Civil and Environmental adjunct professor to present Water@Wayne lecture April 12

DETROIT (April 10, 2012) - Kurt L. Heise, adjunct professor in Wayne State University's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering will present, "The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) - The Political and Environmental Impact of a Utility in Transition" as part of the Water@Wayne seminar series on Thursday, April 12 at 2:30 p.m. in the Welcome Center Auditorium. The seminar, hosted by the Office of the Vice President for Research, is free and open to the public.

Heise will discuss the provision of water and sewerage services which are among the most contentious political and environmental issues in Southeast Michigan. As an attorney, county official and legislator with more than 18 years experiences with DWSD, Heise will discuss these issues with an emphasis on the new role of the federal court, the new DWSD structure, proposed state legislation and the impact of Detroit's financial crisis on the continued viability of the DWSD system.

For more than six years, Heise was director of the Wayne County Department of Environment and Wayne County Drain Commissioner. He has also served as the deputy and assistant city attorney in Dearborn Heights and Woodhaven, was co-chairman of the Michigan Groundwater Conservation Advisory Council, and was instrumental in the development of the original Rouge Assembly charter and Michigan's Watershed Alliance Act (PA 517) of 2005. He is the former chairman of the Rouge River Remedial Action Plan Advisory Council, and has served on the Rouge Watershed Alliance, the Blue Ribbon Commission for Lake St. Clair, and the Friends of the Rouge Board of Directors.

Heise is currently serving his first term as the State Representative for Michigan's 20th House District, where he serves as vice-chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, the House Education Committee, and Children, Families & Seniors Committee. He also serves as a member of the Michigan Law Revision Commission.

Heise holds a BA in Honors Political Science from the University of Michigan, a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School, and a Masters of Laws in Labor Law from Wayne State University Law School.