This week, Notre Dame is celebrating “Water Week” in honor of World Water Day. The week’s celebrations are sponsored by H2O@ND, a collaborative initiative of over 50 faculty members across 10 departments working to expand and prioritize water research at Notre Dame. It is the second annual Water Week.
Jennifer Tank — Galla professor of biological sciences, director of the Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative and member of the H2O@ND Initiative — said she hopes the week’s events, ranging from a lake cleanup to a flash panel on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), will help spark awareness of the necessity to protect clean water sources.
“As the initiative was thinking about our theme for this week of ‘Why Water,’ we discussed how a place like this area, where it's really water-rich, we all take it for granted a little bit. We don't have the same sort of water scarcity issues that you might be if you were at Arizona State,” Tank said.
Tank’s hope is that students will emerge from this week having thought more about this critical resource, one that some individuals rarely think about day-to-day.
The week began with a call to action on Monday. Students are encouraged to spread awareness about the importance of water preservation and ecological knowledge by posting on social media with the hashtags #WhyWater and #NDWaterWeek.
On Tuesday, students attended a virtual seminar with Juliana Leonel, professor of oceanography at the Universidad Federal de Santa Catarina, titled “PFAS in Brazilian Waters: A Tale of Two Sources.”
Wednesday is the official date for World Water Day, and Notre Dame is hosting a PFAS Panel from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Hesburgh Library Auditorium to celebrate. The panel features PFAS faculty researchers Kyle Doudrick, Gary Lamberti and Graham Peaslee, centering what per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are and how the university is researching groundbreaking methods to better understand what Tank describes as “forever chemicals.”
Doudrick, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and earth sciences, stated that the initiative chose to focus specifically on PFAS chemicals for this year’s Water Week because of their relevance in the public sphere.
“PFAS chemicals are probably the hottest topic right now in drinking water treatment,” Doudrick said.
He hopes that students will become more conscious and educated about what PFAS chemicals are and where they are found.
“These chemicals relate to every one of us, and because we're all exposed to it, just coming in and learning about PFAS and engaging with the following questions will benefit students: How does it impact us? Where's it at? Where's it occur in our daily lives? And what can I do as a consumer, for example, to mitigate my exposure?”
On Thursday, an event titled “Operation du Lac: Bless & Serve” is scheduled. Reverend Terrence Ehrman, C.S.C. will lead a blessing of the lakes, followed by a lake cleanup event. Ehrman will lead a walkover to the lakes from the Grotto beginning at 3 p.m., and all gear for the cleanup brigade will be provided.
Tank described a great turnout for the event last year, and she hopes students will take advantage of this opportunity to be present in nature and help preserve the local ecosystems around the lakes.
“Many hands make light work. We collected a significant amount of garbage around the lake last year,” Tank said.
The week’s celebrations will conclude with a Stormwater Badge Installation and Water Week Dinner on Friday. The badge installation will begin at the Office of Sustainability, 101 Campus Distribution Center, at 11 a.m. Volunteers will be divided into groups to assist in labeling the storm drains and grates on campus.
The Water Week Dinner will be offered at both North and South dining halls and features Wild Alaskan Pollock sourced from sustainable fisheries in Alaska.
Doudrick described that the universality of water is what makes it so important to research, learn about and protect.
“Everybody drinks water and needs water to survive,” Doudrick said. “Water Week serves to help the campus come together and engage in an open dialogue around PFAS and how all actions humans take impact water.”
Notre Dame celebrates second annual Water Week
Students gather around Reverend Terrence Ehrman, C.S.C. for a blessing of the lakes at last year's Water Week.
Students gather around Reverend Terrence Ehrman, C.S.C. for a blessing of the lakes at last year's Water Week.
