By Sandeep Burman, MGWA President
Hello everyone! Summer is officially over, although it certainly does not feel that way given the early September heat wave. I hope all of you had a fun and productive summer as we start the transition into fall, and the many wonderful things that season brings with it. I have been busy this summer making several college visits with my youngest, who will be starting her college career next fall. One of the more interesting campuses we visited was the University of Iowa in Iowa City. The University has its own power plant and drinking water plant, located on the Iowa River in the heart of the campus.
The University of Iowa is one of the few in the nation to operate its own utilities. One of the unique aspects of the university water plant is that in addition to providing water for campus, it also serves as an important teaching facility for future engineers and water treatment specialists. The plant purifies and distributes 900 million gallons of water annually to support the campus facilities. Built in 1965, the water plant employs student operators who learn on-the-job, cutting-edge methods of water purification such as a brand-new reverse osmosis system. There is an interesting video that shows how current students obtain both employment and education at the plant. Water Treatment Plant University of Iowa – YouTube
This is just one example of an innovative way to train and develop the next generation of water resource professionals. Our water resources, certainly including groundwater, continue to be under pressure from multiple fronts, climate being just one of those factors. The ongoing drought in Minnesota is just another reminder of the importance of grooming the next generation of water resource professionals, including those in the groundwater profession, to take on these challenges. MGWA continues to play an important role in that in many ways. Along with the work of the MGWA Foundation to support students in various ways, the MGWA Board also is exploring ways to enhance engagement with students in the state. This includes participating at the upcoming Annual Career Fair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Minnesota. This Career Fair is hosted by the University of Minnesota Geological Society and is an excellent opportunity for geoscience firms and agencies to share information about their business and to increase student awareness about the many career paths that are available to them. MGWA is looking to have a similar presence at the fair and connect with students on how the association can assist them in their career developments goals. We’ll see how this year goes and perhaps MGWA participation at this event will become an annual fixture!
I also want to appreciate the great work done by the MGWA Education Committee to again organize well-water screening clinics across Minnesota, which were held during August & September. The goal of these clinics is to inform private well owners and users about the quality of their drinking water and the importance of monitoring over time. The Committee members have put in a tremendous amount of time and effort for many months in advance, coordinating and organizing these clinics with several key partners, including state and local agencies as well as organizations that represent both private well owners as well as the well industry. The partnership with these groups is essential for the success of these clinics, the Education Committee deserves extra kudos for fostering these relationships.
The end of summer also means that the planning for the MGWA Fall Conference is well underway. We will return to the venue of the 2022 Fall Conference, the Heritage Center of Brooklyn Center on November 14th, 2023. By all measures and based on the feedback we received, it was a great facility, and I am looking forward to our return to an in-person event. It will be great to see many of you again and we are working on planning another interesting and informative conference. As 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), Fall Conference theme is generally shaping up to be an exploration of what nearly 50 years of the SDWA has meant in terms of advances in groundwater and drinking water science and policy, and what the future might hold. Although the SDWA applies to public water supplies, many of the scientific learnings and policy lessons that it has generated certainly apply to private wells, despite the regulatory environment being different. We certainly hope to examine this aspect at the Fall Conference as well. More information about the conference will be coming soon, but in the meantime please mark your calendars for November 14th!
MGWA is committed to developing a just, equitable, and inclusive groundwater community. Click on the button below to read MGWA’s full diversity statement.
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