In an effort to address the problem, city and upstate officials have written a 1,000-page agreement, which calls for repairing faulty sewage treatment plants, purchasing land bordering reservoirs, and tightening pollution laws. The task of the committee, Platt and Barten say, is to determine whether the plan will work to keep the water clean, and whether it will protect both the environment and the public s health. Over the next two years, committee members will meet with relevant officials, tour watershed areas, and prepare a major report to the city on the feasibility of the city s strategy. Other experts on the panel include an aquatic chemist, a lake ecologist, an urban planner, a microbiologist, a rural sociologist, and an engineer who specializes in disinfection. We have to be careful with the water that we have.
Pollution prevention is much less expensive.
Platt, a professor of geography and planning law, is an expert in water and land use, as well as floods and coastal issues. He has served on six NRC committees, most recently chairing a study of flood control issues affecting Sacramento and the Central Valley of California. D.C. Barten s background is in forestry, particularly hydrology and watershed management. He combines field measurements and computer modeling, using variables such as terrain characteristics and vegetation and soil type, to characterize the quantity and quality of water over large, diverse areas. He taught for nine years at Yale University, where he won awards for exceptional teaching and advising, before joining the UMass faculty in September.