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Texas Water Symposium (Jan. 28)

The 2009–10 Texas Water Symposium, created through the partnership of Schreiner University, Texas Tech University, Texas Public Radio, and Hill Country Alliance is a series of four free lectures and forums designed to inform and engage Texas citizens.

The population of Texas is expected to double in the next 50 years. Some parts of Texas are water-rich; others are water-poor. There is a great need for a water-literate public to make informed decisions.

Where does your water come from? Will there be enough for your children and grandchildren? What effect will new sources and greater demand of water have on the rivers, wetlands and aquifers? What role does science play in determining water planning and management decisions? What is conjunctive water management? What are policy and legal issues of water supply? What are economic, social and environmental costs and benefits of alternate sources of water supply? What role does conservation and education play in water decisions?

The Texas Water Symposium series will provide perspectives from key stakeholders and illustrate the complexity and challenges in providing water for Texans in this century.

Texas Public Radio will record and edit each program for subsequent Friday night broadcast over KSTX (San Antonio) and KTXI (Ingram) on the Newsmaker Hour.

The Next Texas Water Symposium

PROGRAM
"Climate Change and Impacts on Floods, Weather and Drought in Texas: What Controversy?"

PANELISTS
Robert E. Mace, Texas Water Development Board
Dr. Robert Mace is the director of the Groundwater Resources Division at the Texas Water Development Board and has over 15 years of experience working with Texas's groundwater resources.

Todd Votteler, Guadalupe River Authority
Todd Votteler served as special master for the U.S. District Court in Midland in the Sierra Club v. San Antonio case and has in-depth first hand knowledge of the many complicated legal, hydrologic, economic, and cultural issues surrounding the Edwards Aquifer. He holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Geography and is a frequent contributor to popular publications on the Edwards Acquifer and water issues in Texas. He currently serves as Executive Manager of Governmental Relations and Policy for the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority and Executive Director of the Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust, providing leadership and stewardship in developing and protecting Texas' water resources.

Katherine Hayhoe, Department of Geosciences, Texas Tech University
Katharine Hayhoe is a highly-respected expert on climate change, one of the most pressing issues facing the planet today. An expert reviewer for the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, her life¹s work has been dedicated to discovering and communicating the realities of a changing climate to those who will be affected most by it. As a professor in the Department of Geosciences at Texas Tech University, Katharine develops new ways to quantify the potential impacts of human activities at the regional scale. As founder and CEO of ATMOS Research, she also bridges the gap between scientists and stakeholders to provide relevant, state-of-the-art information on how climate change will affect our lives to a broad range of non-profit, industry and government clients.