A Brief History of the Water Resources Conference

The current Minnesota Water Resources Conference was created from the merger in 2005 of two separate water conferences—the Annual Water Resources Conference and the Minnesota Water Conference.

The annual Minnesota Water Resources Conference dates to 1968, when a seminar on flood plain management was held at the University of Minnesota. A similar seminar was held in each of the following years on various water resource topics. These annual one-day events assumed the Annual Water Resources Conference title starting in 1984 and continued under that name through 2004. Sponsorship varied, but most commonly included the Minnesota Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the University of Minnesota Water Resources Center, and the University of Minnesota College of Continuing Education (now CCAPS). One-day pre- or post-conference workshop was also frequently held.

Minnesota Water was held nine times on a biennial basis, in the spring of even-numbered years, from 1988 to 2004. Sponsors varied over time, but the event was always led by the University of Minnesota Water Resources Center. Minnesota Water was meant to reach a somewhat broader audience than the Annual Water Resources Conference and usually included nationally known speakers.

In 2005, the two conferences were combined and renamed Minnesota Water 2005 and Annual Water Resources Joint Conference. Beginning in 2007, the conference title was shortened to the Minnesota Water Resources Conference. In 2005–2006, the conference was held at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center; starting in 2008, the conference moved to its current location at the Saint Paul RiverCentre. All conferences since 2005 have been two-day events held in mid- to late-October. Registration has grown steadily, exceeding 800 participants in 2018. Exhibitors have been invited to the conference since 2014, adding 25–32 participants each year.

Story Collection

Thanks to the efforts of many in the water resources community, we have been able to assemble a complete historical collection of conference brochures from the separate conferences as well as the current Minnesota Water Resources Conference. Like any other scientific collection, there are insights to be gleaned from these brochures. How have critical water issues changed over time? How have policies and approaches changed? Has the slate of presenters become more diverse and equitable? It is our hope that the brochure collection will allow present and future water professionals to browse for insights into Minnesota’s evolving water issues and solutions.

Past Programs

2022 Professional Development Hours Credit Statement

Program PDF

2023 Presentations

Listed below in alphabetical order. Only presentations with permission to post have been listed here.

Book of Abstracts

Program PDF

2022 Presentations

Listed below in order of Session ID. Only presentations with permission to post have been listed here.

2021 Program

2021 Book of Abstracts

2021 Presentations

Listed below in order of Session ID. Only presentations with permission to post have been listed here.

2020 Program

2020 Presentations

Listed below in alphabetical order. Only presentations with permission to post have been listed here.

2019 Keynotes

Listed below in the order in which they were presented.

Video Welcome from Congresswoman Betty McCollum

Peter Annin: Great Lakes Water Tension in the 21st Century

Don Wyse and Nick Jordan: Forever Green Initiative - Establishing Living Cover Across the Agricultural Landscape to Protect Soil and Water

Kirsti Marohn: Telling Stories About Water

2019 Presentations

Listed below in alphabetical order. Only presentations with permission to post have been listed here.

2018 Keynotes

Listed below in the order in which they were presented. 

Ray Archuleta: Healing the Land: One Heart and Mind at a Time

Earl Greene: Water Science Direction and Perspectives of the Water Resources Research Act Program and Water Mission Area, US Geological Survey

Amit Pradhananga, Paul Nelson, Kimberly Musser: Achieving Clean Water Through Relationship Building: A Social Scientist’s Water Restoration and Protection Strategy

Rosalyn LaPier: Traditional Ecological Knowledge

2018 Presentations

Listed below in alphabetical order. Only presentations with permission to post have been listed here.

  • 1D/2D Urban Flood Modeling with XP-SWMM and PCSWMM
  • A Minnesota Resident Survey of Water Values
  • A New Look at a Timeworn Problem: Southwest Harriet Feasibility Study
  • A Watershed’s Role in AIS: From Committee Concepts to Rapid Response
  • Advancing Safe and Sustainable Water Reuse in Minnesota
  • Bacterial Source Tracking in the Lambert Creek Watershed: An Integrated Approach to Identifying and Reducing Bacterial Loads to Meet Regulatory Requirements
  • Cedar River Watershed—Multiple Scales for Cooperative Management
  • Design and Deployment of Design and Deployment of Automated (Pump-Controlled) Iron Enhanced Sand Filter Systems in the Rice Creek Watershed
  • Educating for Positive Behavior Change
  • Funneling Seven Stakeholders through One Pipe: CSAH 10 Stormwater Management
  • Grassy and Woody Riparian Shade Analysis and Implications for Restoring Biotic Health in an Urbanizing Coldwater Stream
  • Improving Water Quality, Flood Storage, and Habitat Diversity in New Brighton’s Hansen Park
  • Interactive Water Resources Programs for Planetariums in Minnesota
  • Minnesota's Runoff Risk Advisory Forecast
  • Modeling Mississippi River Dredging Strategies after the Lock Closure at Upper St. Anthony Falls
  • National MS4 Stormwater Permitting Program Assessments
  • Evaluating the Net Present Value of LID Retrofits in Edmonton
  • Overview of Improved Countermeasures in Minnesota
  • Pesticide Monitoring in Minnesota Lakes
  • Proliferating Blue-Green Algae in Minnesota Lakes
  • Reconnecting Fish Habitat on the Sand Hill River
  • Regional Progress in Water Quality - A Trend Analysis for Three Major Rivers in the Twin Cities Metro Area
  • Restoring the Little Plover River in Wisconsin-A Collaboration to Manage a Trout Stream in an Agricultural Landscape
  • Rice Creek Commons Green Infrastructure Public-Private Partnership
  • Sand Point Beach Park Pond Improvements
  • Sediment and Gross Solids Removal by Pretreatment Practices for Bioretention
  • St. Anthony Regional Stormwater Treatment and Research Facility: Monitoring and Operations and Maintenance Overview
  • Evaluating Effects of Crop Cover Applications and Perennial Cropland Conversion on Shakopee Creek Watershed Using a Physically Based Distributive Model
  • Urban Drainage Pollution Loading Modeling and Results
  • Using the Watershed Pollutant Load Monitoring Network Data Viewer to Determine Pollutant Sources and Source Contributions from Select Watersheds throughout Minnesota Sources
  • Utility of MGWA White Papers
  • Cities + Citizens/Water Management = Strategies for Working Together
  • When Urban Stormwater Ponds Release Phosphorus
  • White Bear Lake Court Case
  • Localized Flood Map Tool for Climate Vulnerability Screening

2017 Abstract

2017 Keynotes

Amy Skoczlas: Communicating Science for Action

Greg Page: Water Quality and Agriculture

Mike Sadowsky: Water Quality and Microorganisms: Protecting Recreation and Public Health

Nancy Schuldt: Tribal Water Resources Issues

2017 Presentations

Available presentations from the 2017 Minnesota Water Resource are provided below. Presentations are grouped by the session in which they were presented.

The 2016 Minnesota Water Resources Conference garnered local media attention, the year Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton proclaimed October 19−26 Water Resources Professional Week. View the local media coverage and proclamation:

Media and Proclamation

2016 Conference Presentations

Plenary and Luncheon Sessions

Tuesday:

Wednesday: