Monday, September 19, 2011

A conference I just have to attend

I'll have to find a way to get the boss to suggest that I attend a couple of sessions ...


From a Marshall University news release:


HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University will host a conference next week focusing on the economic and ecological potential of water resources in the Ohio River Basin.



The conference, “Ohio River Basin:  200 Years after the Voyage of the New Orleans,” will be held Sept. 26-28 on the Huntington campus and is being presented jointly by the Ohio River Basin Alliance and the Ohio River Basin Consortium for Research and Education.

Dr. Chuck Somerville, dean of Marshall’s College of Science, is a member of the conference planning committee.

“The goal of the conference is to bring together all the stakeholders to develop strategies and coordinate actions to help address the very complex water resource issues we face in the Ohio River Basin,” he said. “Participants will be actively engaged in working groups to help address water availability and management, enterprise and infrastructure, environmental restoration and protection, and sustainable growth.

He added that there will also be scientific and student research presentations, as well as panel discussions focusing on mussel restoration, river navigation, climate change and the development of gas resources in the Marcellus Shale formation. A tour of a Marathon Petroleum Company tow vessel, cleaning dock and water treatment plant are also part of the program.

According to the alliance’s website, the Ohio River Basin encompasses approximately 204,000 square miles. More than 27 million people live within the basin – almost 10 percent of the U.S. population – and the main stem Ohio River is a source of drinking water for more than three million people.


For more information, visit www.ohioriverbasin.org.