The CWP 2023 National Watershed & Stormwater Conference, Value of Water – Stormwater Harvesting & Reuse, Nutrient Trading and Funding, was held April 24-27, 2023, at the Westin in the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego, CA.
This annual conference provides a forum for sharing fresh ideas on watershed and stormwater management principles and practices. For four days, over 200 watershed professionals from federal, state, and local government agencies, consulting firms, universities, and non-profits from across the nation (and some international) gathered for technical presentations, case studies, panel discussions, and workshops. And as always, with CWP events, the conference was filled with fun activities designed to encourage networking and collaboration.
The Gaslamp Quarter’s Westin hotel ballroom and outdoor patio served as a great locale for seeing old friends, networking with new acquaintances, and sharing some excellent meals!
Here are some highlights from the conference!
On Monday, CWP presented two pre-conference workshops, including Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination hosted by Amanda Pollack of CWP, which engaged participants through performing IDDE investigation techniques in a Choose Your Own Adventure activity. The other workshop, The Lifecycle of a BMP, hosted by Carol Wong and Lea Spencer of CWP, and Ed Matthiesen of Stantec, educated participants in the life cycle of a stormwater Best Management Practice (BMP) through conceptual planning, design, construction, inspection, and maintenance.
On Tuesday, the conference began with opening remarks from CWP’s Executive Director, Hye Yeong Kwon, a gripping game of rock-paper-scissors, and a panel discussion which set the stage for an excellent conference. The panel answered questions about the current state of watersheds and stormwater, how their respective organizations are responding, what they expect to be the biggest issues for watersheds in the future, and what programs are available to help fund stormwater solutions.
Left: Adriélli Pagnoncelli, a graduate student from Morgan State University (pictured on the right) walked away with bragging rights for winning the conference-wide Rock-Paper-Scissors Tournament!
Right: This plenary panel featured some of the Conference’s Gold and Platinum Sponsors with a wide variety of backgrounds and expertise, (from left to right) Jason Coleman, Ecotone, LLC, Rob Woodman, Ferguson Waterworks, Chad Helmle, Craftwater Engineering, Inc., Vaikko Allen, Contech Engineering Solutions, Amanda Magee, California Waterboards, and Clare Billett, William Penn Foundation.
“There’s never enough funding to pull off what we need to do to make a positive impact on the world that we live in. One funding model for stormwater work is to find efficiencies. Such as, when a municipality is already going in to fix a water or sewer line, and they are already digging up the street, sidewalk, and land; what better time is there to also pop in some green infrastructure.” – Rob Woodman, Ferguson Waterworks
“In the Chesapeake Bay watershed there is a lot of discussion about changing rainfall patterns. The challenge for engineers is that we must look at what we are calling the “design storm.” Projecting IDF curves to look forward to 25-50 years from now, so that we’re designing practices that are sustainable, and can withstand larger volumes. But also, considering the present conditions and FEMA’s floodplain maps which impact community perception and decision making.” – Jason Coleman, Ecotone, LLC
The conference continued with over 70 technical presentations and workshops, slotted into sessions such as:
- Planning for Stormwater Harvesting, Reuse and Restoration
- Funding Stormwater and Enacting Stormwater Utility Fees
- Evaluating Green Infrastructure Performance and Design
- Restoring Communities, Streams and Wetlands
- Let’s Improve Our Community Engagement
- Pollutant Load Compliance
Click on the link if you’re interested viewing the technical presentations or workshops from the 2023 conference.
Presentations such as “Reframing Capital Costs of CWSRF-financed Green Infrastructure” presented by Stephanie Vo, Environmental Policy Innovation Center and Caroline Koch, WaterNow Alliance (left), “LA Story – Undoing a Century of Concrete with Stormwater Capture & Treatment” presented by Bruce Reznik and Ben Harris, Los Angeles Waterkeeper, and Amanda Zeidner, Council for Watershed Health (middle), and “Milwaukee’s Green Corridor – Creating Community Through Stormwater Innovation” presented by Eric Seidl, Envirolok (right) were well received by conference attendees.
But of course, fun was had by all during the various evening’s activities and field excursions exclusive to the conference attendees. On Tuesday night, Tom Miles and Chuck Hegberg from RES/USBI hosted a Biochar & Beer Happy Hour at a Rooftop Bar. A small group went out for a heated Power Yoga Class, while some folks explored San Diego’s Little Italy. After an afternoon of field trips on Wednesday (see photos below), CWP’s Marlyn Argueta, Carol Wong, and Chris Swann led a Brewery Tour through downtown San Diego, CWP’s Greg Hoffmann and Amanda Pollack led a group by Ferry to Coronado Island to explore shops and grab dinner, and a small group hung back at the hotel for a chill game night!
CWP’s Amanda Pollack and I led a group to explore San Diego’s Little Italy, and stopped for gelato at Salt & Straw, a popular spot for this year’s conference attendee’s!
On Wednesday afternoon, conference attendees explored the area through field excursions.
Conference attendees participated in a fully guided kayak tour through the Ecological Reserve and along the La Jolla Sea Caves—some of San Diego’s most famous attractions.
Thanks to our friends at Contech and Stormwater Innovative Solutions, conference attendees were able to tour the beautifully redesigned Rady Shell area—above and below ground. This outdoor concert venue, home of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, is also the home of a MWS Linear engineered biofiltration system installed to treat the areas stormwater runoff.
David Gibson of the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board led a group on a boat tour of the Tijuana River Valley to learn about the binational efforts to address the sources, conveyance, and treatment of transboundary pollution. The tour brought led to the U.S.-Mexico International Border at several locations including the flood control channel of the Tijuana River, Smuggler’s Gulch and Goat Canyon Collectors, U.S International Wastewater Treatment Plant, and the Pacific Ocean.
What our attendees had to say
94% of conference attendees said, “the information I received from this conference strengthened my skills and knowledge, or provided me with new tools.”
“Another amazing conference!”
“CWP continued to bring diversity in topics, solutions, and concerns.”
How the conference was made possible
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to this year’s industry sponsors who helped to make this conference a great success.
What’s ahead for 2024
Save the date! The 2024 National Watershed & Stormwater Conference will be held in Kansas City, Missouri on April 8-11, 2024. The 2024 Conference will be hosted at The InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza. We hope to see you there!
Lea Spencer
Lea joined the Center for Watershed Protection in 2021. As the Watershed and Stormwater Training Manager she is responsible for coordinating and expanding the training offered by the Center including our Clean Water Certificate Training Program. She has been developing team-building, leadership training, and hands-on environmental science curriculum since 2005 for K-12 students and adults. Lea has a B.S. in Environmental Chemistry, with an environmental studies minor from the Rochester Institute of Technology. She also spent a semester at the Center for Sustainable Development Studies in Costa Rica.
