Award-winning Water Infrastructure 101 library series returns

The Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office National Association of Counties award-winning program “Water Infrastructure 101: What You Need to Know Below and Beyond Library Discussions,” in partnership with the Rochester Hills Public Library, returns. On Tuesday, May 10, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., a free in-person discussion titled “Preparing the Road Ahead: Water and Infrastructure” will be presented. The discussion is a first-time collaboration with the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) and will feature guest speaker, RCOC’s Senior Communications Manager Craig Bryson.
In recognition of the importance of water and road infrastructure, the discussion will provide the public with the opportunity to learn about water and road infrastructure, drains, and funding. A brief presentation will be made by Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash and RCOC’s Craig Bryson will give insight regarding an array of issues. The public will have an opportunity to ask questions.

“I appreciate the opportunity the Rochester library has given us to continue our education efforts with the public,” said Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash. “Our citizens need to understand how our systems work and what we’re doing to ensure they serve our needs for decades to come.”

This discussion comes a week before National Infrastructure Week (May 16-20) and will have participants thinking about how they can lead with infrastructure and what part they play in moving the infrastructure discussion forward.

“One of the challenges we face is that many residents don’t realize that we, as a state, have underinvested in our infrastructure for decades, and we’re seeing the results of that today. Not only is that evident in the roads, which everyone sees and experiences, but it’s also evident in the unseen infrastructure such as water and sewer infrastructure and even the drainage that is critical to maintaining our roads,” said Bryson.

Since 2018, the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office has implemented the program “Water Infrastructure 101: What You Need to Know Below and Beyond Library Discussions” series in partnership with Oakland County local libraries. It has been well received and supported by the library community. This special public awareness effort and library partnership was recognized as a national model and received a National Association of Counties (NACo) 2020 Achievement Award in the library category for being an innovative program.

To register for the May 10 program at Rochester Hills Public Library, go to www.rhpl.org website’s event section. Registration is open to the public and capacity is limited. For additional registration information, call Adult Services at 248-656-2900.