Series overview
This is the first Webinar in the new “Scientific Diplomacy of Groundwater Series,” which focuses on how science can be a positive force in the context of political diplomacy. The Webinars will highlight various groundwater-related projects that have fostered better understanding and cooperation among groundwater professionals in different countries. They will show how technical assistance projects can foster partnerships and collaborative efforts between developing countries and United States’ federal agencies, universities, and nongovernmental organizations, which, in turn, can help build capacity related to water resource management and training of future water professionals.
EPA ORD Project: Former Soviet Union Bio-Chem Redirect Program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and its related Office of Research and Development, has been involved in the U.S. State Department’s Bio-Chem Redirect Program (BCRP) since 1999, which is focused on nonproliferation, antiterrorism, and retraining of former Soviet Union scientists. In partnership with the Science and Technology Center of Ukraine and the Georgian National Center of Disease Control, U.S. EPA Region 8 is currently completing a BCRP project in Tchiatura, Georgia. Large-scale manganese mining and processing has been ongoing in Tchiatura and nearby Zestafoni for more than 100 years. Distribution of manganese and related metals in water, air, and soil is an ongoing environmental and public health issue. Project objectives include:
In addition, the project has included capacity building for the Georgian Ministry of Environment, and demonstration of the practice of transparency and cooperation between the private mining sector and government agencies.
Series schedule
The other currently scheduled Webinar in this series is: