Join Missouri State University and Southwest Missouri Water in addressing concerns about long-term water supply at the 2024 Southwest Missouri Regional Water Conference on Oct. 1.   

SMWO Water comprises the Tri-State Water Resource Coalition and Southwest Missouri Joint Municipal Water Utility Commission.

Themed “Think Water: Solutions,” the conference will cover topics like the value of water and its impact on the future. Presentations will include speakers from Texas, Colorado, and Washington, DC. 

Roddy Rogers, SMWO Water executive director, said the goal of the conference is to educate stakeholders and community members about water supply and the necessity of water for the future. 

“We can store, treat and deliver water, but we can’t create water,” Rogers added. “It’s a precious gift we have to be good stewards of.” 

At the conference, SWMO Water also plans to include updates on its project to gain rights to pump water from the Corps of Engineers’ Stockton Lake.  

According to Cody Brewington, training coordinator for the Missouri Small Business Development Center at Missouri State, the longtime partnership with SWMO Water has been mutually beneficial. 

“Through this partnership, we have trained over 1,500 water operators, engineers, elected officials and students since it started in 2009,” Brewington said. 

Join in the 2024 Southwest Missouri Regional Water Conference

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Conference details  

The conference will take place from 8 a.m-5 p.m. Oct. 1 in the Darr Agricultural Center, 2401 S. Kansas Expwy., Springfield.  

The cost of attendance and lunch is $145. This price includes continued education credits for water operators and professional development hours for engineers. 

Elected officials and students can attend the conference for free. 

Register for the conference