Water quality top priority in Apopka for UF/IFAS Agent

Yilin Zhuang is a Regional Special Agent (RSA) working with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension that covers multiple counties and specializes in specific program areas. Zhuang’s specialty is water, specifically, integrated water resources management. Her coverage area includes Orlando and 11 central Florida counties, and Apopka is included in her region.

“Water is a foundation of life but so many places and people do not have access to clean water,” she said. “My passion to help people understand the importance of water quality and quantity and make water safe and readily available to everyone. It is why I pursued this career.”

Previously, Zhuang was the Community Resource Efficiency agent for UF/IFAS Extension Marion County where she focused on public outreach of well water quality and septic system management.

Zhuang holds a doctorate in civil engineering, where she studied the water-energy nexus, the relationship between how much water is used to generate and transmit energy and how much energy it takes to collect, clean, move, store and dispose of water.