The Water/Energy Sustainability Symposium, September 2009 in Salt Lake City

The Groundwater Protection Council is hosting what will likely be a great event for all of those water-energy wonks out there: The Water/Energy Sustainability Symposium: Water & Energy Policy in the 21st Century. The symposium is taking place in Salt Lake City, Utah, September 13 to 16, 2009 and the agenda features a veritable who’s who of scientists, researchers, utility and government folks sharing their work on water-energy issues.

Here’s a description of the event from GWPC’s website:

The interdependence of water and energy is clear, and as policy leaders search for ways to meet future demand for both resources, the need for collaboration is critical.

The Ground Water Protection Council is proud to present the first Water/Energy Sustainability Symposium in conjunction with its 2009 Annual Forum and co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. The symposium will bring together leaders from government, the energy and water industries, academia, water organizations and other stakeholders to chart a collaborative course toward sustainability for both resources.

Hot topics include: energy impacts on water use and water impacts on energy development; water and power generation; water needs for unconventional oil and gas, wind, solar, hydro and nuclear energy production; sustainable infrastructure and end-use efficiency, and integrated water-energy planning.

You can also view the agenda on their website for more details on what to expect from the 3-day conference. Some highlights include a panel called The Water-Energy Relationship: Why it is Important (Federal, State and Local Views) featuring Mike Paque, Executive Director, Ground Water Protection Council, John Baza, Director, Division of Oil, Gas, & Mining Utah Department of Natural Resources, Jim Costa, US Congressman - California (Invited), Ken Salazar, US Secretary of the Interior (Invited), Cathy Zoi, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (Invited), Alex Davis, Western States Water Council, Water-Energy Chair/ Asst Secretary Colorado Department of Natural Resources.

Other highlights of the conference will likely be Water Efficiency: How to Make Green Building More Blue, presented by Mary Ann Dickinson, the Executive Director of the Alliance for Water Efficiency, and The Bottom Line of Blue is Black: A Southeastern Case Strudy on Making Sustainable Building Pay, presented by Margo Farnsworth from the Cumberland River Compact.

The entire conference is literally packed with what look like great sessions on nearly every aspect of the water-energy nexus. For more information on the conference and registration, click here