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Symposium at a Glance
Thursday, February 28 Sessions

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Thursday, February 28, 2008 8:30am – 10:00am
Concurrent Panel Sessions: Seeking Solutions to Major Issues
7:30am-3:00pm Symposium Check-in                                              PRE-FUNCTION AREA
Florida Water Availability And Water Needs In 2020, 2060            BALLROOM B
(moderator: Steve Seibert, Executive Director, The Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida)
Summary description of panel: Florida’s economic and social development over the past several decades has been fueled by its climate and abundant water resources. Increased population, rapid urban development, large agricultural water demands, and the need to protect natural resources, however, have led to water availability problems in many parts of the State. Each panelist will be asked to discuss barriers and bridges to understanding statewide water availability in 2020 and 2060; the water needs of various users (agriculture, urban, industrial, ecosystems) in 2020 and 2060; and the successes/failures of programs and policies that promote water resource sustainability (MFLs, water conservation, demand management, alternative water supplies, reuse, etc). Targeted questions and discussion will follow.
Panelists:
Janet Llewellyn, Director, Division of Water Resource Management, Florida Department of
    Environmental Protection   Presentation
Chuck Aller, Director, Office of Water Policy, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer
    Services   Presentation
Don Polmann, Director, Science & Engineering, Tampa Bay Water   Presentation
Bill Pine: Assistant Professor, Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences,
    University of Florida   Presentation
Honey Rand, Ph.D., APR The Environmental PR Group, for Grady Pridgen, Inc.   Presentation
Sponsored by: Tampa Bay Water
Sources and Impacts of Emerging Contaminants           DOGWOOD
(moderator: Joseph Delfino, Professor, University of Florida)
Summary description of panel: Emerging contaminants are impacting human and ecological health. Wastewater and drinking water treatment is becoming increasingly challenged. What is truly meant by emerging contaminants and how seriously are they taken? What makes contaminants ‘emerging”? Are “emerging” contaminants new or just newly recognized? Are “emerging contaminants always emerging? How should we be positioning ourselves through science, policy and public awareness to understand and address emerging contaminants? How can we ensure that the best available scientific information is used to establish priorities and make management decisions regarding water resources? What role do experiments, observations, lab work etc play in this? Other approaches? Key Question for panelists - “What are the major threats and current responses to emerging contaminants in water and how much does it matter?”
Panelists:
Andy Kane, Associate Director, Emerging Pathogens Institute, UF   Presentation
Nancy Denslow, Scientist, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UF   Presentation
Brian Katz, Hydrologist, US Geological Survey   Presentation
Timothy Fitzpatrick, Administrator, Chemistry Section, Florida Department of
    Environmental Protection   Presentation
Sponsored by: Soil and Water Engineering Technology, Inc.
"Water Transfers:" Who Decides? People, Policy And Politics       BALLROOM C
(moderator: Katrina Schwartz, Assistant Professor, University of Florida)
Summary description of panel: "Water wars" have long been a fact of life in the American Southwest, and now they may be in the offing for Florida. With population and water consumption continuing to grow rapidly, officials across the state are looking at the costs and benefits of water transfers in Florida. How and by whom are such critical decisions about water transfers made in Florida? This panel discussion will examine the role of various stakeholders in the decision-making process, and assess the possible social and economic impacts of water transfers on different communities and demographic groups.
Panelists:
Christine Klein, Professor of Law University of Florida Levin College of Law
Melissa Meeker, South Florida Water Management District Governing Board Member
Tom Swihart, Administrator, Office of Water Policy Florida Department of Environmental
    Protection   Presentation
Hal Wilkening, Director, Dept of Resource Management St. Johns River Water
    Management District
Woody Wodraska, National Director of Water Resources, PBS&J, Inc.


Thursday, February 28, 2008 10:30am – 12:00pm
Concurrent Panel Sessions: Seeking Solutions to Major Issues
Water Conservation as an Alternative Water Supply       BALLROOM B
(moderator: David Bracciano, Demand Management Coordinator, Tampa Bay Water)
Summary description of panel: Competition and cost to develop limited conventional and other alternative supplies continue to rise. The use and implementation of cost effective quantifiable conservation methods, programs and measures can significantly reduce the need for these conventional supplies and increase available resources for its best use. What role should water conservation and increased efficiency play in the development and use of water supplies? What strategies and evaluations are necessary to identify the availability and cost of conserved water and in what major sectors of demand? How does future water use efficiency potential fit in supply scenarios? What role does the private sector play in increasing efficiency of use? This panel will identify the methodologies that can and have been used to successfully lower existing and future average and peak demands, what potential existing in various sectors, applicable research that can quantifiably affect future and existing demands and how both public and private entities can play a significant role in increased efficiency and conservation of water resources.
Panelists:
Bruce Adams, Director of Water Management, EMC Engineers, Inc.   Presentation
Jane Bucca, Program Manager-Alternative Water Supply and Conservation,
    South Florida Water Management District   Presentation
Michael Dukes, Associate Professor, UF Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
    University of Florida   Presentation
Pierce Jones, Professor, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University
    of Florida, UF Program for Resource Efficient Communities   Presentation
Jack Kiefer, Senior Associate, Hazen and Sawyer, P.C.   Presentation
Sponsored by: Conserve Florida Water Conservation Clearinghouse
Nutrient Enrichment of Surface, Ground and Coastal Waters       DOGWOOD
(moderator: Peter Frederick, Research Professor, University of Florida)
Summary description of panel: Nutrient enrichment of Florida’s waters has enormous potential to affect ecosystems and humans by altering water quality characteristics, radically simplifying plant and animal community composition, and fomenting a number of important wildlife and human disease agents. In addition, there is very significant potential for nutrient enrichment to affect the state’s economy through effects on agriculture, human health, commercial fish and shellfish harvest, outdoor recreation and tourism, to name a few. This panel is composed of experts who have grappled directly with effects of nutrients in surface, ground and nearshore waters, often at large spatial scales. They will address the current certainties and uncertainties in predicting effects of nutrient enrichment in Florida, and discuss alternative methods to significantly reduce nutrient enrichment, with a goal of envisioning likely nutrient effects in 2030. The panel will also take questions directly from the audience as time allows.
Panelists:
Jerry Brooks, Deputy Director, Div. of Water Resource Management,
    Florida Dept of Environmental Protection
Peter Doering, Chief Environmental Scientist, Coastal Systems Division,
    South Florida Water Management District
Karl Havens, Professor and Chair, Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences,
    University of Florida
Fred Sklar, Chief Environmental Scientist, Everglades Division, South Florida Water
    Management District
Sponsored by: Taylor Engineering
Public Perceptions and Practice: A Key to Sustaining Water Resources       BALLROOM C
(moderator: Martha Monroe, Associate Professor, University of Florida)
Summary description of panel: Managing water quality and water quantity is a process that involves research, policy, and the public. Public support can enable the effective implementation of policies and regulations. In addition the solutions to water challenges often depend upon the decisions and actions by individuals who use, conserve, and manage local water resources. Designing programs that effectively inform, education, motivate, and empower the public is a critical complement to research and policy. Panelists will provide case studies that describe effective strategies for reaching and engaging the public, discuss the theories that drive their practices, and provide recommendations for others who wish to develop programs for the public.
Panelists:
Elaine Andrews, Director University of Wisconsin Environmental Resources Center   Presentation
Linda Burnette, Director, Office of Communications & Governmental Affairs,
    St. Johns River Water Management District   Presentation
Darrell Smith, Coordinator, Suwannee River Partnership, Florida Dept of Agriculture and
    Consumer Services   Presentation
Martha Strawn, Author/Artist University of North Carolina, Charlotte   Presentation
Florida Policies and Programs: Challenges and Opportunities    BALLROOM A
(moderator: Les Thiele, Professor, University of Florida)
Summary Description: This panel consists of three Executive Directors and one Deputy Executive Director of four Florida Water Management Districts, as well as the Deputy Secretary of Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). Panel discussants will be addressing the most significant challenges to managing Florida's water resources today and in the foreseeable future. They will also identify those policies and programs that are currently working well, and those policies and programs that need to be developed to ensure successful water management for the coming decades.
Mimi Drew, Deputy Secretary for Regulatory Programs and Energy, Florida
    Department of Environmental Protection
Kirby Green, Executive Director, St. Johns River Water Management District
Chip Merriam, Deputy Executive Director for Water Resources, South Florida
    Water Management District
David Moore, Executive Director, South West Florida Water
    Management District
David Still, Executive Director, Suwannee River Water Management
    District
Sponsored by: Poseiden Resources