Regionalization of water and sewer systems will be the focus of the 18th annual Great Lakes Water Conference this week at The University of Toledo College of Law.

The conference titled “Regional Water and More” will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2 in the Law Center McQuade Auditorium.

“Regionalization of water services is an important issue across the nation,” said Ken Kilbert, UT professor of law and director of the Legal Institute of the Great Lakes. “Locally this conference could not be more timely in light of the ballot question facing city of Toledo voters on Nov. 6 regarding a regional water commission.”

The keynote speaker is Darren Nichols, executive director of the Great Lakes Commission, at 8:45 a.m.

The first panel discussion at 9:15 a.m. concentrates on Ohio, including a possible regional approach to drinking water among the city of Toledo and nearby communities.

The second panel at 11 a.m. addresses the trend toward regionalization of water and sewer systems beyond Ohio, including the new regional authority in the Detroit area.

A third panel at 1:30 p.m. focuses on the rights of recreational paddlers versus private landowners; developments in the legal fight against algae in Lake Erie; and regulation of discharges of pollutants to groundwater under the federal Clean Water Act.

The one-day conference sponsored by the UT College of Law and its Legal Institute of the Great Lakes is free to the public. Registration is $75 for attorneys seeking 4.5 hours of Ohio Continuing Legal Education credit.

For more information about the conference, go to utoledo.edu/law/academics/ligl/conferences.