The Old Opera House in Monticello, FL, will be the site next week on Oct. 2-4 for a conference on the Floridan aquifer. Speakers will be many and varied; they include geologists, attorneys, water management employees, cattle ranchers, politicians, environmentalists, scientists, and representatives from energy and agriculture companies. From the list of sponsors, it might seem that the big water users outnumber the environmentalists. Following is the information taken from the Main Street Monticello Florida, Inc. website:
Sharing Water: The Floridian Aquifer in Alabama, Georgia and Florida
October 2, 3 and 4, 2014
Opera House
sharingwaterconference.com
By Main Street Monticello Florida, Inc.
Sharing Water: The Floridan Aquifer in Alabama, Georgia and Florida
By Main Street Monticello Florida, Inc.
Contact: Anne H. Holt, Conference Coordinator- email: ahholt@ahholt.com
Please join us for Main Street’s Sharing Water Conference scheduled for October 2, 3, 4, 2014 in our Opera House. This conference is patterned on our award winning First Floridians Conference presented in 2012. We expect three to four hundred people to attend in Monticello’s beautiful 1890 Opera House. The Sharing Water Conference will attract experts and laymen alike to discuss the future of the Floridan Aquifer. Public discussions on protecting this important resource will continue and grow in the next few years. We believe bringing together interested and involved voices from the three affected areas will result in an exchange of information that will encourage cooperation. We also believe an informed and interested public will support thoughtful planning by our leaders. Conference speakers and many attendees will be employed in water management, agriculture and industry. Please see the Conference Dates & Schedule of Events page on this site for more information on the events that will be held. Confirmed Speakers Include:
Moderator: Dr. Ann Shortelle, Executive Director, SRWM
The Floridan Aquifer: Dr. Jon Arthur, PG, FloridaState Geologist
Statistics on Water Use and Supply Trends for the Aquifer: Dr. George Cole, PE, PLS, Governing Board, Suwannee River Water Management District
Georgia – David M. Moore Emory Law
Florida Richard G. Hamann U of Fl College of Law
Groundwater Depletion in US Leonard F. Konikow, Scientist Emeritus, USGS
Moderator: Douglas Manson, Attorney at Law, MansonBolves firm
FloridaState Representative Halsey Beshears
Environment – Eric Draper, Exec. Dir, Audubon Florida
Public Water Supply, Tony Cunningham, PE, Gainesville Reg. Util
Agriculture, PaulGenhoLand Manager – Mormon Church
Industry, Chet Thompson P.E., Buckeye Florida, L.P.
Florida: Don Quincy, Chairman, SRWMD Board
Recreation, Agriculture, Industry and Drinking – Florida Senator Bill Montford
Steve Wingate, City of Monticello Manager)
State Representative Halsey Beshears, President, Simpsons Nursery