For Immediate Release

September 8, 2004

Contact: Lori Burkhammer
1(703) 684-2480
lburkhammer@wef.org

INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED WATER EXPERT TO DELIVER KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT WEFTEC®.04 OPENING GENERAL SESSION

Alexandria, VA - Peter H. Gleick, President and Co-Founder of the Pacific Institute (Oakland, Calif.) will be the keynote Opening General Session speaker at WEFTEC®.04, the Water Environment Federation's 77th Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition. The Opening Session, scheduled for Monday, October 4 from 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. will be held in the La Louisane Ballroom of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Opening Session will also feature remarks by WEF President Lawrence P. Jaworski and 2004 Stockholm Water Prize laureate Professor William J. Mitsch (Ohio State University); and recognize the 2004 Stockholm Junior Water Prize laureates U.S. Winner Brandon Fimple (Oklahoma) and U.S. Finalists Abigail Hines (Indiana), Balaji Sridhar (Colorado) and Elizabeth Welsh (Minnesota). In addition, the Federation will present a $25,000 check to Water for People (WFP), an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the long-term impact of increased access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation and health. "Water for People addresses water needs at the most basic level, touching real lives and providing direct community improvement," said WEF Executive Director Bill Bertera. "As a protector of the global water environment, WEF is pleased to contribute to WFP's efforts in supplying clean water and improving basic sanitation worldwide."

The program will conclude with a presentation by photographer/author Marjorie Ryerson and musician John Ruskey. Water Music, based upon Ryerson’s best-selling book of the same name, features nearly one hundred of Ryerson’s art photos showcasing water from many regions of the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. The photos are accompanied by contributions (writing and music) of sixty-six renowned musicians from around the world.

WEFTEC.04, the largest water quality event of its kind, will be held from October 2-6, 2004. For more information about the Opening General Session or other WEFTEC.04 events, visit www.weftec.org.

Founded in 1928, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with members from varied disciplines who work toward the WEF vision of preservation and enhancement of the global water environment. The WEF network includes water quality professionals from 79 Member Associations in over 30 countries.