- Concurrent Session I: 10:00–11:30 a.m.
- Concurrent Session II: 1:15–2:45 p.m.
- Concurrent Session III: 3:15–4:45 p.m.
8:00–9:30 – Welcome and Morning Plenary
Minnesota’s Drinking Water Sustainability, Threats, and the Future
Speakers: Tannie Eshenaur, Minnesota Department of Health; A. Marcelle Lewandowski, Water Resources Center
Panelists: Jeff Broberg, founder and board member, Minnesota Well Owners Organization; Jon Eaton, Utility Superintendent, City of Eagan, currently treasurer for the Executive Committee of the national board of directors of the American Water Works Association; Caitlin Meyer, Water Resources Coordinator, Olmsted Soil and Water Conservation District; Lori Blair, Executive Director, Minnesota Rural Water Association
This presentation and panel discussion will examine where Minnesotans get their drinking water, critical issues we are facing today and in the future, and how to transform the drinking water system with innovation and technology.
9:30–10:00 – Poster and Vendor Refreshment Break
Track A
Stormwater Management Tools and Techniques
10:00–10:20 – 1112: West Riverside Energy Center: How Nature-Based Solutions Supported Envision Platinum Verification
10:20–10:40 – 1087: Introducing a Tool for Assessing Phosphorus Retention in Stormwater Ponds
10:40–11:00 – 1105: Patterns in Stormwater Pond Sediment Chemistry in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area
11:00–11:20 – 1104: Litter from Urban Street Trees Is a Significant Portion of N and P Loads to Stormwater Throughout the Year
11:20–11:30 – Q&A
Track B
Agricultural Water Management
10:00–10:20 – 1007: Examining Chloride in an Agricultural Watershed Using a Mass Balance and Simple Hydrologic Model
10:20–10:40 – 1008: Agricultural Drainage Projects: Why They Happen and Solutions That Protect Water Downstream
10:40–11:00 – 1001: Does Soil Health Management Influence Water Infiltration
11:00–11:20 – 1003: Assessing the Effects of Agricultural Management Systems on Soil Architecture and Soil Moisture in Southern Minnesota
11:20–11:30 – Q&A
Track C
Assessing Contaminants in Minnesota Surface Waters
10:00–10:20 – 1005: Evaluation of Neonicotinoids in Minnesota Surface Water
10:20–10:40 – 1014: The Minneapolis Pathogen Toolbox
10:40–11:00 – 1093: Piloting an Enhanced E. Coli Source Assessment on Five Impaired Lake Superior Beaches
11:00–10:10 – 1039: Antibiotics in Minnesota Surface Water: Results from Ten Years of Monitoring
11:20–11:30 – Q&A
Track D
Tools and Planning for a Changing Climate
10:00–10:20 – 1023: Climate-Ready Stormwater Ponds in Hennepin County: A Proactive Future Conditions Study
10:20–10:40 – 1004: Potential Hydrologic Impacts from Trends in Intense Rainfall and Antecedent Moisture in Minnesota Watersheds Since 1950
10:40–11:00 – 1083: Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Satellite and Minnesota Applications
11:00–11:20 – 1035: Rice Creek Climate Change Floodplain Resiliency
11:20–11:30 – Q&A
Track E
Special Session
10:00–11:30 – The Changing Mindset of Work: How Values and Opportunities Shape a Digital-Ready Workforce
Tracy Fallon, Jeffrey Stamp, University of Minnesota
Does this digital-ready workforce have the skills needed to meet the industry's needs? Are there ways that industry needs to accommodate a digital transformation? A panel will discuss results from surveys sent this summer to hiring managers, students, and recent graduates on the changing face of our work and the workforce. The breakout session will center on how we define our values and opportunities to benefit that workforce and our customers.
11:30–12:15 – Lunch
12:15–1:00 – Luncheon Session; Awards Ceremony and Poster Session
Track A
BMPs for Stormwater Quantity and Quality
1:15–1:35 – 1088: RWMWD Targeted Retrofit Program
1:35–1:55 – 1068: Biochar as a Stormwater Filter Media Amendment: What's the Verdict?
1:55–2:15 – 1051: Standardizing Back-up Connections for Stormwater Reuse Irrigation to Lower Risk
2:15–2:35 – 1111: Stormwater Treatment with a Manufacturing Byproduct
2:35–2:45 – Q&A
Track B
Water and Agriculture: Cover Crops and Decision Support Tools
1:15–1:35 – 1010: Assessing the Environmental and Economic Impacts of Continuous Living Cover (CLC) Crops Over Time
1:35–1:55 – 1006: Advancing Cover Crop Adoption – Advice from the Field
2:35–2:45 – Q&A
Track C
Tools and Policies for Contaminants of Emerging Concern
1:15–1:35 – 1042: St. Louis River Watershed Mercury Total Maximum Daily Load Analysis
1:35–1:55 – 1038: Statewide PFAS Testing Initiative at the Minnesota Department of Health
1:55–2:15 – 1109: Introducing the Low Salt, No Salt Minnesota Program
2:15–2:35 – 1040: Hold the Salt: A GIS Tool to Help Winter Maintenance Salt Reduction
2:35–2:45 – Q&A
Track D
Flood Resiliency Planning and Implementation
1:15–1:35 – 1030: Davenport’s Flood Resiliency Plan
1:55–2:15 – 1081: Morningside Flood Infrastructure Project – Diving Into a New Era of Stormwater Management Projects
2:15–2:35 – 1031: Strategies for Managing a Stormwater Utility
2:35–2:45 – Q&A
Track E
Special Session
1:15–2:45 – Engaging Communities and Changing Systems Around Drinking Water Through Art
Panelists: Stephanie Hatzenbihler, Source Water Protection Collaborative and Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District; Alycia Overbo, Source Water Protection Collaborative and Minnesota Department of Health; Anna Claussen, Source Water Protection Collaborative and Voices for Rural Resilience; Alexander Keilty, Source Water Protection Collaborative and Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance
The Source Water Protection Collaborative is implementing a pilot project in Little Falls, using art to create new forms of community engagement around drinking water protection. In this session, Collaborative members and Little Falls residents will discuss the pilot project’s development, status, evaluation, and how it is shaping and changing perspectives in the community and the Collaborative. They will also explore other ways artists and artists-in-residence have conducted community engagement around water.
2:45–3:15 – Poster and Vendor Refreshment Break
Track A
Green Infrastructure and Stormwater Design, Inspection, Implementation, and Mapping
3:15–3:35 – 1113: Permanent BMP Maintenance: Implementing Inspections for BMP Success
3:35–3:55 – 1106: Development of a Non-City Owned Stormwater Infrastructure Assets Inventory and Inspection Program
3:55–4:15 – 1054: Benefits of a Residential Stormwater Management Grant Program
4:15–4:35 – 1053: Plants for Stormwater Design, Interactive Selection Tool for Stormwater Professionals and the Public
4:35–4:45 – Q&A
Track B
Watershed Planning and Management
3:35–3:55 – 1026: Priority Lakes: Meeting Protection Goals and Multiplying Benefits
4:15–4:35 – 1116: Total Maximum Daily Load Studies in Minnesota
4:35–4:45 – Q&A
Track C
Causes and Solutions for Harmful Algal Blooms
3:55–4:15 – 1061: Water Quality Drivers of Harmful Algal Blooms in Cedar Lake and Lake Nokomis
4:15–4:35 – 1069: Translating Successful Reservoir Restoration Methods to Lakes in Minnesota
4:35–4:45 – Q&A
Track D
Reducing and Prioritizing Flood Risk
3:15–3:35 – 1059: Storing Water in the Lake: Flood-Risk Reduction on the Phalen Chain of Lakes
4:15–4:35 – 1032: Designing GSI to Adapt with a Changing Climate
4:35–4:45 – Q&A
Track E
Special Session
3:15–4:45 – Wetland Workshop (presented by Minnesota Wetland Professionals Association)
Jennie Skancke, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; Amy Kendig, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; Kenneth Powell, Minnesota Board of Water & Soil Resources; Rebecca Beduhn, Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc.; Thomas Wenzel, Board of Water and Soil Resources; Tim Smith, Aquic, LLC
The Minnesota Wetland Professionals Association (WPA) is hosting a wetland-focused special session. The WPA will chair a panel discussion on the status of wetland mitigation in Minnesota with technical experts to share the challenges and opportunities for wetland mitigation projects in the state. The Board of Water and Soil Resources will present an update on the wetland functional assessment tool and share about the tool development that is being developed with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The presentation will focus on the tool’s functional metrics and regulatory uses. The MN DNR will present their research on wetland hydrology monitoring across the state. Long-term monitoring is ongoing and will allow us to characterize wetland water levels across years and weather conditions.