GE 'World Water Tour' starts off in Las Vegas

The first stop of the GE World Water Tour welcomed Michael Deane of the US EPA, and Kay Brothers, of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, as keynote speakers to discuss water challenges and solutions

Michael Deane, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Senior Policy Advisor, Infrastructure Finance and Kay Brothers, Deputy General Manager of Engineering and Operations for the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) were the keynote speakers at the first stop of the GE World Water Tour in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 3, 2007.

The World Water Tour, presented by GE Water and Process Technologies, is a 14-city seminar series that addresses water scarcity challenges and offers technology solutions and best practices that industry, municipalities, and land developers can use to create sustainable new water supplies from previously unusable wastewater streams.

Deane will provide insight into the EPA Sustainable Infrastructure Initiative, which aims to redefine how the nation views, values, manages and invests in its water infrastructure.

His presentation will reveal how collaborative efforts can build sustainable infrastructure through a Four Pillars approach - better management of water and wastewater utilities, rates that reflect the full cost of services, efficient water use, and watershed approaches to protection.

Deane will also share examples of EPA initiatives in support of water re-use, such as funding to the National Database of Water Reuse Facilities, and recent updates to the EPA Guidelines for Water Re-use, which is being used by many states to update standards and requirements for water re-use.

Nevada, along with several other states in southwestern United States, faces serious water challenges as continued drought and growing populations strain water supplies from groundwater sources and the Colorado River.

Water management strategies are increasingly focusing on securing and sustaining adequate supplies to meet the current and the anticipated future demand.

An example is the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding between New Mexico State University and GE to focus on technology breakthroughs that can solve water scarcity problems in New Mexico, throughout the southwest, and around the world.

Brothers will add a local perspective from the SNWA to the discussion and will examine the specific water challenges that businesses and residents face in Nevada, which is not only one of the driest, but also one of the fastest growing regions of the United States.

During her presentation, titled "Water Sustainability Direction in Your Region," Brothers will discuss SNWA programmes that support water re-use, the rationale behind them, and the role that these progressive initiatives can play in using water re-use technology to alleviate water scarcity.

Following the premiere in Las Vegas, the World Water Tour continues with several more stops in North America including Houston, Texas, May 9-11; Monterrey, Mexico, May 16-18; and others, before heading for water scarce regions on each of the continents.

For more information about the World Water Tour, the full schedule of stops, and speakers, please visit the website.

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