News Release No. 469

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, NWMSU TO HOST
NOV. 22 DRINKING WATER CONFERENCE, OPEN SATELLITE OFFICE

Volume 33-469

Contact: Kerry Cordray

(For immediate release)

573-526-4220

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, NOV. 14, 2005 -- The Missouri Department of Natural Resources and Northwest Missouri State University will host a regional drinking water planning conference on the Northwest campus on Tuesday, Nov. 22. At the opening of the conference, a ribbon cutting will be also held for a new Department of Natural Resources satellite office, to be housed on the university's campus.

"Drinking Water for Northwest Missouri - A Conference for Planners" will be hosted by Northwest in the J.W. Jones Student Union from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with support provided by the department, State Representative Brad Lager, District 4, and the Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments. City and county officials and water facility operators from 12 northwest Missouri counties have been invited to join with legislators and state and federal agency representatives to discuss regional and local problems with drinking water supplies and distribution, aging treatment facilities and drinking water quality issues.

The conference will begin with a 9:30 a.m. ribbon cutting to represent the opening of the Department of Natural Resources' new Northwest Missouri Satellite Office. Department Director Doyle Childers will be joined in the ceremony by Northwest University President Dean L. Hubbard. and Rep. Lager.

"The Northwest Missouri Satellite Office will place field staff who deal with northwest Missouri issues closer to their work," said Childers. "The generous cooperation of the university in providing a home for the office will help protect the environment of the region much more efficiently." The satellite office will be housed in the university's Environmental Services Building and will initially include two staff members who will provide nearby counties with facility inspections and compliance assistance services, focusing on assistance to drinking water and wastewater facilities.

The Northwest Missouri Satellite Office will complement and extend services provided to the region by the Kansas City Regional Office. It is part of department's newly created Field Services Division, which oversees five regional offices, seven other satellite offices, and the department's Environmental Services and Environmental Assistance Programs.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.

###