Water: it’s always in demand, and lately, it’s under threat. With drought the new normal, and disputes raging about the control and distribution of precious water resources, the future of water will depend on society’s ability to resolve these conflicts.

So began a nationally broadcast evening of discussion and performance titled “Going There: The Future of Water,” streamed live May 24 from Colorado State University’s Lory Student Center Theater. Hosted jointly by National Public Radio and member station KUNC, the evening was sponsored by the Colorado State University Water Resources Archive.

Michel Martin, weekend host of NPR’s All Things Considered, led a panel discussion on ethical, legal and even spiritual issues around water. The panel included CSU alumna Kathleen Curry, a rancher and former Colorado state legislator, who holds a degree in water resources planning and management from CSU.

And with so much of the water sustaining the American West coming from the rivers, streams and snowpack of northern Colorado, Fort Collins was a fitting place to host the discussion, Martin said.

The event packed the Lory Student Center Theater, and many more joined in via a live stream, as well as on Twitter through the hashtag #NPRH20. Among those who participated in a live Twitter chat was Stephanie Malin, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at CSU, whose expertise is in natural resource extraction, energy development, water and global political economies.

The full event is archived here.