Experts Convene to Discuss Clean Water Solutions
Wednesday, June 12th, Stony Brook, N.Y. – The New York State Center for Clean Water Technology hosted its 2024 Clean Water Symposium, an event designed to highlight global clean water problems and solutions as well as present an overview of the Center’s most recent research breakthroughs. The event presentations covered three major topics including mitigating nitrogen and phosphorus pollution from onsite wastewater, remediating nitrogen and phosphorus beyond the source, and ending the forever of PFAS "forever chemicals". Each of the three sessions included external speakers likeDr. Xiao Su, Assistant Professor at University of Illinois, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, and representatives from regulatory agencies including the NYS DEC and DOH and Suffolk County. In addition, Center researchers highlighted their latest research advances to develop more cost-effective water quality protection and restoration technologies.
Symposium Presentations and Videos
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
- Dr. Lisa Alvarez-Cohen, UC Berkeley, Vice Provost for Academic Planning & Fred and Claire Sauer Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Dr. Chris Gobler, NYS Center for Clean Water Technology at Stony Brook University & New York State Officials
Mitigating Nitrogen and Phosphorus Pollution from Onsite Wastewater
- Dr. Lee Blaney, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering
- Dr. Stuart Waugh, NYS Center for Clean Water Technology at Stony Brook University
- Mr. Frank M. Russo, P.E. & Mr. Siwei Chen, NYS Center for Clean Water Technology at Stony Brook University
- Dr. Xinwei Mao, NYS Center for Clean Water Technology at Stony Brook University
- Ms. Jennifer Juengst, Suffolk County
Remediating Nitrogen and Phosphorus Beyond the Source
- Mr. Paul Dombrowski, Director, Remediation Engineer at ISOTEC Remediation Technologies
- Ms. Susan Van Patten, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
- Dr. Nils Volkenborn, NYS Center for Clean Water Technology at Stony Brook University
- Mr. Mike Doall, School of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University
Ending the Forever of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’
- Dr. Xiao Su, University of Illinois, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
- Dr. Lokesh Padhye, NYS Center for Clean Water Technology at Stony Brook University
- Dr. Yi Zhang, NYS Center for Clean Water Technology at Stony Brook University
- Courtney Davis, NYS Department of Health
The event was attended by over 100 people representing a wide range of stakeholders from industry to academia and environmental advocacy, as well as regulators and policy makers from every level of government.
This year’s symposium featured a keynote address by Dr. Lisa Alvarez-Cohen, UC Berkeley, Vice Provost for Academic Planning & Fred and Claire Sauer Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Her research areas include biotransformation and fate of environmental water contaminants, environmental microbiology and ecology, bioremediation, biological wastewater nutrient removal, and application of molecular and isotopic techniques for studying environmental microbial communities.
“This Symposium provided an excellent opportunity to share with the public the great strides we have made in addressing the on-going drinking, ground, and surface water crises on Long Island”, said Dr. Chris Gobler, Center Director and Endowed Chair of Coastal Ecology and Conservation at Stony Brook University. “We were equally excited to get global perspectives from our peers across the country.”
NYS Assemblyman Fred Thiele, NYS Senator Mario Mattera, and Suffolk County Legislator Steven Englebright attended and made remarks, each underscoring the importance of water quality protection to the region, and the crucial role of the Center in working to develop cost-effective solutions.
Background
Funded in 2015 by the New York State Environmental Protection Fund as administered by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, the Center for Clean Water Technology is tasked with harnessing science to engineer clean water solutions for the protection of public health and the environment while promoting economic development in New York and beyond.
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