Nebraska Bird Partnership

Back-to-back water events are coming to Lincoln's downtown Holiday Inn in early October.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Water Center and University of Nebraska College of Law will co-host a daylong Water Law Conference Oct. 6. The Water Center then joins with the U.S. Geological Survey's Nebraska Water Science Center to present a daylong Greater Platte River Basins Symposium at the same location the following day, Oct. 7.

Back-to-back water events are coming to Lincoln's downtown Holiday Inn in early October.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Water Center and University of Nebraska College of Law will co-host a daylong Water Law Conference Oct. 6. The Water Center then joins with the U.S. Geological Survey's Nebraska Water Science Center to present a daylong Greater Platte River Basins Symposium at the same location the following day, Oct. 7.

"The Wednesday water law conference focuses on Nebraska water law and will feature a variety of speakers and topics tailored to the practicing bar, but which will also be of benefit to anyone interested in water law," said conference organizer Lorrie Benson, assistant director of the UNL Water Center.

Tentative topics include an overview of property rights to water by UNL law professor Sandi Zellmer; conservation easements by Jesse Richardson of Virginia Tech University; and Clean Water Act enforcement by Patricia Miller of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region Seven.

Other conference sessions include issues and impacts of transactions that involve water, boundary disputes, updates on recent Nebraska water law cases, Endangered Species Act law and application, practicing before state agencies, and designing integrated management plans to simplify water transfers.

Continuing legal education (CLE) credits for attending the conference have been applied for.

The Oct. 7 Greater Platte River Basins Symposium will focus on water-related research and innovative programming in the Niobrara, Platte and Republican River basins. Robert Hirsch, a national expert in water science and policy and USGS hydrogeologist, opens the symposium with "Perspectives on Hydrology and Water Management in a Changing World."

Other presentations that morning will examine management of water resources beyond the state's current integrated management planning requirements. A diverse panel of experts will discuss future water management, including sustainability and resilience, legal frameworks, human dimensions, whether we have the science needed, possible scenarios for the future, and reality checks.

Attendees can choose from 20 presentations by researchers on topics ranging from basic hydrology to economics to wetlands to fish and wildlife issues. A formal poster session offers several dozen posters on a wide range of water-related topics.

Though the two events are separate, Benson said many in the water profession will find both useful and informative and a discounted registration fee is being offered to those electing to attend both.

Online registration and more information on topics and speakers are at Watercenter.unl.edu or contact Benson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (402) 472-7372.