Hart Hodges to discuss water resource management Oct. 3

Hart Hodges, director of Western Washington University’s Center for Economic and Business Research, will discuss water resource management as part of Western’s Huxley College of the Environment Speaker Series at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3 in Communications Facility 105 on Western’s campus.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

The talk, titled “Issues in Water Resource Management,” will address the following questions: Do you know where the water in the Colorado River goes? Do you know why some farmers can pump water from the streams that run next to their farms, but others aren’t allowed to? When you pay your water bill, do you know what your bill actually covers? How—and why—has per capita water consumption changed in the U.S. over the past 20 years?

The first installment in the 2013-14 Speaker Series lineup, this talk is intended to provide an introduction to other talks in the series and to address key issues in water resource economics and policy. Issues to be covered include the dimensions of water that make it a particularly interesting resource–such as the fact that even water-rich areas like the Pacific Northwest can have water shortages. Hodges will talk briefly about how water markets and pricing are developed; explain important social and environmental issues related to water use; and touch on certain aspects of water law.

Hart Hodges is an associate professor in Western’s Department of Economics. In addition to holding a doctorate in Economics, Hodges has a master’s degree in Environmental Management from Duke University, where he studied Water Resource Systems. He currently teaches a senior seminar that focuses on water-resource economics and policy for students in Western’s Economics/Environmental Studies program. Hodges has worked in the private sector, the public sector (for both local and federal agencies), and with nonprofits (environmental policy in Washington, DC).

The presentation will include a question-and-answer period. Anyone interested in the topic is encouraged to attend and participate. The Speaker Series, sponsored by Western’s Huxley College of the Environment, is intended to bring together environmentally-minded members of the Western and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

Western’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized leader in producing the next generation of environmental stewards. Huxley’s distinctive, interdisciplinary curriculum reflects a broad view of the physical, biological, social, and cultural world, and has earned international recognition for quality.

For more information, please contact Western’s Huxley College of the Environment at (360) 650-3520.