Contact: Joe Smith
April 4, 2011
JOHNSON CITY As a prelude to Earth Day, the Department of Geosciences at East Tennessee
State University is teaming with other local organizations to host a preview of a
public television documentary, Liquid Assets: The Story of Our Water Infrastructure,
on Wednesday, April 20, at 6 p.m. in the D.P. Culp University Center ballroom.
Following the 15-minute film preview, three local experts will participate in panel
discussion on the regions water system. Joining ETSU as sponsors of the event are
the Holston Branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Bristol Public
Library, the Bristol Chamber of Commerce, the City of Johnson City and the City of
Bristol (Tenn.).
The Liquid Assets documentary discusses essential infrastructure systems, such as
drinking water, wastewater, and storm water, and how they are critical for basic sanitation,
public safety, economic development, and other life necessities. Hidden water infrastructure
assets, watershed protection approaches, and solutions to current problems are featured
in the film.
Participating in the panel discussion will be Ingrid Luffman, ETSU lecturer of Geosciences;
Dr. Brajesh Dubey, ETSU assistant professor of Environmental Health; and Tom Witherspoon,
director of Water and Sewer Services for the City of Johnson City.
A second preview of the film will be held on Thursday, May 26, at 6:30 p.m. in the
J. Henry Kegley Meeting Room at the Bristol Public Library, 701 Goode St., Bristol,
Va. Luffman and Dubey will again be part of a panel discussion and will be joined
by David St. John, water plant superintendent for the City of Bristol (Tenn.). The
May 26 event will also feature a childrens program with demonstrations and hands-on
activities that educate participants about the water cycle.
All programs are free and open to the public. For additional information, or to request
special accommodations, contact Dr. Arpita Nandi, ETSU assistant professor of Geosciences,
at (423) 439-6086 or nandi@etsu.edu; Jennifer Moore at asce.holston@gmail.com or (423)
989-4187; or the Bristol Public Library at (276) 821-6148.
