Statewide symposium unites experts to advance Texas water solutions
Texas A&M AgriLife hosts three-day event to connect scientists and stakeholders on water challenges
With Texas water supplies facing growing pressure, more than 100 water professionals, researchers and agricultural producers gathered Aug. 12-14 in Dallas for the Texas A&M AgriLife Water Symposium.
The event, hosted by the Texas Water Resources Institute, TWRI, and the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas, focused on building collaborations to address the state’s most pressing water challenges.
Funding for the symposium was provided by the W.G. Mills Memorial Endowment, AgriLife Research and TWRI.
Statewide perspectives on water issues and research
“Excellence in scientific discovery and applied research was on full display at this symposium,” said Giovanni Piccinni, Ph.D., TWRI director and professor in the Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. “I was incredibly proud to help guide this event, and we look forward to the multidisciplinary efforts that will grow from it.”
Keynote speakers were Sarah Rountree Schlessinger, CEO of the Texas Water Foundation; Rick Avery, Ph.D., director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, and G. Cliff Lamb, Ph.D., director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research. Each shared insights on the Texas water outlook.
“There needs to be a cultural shift, a shift in mindset,” Schlessinger said, discussing how Texans relate to water supplies.
Immediately following was a discussion of major challenges and possible solutions facing stakeholders across the state. Organizations present from around the state included the Texas Wheat Producers Board, Texas Pecan Growers Association, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Corn Producers Board, the Cotton Board, the City of Frisco, the North Central Texas Council of Governments Environment and Development, the North Texas Municipal Water District and the Blacklands Cotton and Grain Producers Association.
Day 1 also featured three panels of Texas water leaders and innovators, who examined municipal water supply issues, Texas water policy and Texas supply challenges.
Research and innovation showcase
Day 2 symposium sessions provided a comprehensive look at water-related research across Texas A&M AgriLife, with overviews from representatives of each Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, department in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and institutes across Texas A&M AgriLife that conduct water research.
Presentations encouraged attendees to seek new connections and innovative, multidisciplinary approaches to solving the complex water issues facing the state.
“We have entered an era where big problems require multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research and programming,” said David Baltensperger, Ph.D., head of the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences.
The symposium’s broad scope gave attendees both a comprehensive view of current water research and a sense of opportunities for future collaboration.
“Rivers need springs, springs need land, and if I could make an addition to that, it would be — land needs stewards,” said Roel Lopez, Ph.D., director of the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute and head of the Department of Range, Wildlife and Fisheries Management. “Those are the three things that I think connect water conservation and stewardship in our state.”
Collaboration for the future
The final morning was dedicated to a discussion about future collaborations.
“I want to thank TWRI for hosting this, because it has been a great learning experience and great to be with some of our key commodity stakeholders — pecan growers, wheat producers and more,” said Won Bo Shim, Ph.D., head of the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology.
