Colloquium on Water Quality Monitoring and Testing in Latin America and the Caribbean

October 24 – 28, 2005
San Juan Wyndham Hotel
San Juan, Puerto Rico

CONFERENCE VISION STATEMENT

The University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez (UPRM), with support and cooperation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is considering the establishment of a Center of Excellence for Water Quality at the University. The proposed Center would work with all Latin American and Caribbean countries with education and training, and provide information on the latest technology available to address issues of water quality unique to the region.

A first step in the establishment of a Center of Excellence for Water Quality is to bring together representatives of all of the nations of Latin America and the Caribbean to discuss water quality issues unique to their respective countries. The Colloquium will introduce the concept of a Center of Excellence for Water Quality at UPRM and will solicit feedback from meeting participants on the most effective means for implementing this new idea. The long-term vision for this new Center would be to provide a bridge between the UPRM and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean that would lead to increased laboratory capacity and capabilities, training programs in state-of-the-art analytical technology for measuring water quality and the exchange of education programs, all of which would contribute to improving the overall quality of drinking and recreational waters in the various regions of Latin America and the Caribbean.