The National Federation of Group Water Schemes (NFGWS) will hold its second webinar in September to coincide with Rural Water Week 2021.

The theme of the webinar will be ‘Future-proofing the Rural Water Sector‘ and will feature a “vast range of speakers and topics that will be of interest to group water schemes and anyone working in the sector” according to the NFGWS.

The webinar will also provide attendees with the most up-to-date information on policy, governance and quality assurance, as well as other developments.

The two-day webinar comprises two sessions of speakers and panel discussions per day.

Day one will review the rural water sector and river basin management planning and, of particular interest to anyone involved in agriculture, will be the segment on ‘protecting water while sustaining agriculture‘.

Day two will address environmental challenges and the schedule of the day’s first session will pique the interests of those involved in agriculture.

This session sees senior inspector with the Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Michelle Minihan discuss emerging contaminants of concern; Professor John Sweeney from Maynooth University will look at the implication of climate change; and Seán Corrigan, source protection officer, NFGWS, will talk about the ‘Let it Bee’ initiative.

The second session of day two will look at ensuring a vibrant future for the community-owned group water scheme (GWS) sector, and the GWS Excellence Awards winner will be announced.

This online event is free to attend and will take place on Wednesday, September 8, and Thursday, September 9, from 9.30a.m to 1.30p.m.

Guidance on registering and attending the event can be found here.