EPN - WMAO 2021 Spring Seminar
Ohio State’s Environmental Professionals Network (EPN), partnering with the Water Management Association of Ohio (WMAO), School of Earth Sciences (SES), Global Water Institute (GW), TerrAqua (an Ohio State student organization), are co-hosting this virtual event to focus attention on water affordability and equity strategies to support residents in marginalized communities.
Join this event to explore equity strategies for affordable drinking water from the Alliance for the Great Lakes, the Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network and Martin County (Kentucky) Concerned Citizens, and affordable wastewater services by the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District in the Cleveland, Ohio region. These respective community-based approaches to navigate the provision of safe, clean water at affordable rates will be reviewed in detail. Presenters will provide place-based roadmaps towards an equitable water future and promising water equity initiatives from a national perspective.
This program is in alignment with the 2021 World Water Day theme, 'Valuing Water,' and seeks to spark conversations surrounding water pricing issues and how such problems affect marginalized societies and our environment. One goal of these presentations is to inspire future dialogues and idea generation to create Ohio-based policies that improve drinking water and wastewater programs and requirements for affordability.
The General Session from 10:00 to 11:15 a.m. will feature three panelists; Crystal M.C. Davis (Alliance for the Great lakes), Constance Haqq (Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District), and Betsy Taylor (Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network). The full agenda and speaker bios are linked below.
A Student Networking Roundtable will be held from 11:30 to 12:30 as an opportunity for students to be in facilitated conversation with professionals about water resource careers. Representatives from academia, nonprofits, governmental entities, and private sector will offer guidance to students as they prepare to become prospective employees upon graduation.
Breakout sessions will be organized by watershed topic:
1) Floodplains: How do we respond to flood risks and handle stormwater?
2) Groundwater: How do we sustain groundwater resources for humans and ecosystems?
3) Lake Management / Dam Safety: How do we sustain lake resources for future use?
4) Drinking Water / Wastewater: How do we provide for equitable, reliable, and clean water and treat wastewater?
5) Agriculture: How do we protect watersheds while maintaining a robust agricultural industry?
6) Environmental Education: How do we empower citizens with knowledge about water?
7) Climate: How do we prepare for the catastrophic consequences of climate change, from mega-flood to mega-drought?