Announcements 2026.4.10

[Walker, Jane]

1.) Virginia Native Plant Society (VNPS) Events – Various Dates, Starting: April 11, 2026
2.) Upcoming Special Elections
   ++ April 14, 2026 -- Charles City County Local Referendum -- Deadline for early in-person voting: April 11, 2026
   ++ April 21, 2026 -- Proposed Constitutional Amendment (Statewide) and Alexandria City Council Special Election – Deadlines: Apply for ballot to be mailed to you: TODAY: April 10, 2026; Register to vote/update registration: April 14, 2026; Deadline for early in-person voting: April 18, 2026
3.) Nature-Based Certification Courses – Various Dates, Starting: April 14, 2026
4.) EPA: Cybersecurity Exercises and Technical Assistance Courses – Various Dates, Starting: April 15, 2026
5.) Water Research Foundation (WRF) Request for Qualifications (RFQs) and Request for Proposals (RFPs) -- Qualifications Due: April 15, 2026; Proposals Due: May 20, 2026
6.) Women Advancing River Research Seminar Series (virtual) – Various Dates, Starting: April 16, 2026
7.) Wild and Scenic Film Festival – April 19, 2026; April 22, 2026; and May 14, 2026
8.) Comments Accepted: Rule to Expand Mineral Development in National Forests -- Comments Due: April 21, 2026
9.) Comments Accepted: Clean Water Act Financial Capability Assessment (FCA) Guidance -- Comments Due: May 26, 2026 (webinars: April 29, 2026 and May 7, 2026
10.) Call for Speakers: 21st Annual Chesapeake Watershed Forum -- Proposals Due: May 29, 2026; Forum: November 13-15, 2026
11.) Comments Accepted: Draft Sixth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 6) – Comments Due: June 5, 2026
12.) 4th Annual Southwest Virginia Water Tower Showdown – Registration Deadline: July 2, 2026; Event: July 17, 2026
13.) 2026 National Capacity Development and Operator Certification Workshop -- August 5-7, 2026
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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 Native Plant Society (VNPS) Events – Download or order regional Virginia Native Plant Guides at https://vnps.org/virginia-native-plant-guides/. Learn about upcoming VNPS State and Chapter Events at https://vnps.org/events/. April events include:
   ++ April 11, 2026 -- Spring 2026 Native Plant Sale at Morven Park -- Leesburg VA
   ++ April 11, 2026 -- Bluebell Festival at Riverbend Park -- Great Falls VA
   ++ April 14, 2026 -- VNPS-New River Chapter Meeting -- Blacksburg VA
   ++ April 17, 2026 -- Wildflower Walk at Lake Accotink with Su Jewell -- Springfield VA
   ++ April 18, 2026 -- Ivy Creek Plant Walk – Charlottesville, VA
   ++ April 25, 2026 -- Patrick County Master Gardener's Annual Plant Sale 2026 -- Stuart VA
   ++ April 26, 2026 -- Jefferson Chapter Plant Sale -- Charlottesville VA
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2.) Upcoming Special Elections – Learn more about these special elections at https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/upcoming-elections.html and https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/candidate-list/index.html.
   ++ April 14, 2026 -- Charles City County Local Referendum -- Deadline for early in-person voting: April 11, 2026
   ++ April 21, 2026 -- Proposed Constitutional Amendment (Statewide) and Alexandria City Council Special Election – Deadlines: Apply for ballot to be mailed to you: TODAY: April 10, 2026; Register to vote/update registration: April 14, 2026; Deadline for early in-person voting: April 18, 2026; -- The ballot for the proposed constitutional amendment question: "Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia's standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?" A "yes" vote would allow the General Assembly to redraw Virginia's congressional districts, since other states have done so, in addition to giving effect to the proposed district map in time for the 2026 Congressional elections, and return the responsibility of drawing the congressional districts in 2031 to the Virginia Redistricting Commission.  A "no" vote would leave the authority to draw congressional districts with the Virginia Redistricting Commission once a decade and Virginia's current districts would remain in place. Learn more at https://www.elections.virginia.gov/election-law/proposed-amendment-for-april-2026-special-election/.
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3.) Nature-Based Certification Courses -- This program aims to provide in-depth study of best practices in nature-based early childhood education and prepare teachers for meaningful outdoor learning experiences. For more information and to register, see https://anbe.org/Teacher-Certification. Organized by the Association for Nature-Based Education.
   ++ Online Nature-Based Teacher Certification Level I -- April 14-May 21, 2026 (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays; 7-9pm)
   ++ In Person Nature-Based Teacher Certification Level I and Level II -- July 6-10, 2026 -- Baltimore, MD
   ++ In Person Nature-Based Teacher Certification Level I and Level II -- July 20-24, 2026 – Cortland, NY
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4.) EPA: Cybersecurity Exercises and Technical Assistance Courses -- For more information and to register, see https://www.epa.gov/cyberwater/cybersecurity-exercises-and-technical-assistance-courses. Provided by the U.S. EPA.
   ++ Cybersecurity Refresher -- April 15, 2026 (1-2pm)
   ++ Cybersecurity Procurement Checklist Tool Training -- April 29, 2026 (1-2:30pm)
   ++ Building Cyber Resilience Using EPA’s Water and Wastewater Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan Template -- April 30, 2026 (1-2:30pm)
   ++ Water Cybersecurity Assessment Tool (WCAT) Webinar -- May 13, 2026 (1-2:30pm)
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5.) Water Research Foundation (WRF) Request for Qualifications (RFQs) and Request for Proposals (RFPs) -- Qualifications Due: April 15, 2026 (3pm); Proposals Due: May 20, 2026 (3pm); -- For more information and to submit, see https://www.waterrf.org/proposals. Organized by the WRF.
   ++ RFQ: Expanding the Future of Water Reuse: Incentive Alignment and Governance Strategies in Geographic Regions with Stable Water Supplies (RFQ 5390)
   ++ RFQ: Collaborative Water and Wastewater Utility Forum on Data Centers (RFQ 5391)
   ++ RFP: Alternative Approaches to Water Shutoffs for Non-Payment of Bills (RFP 5360)
   ++ RFP: Evaluating Scalability, Reproducibility, & Impact of GenAI & Agentic AI in the Water and Wastewater Sector (RFP 5394)
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6.) Women Advancing River Research Seminar Series (virtual) – Monthly, 3rd Thursday (11am) – Learn more and register at https://www.cee.psu.edu/events/women-advancing-river-research.aspx.  Co-hosted by University College Dublin; Caltech; Trent University, Canada; University of Wisconsin, Madison; and Penn State. 
   ++ April 16, 2026 -- Water at the top of the world
   ++ April 30, 2026 -- Managing for water scarcity in the western U.S.
   ++ May 21, 2026 -- Carbon transport & processing across land-ocean continuum
   ++ June 18, 2026 -- Water quality and water scarcity  
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7.) Wild and Scenic Film Festival – Various dates and locations. To learn more and see more showings, see https://wildandscenicfilmfestival.org/events/.
   ++ April 19, 2026 -- Lynchburg, VA -- Presented by: Central Virginia Land Conservancy
   ++ April 22, 2026 -- Roanoke, VA -- Presented by: Blue Ridge Land Conservancy
   ++ May 14, 2026 -- Danville, VA -- Presented by: Southern Virginia Land Conservancy
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8.) Comments Accepted: Rule to Expand Mineral Development in National Forests -- Comments Due: April 21, 2026 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is seeking written comments on its proposal to revise regulations governing occupancy and use of the surface of National Forest System lands in connection with prospecting, exploration, development, mining, processing, and reclamation and reasonably incident uses authorized by U.S. mining laws and the Organic Administration Act of 1897. For more information, visit the Federal Register link at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/02/20/2026-03364/locatable-minerals.
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9.) Comments Accepted: Clean Water Act Financial Capability Assessment (FCA) Guidance -- Comments Due: May 26, 2026 -- This resource aims to help water bills remain affordable during infrastructure upgrades within wastewater systems. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will use feedback to update this guidance. Two stakeholder engagement webinars will take place April 29, 2026 (1-2:30pm) and May 7, 2026 (1-2:30pm). For more information, register for the webinars, and to submit a comment, see https://www.epa.gov/waterfinancecenter/clean-water-act-financial-capability-assessment-guidance.
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10.) Call for Speakers: 21st Annual Chesapeake Watershed Forum -- Proposals Due: May 29, 2026; Forum: November 13-15, 2026 -- Shepherdstown, WV – Theme: “Practical Solutions for People and Planet” -- Proposed sessions should be research, a tool, or a success story.  For more information and to submit a proposal, see https://www.allianceforthebay.org/2026/04/share-your-expertise-at-the-21st-annual-chesapeake-watershed-forum/. Organized by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.
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11.) Comments Accepted: Draft Sixth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 6) – Comments Due: June 5, 2026 -- The CCL identifies drinking water contaminants that are not currently regulated at the federal level but are known or expected to occur in public water systems and may warrant future regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The draft CCL 6 includes 9 microbial contaminants; 75 individual chemicals; and 4 chemical groups: microplastics, pharmaceuticals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and disinfection byproducts (DBPs). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking public comment on both the draft list and the process used to select contaminants. Learn more at https://www.epa.gov/ccl/draft-contaminant-candidate-list-6-ccl-6. View the CCL6 and submit comments at https://www.regulations.gov/docket/EPA-HQ-OW-2022-0946/document.
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12.) 4th Annual Southwest Virginia Water Tower Showdown – Registration Deadline: July 2, 2026; Event: July 17, 2026 (9:30am-12pm) -- Roanoke/Lynchburg/Bedford area – Inviting middle school students (rising 6th-8th graders) from public, private, or home schools to participate in teams of up to four students. The students are challenged to build a structurally efficient model water tower that holds one gallon of water and can be filled and drained quickly while also being aesthetically pleasing. Towers are judged on Structural Efficiency, Cost Efficiency, Design Ingenuity, and Hydraulic Efficiency. Learn more at https://vaawwa.org/events/watertowershowdown2026. Organized by the Virginia American Water Works Association (AWWA)/ Virginia Water Environment Association (VWEA) Student Activities and Water Awareness and Outreach Committees.
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13.) 2026 National Capacity Development and Operator Certification Workshop -- August 5-7, 2026 -- Alexandria, VA -- This workshop will include sessions on operator certification, capacity development, asset management, technical assistance, and funding, as well as a Technical Assistance Exposition (TA Expo). State and territorial primacy agencies, tribes, EPA Headquarters and Regions, and technical assistance providers are encouraged to attend. For more information and to register, see https://www.asdwa.org/event/2026-national-capacity-development-and-operator-certification-workshop/. Organized by the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators.
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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.