Meeting Agenda

Pre-Meeting Related Events

Wednesday October 26, 2016 at 6:30 p.m.
Movie screening: Written on Water, A Modern Tale of A Dry West

• Hosted by the Payne Institute for Earth Resources at Colorado School of Mines. Includes introduction and Q&A session with the film’s director and producer, Merri Lisa Trigilio, who will also be speaking during the Forum.
• Location: Colorado School of Mines, Ben H. Parker Student Center, Ballroom BC

Thursday October 27, 2016

Ben Parker Student Center, Ballroom A

8:00 - 8:30 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:30 - 9:15 a.m. Welcome and Introductions

9:15 - 12:00 p.m. Overview of Western and High Plains Groundwater Issues and Discussion

9:15 - 10:00 a.m. Invited keynote: Regional Aquifer Challenges in the West

• Sharon B. Megdal, Director, University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center

10:00 - 10:30 a.m. What is the Science Telling us about Regional Aquifers in the West?

• ​William M. Alley, Director, Science and Technology, National Ground Water Association

10:30 - 11:00 a.m. Networking Coffee Break

11:00 - 11:30 a.m. Policy and Regulatory Overview of Western Aquifers

• ​James Eklund, Director, Colorado Water Conservation Board

11:30 - 12:00 p.m. Economic and Social Importance of Western Aquifers

• ​Nick Brozovic, Director of Policy, Water for Food Global Institute, University of Nebraska

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Lunch

1:00 - 5:00 p.m. The High Plains Aquifer - Panel Talks and Discussions

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Perspectives from Kansas and Nebraska

• Jim Butler, Senior Scientist, Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas
• Ann Bleed, Former Director, Nebraska Department of Natural Resources
• Rex Buchanan, Director Emeritus, Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas (moderator)

2:00 - 2:15 p.m. Networking Coffee Break

2:15 - 3:15 p.m. Perspectives from Texas and Oklahoma

• ​Steven D. Walthour, General Manager, North Plains Groundwater Conservation District, Texas
• Kyle E. Murray, Hydrogeologist, Oklahoma Geological Survey, University of Oklahoma
• David Wunsch, Director, Delaware Geological Survey, University of Delaware (moderator)

3:15 - 3:30 p.m. Networking Coffee Break

3:30 - 5:00 p.m. Forum Overview and Moderated Discussion

• John E. McCray, Professor and Head, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines
• Wendy J. Harrison, Professor, Geology and Geological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines (moderator)

​5:00 - 6:30 p.m. Cocktail Reception, Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum

6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Dinner and After-Dinner Keynote, Ben Parker Student Center, Ballroom BC

• Merri Lisa Trigilio, Director and Producer - Written on Water

 

Friday October 28, 2016

Ben Parker Student Center, Ballroom A

8:00 - 8:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast

8:30 - 11:00 a.m. Thinking Beyond the High Plains Aquifer 

8:30 - 9:15 a.m. Water and Negotiation in the West

• Susan Stover, Outreach Manager, Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas

9:15 - 10:30 a.m. Break-Out Facilitated Discussions

10:30 - 11:00 a.m. Invited keynote: Groundwater Policy in the Face of Climate Change

• Jason Gurdak, Associate Professor, San Francisco State University

11:00 - 11:15 a.m. Networking Coffee Break

11:15 - 12:15 p.m. Lessons, Reports, and Revelations: What Have We Learned?

• Elizabeth Eide, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (moderator)
• Wendy J. Harrison, Professor, Geology and Geological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines (moderator)

12:15 - 12:30 p.m. Brief Concluding Remarks