On Tuesday, September 15, about 250 students, faculty, professionals, and the public convened at UT for the 4th Annual Watershed Symposium. Presentations included the latest research in water-related fields and insights from state and federal experts around this year’s theme of “Horizons of Environmental and Water Policy: Where We Are and Where We Are Going.”
The themes that surfaced out of the keynote address, provided by Chris Thomas, EPA Region 4, Branch Chief for Sustainable Communities and Watersheds, and technical panel were that we needed to continue to work collaboratively among agencies and researchers to identify the best possible solutions to challenges posed by a changing climate, population growth demands on clean water, and urbanization. Some of the solutions discussed included green infrastructure to manage urban runoff, multi-agency approaches for nutrient reduction in the agricultural sector and education of the general public to instill a sense that we are all in this together and everyone has role to play. This symposium was part of the ongoing efforts of the Watershed Faculty Consortium to perpetuate a healthy dialogue between all stakeholders in water quality.
