Augustana to host ‘Moved by Waters’ screening, panel discussion

Augustana College will host a free screening on April 4 of “Moved by Waters,” a documentary focused on the network of people and organizations in Iowa and Illinois working toward improved water quality. 

The screening and following panel discussion are sponsored by Augustana’s Upper Mississippi Center. The public event will be held at 7 p.m. in the Olin Auditorium, 820 38th St., Rock Island. Parking is available in Lot H off of 7th Avenue.

Created by Emmy award-winning filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, “Moved by Waters” depicts collaborative projects involving organizations and diverse groups of students, teachers, artists, farmers and volunteers of all ages working toward improving the quality of water in the Quad-Cities region and the Upper Mississippi Watershed. 

According to Fourth Wall Films, the film was made possibly by a grant from Roger Ross Gipple. The independent media production company formerly located in Los Angeles is now based in Moline, Ill.

“The ‘Moved by Waters’ story is the opposite of the national narrative,” director-writer Kelly Rundle said on the Fourth Wall Films’ website. “The national narrative tells us that Americans are too divided politically to work together on anything. The people we met and talked to while making this film showed us the opposite.”

The panel discussion will feature:
Steve Gustafson, representing Partners of Scott County Watersheds
Dr. Brittany McCall, Augustana professor of biology who specializes in studying fish in freshwater systems
Amy Kay, City of Davenport clean water manager

Dr. Michael Reisner, director of Augustana’s Upper Mississippi Center, said Augustana is proud to gather the community to learn from this film and engage in this important environmental discussion.

“This film is important because it shows the importance of engaging a diverse array of stakeholders, many with different values and sometimes even conflicting interests,” he said. “It is the only way to make real progress on conserving and restoring the watersheds of the Midwest.”

Founded in 2013, the Upper Mississippi Center mobilizes Augustana’s faculty and students to help communities solve social, economic and environmental challenges. Recent projects have included the water line inventory project assisting the City of Rock Island’s response to the state’s Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act; and the multi-year Sustainable Urban Watersheds research project.