Water Reuse in Agriculture: Ensuring Food Safety

Water Reuse in Agriculture Ensuring Food Safety October 26 through 28, 2008 Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa Monterey, CA The WateReuse Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA present a unique specialty conference with the theme of Water Reuse in Agriculture Ensuring Food Safety. This event is a follow up to the highly successful conference held in 2006 on the same topic, which attracted 220 attendees to hear an outstanding array of speakers discuss success stories with respect to water reuse in agriculture and to explore areas of challenge that require additional research and investigation. WateReuse and USDA have once again teamed up to explore how water reuse can help ensure safe and sustainable food crops. The use of recycled reclaimed water in agriculture is a growing practice. Recycled reclaimed water is used in several states to irrigate both edible and non edible crops. Examples include Monterey County CA, Sonoma County CA, and Orlando FL. In these locales, recycled reclaimed water is used to grow various kinds of vegetables, irrigate grapevines, and irrigate citrus groves. Recycled water has proven to be a valuable resource in agriculture. In many locales, recycled reclaimed water might be the highest quality water available to farmers. The overarching twin goals of water reuse in agriculture are 1 to provide an adequate supply of high quality water for growers and to 2 ensure food safety. This conference will highlight success stories and focus on the many challenges the agricultural community must strive to successfully confront to ensure food safety. Water Reuse in Agriculture Ensuring Food Safety will cover regulations, the health aspects of recycled water use on edible and nonedible crops, economics, technology, public perception, and the federal governments role in water management. The conference will provide a forum for learning, sharing information and data, identifying opportunities, and networking with new and old friends.