The Alabama Water Resources Research Institute is a university-based interdisciplinary, problem-oriented research and technology center with support from the federal government that enables the program to address broad national needs and relevant industrial technology.

The Water Resources Research Institute coordinates research programs which are applicable to the solution of present and emerging water resources problems. In carrying out this mission, the Institute has developed a broadly based research, training, information transfer, and public service program involving personnel from many academic disciplines in the state's research universities.

The Alabama Water Resources Research Institute is one of 54 water resources institutes nationwide authorized by the federal Water Resources Research Act. The state-based Water Resources Research Institutes are located at land grant universities and promote research and information dissemination on the state's and nation's water resources problems.

SAVE THE DATE: Southeast Stormwater Institute

October 14-16, 2008, Savannah, GA The Southeast Stormwater Institute at the Coastal Georgia Center is an intensive, interactive three-day learning experience specifically designed to help public and private sector stormwater professionals develop or improve municipal stormwater programs, particularly NPDES Phase II permit programs; strengthen stormwater design, construction, and maintenance skills for innovative practices in coastal and non-coastal settings; and understand and apply volume reduction criteria, green infrastructure credits, and the new Georgia Coastal Stormwater Supplement.

>>Details

Wetlands 2008: Wetlands and Global Climate Change

September 15-19, 2008, Portland, OR. The overall goal of this conference is to help wetland professionals in the public and private sectors 1) gain a better understanding of the challenges created by climate change and 2) identify discrete activities and actions to take to reduce and mitigate impacts on wetlands and water resources as well as communities. The conference will also address ongoing changes and challenges in wetlands and water resources management.

>>Details

“Conserving America’s Wetlands” 2008 Report Available

On Earth Day 2004 the Council on Environmental Quality established a national wetland initiative which included: restoring or creating at least one million wetland acres, improving or enhancing at least one million wetland acres, and protecting at least one million wetland acres. All of these goals were set to be accomplished by Earth Day 2009; however, on Earth Day 2008 the council reported each goal had already been surpassed with approximately 1,197,000 acres restored or created, 1,079,000 acres improved, and 1,324,000 acres protected.

>>Details

Final Rule on Water Transfers

EPA is publishing a final rule that clarifies water transfers are excluded from regulation under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting program. The rule defines a water transfer as an activity that conveys or connects waters of the United States without subjecting the transferred water to intervening industrial, municipal, or commercial use. This exclusion does not apply to pollutants introduced by the water transfer activity itself to the water being transferred.

>>Details

34th WEDC International Conference

The 34th WEDC International Conference will be held at the United Nations Conference Centre, Addis Ababa from 18 to 22 May 2009.

The title of the Conference will be Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: Sustainable Development and Multisectoral Approaches.

The WEDC International Conference is a week long, practitioner and research focussed conference, exchanging knowledge and experiences in the water and sanitation sector. Papers will be invited for review or for refereeing by the International Scientific Committee, and there will also be poster presentations and discussion sessions. For more information please see the WEDC website, where the Call for Papers will be published by 31 July 2008.

http://wedc.lboro.ac.uk/index.php (click on Conferences) or http://www.wedcconference.co.uk/

House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee Approves Linder Water Bill

Washington, D.C. –A solution to our nation’s growing water problems is one step closer today following the approval of legislation sponsored by Representative John Linder (R-GA) by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. Linder’s bill, H.R. 135, aims to coordinate water management and enact a comprehensive water policy to effectively deal with one of the most important issues of our time, providing a clean and dependable water supply for all Americans for years to come.

>> Details

AWRRI Awards FY 2008 AL Water Resources Grants

Alabama Water Resources Research Institute recently announced the award of four FY-2008 AL Water Resources Grants. The object of this program is to facilitate research faculty in the state in making significant advances, and increasing regional and national competitiveness, in the water resources arena. For the purpose of this competition, “water resources arena” is defined in the broadest possible terms. Proposals are invited from all permanent full time tenured, tenure-track and non-tenured faculty from any university or college in Alabama.

The FY-2008 grants were awarded to the following faculties:

• William Deutsch, “On-Farm and Watershed Approaches to Community-Based nutrient and Pathogen Management”, Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures (FAA), Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Auburn University
• Geoffrey R. Tick, “Groundwater-Surface Water Contributions of Nitrate Contamination and Discharge to Coastal Surface Waters, Baldwin County, Alabama”, Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Alabama.
• Mark Dougherty, “Evaluating Bioretention Contaminant Uptake and Removal in an Experimental Rain Garden Study”, Department of Biosystems Engineering, Auburn University.
• Luke J. Marzen, “Estimating Regional and Local Scale Surface Moisture as an Indicator of Drought and Crop Yield Using Thermal IR Remote Sensing”, Geology and Geography, Auburn University

Details are available at http://awrri.auburn.edu/grants08.php

44th AWRA Annual Water Resources Conference

November 17-20, 2008

http://www.awra.org/meetings/NewOrleans2008/index.html

Sheraton New Orleans Hotel * New Orleans, LA

Submit Abstracts by May 12, 2008

USGS and CDC Release On-Line Report on Water Quality in Domestic Wells

USGS, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has released an online report on the occurrence of 11 priority water-quality constituents of possible health concern in domestic wells located in 16 States across the U.S. (http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2007/5213/)

>> Details

WEFTEC.08 Conference

October 18-22, 2008, Chicago, IL. The 81st Annual Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference is the largest conference of its kind in North America and offers water quality professionals from around the world water quality education and training. Learn from your peers about the latest practices, technologies, solutions and regulations in the water quality field. Earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) by participating in workshops and earn Professional Development Hours (PDHs) by attending technical sessions. For more information, visit www.weftec.org

FLOW 2008: Interdisciplinary Solutions to Instream Flow Problems

October 7-9, 2008, San Antonio, TX. Sponsored by the Instream Flow Council, the conference will provide opportunities to learn about creative, interdisciplinary tools and approaches to instream flow problem-solving, explore the latest developments in instream flow science, policy and public dialogue and build collaborative decision-making skills through an interactive session with Professor Larry Susskind of Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation. For more information, visit www.instreamflowcouncil.org/.

2008 Alabama Water Resources Conference

The 22nd Annual Alabama Water Resources Conference will be held Thursday & Friday, Sept. 4-5, 2008, at the Perdido Beach Resort Hotel and Convention Center in Orange Beach, Alabama. The conference as well as the Alabama Section of the American Water Resources Association Symposium on Wednesday, Sept. 3, will provide an excellent forum for stimulating discussion regarding the many multi-disciplinary aspects of current and future water use, management, and conservation issues. Please visit http://auei.auburn.edu/conference/ for details.