FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 21, 2006
Media Contact: Zachary Dorsey, (703) 548-0880, zdorsey@WateReuse.org
Agricultural Water Reuse Conference to Feature Prominent Experts
ALEXANDRIA, VA – A group of prominent speakers from around the nation will gather October 29-31, 2006 at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek in Santa Rosa, CA for a specialty conference on Opportunities and Challenges in Agricultural Water Reuse. This conference will cover success stories in agricultural water reuse, the USDA’s role in water management, regulations and health aspects of the use of recycled water on edible and nonedible crops, economics, technology, and public perception.
The conference is sponsored by the WateReuse Association, USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), and Washington State University.
Invited speakers for the opening session include U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Agricultural Research, Education and Economics Dr. Merle Pierson and a representative from the office of the Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Santa Rosa Mayor Jane Bender will welcome conference participants to the city.
The prominent experts from the agriculture and water reuse fields invited to address the conference include Dr. George Tchobanoglous (UC–Davis), Dr. Robert Raucher (Stratus Consulting), Mr. Dale Huss (Sea Mist/Ocean Mist Farms), Mr. Robert Hultquist (California Department of Health Services), Dr. Jeannette Thurston-Enriquez (USDA), and Ms. Laura Kennedy (Kennedy/Jenks Consultants).
The conference will begin with an exciting field tour of farms that use recycled water in central Sonoma County. Attendees will meet the customers and see how they use recycled water to grow vegetables; to support livestock operations including dairy cows, beef cattle, and sheep; and to grow grapes that produce premium wines. The tour will end with an opportunity to taste products and wines in a beautiful vineyard setting.
Santa Rosa, the largest city in Sonoma County, is nestled in the center of the famous Sonoma Wine Country. The downtown area is home to world-class restaurants and museums. The Hyatt Vineyard Creek, located in the Historic Railroad Square, is just a short drive from the Napa Valley Wine Country, the Russian River, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
For more information about the conference or to register for the event, visit www.watereuse.org/USDA_conf.html.
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The WateReuse Association is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the beneficial and efficient use of water resources through education, sound science, and technology using reclamation, recycling, reuse and desalination for the benefit of our members, the public, and the environment. The Association's membership consists of water agencies, public agencies, consulting firms, and local, state, and federal government agencies. WateReuse is involved in national advocacy, public education and outreach, and water reuse research.