From April 29th to May 2nd, the Center for Watershed Protection, Inc. hosted its fourth annual National Watershed & Stormwater Conference in Charleston, South Carolina. Each year, this conference provides a forum for sharing fresh ideas on watershed and stormwater management principles and practices. This year, in keeping with the concerns of Charleston, we underscored the importance of coastal resiliency. Here is a download of some of the highlights of the conference!
Who was there
Over 250 attendees from 30 different states joined us in Charleston this year. Attendees were affiliated with a variety of organizations: federal, state, and local government agencies, consulting firms, universities, and non-profits—just to name a few. This was the first year that the National Watershed & Stormwater Conference was held outside of Maryland (the Center’s home-base state), and it was also the first year that the interface was exclusively face-to-face (we’re saving the screen-sharing for our webcasts and Lunch & Learns!).
The Conference was hosted at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina. This city is among the East Coast’s most vulnerable metropolitan areas in the face of rising sea levels and a changing climate. Charleston is flanked by the Atlantic Ocean, peppered with freshwater lakes and ponds, and lined with rivers and tidal creeks. With all of those water resources—and the management and protection they require—this coastal stronghold was the perfect place for the Center’s 2019 National Watershed & Stormwater Conference.
What we learned
The 2019 National Watershed & Stormwater Conference was centered on a core of high-quality, interdisciplinary presentations and workshops with supplemental “add-on” field trips and activities that highlighted the water resources and management practices throughout Charleston.
The presentations and workshops were slotted into the following primary tracks:
- Stream & Watershed Health
- Green Infrastructure
- BMPs, Monitoring, & Modeling
- Climate Change & Community Resilience
- Tools for Program Implementation
- Watershed Management & Regulatory Frameworks
Closing Plenary Speech
If you’re interested previewing the technical content presented at the 2019 Conference, pdf copies of the presentations are available on the Center’s 2019 Conference Presentations webpage.
In addition to the nearly 100 presentations and workshops, the 2019 Conference also featured the following “add-on” activities:
| Field Trips | Extra Networking Activities |
| Kayak Shem Creek
While kayaking Shem Creek, participants explored this historic shrimping village and the unparalleled wildlife within it. Feeding into the protected edge of the Charleston Harbor, Shem Creek is the perfect waterway to travel for a full view of some of Charleston’s most prized wildlife and views. |
Dinner & Drinks
Center staff were joined by Conference attendees in an evening trip to the Stars Rooftop Bar & Grill for appetizers and drinks after a long day of presentations |
| Mitigating Flood Risks Walking Tour
This tour was led by engineers from the City of Charleston Market Street Drainage Improvements and Streetscapes project. Participants visited sites where stormwater collection improvements, deep tunnels, and pump stations have been constructed while discussing the City’s various infrastructure projects. |
Yoga Class
Center staff and attendees walked from the venue to Mission Yoga for a beginner-level vinyasa class. APEX Companies was kind enough to sponsor this bonus activity! |
| Stormwater Pond Tour
This tour was led by the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium and Clemson Extension. Participants visited three ponds that represent those common to the area. The tour highlighted the latest research from the Stormwater Ponds Research Management Collaborative, focusing on pond functionality and best practices for management and maintenance. |
Game Night
Center staff (including our Executive Director, Hye Yeong Kwon) and attendees unwound after a long day with Cards Against Humanity and other party games—not to mention pizza, wine, and chocolate cake! |
| Historic Walking Tour
This walking tour, hosted by Ashley on the Cooper, highlighted the history of Charleston and some of the stories that led to its formation. Participants not only saw mansions, gardens, and historic side streets, but they also visited historical sites of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. |
Morning Power Walk
Center staff and attendees started off the last day of the Conference with a power walk around the area to soak in the sunrise on the waterfront |
(Historic Walking Tour Field Trip)
What our attendees had to say
Plenary/Keynote Presentations:
- “Keynote speaker’s presentation was very informative and important for contemporary and emerging water quality and related issues.”
- “The closing plenary session, while sobering, provided an in-depth look at a problem that I was only vaguely aware of. It was very effective and informative.”
Networking and Sponsorship Opportunities:
- “Interacting with other professional groups allowed me to better understand concerns or views from a different perspective.”
- “This conference had a great balance of educational content, networking opportunities, type of sponsors, social events, and size.”
- “The people representing the CWP who attended the conference did a great job in demonstrating the importance of their sponsors and making them feel welcome and providing opportunities to make the sponsorship worthwhile. Thank you!”
Presentations/Technical Content:
- “I think you did a really great job of introducing heavily engineered topics and broader scaled landscape architecture comments. I think this is a great way to increase attendees and market to multiple professionals. Austin has several LA firms and I look forward to the increased diversity in your conferences. Nice job in pushing the boundaries!”
- “I gained a lot of knowledge about stormwater management, but also lots of good examples of how to present data and maps in an audience friendly format.”
How the conference was made possible
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the 34 industry sponsors who helped make this year’s Conference such a tremendous success.
- Patron: Ecotone
- Platinum: KCI
- Gold: McCormick Taylor, Bio Clean, a Forterra Company, APEX Companies, The Water Research Foundation, Rainwater Management Solutions
- Silver: STV, Chesapeake Bay Trust, Ecosystem Planning & Restoration, Stalite Environmental, South Carolina Sea Grant, Xylem, Blocksom & Company, Arcadis, Old Castle Engineering, Mountain Pine Manufacturing, Jacobs Engineering
- Bronze: Hatcher, Anderson, Davis & Associates, Day Deadrick Marshall Insurance, NPDES Training Institute, Redfin, Ecosystem Services, Prescott HR Consulting, Journal of South Carolina Water Resources, Ducks Unlimited, Luck Ecosystems, RK&K, CBI Systems, AbTech Industries Inc., PaverGuide, Carlisle Construction Materials, Ernst Seeds
What’s ahead for 2020
Mark your calendars and pack your bags, because the 2020 National Watershed & Stormwater Conference will be held in Austin, Texas! The 2020 Conference will be hosted at the Renaissance Austin Hotel from April 14th to 17th, 2020—so save the date! Since the interface was such a success for the 2019 Conference, the 2020 Conference in Austin will also be in-person-only presentations with “add-on” field trips/activities, so we look forward to seeing you there!
Jordan Fox
Jordan started as an intern for the Center while completing her double major in Biology and Environmental Science and minor in Chemistry at Washington College in Chestertown, MD. In her post-graduation, full-time role, she provides project assistance with research, field assessment and monitoring, data entry and management, and GIS. Her extensive experience with field work, data analysis, and technical writing make her well-suited to help the Center with monitoring and other watershed and stormwater projects.
