What’s in Your Water? A Discussion of Threats to Virginia’s Water Quality
March 27-28, 2015
Presented by William & Mary Law School’s
Environmental Law and Policy Review,
Virginia Coastal Policy Center, and
Student Environmental & Animal Law Society
What’s in Your Water? A Discussion of Threats to Virginia’s Water Quality highlighted some of the critical environmental, legal, and policy issues facing the quality and health of Virginia’s waters. In spite of much progress from years of pollution prevention and pollution management, the health of the waters of Virginia remain under threat from traditional pollutants such as PCBs and pharmaceuticals and from new practices such as hydraulic fracturing and offshore oil drilling. These threats raise questions about not only water quality, but also public health, economic development, and quality of life. Note: We are now accepting exhibitor registration forms for our upcoming 2017 event. Vendors in the legal industry who wish to participate can fill out our exhibitor registration form and merchant credit card authorization forms.
The Honorable Robert Wittman, U.S. Representative from District 1, and the Honorable Brian Moran, Virginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, and a host of governmental (both federal and state), academic, industry, and NGO leaders and experts from across Virginia addressed these issues.
Click to see the Symposium 2015 Tweetbook.
Panel Presentations
Keynote Speakers
Algae
- Paul Bukaveckas – Developing water quality standards to Protect the James River against Impacts from Algal Blooms
- Will Hunley – An Introduction to Algal Blooms in the Lower James River
- Jeff Corbin – Algae Causes and Complications
- Joe Wood – Harmful Algal Blooms and Microcystin in the Tidal Fresh James River
- Peter Tango – Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Criteria and their Assessment
Coal Ash
Contaminants
- Peter deFur – Emerging Contaminants in our Waterways
- Jim Pletl – How Do Wastewater Facilities Address Contaminants in Water?
- Scott Phillips – Extent and Severity of Toxic Contaminants in Chesapeake Bay and the Watershed
- Mark Richards – PCBs Legacy and Non Legacy Impacts to Virginia’s Waters
- Noah Sachs – Toxic Chemicals and Water
Fracking
- Kelci Block – Local Regulation of Fracking
- Michael Skiffington – Virginia’s Oil and Gas Program
- Rick Parrish – Prospects for Gas Drilling & Hydraulic Fracturing In Virginia
Oil
- Pat Calvert – Crude Oil by Rail Transport
- Massoud Tahamtani – State Corporation Commission
- Mike Ward – Domestic oil and gas access