Mar 25
Penn Theatre Plymouth, MI
TicketsJacob Napieralski, Ph.D.
Professor of Geology, University of Michigan-Dearborn; Director, Environmental Interpretive Center
andMarie Garcia, Ph.D.
Post-doctoral Fellow at Wayne State University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
andNancy Darga
Landscape Architect
Lost Rivers— Uncovering the mystery of our hidden waterways
Program Description
In honor of World Water Day, Dr. Jacob Napieralski, Ph.D., Dr. Marie Garcia, Ph.D., and Landscape Architect Nancy Darga lead a discussion and Q&A session about the importance of preserving our waterways and bringing awareness to the “lost rivers” that exist in our community.
Screening with the short film Freshwater (2022) by Dream Hampton.
This event is part of our 2025 National Evening of Science on Screen.
Film Synopsis
As climate changes forces us to reconsider the relationship between the built environment and our natural resources, LOST RIVERS brings to life an aspect of urban ecology that has long been kept secret.
Nearly every major city was built near the convergence of many rivers. As cities grew with the Industrial Revolution, these rivers became conduits for disease and pollution. The 19th-century solution was to bury them underground and merge them with the sewer systems. These rivers still run through today's metropolises, but they do so out of sight.
LOST RIVERS examines hidden waterways in cities around the world and introduces us to people dedicated to exploring and exposing them. In Montreal, urban explorer Danielle Plamondon and photographer Andrew Emond follow the stony underground tunnels that contain the Riviere Saint-Pierre. In Bresica, Italy, a group of urban explorers conduct popular, officially-sanctioned tours through the city's network of medieval rivers.
More and more municipal governments are recognizing the wisdom of these explorers and making their once-buried waterways more accessible. Drawing inspiration from Seoul, whose Cheonggyecheon River was opened to the public in the early 2000s after 40 years of being hidden beneath a highway, Yonkers, New York has committed itself to "daylighting" its Saw Mill River, which has been buried under the city's downtown for the past 90 years. In London and Toronto, planners are rethinking the way they manage their rivers for environmental reasons, responding to structural problems that have to increasingly frequent flooding and sewer overflows.
Photo credit: Icarus Films
About the Speaker
Dr. Jacob Napieralski is a professor of geology at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and is currently the Director of their Environmental Interpretive Center (EIC). His research expertise focuses on water in urban landscapes. He has spent the last decade mapping the extent of ghost waterways and connecting that history to modern-day flood risk. Dr. Napieralski works research into action by collaborating with residents and water authorities to prepare communities for impending changes in climate, urban sprawl, and water management practices.
Dr. Marie Garcia, Ph.D. Dr. Marie Garcia is a post-doctoral fellow at Wayne State University in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She is coordinating the effort to create a watershed management plan for uncovered areas in and around the city of Detroit, Michigan. Originally from Corpus Christi, Texas, Marie earned a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology and a Masters of Marine Resources Management from Texas A&M University at Galveston. She earned her Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in Water Management and Hydrological Science, focusing her research on multidisciplinary water issues such as: water conservation, climate change, water planning, and financing state water projects. Her passion for water stems from her coastal upbringing and love for marine animals. In her career, Marie hopes to educate individuals and communities about water issues and how they can make a difference. Communicating with everyday people in understandable terms without the use of technical jargon is something Marie strives for because ‘if people don’t understand what it is we’re asking them to do or why, then they’re not going to do it.’ Effective communication and community engagement are some of the cornerstones of Marie’s work leading a diverse group of resident watershed planners in creating the first ever Detroit River Watershed Management Plan. In addition to working with residents, Marie presides over the steering committee as well as technical team facilitating productive conversations about components of the watershed management plan.
Nancy Darga is the Chair Northville River Restoration Task Force, a founding member of Friends of the Rouge, former Chief of Design for Wayne County Parks and board member of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a focus in Landscape Architecture from Michigan State University and is a dedicated advocate for both river restoration and cultural art integration in local communities.