Announcements 2026.2.11

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Walker, Jane

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Feb 11, 2026, 10:43:51 AMFeb 11
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1.) Virginia Rural Water Association (VRWA) Classes and Webinars – Various Dates, Starting: February 18, 2026
2.) Webinar: From Wasteland to Wonder -- February 18, 2026
3.) Webinar: Mapping Bankfull Geometry with BankfullMapper (MATLAB Toolbox) -- February 24, 2026
4.) USEPA Water Sector Threat Briefing -- February 26, 2026
5.) Public Comments Accepted: Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (VPDES) General Permit Regulation
   ++ For Discharges From Groundwater Remediation of Contaminated Sites, Dewatering Activities of Contaminated Sites, and Hydrostatic Tests (9 VAC 25-120) – Comments Due: March 11, 2026
   ++ For Vehicle Wash Facilities and Laundry Facilities (9 VAC 25-194) – Comments Due: March 11, 2026
6.) USEPA National HAB Program CyanoSymposium -- March 16, 18, 23, and 25, 2026
7.) Virginia Green Travel Conference and Awards Ceremony -- March 19-20, 2026
8.) Request for Proposals: Stream and Wetland Mitigation Design-Build Services for the Virginia Stream and Wetland Mitigation Program -- Submission Deadline: March 27, 2026
9.) WEF Operator Scholarship -- Application Deadline: March 31, 2026
10.) Resilient River Star Schools Program -- Application Deadline: May 8, 2026
11.) DEQ News – https://www.deq.virginia.gov/news-info/newsroom
12.) Website: WaterOperator.org -- https://wateroperator.org/
13.) Water Center Jobs Board – https://www.vwrrc.vt.edu/jobs/ 
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See recent announcements and learn more about the Virginia Water Monitoring Council (VWMC) at www.VirginiaWMC.org. Feel free to forward these announcements. When forwarding, please acknowledge the VWMC. If you have a water-related announcement of regional or statewide interest, send it to vw...@vt.edu and ask that it be distributed to the VWMC membership. If someone forwarded this message to you, you can join the VWMC for free by sending your name, water-monitoring affiliation (if applicable), and contact information (email address, mailing address, and phone number) to vw...@vt.edu.  Thank you to Julia Porter, VWMC intern, for developing and organizing this week’s set of VWMC announcements.
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1.) Virginia Rural Water Association (VRWA) Classes and Webinars – Learn more about these opportunities and others at https://www.vrwa.org/TrainingEvents/Classes.aspx.
   ++ Wastewater Operations: Certification Practice for Class 3&4 -- February 18 and 19, 2026 -- St. Paul, VA
   ++ Empowered Communicator: Mastering Language Skills (Online) -- Rescheduled: February 23, 2026 – Virtual
   ++ PFAS Drinking Water EnviroWorkshop -- February 24, 2026 -- Leesburg, VA
   ++ Wastewater Operations: Certification Practice for Class 3&4 -- February 25 and 26, 2026 -- Buena Vista, VA
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2.) Webinar: From Wasteland to Wonder -- February 18, 2026 (7pm) -- This webinar will feature Basil Camu to show how working with natural systems can heal land, reduce maintenance, and build healthier, more resilient landscapes. For more information and to register, see https://wildones.org/from-wasteland-to-wonder/. Organized by Wild Ones.
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3.) Webinar: Mapping Bankfull Geometry with BankfullMapper (MATLAB Toolbox) -- February 24, 2026 (8-9am) -- During the webinar, attendees will explore a semi-automated workflow to identify bankfull elevations, evaluate peak-detection methods, estimate discharge using Manning’s equation, and generate spatial visualizations. For more information and to register, see https://www.mathworks.com/company/events/search.html?s_tid=gn_ev_uw&q=&page=1 (search “bankfull”). Organized by MathWorks.
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4.) USEPA Water Sector Threat Briefing -- February 26, 2026 (2pm) -- This free briefing will provide an overview of drinking water and wastewater security threats and preparedness, including potential threats to critical infrastructure (cyber and physical), what to do in the event of a cyber or physical intrusion, and water security and preparedness products and services.  No clearance is required as the information presented is unclassified. For more information, see https://wateroperator.org/calendar_details/ID/244829. Organized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Water Emergency Response and Cybersecurity (OWERC), in partnership with the Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
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5.) Public Comments Accepted: Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (VPDES) General Permit Regulation
   ++ For Discharges From Groundwater Remediation of Contaminated Sites, Dewatering Activities of Contaminated Sites, and Hydrostatic Tests (9 VAC 25-120) – Comments Due: March 11, 2026 -- https://townhall.virginia.gov/l/ViewStage.cfm?StageID=11102
   ++ For Vehicle Wash Facilities and Laundry Facilities (9 VAC 25-194) – Comments Due: March 11, 2026 -- https://townhall.virginia.gov/l/ViewStage.cfm?StageID=11101
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6.) USEPA National HAB Program CyanoSymposium -- March 16, 18, 23, and 25, 2026 (1-5pm) -- Theme: “Human and Animal Health Impacts of Cyanobacteria” -- This virtual symposium will dive into the effects of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins on humans and other animals, especially domestic pets. It will feature a mixture of academic, federal, state, and tribal experts that will share different aspects of science and management of cyanotoxin impacts on health. For more information, see https://hab.whoi.edu/usepa-national-hab-program-cyanosymposium-2026/. Organized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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7.) Virginia Green Travel Conference and Awards Ceremony -- March 19-20, 2026 – Massanutten, VA – Theme: “Sustainability by Nature: Building a Resilient Tourism Economy” -- Explore sustainable tourism practices, connect with industry leaders, and discover innovative approaches to eco-friendly travel throughout Virginia. Learn more at https://www.virginiagreen.net/. Organized by Green Travel.
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8.) Request for Proposals: Stream and Wetland Mitigation Design-Build Services for the Virginia Stream and Wetland Mitigation Program -- Submission Deadline: March 27, 2026 -- The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is soliciting proposals for Design/Build Services for a Nontidal Wetland and Stream Mitigation project site in the Chowan River Basin in Virginia. The purpose of the project is to provide mitigation to offset unavoidable impacts for which the Virginia Stream and Wetland Mitigation Program (SWMP) was utilized as the compensatory mitigation. For more information and to submit a proposal, see https://tnc.box.com/s/5pe4ozy50rvg77da6vrbjhmveggk5j1b. Offered by The Nature Conservancy.
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9.) WEF Operator Scholarship -- Application Deadline: March 31, 2026 -- This scholarship provides funding up to $5,000 dollars for individuals who are seeking water sector operator education, training, or certification to enter the industry or to advance their knowledge, skills, abilities, or license. For more information and to submit an application, see https://www.wef.org/membership--community/awards-recognition/education-awards/operator-scholarship/. Provided by the Water Environment Foundation (WEF).
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10.) Resilient River Star Schools Program -- Application Deadline: May 8, 2026 -- Schools near the Elizabeth River can apply for funding and support for Youth Resilience Projects like planting natives, raising oysters, and designing climate-smart landscapes. Includes support for field trips, teacher training, and classroom resources. For more information and to apply, see https://elizabethriver.org/youth-projects-resilience-expo/. Offered by the Elizabeth River Project.
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11.) DEQ News – Vol 5, Issue 1 – The current issue of DEQ’s official newsletter covers topics on Expansion of Virginia’s Groundwater Monitoring Network, Changes to Virginia Water Protection General Permits Coverage, Annual Water Quality Monitoring Plan Dashboard, and more.  The current issue and previous issues are available at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/news-info/newsroom. You can also subscribe to the newsletter. Published by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
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12.) Website: WaterOperator.org -- https://wateroperator.org/ -- This website aggregates resources on the web for small system operators in a free, user-friendly location. The site includes 11,000+ training events annually and 17,000+ free resources indexed in the database. For more information, contact Hideyuki Terashima at tera...@illinois.edu or 217-300-7579. The program is a collaboration between the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with funding from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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13.) Water Center Jobs Board – View a listing of current job opportunities and employment resources on the Jobs Board at https://www.vwrrc.vt.edu/jobs/. Developed by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center (Water Center).
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The VWMC announcements are provided with support from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Virginia Water Resources Research Center with funding from the U.S. Geological Survey. Thank you to our sponsors!

You too can sponsor the VWMC announcements.  Tax-deductible contributions can be made to the VWMC to support information updates and other VWMC activities.  Make checks payable to: “The Virginia Tech Foundation” and on the memo portion of the check include “VWMC Fund #872802.” Mail contributions to the Virginia Water Resources Research Center (0444, Attn: Jane Walker) at 210 Cheatham Hall, Virginia Tech; 310 West Campus Drive; Blacksburg, VA 24061.

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