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Meeting Scheduled for March 20, 2018

Save the Date for March 20th. We have two speakers planned who will join us in Defiance for discussion on water quality in the region. We will meet in the Community Room at 631 Perry Street, from 10 am – noon. Anyone interested in a working lunch to continue the conversation, please RSVP by phone or email to jenglish@cityofdefiance.com

We will hear from Dr. Robert Gillespie on the Water Quality Information Service. This is a resource for researchers, agency officials, and the general public for organizing and presenting water quality data from the St. Joseph, St. Marys, Auglaize and Upper Maumee River watersheds. It is maintained by the St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative in collaboration with the City of Fort Wayne, IN and the Environmental Resources Center at Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne. http://wqis.ipfw.edu/

Richard Kroeger of Ohio EPA will present information on Source Water Protection Planning in preparation for Regional Workshops that are being planned for 2018. Although Ohio’s public water systems treat their drinking water to meet health-based standards, treatment is expensive and may not address every kind of contaminant. By taking steps to avoid chemical spills in the areas surrounding a well field or upstream from a surface water intake, a community can help reduce the costs of their water and better ensure a safe and high-quality supply of drinking water. http://epa.ohio.gov/ddagw/swap.aspx

In addition to the speakers, we will have time on the agenda for legislative and other local watershed updates. Thank you for your continued interest and support.

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Dr. Robert Gillespie

Bob Gillespie is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology.  He teaches courses in introductory biology, environmental science, ecotoxicology, and aquatic biology.  He also serves as the Director of the Crooked Lake Biological Station.  Bob received his Ph.D. in Zoology at The Ohio State University.  After a two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship in Applied Ecology at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, he served as a visiting professor at the Environmental Resources Center at SUNY College at Fredonia, New York.  For the past 12 years he has collaborated with USDA/ARS scientists to assess the impacts of habitat alteration and aquatic contaminants on aquatic life in agricultural landscapes.  Additionally, Bob is actively involved in efforts to improve water quality in the Upper Maumee River Basin.  He serves on the Board of Directors for the St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative, Tri State Watershed Alliance, and is a member of the Indiana Water Monitoring Council and the Indiana Domestic Action Plan Advisory Committee.