
Breakout sessions will focus on providing water resources for in-stream flows, transferring ground and surface water from one region of Texas to another and identifying options to meet future water needs.
Participants will discuss these issues in breakout groups during the summit. Everyone will have the opportunity to provide input. Then, the groups will develop and give recommendations for presentation to state agency and legislative leaders.
A highlight of the summit will be a Best of Texas poster competition showcasing the water resources research done by college graduate students throughout the state. It is sponsored by Haynes and Boone Law Firm and the Texas Water Resources Institute.
Information on the summit is available from http://agsummit.tamu.edu or by contacting Cady Auckerman, Texas Water Summit, 113 Administration Building, 2142 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-2142, telephone (979) 862-1771.
Registration is $150 per person before Oct. 27, and $175 after that date.
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