Janelle Irwin Taylor
Challenges facing the global water supply and innovative technologies to confront those problems will be considered by Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam next month at the biennial WATEC conference in Israel.
“Florida is one of the fastest-growing regions in North America, and we face unique water resource management issues,” Putnam said in a prepared statement. “We must balance the needs of our population with those that support a growing economy, while protecting the natural systems so vital to our quality of life.”
The WATEC event will be held in Tel Aviv, and Putnam is set to take part in a talk Oct. 13 about “implementation of water scarcity solutions worldwide” and the lessons learned from various regions. He will discuss programs developed in Florida and technologies used for restoration and conservation geared at maintaining a sustainable water supply. Putnam is also expected to address the importance of using data-driven models regarding water supply and use.
“By bringing all water stakeholders in Florida together to monitor actual water use, assess the ability of each source to supply water and anticipate future demand, we can estimate the shortfall of supply and take action now to close that gap,” Putnam said.
During his his visit, Putnam will also meet with Israeli government and business leaders who are researching new technologies to address water challenges.
Putnam’s trip next month was announced Wednesday at a water forum in Miami hosted by the Consul General of Israel to Florida.
