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Contact: David Hart,
President, AWRA Wisconsin Section, (608) 262-2307, djhart@wisc.edu Note: Admission free
for credentialed press Meeting
to Examine Climate Change, Other Wisconsin Water Issues WHAT: Annual meeting
of the American Water Resources Association–Wisconsin Section WHEN:
March
5-6, 2009 WHERE:
Ramada
Stevens Point Hotel, 1501 Northpoint Drive, Stevens Point, Wis. (715) 341-1340 www.ramadastevenspoint.com BACKGROUND:
Recent
analysis of historical data, combined with climate modeling, suggest that the
southern Wisconsin precipitation events of 2008 are part of a trend toward
wetter conditions and more intense rainfall. Climate models also suggest that
increased winter snow pack and late winter rainfall may result in high
groundwater tables, high lake levels, and saturated soil conditions. AGENDA:
The
effects of climate change on Wisconsin’s water resources will be
discussed by three plenary speakers at the annual meeting of the American Water
Resources Association–Wisconsin Section. A full program and abstracts are
available online at www.awra.org/state/wisconsin/2009meeting.html. Milwaukee
Area Technical College’s George Stone will begin the meeting with a talk
on “Global Effects of Climate Change,” followed by a talk by John
Magnuson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison entitled “Effects of
Climate Change on Wisconsin Lakes,” and ending with Chris Kucharik of the
University of Wisconsin-Madison addressing “Future Implications of
Climate Change to Wisconsin.” Throughout
the two-day meeting, leading water scientists, resource managers and planners
from around the state will present their latest research findings about
Wisconsin’s most pressing water issues. Thursday afternoon, March 5,
Madeline Gotkowitz of the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey will
discuss the 2008 flood in Spring Green, Wis. She and her colleagues evaluated
the role of groundwater in the flooding of the region and found that the
geography of the area, combined with the spring snow melt and heavy June
rainfall, may have caused a 12-foot rise in water table elevation. This would
explain why the town remained flooded for five months despite its location over
a mile from the Wisconsin River floodplain. With climate models predicting
wetter conditions in Wisconsin, the community may need to make changes to
infrastructure and land use policies. Friday
morning, March 6, UW-Platteville’s Michael Penn will discuss what happens
to water quality when snowdrifts begin to melt. Snowmelt runoff can be a
significant portion (often the majority) of annual runoff from agricultural
lands, washing sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus into lakes, rivers and
streams. Penn will show how the amount of snowfall and the timing of spring
thaws affect water quality. # # # # The
meeting is sponsored by the UW Water Resources Institute, UW-Stevens Point
Center for Watershed Science, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources,
Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, and the U.S. Geological Survey
Wisconsin Water Science Center. The University of Wisconsin Water Resources
Institute is one of 54 such institutes nationwide, all focused on addressing
problems of water supply and water quality at local, state, regional and
national levels. www.wri.wisc.edu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kathleen
Schmitt Kline Science
Writer Sea
Grant Institute & Water Resources Institute University
of Wisconsin-Madison Madison,
WI 53706-1177 phone:
608.262.6393 fax:
608.262.0591 kkline@aqua.wisc.edu |