Clean Water: The Oil of the 21st Century

PASADENA, Calif. – Water is a basic necessity of life, not only for people but for all living things. In the developing world, lack of access to safe drinking water is a major cause of illness and death, especially in children. In the arid southwestern United States, water resources are coming under increasing pressure as a result of population growth, the competing needs of cities, farms, and sensitive ecosystems, and the anticipated changes in rain and snowfall patterns that may accompany global changes in climate. Both the quantity and quality of available water are critical concerns in managing water resources.

On Wednesday, February 19, Janet Hering, professor of environmental science and engineering at the California Institute of Technology, will examine the factors affecting water quality, the technologies for improving it, and the possible strategies for meeting future water-supply needs. Her talk, "Clean Water: The Oil of the 21st Century," is one of the ongoing Earnest C. Watson Lecture Series that takes place on the Caltech campus.

Caltech has offered the Watson Lecture Series for almost 80 years, ever since it was conceived by the late Caltech physicist Earnest Watson as a way to explain science to the local community. The lecture will take place at 8 p.m. in Beckman Auditorium, which is located near Michigan Avenue south of Del Mar Boulevard, on Caltech's campus in Pasadena. Seating is available on a free, no-ticket-required, first-come, first-served basis, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Parking is available in the lots south of Del Mar Boulevard between Wilson and Chester avenues, and in the parking structures at 341 and 405 South Wilson and 370 South Holliston Avenue.

For more information, call 1(888) 2CALTECH (1-888-222-5832) or (626) 395-4652. Persons with disabilities: 626-395-4688 (voice) or 626-395-3700 (TDD)