Former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to speak at Colorado State University Water Tables event in January

Note to Reporters: A photo of Ken Salazar is available with this release at news.colostate.edu

The Honorable Ken Salazar, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, will be the keynote speaker at the annual Colorado State University Water Resources Archive Water Tables event Jan. 29, 6:15-9:15 p.m., at the Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center.

The theme of this year’s evening is Partnering the Waters. Two dozen tables will be hosted by experts on how partnerships – public/private, regulation/conservation, education/industry, ranching/recreation – affect the health of rivers in Colorado and throughout the West.

Attendees can join any table on a first-come, first-served basis for 90 minutes of discussion and dinner, followed by Secretary Salazar’s remarks, dessert and more conversation. Water Tables will be preceded by a reception, 5-6:15 p.m., hosted by the Colorado Water Congress.

Some of the table topics include the recently released Colorado Water Plan; Climate Change, Resiliency and Adaptation; Extreme Drought; and Diversion Dam Removal on the South Platte River. Tables will be hosted by Patty Rettig, Head Archivist of the Water Resources Archive; historian George Sibley; John Sanderson, director of science for The Nature Conservancy; James Ecklund, director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board; and Patricia Wells, general counsel for Denver Water, among others.

Salazar, a fifth-generation Coloradan, also served as the state’s 35th U.S. Senator. He was a key leader in creating the successful energy framework created by the 2005 Energy Policy Act, the 2006 Gulf of Mexico Security Act, and the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, all of which passed the Congress and were signed by the President. He also was recognized for his leadership on conservation, veterans, agricultural and immigration reform matters. He is now a partner in the global law firm of WilmerHale.

Water Tables is a fundraiser for the CSU Water Resources Archive and open to the public. Tickets cost $150, which includes a $75 gift to the Archive. More information and registration is available at http://lib.colostate.edu/archives/water/water-tables/2015/

Water Tables is held in conjunction with the 2015 Colorado Water Congress Annual Convention, Jan. 28-30, also at the Hyatt Regency DTC. The premier water industry event in the state attracts 500+ attendees who convene for networking and collaboration on the important water issues of the day. This year’s theme is Rethinking Water. Experts from across the state will celebrate successes in water management innovation and plan towards a future with new ideas and flexible philosophies.

Learn more, view the agenda, and register at: www.cowatercongress.org.

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