Announcements 2026.6.18

[Walker, Jane]

1.) Call for Abstracts: 2026 Virginia Coastal Leadership Conference – Submissions Due: June 26, 2026
2.) Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program Upcoming Events – Various Dates, Starting June 26, 2026
3.) Training: Chesapeake Urban Stormwater Professionals (CUSP) – Registration Closes for Course 1: June 28, 2026; Course 1 Starts: July 1, 2026
4.) EPA Seeks Public Input: Interim Guidance on the Destruction and Disposal of PFAS and Materials Containing PFAS -- Comments Due: June 29, 2026
5.) Webinar: Monitoring, Sampling, and Data Management for NPDES Compliance -- June 30, 2026
6.) Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship -- Application Deadline: July 1, 2026
7.) River Course 101: Stream Morphology Assessment -- July 15-17, 2026 or October 6-8, 2026
8.) Nitrate Pollution Awareness Week -- July 26-August 1, 2026
9.) Funding Opportunity: WaterSMART Drought Response Program – Submissions Due: July 28, 2026
10.) Call for Posters: 2026 Chesapeake Watershed Forum – Submissions Due: August 7, 2026; Poster Session: November 13, 2026
11.) Virginia Backyard Streambank Repair Workshop -- August 13, 2026
12.) VDH: Waterborne Hazards Control Programs
   ++ Swimming Advisories and Monitored Beaches Map
   ++ Beach Data
   ++ Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Dashboard
   ++ HAB Online Report Form
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.) Call for Abstracts: 2026 Virginia Coastal Leadership Conference – Submissions Due: June 26, 2026 – This two-day event will explore Virginia’s coastal systems—including the Chesapeake Bay, tidal rivers, and coastal communities. Presentation options vary from poster presentations to full workshops. To learn more, see https://coastalconference.vaseagrant.org/apply-to-present/ or contact Lisa Eddy at lme...@vaseagrant.org. Organized by Virginia Sea Grant. 
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2.) Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program Upcoming Events – For more information about these events and others, see https://forestupdate.frec.vt.edu/eventscalendar.html. Organized by Virginia Cooperative Extension and partners.
   ++ Fifteen Minutes in the Forest: After the Storm 2: Cleanup Safely -- June 26, 2026 (12:15pm) – Online
   ++ Forestry Basics -- July 14, 2026 (10am-12pm) – Courtland, VA
   ++ Generation NEXT Legacy Planning Workshop -- July 24 & 25, 2026 -- Warrenton, VA
   ++ Beyond the Basics Woodland Owner Retreat: Managing Your Forest for Timber Income – Rescheduled: August 6-8, 2026 – Appomattox, VA
   ++ Pest Management in the Home/Yard/Landscape -- August 18, 2026 (10am-12pm) – Courtland, VA
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3.) Training: Chesapeake Urban Stormwater Professionals (CUSP) – Registration Closes for Course 1: June 28, 2026; Course 1 Starts: July 1, 2026 -- This free stormwater management training program offers two courses that cover watershed science, municipal stormwater permit management, and Chesapeake Bay restoration.
   ++ Course 1: Science and Stormwater Practices – Starts: July 1, 2026
   ++ Course 2: Stormwater Policy and Programs – Starts: September 30, 2026
Learn more and register at https://chesapeakestormwater.org/cusp/.  Organized by the Chesapeake Stormwater Network.
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4.) EPA Seeks Public Input: Interim Guidance on the Destruction and Disposal of PFAS and Materials Containing PFAS -- Comments Due: June 29, 2026 – The updated guidance includes the following: 1) Recommendations for managers of PFAS-containing materials to protect human health and the environment; 2) A new technology evaluation framework to help analyze the safety and effectiveness of new destruction and disposal technologies; and 3) Scientific information on current understanding of PFAS and three widely used and commercially available destruction and disposal technologies (underground injection, landfills, and thermal treatment). Learn more and comment at https://www.regulations.gov/docket/EPA-HQ-OLEM-2020-0527 (Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OLEM-2020-0527).
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5.) Webinar: Monitoring, Sampling, and Data Management for NPDES Compliance -- June 30, 2026 (11am-12:30pm) -- This free webinar provides a practical overview of wastewater monitoring, sampling, and data management as they relate to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. Participants will explore common compliance challenges, review best practices for collecting and managing discharge monitoring data, and learn about publicly available resources to support permit compliance. Learn more at https://wateroperator.org/calendar_details/ID/250934. Offered by WaterOperator.org.
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6.) Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship -- Application Deadline: July 1, 2026 -- This fellowship begins June 1, 2027 and is for graduate students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. Fellowship recipients are matched with hosts in the legislative and executive branches of government in the Washington, D.C. area. To learn more and apply, see https://vaseagrant.org/knauss-fellowship/. Sponsored by NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP).
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7.) River Course 101: Stream Morphology Assessment -- July 15-17, 2026 (Virginia Tech - Blacksburg, VA); October 6-8, 2026 (NC State University - Raleigh, NC) -- This 3-day workshop will introduce concepts of fluvial geomorphology and stream processes related to channel and floodplain formation, bankfull stage identification, regional hydraulic geometry curves, applications of the Rosgen classification system for natural streams in the Southeast, and stream stability assessment. Attendees will work in small groups in the field to measure stream physical conditions and calculate stream morphology relationships for channel dimension, pattern, and profile. They will also learn about field techniques for measuring streambank erosion, pebble count techniques for substrate analysis, and channel stability assessment. For more information and to register, see https://bae.ncsu.edu/workshops-conferences/rc-101/. Organized by Viriginia Cooperative Extension and North Carolina State University’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering.
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8.) Nitrate Pollution Awareness Week -- July 26-August 1, 2026 – This event aims to increase public awareness of nitrate pollution, including its sources, impacts, and associated risks. Learn more at https://iwla.org/nitrate-pollution-awareness-week/ and https://iwla.org/events/. Organized by the Izaak Walton League of America.
   ++ Webinar: Welcome to Nitrate Pollution Awareness Week -- July 27 2026
   ++ Webinar: An Invisible Threat: Nitrate in Drinking Water -- July 29 2026
   ++ Webinar: Regenerative Solutions for Soil Health and Water Quality -- July 30 2026
   ++ Webinar: Nitrate Pollution and the Dead Zone: Insights from the Gulf -- July 31 2026
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9.) Funding Opportunity: WaterSMART Drought Response Program – Submissions Due: July 28, 2026 – Offering support for both drought contingency planning and on-the-ground resilience projects, as part of ongoing federal investments to help water systems better prepare for and respond to drought challenges. Learn more about the program at https://www.usbr.gov/drought/ and the current funding opportunity at  https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/361415.  Offered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
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10.) 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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11.) Virginia Backyard Streambank Repair Workshop -- August 13, 2026 (8:30am-4pm) -- Harrisonburg, VA -- This workshop provides information on simple streambank erosion control techniques that landowners can implement to stabilize eroding streambanks along small streams. It is designed for individuals who work with the general public on soil conservation and water quality improvement projects, not individual landowners. For more information and to register, see https://pears.io/events/vce/7978/. Organized by the Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE).
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12.) Virginia Department of Health: Waterborne Hazards Control Programs – Information provided by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) at https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/waterborne-hazards-control/.
   ++ Swimming Advisories and Monitored Beaches Map -- https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/waterborne-hazards-control/swimming-advisories-and-monitored-beaches-map/
   ++ Beach Data -- https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/waterborne-hazards-control/statistics/
   ++ Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Dashboard -- https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/waterborne-hazards-control/algal-bloom-surveillance-map/
   ++ HAB Online Report Form -- https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/waterborne-hazards-control/harmful-algal-bloom-online-report-form/ -- Report potential harmful algal blooms (form accepts photos).  Report suspected illness due to HAB exposure, at 888-238-6154. Report fish kills at 1-800-468-8892. 
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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.