Announcements 2025.4.8
Walker, Jane
1.) Public Participation Opportunities: Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Cleanup Studies and Plans
– Various Dates, Starting: April 9, 2025
2.) James River Association Events – Various Dates, Starting: April 9, 2025
3.) Reflections on Water: An Evening of Art, Music, and Science – April 9, 2025
4.) Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) News
5.) Webinar: Advocating for EE – April 10, 2025
6.) Webinar: The Value of Restoration: Selling the Economical and Ecological Benefits of Oysters – April 16, 2025
7.) Rain Barrel Workshops – Various Dates, Starting: April 16, 2025
8.) Best Urban BMP in the Bay Awards (BUBBAs) Voting – Voting Deadline: April 21, 2025
9.) AWRA 2025 Spring Conference – Online registration closes: April 25, 2025; Conference: April 28-30, 2025
10.) Informal Public Comment: Draft 2026 Water Quality Assessment Guidance Manual – Public Comment Deadline: May 2, 2025
11.) Outdoor Teacher Retreat – May 17, 2025
12.) X-STEM All Access -- https://usasciencefestival.org/xsaa/
13.) Black In Marine Science (BIMS) -- Fridays – https://www.youtube.com/c/BlackinMarineScience/featured
14.) 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 the VWMC’s intern, Logan Flanagan, for developing today’s announcements.
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1.)
Public Participation Opportunities: Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Cleanup Studies and Plans –
Learn
more about cleanup studies and plans across Virginia at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/our-programs/water/water-quality/tmdl-development/tmdls-under-development.
++
Cleanup Study: Crooked Run, Stony Creek and Pughs Run (Shenandoah County) -- Meeting: April 9, 2025
(5:30pm, Woodstock, VA); Comment Period: April 9, 2025 to May 9, 2025 --
https://townhall.virginia.gov/l/ViewMeeting.cfm?MeetingID=41418
++ Cleanup Plan: North Fork Rivanna River Watershed (Albemarle and Greene County) – Meeting: May 5, 2025
(5:30 pm; Stanardsville, VA); Comment Period: May 5, 2025 to June 4, 2025
-- https://townhall.virginia.gov/l/ViewMeeting.cfm?MeetingID=41601
++ Cleanup Study: Deep Run, Dover Creek, Upham Brook Watersheds (Henrico County, Goochland County, City of Richmond) – Meeting: May 8, 2025
(5:30pm, Glen Allen, VA); Comment Period: May 8, 2025 to June 9, 2025
-- https://townhall.virginia.gov/l/ViewMeeting.cfm?MeetingID=41600
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2.)
James River Association Events –
Learn more about these and other events at https://thejamesriver.org/
(see “Events and Volunteer Opportunities”).
++ James River Leadership Expedition Info Session (Virtual) – April 9, 2025
(6:30-7pm)
++ Community Planting Event – April 11, 2025 (9am-12pm and 1-4pm) – Richmond, VA
++ Seasons of the James – April 12, 2025 (11am) – Richmond, VA
++ Community Planting – April 17, 2025 (9am-12pm and 1-4pm) – Williamsburg, VA
++ Invasive Species Removal – April 18, 2025 (12-2pm) – Richmond, VA
++ Native Plant Workshop – April 21, 2025 (5-6pm) – Richmond, VA
++ Marsh Stewards Info Session -- Apr 23, 2025 (6-7pm) – Williamsburg, VA
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3.)
Reflections on Water: An Evening of Art, Music, and Science –
April 9, 2025 (7-9pm)
– Roanoke, VA – This event brings together SERCAP experts and local artists for a unique event featuring an interdisciplinary panel discussion and live music. Learn more and register at
https://givebutter.com/ReflectionsOnWater.
Organized by the Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project, Inc. (SERCAP).
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4.)
Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) News – Offered
by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
++ WIFIA Office Hours
-- April 9, May 14, June 11, July 9, August 13, 2025 (3-4pm) – These sessions allow participants to ask questions about WIFIA, the application process, and more. Learn more and register to attend at
https://www.epa.gov/wifia/upcoming-wifia-program-events.
++ WIFIA One-on-one Meetings – Schedule a one-on-one meeting with a WIFIA member at
https://www.epa.gov/wifia/schedule-meeting-wifia-staff.
++ New Letter of Interest (LOI) and Application Materials – This LOI aims to better serve private borrowers applying for WIFIA grants. The new LOI and application forms clarify Master Agreement requests and streamline the information needed for a
project review. Learn more and access the materials at https://www.epa.gov/wifia/wifia-application-materials.
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5.)
Webinar: Advocating for EE –
April 10, 2025 (6-7pm)
– Participants will learn the fundamentals of advocating for environmental education, gain practical frameworks for communicating with elected officials, and explore the advocacy networks supporting environmental education efforts. Learn more and register
at https://www.eevirginia.org/events.
Organized by the Virginia Association for Environmental Education (VAEE).
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6.)
Webinar: The Value of Restoration: Selling the Economical and Ecological Benefits of Oysters
–
April 16, 2025 (12-1pm)
– Participants will learn about the importance of oyster restoration to both the ecological health and economic vitality of the Bay. Hear from experts about successful restoration and aquaculture projects and how these endeavors provide direct benefits to
the economy. Learn more and register at https://chesapeake.org/crc-roundtable/.
Organized by the Chesapeake Research Consortium.
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7.)
Rain Barrel Workshops –
Learn more and register at https://thejamesriver.org/conserve-water-at-home-using-a-rain-barrel-spring-2025/.
Offered by the James River Association and its partners.
++ April 16, 2025 (6pm) – Lynchburg, VA
++ May 1, 2025 (6pm) – Charlottesville, VA
++ May 21, 2025 (6pm) -- Arrington, VA
++ May 22, 2025 (6pm) -- Fort Monroe, VA
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8.)
Best Urban BMP in the Bay Awards (BUBBAs) Voting –
Voting Deadline: April 21, 2025 –
The BUBBAs awards recognize outstanding projects in the field of stormwater management. This year, two awards will be recognized: Best of The BUBBAs Grand Prize ($5000) and a Best of Small But Mighty Grand Prize ($2000). Individuals can vote, view the full
list of projects, and presentation recording at https://chesapeakestormwater.net/bubbas/.
Organized by the Chesapeake Stormwater Network.
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9.)
AWRA 2025 Spring Conference
– Online registration closes: April 25, 2025 (5pm);
Conference: April 28-30, 2025 – Anchorage, AK – Theme: “Development Risks & Challenges in Changing Climate Conditions” – Learn more and register for in-person or virtual attendance at
https://www.awra.org/Shared_Content/Events/Event_display.aspx?EventKey=SPRING2025.
Organized by the American Water Resources Association.
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10.)
Informal Public Comment: Draft 2026 Water Quality Assessment Guidance Manual
–
Public Comment Deadline: May 2, 2025 –
The Virginia DEQ seeks public comment on its draft of the 2026 Water Quality Assessment Guidance Manual. The document contains assessment procedures and methods used to create Virginia’s Integrated Water Quality Assessment and Impaired Waters Report. A list
of significant guidance modifications since 2024 is described in Section 1. Learn more, view a copy of the draft, and submit a public comment at
https://townhall.virginia.gov//l/ViewNotice.cfm?GNID=3083.
Published by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
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11.)
Outdoor Teacher Retreat –
May 17, 2025 (8:30am-4pm)
– Great Falls, VA – Workshop topics include earth skills and bushcraft, student portfolios and documentation, social emotional skills in nature, and plant ID skills. Participants will receive a professional development certificate at the conclusion of the
event. Learn more and register at https://anbe.org/OTR-VA.
Organized by the Association for Nature-Based Education.
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12.)
X-STEM All Access
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Students get an inside look into careers and personal journeys of diverse STEM role models through 30-minute episodes. Episodes come with free lesson plans designed for middle and high school classrooms. Learn more at
https://usasciencefestival.org/xsaa/.
Offered by USA Science & Engineering Festival, a program of Science Spark.
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13.)
Black In Marine Science (BIMS)
--
Fridays
(1 pm) – This weekly series features Black scientists who present videos on various marine science topics. Learn more and view past presentations at
https://www.youtube.com/c/BlackinMarineScience/featured.
Learn more about BIMS at https://www.blackinmarinescience.org/.
Offered by BIMS.
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14.)
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 Water Resources Research Center. Thank you to our sponsor!
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.