Wet your whistle at the Water Bar at State Capitol, celebrate Safe Drinking Water Week

Event

Northeast Minneapolis’ Water Bar will pop up on the steps of the State Capitol in St. Paul to help Minnesota’s many water partners celebrate Safe Drinking Water Week May 5-11 and recognize the importance of safe drinking water for everyone. Water from three different community water systems – Bloomington, St. Paul Regional Water Services and Rice – will be served from taps. See if you can tell which water is from which source. Speakers from state agencies and professional water operators’ associations will talk about current activities to promote public understanding of the journey safe drinking water takes to get to your tap. Legislators and representatives from numerous water stakeholder groups have been invited, and any visitors touring the Capitol are also welcome.

Date/Time/Location

Wednesday, May 8, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

State Capitol, inside in L’Etoile du Nord Vault.

10 to 11 a.m.: Speakers, presentations, Q&A

Speakers

• Gov. Tim Walz (time permitting)

• Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm (time permitting)

• Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture Thom Peterson (time permitting)

• Assistant Commissioner Whitney Place, Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture (MDA)

• Assistant Commissioner Katrina Kessler, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)

• Lori Blair, executive director, Minnesota Rural Water Association

• Eric Volk, section chair, Minnesota Section of the American Water Works Association

Background

Safe drinking water is invisible but not invincible. People don’t often see or know how their drinking water gets to their tap every day, 24-7, 365 days a year. Besides the massive investment in pipes and pumps, providing safe drinking water takes extensive partnerships between community water operators, local governments, those who help protect the sources of our drinking water, and technical experts at the Minnesota Department of Health and other state and federal agencies. If we don’t maintain both the infrastructure and the partnerships, we weaken our ability to provide low-cost, safe drinking water for all. Speakers will highlight the work that is being done and the ongoing focus needed to keep the water flowing.

The Water Bar & Public Studio is an artist-led public benefit corporation that serves water, builds relationships and transforms culture through the creation of social space, popular education programs, tools and strategies for leadership development and public art projects.