NEWSROOM
Watershed
Summit to Address Rural, Urban Water Concerns
July 29, 2005
BOSSIER CITY –
Finding the correct balance for water use is on a lot of people’s
minds these days.
To help developers
and urban dwellers learn about the water-related issues involved
in interface between today’s rural and urban areas, the
LSU AgCenter is hosting the 2005 Northwest Louisiana Watershed
Summit Aug. 11. The summit will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the LSU
AgCenter’s Red River Research Station near Bossier City.
Mimi Stoker, an LSU
AgCenter area watershed agent from Sabine Parish, said this year’s
summit focuses on urban and rural water issues.
"There are several
issues involved when converting agricultural land to urban development,"
Stoker said. "We will have speakers at the summit who will
address these issues."
Speakers on the agenda
include Dr. Eddie Millhollon, an LSU AgCenter researcher, who
will give an overview and direct a tour of a constructed wetlands
project at the Red River Research Station.
That project consists
of two ponds and is designed to show how using natural resources,
such as a wetland, can improve the water coming off agricultural
land.
In addition to Millhollon’s
presentation and tour, Dr. Bruce Darling of LBG-Guyton Associates
will discuss the Louisiana Water Management Plan. Darling has
a wide range of experience in water-resource and hazardous-waste
investigations in the southwestern, southeastern and central areas
of the United States – having worked for numerous industrial
clients, municipalities and state agencies. LBG-Guyton is the
hydrogeology and environmental engineering firm in Austin, Texas,
that authored the Louisiana Water Management Plan.
Afternoon presentations
include a discussion on water quality assessments by Dr. Jan Boydston
of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. In addition,
Matthew Stephens, an LSU AgCenter area agent, will speak on agriculture’s
"Good Neighbor Policy."
There is a $15 registration
fee for the summit, which includes lunch, and the deadline for
registration is Aug. 8. Checks should be made payable to Sabine
Ag Extension and sent to Northwest Louisiana Water Summit, 820
Main St., Many, LA. 71449. For more information, call (318) 256-3406.
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