National NPS Training Workshop 2016

October 31 – November 3, 2016
Omni Parker House
Boston, MA 02108

Representatives from regional, state, and tribal NPS programs worked together over the course of several months to plan the agenda for the 2016 Training Workshop, centered around the following session topics:

Urban/suburban NPS issues
Agricultural NPS pollution
Best practices for development and implementation of watershed-based plans
Healthy watersheds and protecting unimpaired waters
NPS enforceable policies and programs
Climate change planning and resiliency
Improving program effectiveness for state/tribal 319 programs
Bacteria impairments
Innovative Tools
Integration between the TMDL and 319 program, per the TMDL vision
NPS 101 Breakout Session
Coastal NPS Breakout Session
Tribal Breakout Session

Target Audience:

State and Territorial Nonpoint Source Program Managers
Tribal Nonpoint Source Program Managers
U.S. EPA Regional and Headquarters Nonpoint Source Program Coordinators

Map

Nearby Green Infrastructure and Green Spaces (Map & Site Descriptions)

In an effort to showcase just some of the green infrastructure and green spaces that the city of Boston has to offer, a custom-made map and accompanying site descriptions was compiled to assist attendees in exploring some nearby GI sites (sites #1-6); urban green spaces and historic parks, and some of the more innovative GI projects in Boston (sites #7-11).

Webinars

Throughout the 2016 National NPS Training Workshop, live Webinars were recorded and are now available for viewing:

Agenda

Presentation PDFs from the workshop are now available online for viewing, through this version of the agenda.

Monday, October 31 – Day 1

Welcome and Opening Remarks, Rooftop Ballroom

Kristen McQuaide – NPS Coordinator, NEIWPCC
John Sullivan – Chief Engineer, Boston Water and Sewer Commission
Austin Blackmon – Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space, City of Boston
Beth Card – Deputy Commissioner, Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection
Curt Spalding – Regional Administrator for U.S. EPA Region 1

National Nonpoint Source Program Update

Lynda Hall – Chief, EPA’s NPS Control Branch, EPA Headquarters

General Session 1
Improving Program Effectiveness for State/Tribal 319 Programs

Using Program Evaluation to Improve NPS Management in Wyoming – Jennifer Zygmunt, Wyoming DEQ
Public Perceptions of Water Quality in Iowa: Results from the 2015 Statewide Survey – Allen Bonini, Iowa DNR
Lyons Creek Social Assessment – Steve Hopkins, Iowa DNR
Using Data to Inform Management Decisions – Russ Gibson, Ohio EPA
Virginia’s Targeted Outreach Initiative: How to Facilitate More Effective and Successful NPS Implementation Projects – Nicole Sandberg, Virginia DEQ

Tuesday, November 1 – Day 2

General Session 2
Innovative Tools and Methods to Better Understand and Address Pathogen Impairments

Washington’s Pollutant Identification and Correction Program – Jean Snyder, Washington State DOH
Reducing Bacteria Impairments in Virginia Using the TMDL Approach – Nicole Sandberg, Virginia DEQ
A Pawsitive Approach to Finding NPS Human Sewage Pollution – Karen Reynolds, Environmental Canine Services, LLC

General Session 3
Agricultural NPS Pollution

NRCS Soil Health Initiative – Brandon Smith, Natural Resources Conservation Service
10 Ways to Reduce Nitrogen Loads from Drained Croplands in the Midwest – Jane Frankenberger, Purdue University
Unifying Watershed Management through an Off-site BMP Implementation Program in the Little Arkansas River Watershed – Ron Graber & Trisha Moore, Kansas State University

General Session 4
Working in Paved Places – Shades of Green in a Gray Environment

The Challenges, Innovations, and Lessons Learned from Installing Stormwater Retrofits in an Urban Environment – Steven Saari, DC Department of Energy and Environment
Saving Green by Going Green – Bee Branch Watershed Flood Mitigation Project – Deron Muehring, City of Dubuque, Iowa
Green Infrastructure; Implementation Lessons from Several New England Case Studies – Richard Claytor, Horsley Witten Group

General Session 5
Innovative Tools and Topics: Lightening round, Displays and Discussion

Minnesota Buffer Initiative – Justin Watkins, MN Pollution Control Agency
Stormwater and Watershed Nutrient Management With Opti-Tool, an Excel Based SUSTAIN Tool – Newton Tedder, EPA Region 1 & Mark Voorhees, EPA Region 1
Working Remotely. Alternative Approaches for Hard to Reach Stream Work – Shawn Chato, Santa Clara Pueblo
Have I Got a Story For You… Sharing Success with Story Maps – Fred Suffian, EPA Region 3
Virginia’s Nonpoint Source Assessment (and Planning) Tool – Craig Lott, Virginia DEQ
Sugar or Salt? Preferences for and Updates to the New GRTS – Adam Jorge, EPA Headquarters
Adventures in water quality Analysis (Integrated Reports, Stream Cat and 319, Oh My!) – Ari Engelberg, EPA Headquarters
Sharing and Discovering Water Quality Monitoring Data (The Water Quality Portal) – Dwane Young, EPA Headquarters
Pulling the Plug: Using a River Flow Model to Manage Water Level on a Wild Rice Lake on The Fond du Lac Reservation – Kari Jacobson Hedin, Fond du Lac Reservation

Wednesday, November 2 – Day 3

General Session 6
Playing Together in the CWA Sandbox: Integration between the CWA 319 and CWA 303(d) Listing and TMDL Programs

Brief Overview of Points of Intersection – Menchu Martinez, EPA Headquarters & Jane Peirce, MassDEP
Massachusetts Watershed Based Plans – A New Web-based Tool for Statewide Watershed Planning – Jane Pierce, MassDEP & Bob Hartzel, Geosyntec Consultants
Integration of NPS and TMDL Programs: Bad Axe Creek (Saginaw Bay, MI) 319/TMDL Hybrid – Bob Day, Michigan DEQ & Paul Thomas, EPA Region 5
Nebraska’s Approach to WBPs as Alternatives in the Context of CWA 303d Program – Carla McCullough, Nebraska DEQ & Peter Davis, EPA Region 7

General Session 7
Best Practices for Development and Implementation of Watershed-based Plans

Wisconsin’s 9 Key Element Watershed Plans – Challenges and Solutions – Andrew Craig, Wisconsin DNR
Montana’s Watershed Restoration Approach – Robert Ray, Montana DEQ & – Dean Yashan, Montana DEQ

General Session 8
NPS Enforceable Policies and Programs

Regulating Down on the Farm in Pennsylvania – Doug Goodlander, Pennsylvania DEP
A Comparison of Forestry Rules and Policies in the Pacific Northwest – Josh Seeds, Oregon DEQ & Ben Rau, Washington Department of Ecology
Where the NPDES Ends: Stormwater Regulation in the Green Mountain State – Jenna Calvi, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources

Concurrent Breakout Sessions

NPS 101 Breakout Session

Coastal NPS Problem-Solving: Shining Examples from the National Estuary Program

20 Years of Successful Shellfish Restoration in Puget Sound – Jean Snyder, Washington State DOH
Regional Challenges, Regional Solutions… Implementing a Watershed Approach – Roberta Swann, Mobile Bay National Estuary Program
A Climate Change Adaptation Plan for The San Juan Bay Estuary: The Climate Ready Estuary Workbook Experience – Jorge Bauza-Ortega, San Juan Bay Estuary Program

Tribal Breakout Session

Thursday, November 3 – Day 4

General Session 9
Climate Change Planning and Resiliency

EPA’s National Water Program: Responding to a Changing Climate – Jeff Peterson, EPA Headquarters
USDA Climate Hubs: Promoting Resiliency in Agriculture and Forestry – David Hollinger, USDA Forest Service
Facilitated Dialogue – Connecting Climate Change to State NPS Management Programs, facilitated by Barry Tonning

General Session 10
Healthy Watersheds and Protecting Unimpaired Waters

Overview of EPA’s Preliminary Healthy Watersheds Assessment for the Lower 48 States – Steve Epting, EPA Headquarters
Maine’s Lake Watershed Protection Plans: An Alternative to Nine Element Plans – Wendy Garland, Maine DEP
Working Across State and Regional Boundaries to Protect and Restore a National Treasure – Brad Kreps, The Nature Conservancy
Developing a Watershed-Based Ecological Health Conservation Plan for the Chowan Basin – Todd Janeski, Virginia Dept. of Conservation and Recreation

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Map

Webinars

Agenda