See the Book of Abstracts for the full descriptions of sessions.
(Agenda details are subject to change.)
Welcome: 8 - 8:30 a.m.
Morning Plenary: 8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
History of Minnesota Research into Sulfate Pollution of Low-sulfate Aquatic Systems
Ed Swain, Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota
Why is sulfate pollution so difficult to regulate? Edward Swain will recount the history of Minnesota scientists who worked to explain the paradoxes of sulfate biogeochemistry – paradoxes that make it difficult to develop standards to protect wild rice and minimize mercury contamination of fish – which sulfate usually increases. Swain will link history to current puzzles about natural sulfate concentrations, and why high sulfate levels sometimes suppress mercury contamination or allow wild rice to grow.
Break/Refreshments: 9:30 - 10 a.m.
Concurrent Session #4 (10 - 11:30 a.m.)
- Track 1: Wetlands (Ballroom E)
- Track 2: Economics and Planning for Stormwater and Lake Management (Ballroom A)
- Track 3: Special Session (Rooms 1-3)
- Track 4: Northern Lakes (Rooms 10-12)
- Track 5: Ag BMPs (Rooms 13-15)
Wetlands Care for Us so We Must Care for Them: A Qualitative Study on Tribal Cultural Ecosystem Relationships with Wetlands in Nagaajiwanaang (Fond du Lac Reservation)
Giovanni Delgado-Ortiz, University of Minnesota Center for Changing Landscapes
Assessing Phosphorus Retention and Release in a Stormwater Wetland
Joe Bischoff, Barr Engineering Co.
Feedlot Effects on Water Quality in the Streams and Wetlands of the Minnesota River Basin
Sophie Terian, University of Kansas
A Long-Term Monitoring Strategy to Evaluate Water Quality Responses to Agricultural Nutrient and Irrigation BMPs in a Groundwater-Dependent Riparian Wetland River of North-Central Minnesota
Daniel Whitney, Central Minnesota Irrigators/Northwest AqwaTek Solutions
Evaluating the Economic Benefit of Converting Stormwater BMP Outlets from Passive to Active
Cory Anderson, Barr Engineering Co.
How Data and Economics Can Maximize the ROI of Conservation and WQ Efforts
Mike Kinney, Comfort Lake-Forest Lake Watershed District
Stronger Together: A Watershed Organization's Blueprint for Cross-Sector Stormwater Solutions
Carl Almer, EOR, Inc.
Making Complexity Clear: Building Shared Understanding for Stormwater Rates
Jacob Strombeck, AE2S and AE2S Nexus
The Water is Getting Saltier. How Do We Take on Chloride Pollution at Scale?
Chloride from winter de-icing chemicals poses a permanent threat to Minnesota’s freshwater. Although public road authorities have made noteworthy reductions in salt use without compromising safety, additional voluntary approaches have not produced meaningful reductions, and conditions continue to worsen. This session will highlight new analyses of contributions by land use and owner, present a menu of policy recommendations assembled by the Clean Water Council, and invite participants to engage in advancing high impact recommendations.
Presenters:
- Greg Wilson, Senior Water Resources Engineer, Barr Engineering Company
- Jen Kader, Administrator, Clean Water Council
- Jessica Wilson, Water Resources Manager, City of Edina
Wildfire-induced Shifts in Water Quality Sustained for Four Years Post-fire in Northern Minnesota Lakes
Shawnee McMillian, Natural Resources Research Institute
Burn Severity Influences Lake Water Quality Responses After Two Northern Minnesota Wildfires
Liana Sweezer, Natural Resources Research Institute - University of Minnesota
The Future of Lake of the Woods Brightens: Sediment Indicators Support Reduced Internal Load Potential
Mark Edlund, St Croix Watershed Research Station, Science Museum of Minnesota
Legacy Phosphorus and Eutrophication in our Border Waters – Steps Toward Understanding Dynamics and Implications for Management in the Rainy River – Lake of the Woods Watershed
Anna Baker, USGS
What Cover Crop Planting Rates Reduce Erosion and Nitrogen Loss in Upper Midwest Cropping Systems?
Robert Fowler, University of Minnesota, Department of Soil, Water and Climate
Cost-effectiveness of a Pay-for-performance Cover-crop Program: A Case Study of the Olmsted County Groundwater Protection and Soil Health Protection Program in Minnesota
Shunkei Kakimoto, Applied Economics, University of Minnesota
Differences in soil health practice perspectives and adoption by Minnesota farmers
Sarah Roth, University of Minnesota
What Happens After Conservation Implementation? Evidence from Dobbins Creek near Austin, MN
Benjamin Lundeen, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
Lunch: 11:30 - 12:15 p.m.
Lunch Plenary Talk: 12:15 - 1 p.m.
Iowa Flood Center: The Foundation for a Healthier and More Resilient Iowa
Larry Weber, Director, Iowa Institute of Hydroscience and Engineering (IIHR)
In his talk, Weber will discuss efforts to expand environmental monitoring and forecast systems throughout Iowa to improve community resiliency and the health of the people who live and work there.
Break/Refreshments: 1 - 1:15 p.m.
Concurrent Session #5 (1:15 - 2:45 p.m.)
- Track 1: Innovative Management Using eDNA, Fish Barriers, and Discharges (Ballroom E)
- Track 2: Stormwater Technologies Including Filtration, Sediment, and Banking (Ballroom A)
- Track 3: Special Session (Rooms 1-3)
- Track 4: Modeling and Tools (Rooms 10-12)
- Track 5: Navigating Minnesota's Water Future from History to Horizon (Rooms 13-15)
The Accidental Restoration: Carp Barriers, Winterkill, and a Lake’s Unplanned Comeback
Andrew Edgcumbe, Carver County Water Management Organization
Development and Validation of Quantitative PCR Assays to Detect Aquatic Invasive Species in Minnesota Waters Using eDNA
Kaitlyn Madden, Water Resources Sciences - University of Minnesota
Priority AIS Detection with Field-portable DNA Metabarcoding Workflow
Andrew Wood, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota
Preventing Future Fish Kills From Potable Water Releases
Ryan Granlund, City of Duluth
Stormwater Filtration at Agate Bay: A Case Study
Stephanie Eytcheson, Natural Resources Research Institute
When Maintenance Matters: Evaluating CDS Unit Performance in an Urban Lake Watershed
Carolyn Eckstein, Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board
Evaluating the Efficiency of a Stormwater Treatment Train in Duluth, MN
Vivek Dhakal, University of Minnesota Duluth
Establishing a Stormwater Credit Bank for Downtown Shakopee Infrastructure: Treatment Train Design and Performance Outcomes
Mathew Cox, Kimley-Horn and Associates
An Altered Hydrology: Storage and Drainage in the Minnesota River Basin
The Minnesota River Basin is one of Minnesota's most degraded watersheds. This special session brings together multiple perspectives to look at difficult issues around drainage and storage projects in the basin, and what sorts of scales and types of change are needed to improve the health of the river system. This interactive session will include small group discussions, with the intent to to build consensus on progressive watershed management priorities in southern Minnesota.
Presenters:
- Rita Weaver, MN BWSR "Minnesota River Basin: Environmental Concerns and History"
- Henry Van Offelen, MN BWSR "Upland Storage: Scale and Prioritization"
- Jon Lore, MN DNR "Channels and Floodplains: Prioritization and Multiple Benefits"
- Andrew Hillman, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy "Thinking Outside the Box: Innovative Policy Solutions for Downstream Effects of Public Drainage"
ArcGIS Dashboards: Because you can Only Look at so Many Spreadsheets!
Ali Chalberg, Rice Creek Watershed District
Model Comparison: HEC-RAS versus Two Common Stormwater Collection Systems Models
Caroline Burger, Carollo Engineers
The Asset Explorer Tool: Developing an Interactive, Map-based Approach to Best Management Practice (BMP) and Infrastructure Management for the Metro Blue Line Extension (BLE) Project
Allegra Johnson McKee, Young Environmental Consulting Group
A Demonstrated Modeling Approach to Evaluate Watershed-Wide Implementation of Multiple ALCS Outlets
Janna Kieffer, Barr Engineering Co.
Mind the Gap: Where Clean Water Act Rulemaking Fails to Meet the Science and Legislative Intent in Defining Waters of the United States and the Biodiversity Left Unguarded
Susan Colvin, Minnesota State University
Raising the Grade of Minnesota's Water Infrastructure
Lisa Breu, ASCE MN
Water Use Trends in Minnesota (1988-2023)
Reid Brown, University of Minnesota, MN DNR Water Regulations Unit, MN Sea Grant
Defining Water Risk for Minnesota
Carrie Jennings, Freshwater
Break/Refreshments: 2:45 - 3:15 p.m.
Concurrent Session #6 (3:15 - 4:45 p.m.)
- Track 1: Infrastructure and Building Resilience (Ballroom E)
- Track 2: Stormwater and Alum (Ballroom A)
- Track 3: Special Session (Rooms 1-3)
- Track 4: Monitoring and Modeling (Rooms 10-12)
- Track 5: Tools for Sediment and Nutrient Transport and Trends (Rooms 13-15)
Beneficial Water Reuse in the Midwest
Alyssa Mayer, Hazen and Sawyer
Using the Geomorphic Approach to Advance Clean Water-Funded Culvert and Bridge Replacement Projects in Minnesota
Salam Murtada, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
The Infrastructure Crossroads: Managing Urban Natural Systems at Mid‑Lifecycle
Fred Rozumalski, Barr Engineering co.
Reconnecting the Whitewater River to Its Floodplain: A Case Study in Flood Reduction and Resilience in St. Charles
Meghan Funke, WHKS & Co.
Dredging Impacts on Phosphorus Release from Stormwater Ponds
Emma Squires, University of Minnesota- SAFL
Mapping Sediment to Plan Smarter: A Practical Bathymetric Survey Approach for Urban Stormwater Ponds
Jeremy Siudzinski, City of Minneapolis
28 Years Evaluating Success of the Tanners Lake Alum Treatment Facility in Maplewood, Minnesota, USA
Lyndsey Flaten, Ramsey Washington Metro Watershed District
Wake Boat Impacts on Alum Effectiveness in a Residential Minnesota Lake
Kate Lucas, Barr Engineering
Envisioning a Minnesota Flood Center: Interactive Workshop
Increasing flood risk in Minnesota threatens infrastructure, water quality, and community safety and welfare. Innovations in forecasting, preparedness, and coordination across agencies can reduce flood risk. This session will engage stakeholders in setting the course for a proposed Minnesota Flood Center that would improve flood forecasting, strengthen collaboration, and provide consistent information during emergencies. Presenters will engage participants to shape a strategic plan and identify stakeholders that could support or benefit from a statewide center.
Presenters:
- Kristy Dellwo, State Hazard Mitigation Officer, State of MN HSEM
- Megan McGuire, Regional Technical Specialist for Environmental Planning, St. Paul District Army Corps of Engineers
- Rachel Pichelmann, Hydraulic Resiliency Engineer, Minnesota Department of Transportation
- Nick Olson, State Hydraulic Engineer, Minnesota Department of Transportation
- Ceil Strauss, Minnesota State Floodplain Manager, Minnesota DNR
Refining TMDL Reduction Estimates Through Long-Term Monitoring and Watershed Modeling, Coon Creek Watershed, MN
Michael Frett, Stantec
MPCA’s Continuous Nitrate Sensor Network: Program Updates and Preliminary Data Analysis
Mike Walerak, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Building Biological Monitoring Capacity at the Local Level
Chase Vanderbilt, Coon Creek Watershed District
Minnesota Lake Lookout: A Participatory Science Network to Monitor Chloride and Cyanobacteria Blooms in Rural Minnesota Lakes
Hilarie Sorensen, Minnesota Sea Grant
Using Machine Learning to make Fluvial Sediment Predictions in Minnesota StreamStats
Joel Groten, U.S. Geological Survey
Defining Critical Bed-Transport Thresholds to Predict Sediment-Loading Days per Year in Agricultural Watersheds
Ashlyn Cowgill, University of Minnesota
Optimizing Stream and River Assessments: Practical Trade-offs in Pollutant Trend and Load Estimation
Steve Kloiber, Metropolitan Council
Using Watershed Models to Support Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Planning
Maddie Keefer, Tetra Tech
Conference Adjourns: 4:45 p.m.