Milwaukee to host Water Summit V: “Achieving Harmony with Water” September 19-20

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (August 29, 2011) – The Milwaukee Water Council will host its fifth annual Water Summit conference September 19-20 at Milwaukee’s Discovery World/Pier Wisconsin complex. Milwaukee’s Water Summit is one of the leading national platforms for the discussion of water technology and sustainable water solutions. The annual event is attended by policymakers, industry leaders, experts and practitioners from across the world.

Keynote speakers at Water Summit V will include David Zetland, James Workman, Owen McIntyre, and David Garman.

Zetland, senior water economist at the Department of Environmental Economics and Natural Resources at Wageningem University in the Netherlands, is the author of “The End of Abundance: Economic Solutions to Water Scarcity.” Workman is a prize-winning reporter and award-winning author of “Heart of Dryness.” Presenting together – and at times challenging each other – they offer an unorthodox yet highly compelling approach to water security.

McIntyre is a senior lecturer at the University College in Cork, Ireland and author of “Environmental Protection of International Watercourses under International Law.” Garman is the newly appointed dean of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s groundbreaking School of Freshwater Sciences. Other speakers/session leaders include Phillip Enquist (Skidmore, Owen, Merrill), Molly Flanagan (Joyce Foundation), Steve Apfelbaum (Applied Ecological Services), G. Tracey Meehan (The Cadmus Group), Toon Segeren (Deltares), Lisa Downes (Alliance for Water Stewardship), Karen Sands (Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District), Dr. Julian Sandino (CH2M HILL Water Business Group), and Ken Meter (crossroads Resource Center).

In addition to addresses by keynote speakers, the Summit will offer breakout sessions examining problem-solving and conflict resolution in three distinct tracks: “The Global Water/Energy Nexus;” “Urban Watersheds: Striking the Balance;” and “Making Urban Agriculture Work.”

The Global Water/Energy Nexus track will address energy security issues in light of the mutual dependency of water and energy and the many variables impacting their demand and availability.