Informing the public on the preservation of the water supply is the focus of a conference at SIUC today, the conference coordinator says.

The conference will consist of seven presenters giving 20-minute sessions on various water topics such as the affects of acid rain, stream water quality, well contamination and managing water quality.

The water conference is in honor of the centennial anniversary of the Illinois State Water Survey in Champaign. The Water Survey provides information to the public about water preservation and collects data for research by engineers, the government and the public, Sally McConkey, of the Water Survey, said. The agency is affiliated with the newly formed Department of Natural Resources.

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McConkey, who is coordinator of the conference, said Carbondale is the third in a series of four water conferences. The first two were held in Bloomington and Glencoe and the fourth will be in Champaign sometime in October.

McConkey said she is pleased at the opportunity to present the water conference at SIUC.

I am very excited. We’ve had such a response, McConkey said. I think anyone who attends the conference will come away with a greater appreciation of water in Illinois and the Water Survey’s research and service activities.

The conference will begin at 8:15 a.m. and run until around noon today. It will be held in the SIUC Student Center Ballroom A. The event is free to the public.

Following the presentations, a discussion and question and answer session will take place.