Announcements 2025.7.26

[Walker, Jane]

2025 Virginia Water Monitoring Council (VWMC) Conference – Registration Deadline: September 19, 2025; Conference: September 30, 2025 -- Hanover, VA -- Presentation topics range from restoring habitat for mussels to the state’s groundwater monitoring program. Presentations will include ways that citizen scientists are helping to monitor bacteria, algal blooms, and road salt in Virginia’s waterways. Talks will also discuss projects in stormwater management, stream restoration, and treatment of drinking water to remove PFAS. Early-bird registration ends August 1, 2025.  Learn more and register at https://vwmc.vwrrc.vt.edu/conferences/. Our exhibitors include the US Geological Survey and TechZone MD, LLC.  Organized by the VWMC in partnership with the Virginia Public Safety Training Center, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia Water Resources Research Center, and Virginia Tech. 
+++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++
1.) Educator Workshop: Project Learning Tree's Explore Your Environment + Project WILD's Aquatic WILD – Registration Deadline: July 27, 2025; Event: August 8, 2025
2.) From the Bay to the James: A Local Look at the Chesapeake Bay Agreement – Registration Deadline: July 28, 2025; Event: July 29, 2025
3.) Virginia’s Annual Conservation Photo Contest – Submission Deadline: July 28, 2025
4.) Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) Events – Various Dates, Starting: July 29 & 30, 2025
5.) 2025 Drinking Water Clinics – Various Dates, Starting: July 30, 2025
6.) Call for Feedback: Comprehensive Climate Action Plan – Response Deadline: July 31, 2025
7.) Water and Wastewater Training – Various Dates, Starting: August 5, 2025
8.) Brock Environmental Center Climate Lecture Series: “Coastal Solutions: Protecting Our Shores” – August 12, 2025
9.) Public Information Session and Hearing: Permit for Post-closure Care of Two Closed Hazardous Waste Management Units – Information Session, Hearing: August 20, 2025; Public Comments Due:  September 15, 2025
10.) 16th Annual Occoquan River Cleanup – September 27, 2025
11.) Report -- Achieving Water Quality Goals in the Chesapeake Bay: A Comprehensive Evaluation of System Response (CESR) -- https://www.chesapeake.org/stac/cesr/
12.) Water Center Jobs Board – https://www.vwrrc.vt.edu/jobs/
++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++
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.  
++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++
1.) Educator Workshop: Project Learning Tree's Explore Your Environment + Project WILD's Aquatic WILD – Registration Deadline: July 27, 2025; Event: August 8, 2025 (10am-5pm) – Chester, VA (Education Center at Henricus Historical Park) – The focus is for educators to learn how to use outdoor activities with K-5 students. Those who complete the educator workshop will receive a certificate of completion, an Explore Your Environment PLT K-8 guide, an Aquatic WILD K-12 guide. For more information, https://project-learning-tree.odoo.com/event/henricus-historical-park-45/register.  Organized by Henricus Historical Park and Chrystie Richards.
++++++++++++++++++++
2.) From the Bay to the James: A Local Look at the Chesapeake Bay Agreement – Registration Deadline: July 28, 2025; Event: July 29, 2025 – Richmond, VA – This panel discussion will include elected leaders, Bay Program partners, and community advocates on how the revised Bay Agreement will impact Richmond. For more information, see https://events.cbf.org/bayagreement.  Organized by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
++++++++++++++++++++
3.) Virginia’s Annual Conservation Photo Contest – Submission Deadline: July 28, 2025 – Virginian photographers can submit an unlimited number of conservation-minded photos that can be selected to be voted on by the public. Winners can have their photo as the cover of the Virginia Conservation Network’s “Our 2026 Common Agenda Briefing Book”. For more information, see https://vcnva.org/photo-contest/. Organized by the Virginia Conservation Network.
++++++++++++++++++++
4.) Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) Events -- Other locations may be available.  Offered by the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council (CCLC).
   ++ Level 1 Training -- Offers fundamental knowledge in designing, installing, and maintaining stormwater BMPs. Scholarships & discounts are available.  Learn more and register at https://cblpro.org/training-calendar/.
      == Hybrid Option: July 29 & 30, 2025, plus 1 field day: August 21, 2025 (Richmond, VA); September 9, 2025 (Haymarket, VA)
      == In-person Trainings: August 14-15, 2025 (Washington, DC); August 20-21, 2025 (Richmond, VA); September 8-9, 2025 (Haymarket, VA)
++++++++++++++++++++
5.) 2025 Drinking Water Clinics -- https://www.wellwater.bse.vt.edu/events.php -- Provides water testing and practical information to private water supply users about maintaining and protecting private water systems including wells, springs and cisterns. Contact your local Extension office to express interest in a clinic.  Offered through the Virginia Household Water Quality Program and Virginia Cooperative Extension.
   ++ July 30, 2025 – Culpeper, Rappahannock, Fauquier
   ++ August 6, 2025 – Floyd, Giles, Montgomery
   ++ August 18, 2025 – Northampton, Accomack
   ++ September 10, 2025 – Loudoun
++++++++++++++++++++
6.) Call for Feedback: Comprehensive Climate Action Plan – Response Deadline: July 31, 2025 – Virginia residents can submit feedback on potential methods for reducing statewide climate pollution. For more information, see https://www.deq.virginia.gov/our-programs/air/greenhouse-gases/climate-pollution-reduction-grant.  Organized by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
++++++++++++++++++++
7.) Water and Wastewater Training – Learn more about these events and others at https://www.rcap.org/training-events/. Offered by the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP), SERCAP, Great Lakes Community Action Partnership, Rural Community Assistance Corporation, and others.
   ++ Building Capacity for Drinking Water Systems Through Partnerships – August 5, 2025 (1pm)
   ++ Drinking Water Utility Training for Small Drinking Water Systems – August 7, 2025 (8am-5pm) -- South Boston, Va.
   ++ Homeowners Decentralized: An Overview of Final Treatment – August 12, 2025 (1-2pm)
   ++ Recruiting Retiring Military Personnel into the Wastewater Sector – August 14, 2025 (1pm)
++++++++++++++++++++
8.) Brock Environmental Center Climate Lecture Series: “Coastal Solutions: Protecting Our Shores” – August 12, 2025 (6:30pm) – Virginia Beach, VA – This lecture will focus on the impacts of sea level rise, the importance of protecting tidewater habitats, and how coastal resilience and safeguarded tidal communities can be achieved through implementing green infrastructure. For more information and to register, see the calendar under https://www.cbf.org/events/. Organized by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
++++++++++++++++++++
9.) Public Information Session and Hearing: Permit for Post-closure Care of Two Closed Hazardous Waste Management Units -- August 20, 2025 (Information Session: 6pm; Hearing: 7pm); Public Comments Due:  September 15, 2025 – Radford, VA -- Covers draft permit from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for a facility to continue post-closure care of two closed hazardous waste management units (HWMUs) at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant. Learn more at https://townhall.virginia.gov/L/ViewMeeting.cfm?MeetingID=42074.
++++++++++++++++++++
10.) 16th Annual Occoquan River Cleanup – September 27, 2025 (9am-12pm) – Various sites along Occoquan River in VA – Homeowners and civic associations, businesses, experienced kayakers, canoeists, and Jon/pontoon boaters, and others willing are encouraged to help clean up the Occoquan River along nine different sites.  For more information, see https://www.pwtsc.org/.  Organized by the Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition (PWTSC).
++++++++++++++++++++
11.) Report -- Achieving Water Quality Goals in the Chesapeake Bay: A Comprehensive Evaluation of System Response (CESR) -- https://www.chesapeake.org/stac/cesr/ – This report summarizes the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) evaluation of why progress toward meeting the TMDL and water quality standards has been slower than expected and offers options for how progress can be accelerated. CESR is a summation of a three-year investigation into the 40-year effort to reduce nutrient loads to Chesapeake Bay. View other STAC publications at https://www.chesapeake.org/stac/.
++++++++++++++++++++
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).
++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++
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.