Symposium on water challenges facing northeastern Illinois
A free symposium on the water-based challenges facing our region will be open to the public next month at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn.
The program, "Got H2O," will be offered from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. April 20 in the college's Student Services Center at 425 Fawell Blvd.
Funded by the COD Foundation, and sponsored by the COD Environmental Club, the symposium will explore the contemporary challenges for sustainable management of water resources in northeastern Illinois, with a special emphasis on Lake Michigan, local public water supply and watersheds in DuPage County.
"Through this symposium, we hope to inform people about current issues and challenges related to water resource protection and inspire them to take part in positive change and responsible stewardship of our natural resources," said Diana Strode, COD earth sciences assistant professor.
"These challenges impact our daily life and will be a factor in the quality of people's lives in the future."
During the symposium, keynote speaker Daniel Injerd, former chief of Lake Michigan Management and current director of the Office of Water Resources in the Illinois Department of Resources, will discuss sustainable water supply planning.
Other speakers include two members of the Glen Ellyn public works department, John Hubsky and Rich Daubert, who will discuss the village's water supply system.
In addition, director of DuPage County Stormwater Management office Anthony Charlton will present "Sustainable Management of SubURBAN Water Resources" and program manager of the DuPage River Salt Creek Workgroup Stephen McCracken will provide an overview of "Watershed Planning for Meeting the Aquatic Life Goal."
In conjunction with the symposium, and as part of the college's Sustainability Film and Discussion Series, a free screening of the film "Living Downstream," based on the book by ecologist and cancer survivor Sandra Steingraber, will be shown at 7 p.m. April 19 in the Health and Science Center, Room 1234, followed by a question-and-answer session after the film.
Prior to the screening, SCARCE and the COD Environmental Club will demonstrate the Enviroscape Watershed Model, designed to show point and non-point source pollution. This screening is sponsored by the COD Foundation and the COD Library.