The University of Nebraska–Lincoln's third annual Water Seminar Series opens Jan. 16 with a free lecture by Jeff Fassett, director of Nebraska's Department of Natural Resources.

Organized by the Nebraska Water Center and the School of Natural Resources, the series will explore priorities and challenges in Nebraska's natural resource districts. Unlike the rest of the nation, natural resource districts in Nebraska are based on river basin boundaries, allowing the Cornhusker State to approach natural resources management on a watershed basis.

There are 23 autonomous districts in Nebraska, each governed by a locally-elected board of directors that set priorities and programs to best serve local needs. The Water Seminar Series will include insights from those who manage these watersheds and how they can be applied to wider state policy.

In his 3:30 p.m. Jan. 16 talk in the Hardin Hall Auditorium, Fassett will provide an overview of water management in Nebraska.

All Water Seminar Series lectures are 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the first floor auditorium of Hardin Hall. Students can attend all lectures in the seminar series for one hour of credit through the School of Natural Resources and other university departments. For more information, contact Tricia Liedle at pliedle@nebraska.edu or 402-472-3305.

The 2019 Water Seminar Series lectures:

• -Jan. 16: — "An Overview of Water Management in Nebraska," Jeff Fassett, director, Nebraska Department of Natural Resources;

• Jan. 30: — "Integrated Water Resources Management in Tri-Basin NRD," John Thorburn, general manager, Tri-Basin NRD;

• Feb. 13: — "Balancing Urban and Rural Water Needs," John Winkler, general manager, Papio-Missouri River NRD (this talk is tentative);

• Feb. 27: — Kremer Memorial Lecture, James Butler, senior scientist, section chief, Kansas Geological Survey;

• March 13: — "Managing Nitrates in the Bazile Groundwater Management Area," Mike Sousek, general manager, Lower Elkhorn NRD (this talk is tentative);

• April 3: — "One District, Two Plans, One Water," Rod DeBuhr, assistant general manager, Upper Big Blue NRD; and

• April 17: — Willliams Memorial Lecture, Jason Gurdak, associate professor of earth and climate sciences, San Francisco State University