By Paul Caine Producer, WTTW’s Chicago Tonight

As water is increasingly recognised as a precious resource, we look at Chicago’s water future. As more and more demands are placed on our fresh water supply — some 50 percent of water use in the United States is connected to power generation — we look at what’s being done to ensure Chicago’s water supply is not only secure for the forseeable future, but also how water policy can be used to drive economic development.

Joining us to discuss the issue are Debra Shore, a Commissioner on the Board of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago; Aaron Packman, a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Northwestern University; and Seth Snyder, the leader of a new water initiative at Argonne National Laboratory.

All three guests are participating in a panel discussion called “Water: Chicago in the 21st Century and Beyond” presented by the Chicago Council on Science & Technology on Thursday, Feb. 12 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Hughes Auditorium, Northwestern University, 303 E. Superior Street in Chicago. The event is free.