September 2020 - Issue #88
Project Update: Application of Reach Level Assessments for Stream Restoration Targeting and TMDL Accounting in the City of Frederick
Over the last decade, stream restoration has become an increasingly popular strategy for achieving sediment and nutrient load reductions. In the Chesapeake Bay watershed alone, approximately 700 miles of stream restoration projects are expected to be implemented to achieve the nutrient and sediment load reductions defined by the Chesapeake Bay TMDL.
CWPA Member Project Spotlight: GBMc & Associates Poteau River in Arkansas
GBMc & Associates has been completing watershed assessment and management planning projects for over 20 years. We have worked on dozens of different watersheds and have completed numerous watershed management plans. In recent years, GBMc & Associates has been working with a small Arkansas town on a Watershed Management Plan (WMP) for the Poteau River. The watershed contains several key stakeholders interested in pursuing the improvement of some water quality issues of the Poteau River.  In Arkansas, these include a corporate partner from the watershed and local conservation agencies. To date, an abundance of data has been collected ranging from base and stormflow water quality monitoring and macroinvertebrate community analysis, to Unified Stream Assessments (USAs) and windshield surveys to identify potential non-point sources or problem areas in the Poteau River watershed and its tributaries.  

For this assessment, the focus was on baseflow and stormflow water quality in Poteau River and its key tributaries. We found that stormflow water quality samples provided the best information and direction as to which sub-watersheds/key tributaries were most affected by non-point sources and the baseflow data provided more information on the influence of point sources. Macroinvertebrates were collected throughout the watershed and as you can see from the figure Diptera (true flies), Coleoptera (water beetles) and Ephemeroptera (mayflys) made up the majority of the community which is generally expected in systems in this ecoregion that have significant influence from agricultural.

As progress continues on this endeavor, which is partially funded by a Section 319 grant, the hope is to have a draft watershed management plan (WMP) completed in 2022 that will meet water quality goals and be applicable and palatable to all stakeholders. For additional information on this project or for assistance with your own watershed project, give us a call at 501-847-7077 or visit our website at www.gbmcassoc.com.
CWP News
CWP Announcement: Pennsylvania Communities to Gain Stormwater Expert
September 3, 2020 Lancaster, PA – The Center for Watershed Protection, a national leader in stormwater management and watershed planning, has announced a new program director in Pennsylvania to get clean water projects in the ground. The Center has hired Ruth Ayn Hocker, a highly respected stormwater professional engineer with experience in all technical and policy aspects of stormwater management, to lead efforts in Pennsylvania.

Coastal & Island Specialty Conference Update
Over 50 abstracts have been selected by our committee, a couple more sponsors are on board and more and more attendees are registering by the day! Join us on a virtual island for the best content about the unique challenges these communities face. Don't miss this special event and register below or learn more:

CWP 2021 National Stormwater & Watershed Conference now accepting abstracts!
The Center for Watershed Protection, Inc. is now accepting abstracts from those interested in presenting at our 2021 National Watershed & Stormwater Conference. The Conference will take place Tuesday, April 13th – Friday, April 16th, 2021. The National Conference’s central theme is:

Applying Florida’s Water Issues & Solutions to Climatic Regions Nationwide

Call for Articles: Publish in the Watershed Science Bulletin!
The Center for Watershed Protection Association publishes the Watershed Science Bulletin, an online quarterly publication that is peer-reviewed and features practical, science-based solutions to water resource problems.
 
The Bulletin accepts article submissions on a rolling basis. With our online format, we offer a short review process of approximately 2-3 months from submission to publication.
 
The Bulletin publishes research results that help watershed and stormwater managers determine how to respond to regulatory requirements (e.g., TMDLs), design stormwater practices, and set up and fund water resource programs. We also publish literature reviews, case studies and discussion papers on these topics.

Bulletin articles are available only to Center for Watershed Protection Association members for the first year after publication. Bulletin issues from Sept 2019 and earlier are available on our website. Click here to access archived issues of the Bulletin
 
Upcoming Events
CWPA Member Virtual Lunch & Learn
October 7th, 2020, 1 PM EST
Grab a sandwich and join Stormsensor for a Lunch and Learn presentation on three case studies where real-time monitoring with high-resolution sensor networks



Webcast 6: Watershed Modeling
October 21st, 2020, 1:00 - 2:30 PM EST
Modeling is frequently used in watershed and stormwater planning to help build an understanding of a problem or calculate possible changes over time when monitoring is not an option. Modeling can also be used to compare courses of action to determine effective strategies for addressing a problem and the potential cost for each strategy. Non-point source modeling tools are an important tool in estimating compliance with TMDL allocations and developing an overall watershed plan to meet water quality. In this webcast, we will look at several tools for estimating pollutant loads, discuss the possible applications, and look at case studies to illustrate how a model was employed to achieve the desired goals.

Speakers: Khalid Alvi and John Riverson of Paradigm Environmental and also TJ Moon from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works


2020 CWP Virtual Coastal & Island Specialty Conference
November 16th - 17th, 2020
The Center for Watershed Protection’s Coastal & Island Specialty Conference will focus on the unique challenges of these communities including the importance of climate resiliency. An opportunity to hear about the broad spectrum of topics and to take a deeper dive into the issues, this conference will focus on connecting those that live and work in areas surrounded by water, information sharing on the most applicable topics of concern, and hearing about case studies as a way to share experiences and best practices. 

Webcast 7: Watershed Based Planning Techniques

November 18th, 2020, 1:00 - 2:30 PM EST
A watershed-based planning approach is effective in tying together multiple community objectives—including managing stormwater, improving water quality, protecting high quality natural resources, and providing for public recreation. A comprehensive watershed plan allows communities to identify watershed restoration priorities, highlight flood mitigation, and identify stormwater retrofit projects to meet regulatory goals such as TMDLs, and achieve compliance with federal and state permits. Techniques such as Better Site Design (BSD) and Environmental Site Design (ESD), conservation easements, land-use designations and zoning, and other programs can play a role in creating management plans at the watershed scale. In this webcast, we will look at techniques and learn from some case studies how watershed level planning has benefited a community in meeting their restoration objectives

Speakers: James Wickham from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Greg Phillips of GBMc Associates.


2021 National Watershed and Stormwater Conference
April 13th - 15th, 2021
Join us in St. Pete, Florida
Learning Links
Thank you to our newest CWPA members!

Prince Georges County, Watershed Consulting, City of Durham, Carroll County, City of Wichita, Micheal M., Nancy H., Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, Joseph C., Green Infrastructure Center, Charles County, City of Tumwater, John S., Daisy W., William W.

Connect with all of them and over 800 members in our community
The Center for Watershed Protection | www.cwp.org