Saturday June 23, 2001

Over seventy community members, representing a wide variety of social backgrounds, participated in this event. Participants ranged from electricians to poets, from financial analysts to graduate students, to retirees and stay at home parents. Although most participants indicated that they were currently involved in recreational activities on the rivers, many others simply expressed an interest in urban cultural events or urban ecology. Participants discussed how water quality is connected with quality of life, the roles of individuals and groups in promoting healthy river ecology and current opportunities for restoration. Discussions at the dialogue covered a range of issues: including Biology, Policy, Water Quality, and Aesthetics.

Local experts presenting information at this dialogue:

• John Schombert, Executive Director, 3 Rivers Wet Weather Inc.
• Wilder Bancroft, Manager, Environmental Quality Allegheny County Health Dept
• Joel Tarr, Urbanist, Historian, CMU
• Mike Koryak, Limnologist, Army Corp of Engineers

Our water quality initiatives have been influenced by many other projects including: The Rouge River Wet Weather Project and other national and international restoration projects.