Pre-conference Workshop:Stormwater 101 & Ask the Experts
This pre-conference workshop will explore the basic principles of stormwater design and project implementation. We will discuss the impacts of urbanization including an understanding of the hydrologic, physical, water quality, and biologic impacts of urbanization on watersheds. Attendees will learn the 8 tools for watershed protection, and the 22 principles for site design that act to reduce impervious cover, conserve open space, prevent stormwater pollution, and reduce the overall cost of development. The workshop includes a discussion of options to fund stormwater projects as well as operation and maintenance. Finally, the workshop will include an Ask the Expert panel with CWP staff. Bring your interesting questions or topics to share with the group.
Cost: $149.00
CWP Presenters:
Greg Hoffmann, P.E., Director of Stormwater Services
Beth Uhler, CWP’s Pennsylvania Director
Amanda Pollack, P.E., Senior Water Resources Engineer
Watershed Restoration through Biochar: Enhancing Climate Resilience and Adaptation
In the discourse surrounding climate change, much attention is rightfully devoted to mitigating atmospheric carbon levels and the associated policy, costs, and technologies. However, this singular atmospheric focus is akin to viewing the challenge with only one eye. It overlooks a crucial aspect of climate change: the terrestrial water cycle and precipitation recycling, which arguably hold greater significance. For those engaged in watershed management, adopting this perspective offers immediate benefits in restoring and fortifying our watersheds against future challenges.
Enter biochar—a carbon-rich material akin to charcoal, produced through the pyrolysis of organic waste matter in an oxygen-deprived environment. Recognized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as one of three negative emission technologies, biochar offers promising potential for long-term carbon capture and storage. From our perspective it offers an even greater targeted opportunities in the restoration of our watersheds.
Since its rediscovery in the Amazon basin Terra Preta soils in the early 2000s, the scientific community has extensively researched biochar, with over 30,000 international, peer-reviewed articles published, 85% of which have emerged in the last five years alone. Despite this burgeoning body of research and production, biochar’s widespread understanding and adoption among watershed practitioners have lagged, resulting in missed opportunities to address multiple challenges with a singular solution.
This workshop aims to bridge this gap in natural carbon solutions by providing participants with a comprehensive understanding of biochar—its origins, diverse feedstocks, production methods, potential applications, and its pivotal role in enhancing climate resilience and adaptation within watershed restoration efforts. Through interactive sessions and practical project examples, participants will gain insights into the transformative potential of biochar in addressing critical environmental challenges and fostering sustainable watershed management practices.
Cost: $149.00
Instructors:
Carol Wong, P.E., Center for Watershed Protection
Chuck Hegberg, Sr. Project Consultant, RES, LLC
Bookings
Bookings are closed for this event.