The 31st Annual Nonpoint Source Pollution Conference has been set for April 23 & 24, 2020 at the Woodstock Inn, in Woodstock, Vermont.

This conference, which is coordinated by New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) in partnership with member states and EPA, is a forum for sharing information about nonpoint source pollution (NPS) issues and projects in this region.

This year’s conference theme – The Watershed Approach – focuses on the importance of partnerships and collaboration between states and federal agencies and organizations working to manage nonpoint sources of pollution. Preference will be given to those abstracts that address this theme as well as the topics listed below.

Intersection of water quality and social sciences

• Social media, engaging with the press, and effective communication
• Demonstrating and marketing the success of nonpoint source programs and projects
• Building partner and workforce capacity for water quality
• Using social indicators to address barriers and change behaviors

Innovative funding and partnerships for water quality projects

• Maximizing project cobenefits via collaborative funding and partnerships
• Creative uses of Clean Water State Revolving Fund and other financing
• Market-based approaches to nutrient management (e.g., payment for ecosystem services, pay for performance, etc.)

Natural infrastructure and nature-based solutions

• Protecting healthy watersheds and unimpaired waters and other cobenefits
• Enhanced forest management practices for water quality
• Natural resources restoration and conservation as a TMDL implementation tool

Watershed-based planning and implementation

• Setting measurable targets and communicating progress
• “All-in” working across land use-based sectors to meet goals
• Applying local lessons-learned to solve large-scale problems

Performance monitoring

• Operations and maintenance: how to ensure long-term effectiveness
• BMP effectiveness: what to put where and why, including non-structural BMPs
• Use of surface water monitoring to demonstrate project successes
• Tracking NPS projects and quantifying nutrient reductions and other cobenefits

Those interested in presenting at the conference can review the Call for Abstracts online where you can also submit an abstract. The deadline for submissions is December 6, 2019.

Conference attendees are expected to include representatives from public and private sectors in New England and New York State involved in NPS pollution management, including participants from state, federal, and municipal governments; the private sector; academia; and watershed organizations. For more information about this conference, click here.