Announcements 2026.7.31

[Walker, Jane]

2026 Virginia Water Monitoring Council Conference -- September 29, 2026 -- Hanover, VA – Information and registration are available at https://vwmc.vwrrc.vt.edu/conferences/. Last Chance: Early-bird Registration Rates end today, July 31, 2026 (5pm).

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1.) Save Our Streams Orientation -- August 1, 2026
2.) Potomac Riverkeeper Network (PRKN) Events – Various Dates, Starting: August 1, 2026
3.) Water and Wastewater Training – Various Dates, Starting: August 5, 2026
4.) Call for Posters: 2026 Chesapeake Watershed Forum – Submissions Due: August 7, 2026; Poster Session: November 13, 2026
5.) Webinar -- Building Better Stream Monitoring Programs: Strategies, Innovations, and Success Stories from Local Governments -- August 11, 2026
6.) Webinar: U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) 101 -- August 13, 2026
7.) Call for Vendors: EcoFest 2026 – Applications Due: August 29, 2026 or capacity filled: Event: September 12, 2026
8.) Lake Anna Watershed (Louisa, Spotsylvania, and Orange counties) Cleanup Plan -- Meeting: September 8, 2026; Comments Accepted: September 8-October 8, 2026
9.) Call for Vendors: Sustainable Landscaping Festival – Registration Deadline: September 14, 2026; Festival: November 7, 2026
10.) Save the Date: National Water Quality Monitoring Council (NWQMC) Virtual Gathering -- March 9-11, 2027
11.) Alert: Potential Cyber Threats to Water Systems -- https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/alerts/2026/07/30/cisa-urges-water-and-wastewater-systems-sector-protect-ot-against-activity-targeting-plcs
12.) 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.) Save Our Streams Orientation -- August 1, 2026 (9:30am) -- Westlake Corner, VA -- This orientation will be for prospective volunteers and area residents interested in learning more about the Save Our Streams program.  It will be a hands-on experience with surveys of the aquatic life in Gills and Jack O’Lantern Creeks. For more information and to reserve a place, contact s...@smlassociation.org. Organized by the Smith Mountain Lake Association.
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2.) Potomac Riverkeeper Network (PRKN) Events -- For more information about these and other events, see https://potomacriverkeepernetwork.org/events-calendar/.
   ++ Splash and Dash: All Out Open Water Swim w/ District of Columbia Aquatics Club -- August 1, 2026 (8-11am) (Fundraiser for PRKN)
   ++ Trash Free Boat Brigade – August 7, 2026 (8am-12pm) -- Help access and clean hard to reach areas of the Potomac such as the backs of marshes, steep banks, and tree/root log jams. This event requires that participants bring your own boat, kayak or canoe. Contact Annaleigh at anna...@prknetwork.org.
   ++ Explorations with Your Riverkeeper: Goodbye Summer Blowout w/ Potomac Riverkeeper -- August 22, 2026
   ++ Adopt A Water Quality Site -- https://potomacriverkeepernetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Adopt-A-Site-Flyer.pdf
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3.) Water and Wastewater Training – Learn more about these events and others at https://www.rcap.org/training-events/. Also, Southeast Rural Community Assistance Program (SERCAP) provides free math tutoring for individuals interested in becoming Water Operators (contact Lisha McCargo at lmcc...@sercap.org). Trainings offered by SERCAP, Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP), and others.
   ++ Asset Management 101: Developing Your Asset Management Plan for Small Drinking Water Systems – August 5, 2026 (1-4pm)
   ++ Introduction to the SDWA and AWIA Small System Resilience Training Workshop for Small Drinking Water Systems – August 6, 2026 (12:30-4:30pm)
   ++ Small System Operator Training: Achieve & Maintain Compliance with the SDWA, Small Systems Resilience 2026 – August 11, 2026 (10am-4:30pm) – Provided by SERCAP, RCAP, and AWWA Virginia Section
   ++ Small System Operator Training: Achieve & Maintain Compliance with the SDWA, Small Systems Resilience 2026 – August 13, 2026 (10am-4:30pm) – Provided by SERCAP, RCAP, and AWWA Virginia Section
   ++ Water Loss Workshop for Small Utilities (RCAC) -- August 17, 2026 – Denver, CO -- https://site.pheedloop.com/event/EVEJAJVOGSDTD/home/
   ++ 2nd Annual National State Revolving Fund (SRF) Infrastructure Financing and Training Workshop -- August 17-20, 2026 – Denver, CO – https://www.rcap.org/srf-workshop/
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4.) Call for Posters: 2026 Chesapeake Watershed Forum – Submissions Due: August 7, 2026; Poster Session: November 13, 2026 (7pm) -- Shepherdstown, WV – Theme: “Practical Solutions for People and Planet” – Accepting posters that spotlight a case study or introduce new projects. For more information and to submit, see https://www.allianceforthebay.org/event/chesapeake-watershed-forum/. Organized by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.
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5.) Webinar -- Building Better Stream Monitoring Programs: Strategies, Innovations, and Success Stories from Local Governments -- August 11, 2026 – Presenters from Montgomery County, MD; Fairfax County, VA; and Anne Arundel County, MD will provide an inside look at their monitoring programs. Each presenter will provide a brief history of their program, discuss the regulatory and permit drivers that shaped it, and showcase innovative approaches. Topics will include PCB source tracking, stormwater pond riparian buffer study, eDNA and watershed-scale stream assessment; and more.  Learn more and register at https://chesapeakestormwater.org/webinars/. Offered by the Chesapeake Stormwater Network.
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6.) Webinar: U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) 101 -- August 13, 2026 (3-4:30pm) – Participants can learn more about the USDM process, how to contribute, and how state assessment teams can coordinate input to the USDM authors.  Learn more and register at https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?VA (top of page).  Presented by the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC). The USDM is a joint product of the NDMC, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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7.) Call for Vendors: EcoFest 2026 – Applications Due: August 29, 2026 or capacity filled: Event: September 12, 2026 (11am-3pm) -- Richmond, VA -- This free public event will feature a diverse marketplace of eco-conscious artisans and vendors, hands-on activities, and inspiration for sustainable living. For more information and to apply to be a vendor, see https://thejamesriver.org/james-river-eco-fest/. Organized by the James River Association (JRA).
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8.) Lake Anna Watershed (Louisa, Spotsylvania, and Orange counties) Cleanup Plan -- Meeting: September 8, 2026; Comments Accepted: September 8-October 8, 2026 -- Mineral, VA – Seeking public comment on the development of a watershed plan to address waters with elevated risks of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). The watershed plan is prepared in lieu of initially developing a total maximum daily load (TMDL), allowing for earlier actions to address water quality.  Learn more at https://townhall.virginia.gov/L/ViewMeeting.cfm?MeetingID=43662. Organized by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
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9.) Call for Vendors: Sustainable Landscaping Festival – Registration Deadline: September 14, 2026; Festival: November 7, 2026 (10am-3pm) -- Newport News, VA -- This festival will explore sustainable gardening techniques for coastal Virginia that attract pollinators, enhance wildlife habitat, and help mitigate stormwater. Seeking organizations that promote native plants, sustainable landscaping, or eco-friendly gardening or teach about soil health, stormwater resilience, or ways to support healthier ecosystems.  Accepting information tables, displays, food trucks, and more.  For more information, see https://www.chesapeakenetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/SustainableLandscape_Flyer.pdf. Access vendor registration form here.  Organized by Newport News Parks and Recreation (Urban Forestry).
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10.) Save the Date: National Water Quality Monitoring Council (NWQMC) Virtual Gathering -- March 9-11, 2027 -- Theme: “Must-not-miss topics in the water monitoring community that are new and innovative” -- This national forum focuses on monitoring aquatic resources. It will include concurrent presentations, roundtables and panels, lightning talks and posters, workshops and short courses, and networking opportunities. Learn more about the conference at https://nwqmcconference.org/. Learn more about the NWQMC and join their listserv at https://www.epa.gov/awma/national-water-quality-monitoring-council.
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11.) Alert: Potential Cyber Threats to Water Systems -- Cyber threat actors are targeting programmable logic controllers (PLCs) in Water and Wastewater Systems (WWS). Infrastructure owners, operators, and integrators are to remove publicly exposed PLCs and other operational technology (OT) from the internet as soon as possible. Threat actors targeting exposed PLCs have modified passwords to lock out operators and disconnected the PLCs by changing their IP addresses.  For additional support, contact the Environmental Protection Agency’s Cybersecurity Technical Assistance Program for the Water Sector or your CISA Regional Office. Learn more at https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/alerts/2026/07/30/cisa-urges-water-and-wastewater-systems-sector-protect-ot-against-activity-targeting-plcs.  Provided by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA); the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) contributed to the Alert.
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12.) 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 with funding from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.  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.