Kansas Governor Sam Brownback’s Water Conference will be held Thursday, October 24 and Friday, October 25, 2013 at the Hilton Garden Inn & Conference Center in Manhattan, KS. On Thursday the Governor will address a 50-Year Vision for Kansas water and meeting the state’s needs. He will issue an Executive Order to begin work immediately on this priority resource.

The conference topics include:

·        Meeting Kansas’ water needs now and in the future

·         Drought resiliency and conservation

·         The value of water

·         Reservoir sedimentation

·         Water’s role in developing the Kansas agriculture economy

Other speakers at the conference include: Charles Fishman, author of The Big Thirst and The Wal-Mart Effect and Pat Mulroy, who oversees the Las Vegas Valley Water District and Southern Nevada Water Authority. A legislative panel is planned for Thursday afternoon. Day two will build on the water policy discussions with technical presentation posters and talks. Dr. James Stack, Director of the Great Plains Diagnostic will present Feeding a Growing Population in a Resource Stressed World.

To view the agenda for a complete list of speakers and panelists for both days visit: www.kwo.org

This event is open to credentialed members of the media.  Please RSVP to the Kansas Water Office by phone (785) 296-3185 or email Katie Ingels, Communications Director at katie.ingels@kwo.ks.gov.

The Governor’s Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas is co-sponsored by the Kansas Water Office (KWO) and K-State /Kansas Water Research Institute.  Sponsors for the event come from multiple diverse water interests. Major sponsors for the event include Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell and Great Lakes Dredge & Dock.

If accommodations are needed for persons with disabilities, please notify the KWO, (785) 296-3185, at least five working days prior to the conference.