Announcements 2026.4.28

[Walker, Jane]

1.) EPA: Cybersecurity Exercises and Technical Assistance Courses – Various Dates, Starting: April 29, 2026
2.) James River Watch – Trainings: April 29 and 30, 2026
3.) Sea Grant Fellowships – Applications Due: May 1, 2026 and June 3, 2026
4.) World Fish Migration Day Events -- May 2, 2026
5.) Less Lawn More Life Challenge – Starts: May 7, 2026
6.) Value of a View Roundtable -- May 13, 2026
7.) American Water Works Association (AWWA) Events – Various Dates
8.) Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Program Office Hours – May 13, 2026; June 10, 2026; July 8, 2026
9.) Water Supply Stakeholder Grant Program -- Applications Due: May 15, 2026
10.) StormCon 2026 -- August 25-27, 2026
11.) Federal Advisory: Threat to Water Sector Operational Technology (OT) Devices -- https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/cybersecurity-advisories/aa26-097a
12.) Source Water Collaborative (SWC) Resources and Webinars -- https://www.sourcewatercollaborative.org/resources-webinars/
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.) 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 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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2.) James River Watch -- This program shares weekly water quality updates (including bacteria levels and water temperature) for the James River from Memorial Day through Labor Day to better inform users before they swim, paddle, and explore. Learn more about the program and sign up to receive weekly email notifications at https://thejamesriver.org/james-river-watch/.  Organized by the James River Association (JRA).
   ++ Volunteer Training – Seeking volunteers to collect water samples for the James River Watch program. Training locations and dates are available at https://thejamesriver.org/what-you-can-do/volunteer/water-quality-monitoring/.
      == Training: April 29, 2026 (5:30-6:30) for volunteers in Richmond, Williamsburg/James City County, City Point (Hopewell), Grapevine Bridge (eastern Henrico near airport), Osborne Landing (eastern Henrico near Varina)
      == Virtual Training: April 30, 2026 (5:30-6:30)
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3.) Sea Grant Fellowships
   ++ 2026-2027 Commonwealth Coastal & Marine Policy Fellowship -- Application Deadline: May 1, 2026 -- Fellows will be placed within state or local government agencies, where they work closely with an experienced host office mentor on mission-driven projects that address real-world coastal and marine challenges. For more information and to apply, see https://vaseagrant.org/commonwealth-fellowship-home/.
   ++ 2027 Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship -- Application Deadline: June 3, 2026 – Accepted graduate students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and national policy decisions will be matched with hosts in the legislative and executive branches of government located in the Washington, D.C. area. For more information and to apply, see https://vaseagrant.org/knauss-fellowship/. Sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP). 
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4.) World Fish Migration Day Events -- May 2, 2026 -- Richmond, VA
   ++ Bosher’s Fishway Tour -- Take a guided walking tour of Bosher’s Dam and Fishway (home of the Shad Cam) for a behind-the-scenes look at the fishway inside the dam. Learn more and register at https://dwr.virginia.gov/events/world-fish-migration-day-boshers-fishway-tour-2026/.  Organized by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR).
   ++ Ancarrows Landing (10am-1pm) – Includes hands-on activities, live fish and touch tanks, and more.  Contact the James River Association at in...@thejamesriver.org for more information.
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5.) Less Lawn More Life Challenge – Starts: May 7, 2026 (7pm) -- This free, 12-week program helps people turn lawns into wildlife habitat. Participants will receive a weekly action email and access to supporting resources and webinars. For more information and to join the challenge, see https://www.lesslawnmorelife.com/.
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6.) Value of a View Roundtable -- May 13, 2026 (10am-12pm) -- Montpelier Station, VA -- This roundtable is designed to provide background information and explain the tool, the Treasured Views Register. For more information and to purchase a ticket, see https://www.scenicvirginia.org/. Organized by Scenic Virginia.
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7.) American Water Works Association (AWWA) Events -- For more information about these and other AWWA events and to register, see  https://www.awwa.org/event-calendar/.
   ++ Seismic Strength in Utilities: Global Lessons and Local Strategies -- May 13, 2026 (11am-12:30pm)
   ++ Financing Capital Projects: Virtual Roundtable -- May 20, 2026 (11am-12:30pm)
   ++ AWWA Annual Conference & Expo -- June 21-24, 2026 -- Washington, DC
   ++ Water Project Permits: Virtual Roundtable -- July 15, 2026 (11am-12:30pm)
   ++ Water Infrastructure Conference -- August 30-September 2, 2026 -- Indianapolis, IN
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8.) Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Program Office Hours – May 13, 2026; June 10, 2026; July 8, 2026 (2-3pm) -- The WIFIA program is a federal loan and guarantee program at EPA. It aims to accelerate investment in water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental credit assistance for regionally and nationally significant projects. For more information about the WIFIA program, visit: https://www.epa.gov/wifia. Schedule a one-on-one meeting with a WIFIA staff member at https://www.epa.gov/wifia/schedule-meeting-wifia-staff or by emailing wi...@epa.gov.
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9.) Water Supply Stakeholder Grant Program -- Applications Due: May 15, 2026 – Seeking projects that address issues within areas served by Fairfax Water or watersheds located in one of these jurisdictions: Counties of Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, or Fauquier; Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, or Manassas Park; and Towns of Herndon or Vienna. Eligible organizations include local and state government education and environmental agencies, homeowner associations, civic groups, and not-for-profit organizations. Eligible projects could include, but are not necessarily limited to education, water quality monitoring, or watershed protection. Learn more at https://www.fairfaxwater.org/grants. Offered by Fairfax Water.
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10.) StormCon 2026 -- August 25-27, 2026 -- Minneapolis, Minnesota -- Learn from practitioners who design, implement, and manage stormwater systems and gain insight into BMP performance, MS4 compliance, flood mitigation, green infrastructure, and erosion control strategies. For more information and to register for this event, see https://www.stormcon.com/2026/. Supported by the National Municipal Water Alliance and the Ohio Stormwater Association.
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11.) Federal Advisory: Threat to Water Sector Operational Technology (OT) Devices -- https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/cybersecurity-advisories/aa26-097a -- The advisory urges utilities to act immediately by removing programmable logic controllers (PLCs) from public internet access, setting devices to run mode to prevent unauthorized changes, and replacing default passwords with strong, unique credentials. The threat is especially critical for rural water systems with limited cybersecurity resources, and operators are encouraged to use EPA’s Cybersecurity Technical Assistance Program to request technical assistance from cybersecurity subject matter experts (https://www.epa.gov/cyberwater/forms/cybersecurity-technical-assistance-program-water-sector).
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12.) Source Water Collaborative (SWC) Resources and Webinars -- https://www.sourcewatercollaborative.org/resources-webinars/ -- Topics include: Public Education & Engagement; Partnerships & Collaboration; Agriculture; Forestry & Conservation; Emergency Preparedness & Response (including Wildfires); Groundwater; Using the Clean Water Act to Protect Drinking Water; and Funding & Technical Assistance. Link to a recently published fact sheet: “Protect Groundwater Sources of Drinking Water”
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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.