Proposed Sessions

S1: Effects of hydrologic change on water availability: Observations and analysis of changes to water quantity and quality

This session focuses on changes in water quantity in streams, lakes, and/or groundwater that may be caused by changes in climate and that may also cause changes in water quality.

S2: Remote monitoring of inland freshwater harmful algal blooms

This session is focused on remote monitoring of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in inland freshwaters using multiple resources to understand spatio-temporal variability of HABs and inform lake management decisions.

S3: Advances in Water Sensor Technologies and Real-Time Water Monitoring

The proposed session(s) will discuss advances in water quantity and water quality sensor technologies, data capture and transport platforms, data management, and QA/QC for advanced water monitoring systems.

S4: Innovations in Volunteer Science

Sharing innovative data use stories and cross-sector collaborations in volunteer, citizen, or community science. Intersections with traditional ecological knowledge, environmental justice, and/or water equity are of particular interest.

S5: Nutrient Cycling in Streams and Lakes

This session calls for studies that assess or monitor dynamics of nutrient transport, Harmful Algal Blooms (fresh or marine), or effectiveness of BMPs towards reduction of nonpoint source nutrient runoff.

S6: Monitoring for Water Quality Trends in the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB)

This session calls for projects that have focused monitoring efforts within the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB). Monitoring objectives could include assessing water quality trends, nutrient reduction effectiveness, gauging monitoring gaps across the basin, or sharing lessons learned for this system.

S7: Data Management Best Practices: Building a Solid Foundation

This session will showcase data management best practices, innovative tools, techniques, and workflows to help organizations leverage their data assets at scale to make data driven decisions.

S8: Implementing Statistical Surveys to Address Water Priorities

Many organizations implement statistical (probabilistic) surveys in their water programs or leverage participation in national surveys. We invite presentations on state/tribal/other application of surveys to address CWA and other priorities.

S9: Contaminant-Mixture Exposures and Potential Human-Health Effects in Point-of-Use Drinking Water

This session focuses on assessments of human exposures to and potential effects of contaminant mixtures in drinking water at the point of use, with an emphasis on private wells.

S10: Data of a Known Quality: Data Visualization and Analytics of Continuous Monitoring Data

This session is meant for those who are interested in data visualization of high frequency continuous monitoring data and its utility for quality assurance, analysis, and dissemination purposes.

S11: Clean Water Act Stories – are our waters getting better?

As the CWA turns 50, it’s important to stop and take stock. We invite stories of CWA successes and challenges to inspire water quality efforts for the next 50 years.

S12: Impact of Land use changes and climate changes on water quality monitoring

Development if not well planned, destroys riparian buffers which are unique water filters. With climate change, waterbodies become more polluted and therefore the need for new water quality monitoring techniques.

S13: Connecting Community Science to Decision-Makers: The Water Data Collaborative

Community water data is siloed and disorganized, harming its usefulness to decision-makers. Learn how collective action can increase the power and impact of community water data.

S14: Innovations in Freshwater Monitoring

This session will use case studies and interactive demonstrations to explore the technologies and cross-sector partnerships that are enabling the next generation of freshwater data collection and analysis systems.

S15: Using large-scale watershed assessments to identify and prioritize protection of watersheds & high-quality waters

This session outlines approaches for identifying healthy waterbodies & watersheds at large scales (HUC6 or greater), including visualizing watershed planning data & subsequent processes for prioritizing watersheds for protection.

S16: Microplastics–working towards standard collection methods

Presenters will share standard approaches developed and used for collecting representative and reproducible samples for microplastic analysis.

S17: Advanced monitoring of fecal contamination in urban waterways in support of public access

Presenters will share strategies for monitoring urban waters, supporting public use, and informing shoreline redevelopment for public access.

S18: Sources, exposures, and human and ecological health effects of environmental PFAS contamination

This session will have talks that describe the results of environmental PFAS contaminant source assessments, fate and transport studies, and studies of human and ecological health effects endpoints.

S19: Nonpoint Source Program Adaptations to Climate Change

Innovative solutions from nonpoint source-related programs to address challenges related to climate change, focusing on adaptations to current monitoring and assessment programs and will share results and lessons learned.

S20: Urban nonpoint source management: What does green stormwater infrastructure monitoring reveal about performance and design needs?

This session calls for studies applying effectiveness monitoring to enhance understanding of green stormwater infrastructure treatment processes, identify design improvements, and assess cumulative benefits at the watershed scale.

S21: Water quality trends: exploring advancements in trend detection tools and driver attribution studies

Water quality trends: exploring advancements in trend detection tools and driver attribution studies

S22: River HABs: Identification, Prediction, and Process Understanding of Algal Blooms in Flowing Waters

This session focuses on current understanding of algae, algal blooms, and HABs in flowing waters derived from site-specific to regional and national scale studies.

S23: Advancements in Water Data

These sessions will include advancements in water data sharing, assessments, and mapping. Including emerging open-source data applications, advancements in data sharing using WQX and more, and opportunities within the Internet of Water.

S24: Environmental DNA Monitoring in Marine Systems

eDNA is being incorporated into monitoring programs in a wide range of marine setting. We will present examples of current applications, and research on emerging methods and technologies.

S25: Using monitoring data to address environmental issues in coastal waters

This session focuses on how monitoring data have addressed environmental issues in coastal regions (estuaries and nearshore waters). This may include new or improved methods, tools, case studies, and partnerships.

S26: Passive samplers for novel applications

This session will focus on novel applications of passive samplers, including new technologies, assessments of unconventional or emerging contaminants, and use for ecological risk assessment and to support decision making.

S27: Empowering communities and increasing Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) in water quality monitoring programs

This session will highlight individuals and programs empowering communities by providing them with opportunities to voice concerns, identify areas for improvement, and recommend how to improve water quality, ecosystem health, and environmental impacts to communities.

S28: Risks Posed by Neonicotinoid Insecticides to Aquatic Ecosystems

Neonicotinoid insecticides are implicated in population declines of various terrestrial and aquatic organisms. Improved understanding of neonicotinoid2 sources, fate, and environmental impacts, can help improve management and regulation of these chemicals.

S29: The ecology, monitoring and prevention of Harmful Algal Blooms

A session geared towards Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) (freshwater) – the ecology of HABs, the monitoring of HABs, cyanotoxins & related factors; monitoring to support overall management, prevention & treatment, as well as bloom triggers.

S30: Applications of Data from the National Aquatic Resource Surveys to Address issues of National Importance

National Water Questions call for National Data. We invite presentations showcasing research and programmatic applications using data from NARS addressing priorities including climate change, environmental justice, nutrient pollution, etc.

S31: The National Groundwater Monitoring Network (NGWMN) – Leading the Way for Collaboration and Web Portal Data-Sharing

The NGWMN is a shining example of successful collaboration between non-Federal data-providers and the Federal government – including leading-edge web portal data-sharing, data visualization, and statistics.

S32: Doing More with Less: Creative Ideas from Successful Monitoring and Assessment Programs

This session will share examples of how organizations have achieved water monitoring and assessment success without increasing resources by reprioritizing work, creatively staffing, implementing new equipment, or automating processes.

S33: Monitoring and Assessment of PFAS in the Aquatic Environment

This session explores current analytical capabilities and challenges of PFAS measurement, environmental monitoring data, and effects thresholds for freshwater and marine species.

S34: PFAS Monitoring: Sampling and analytical approaches applied at various network scales.

This session will cover monitoring and analytical approaches for PFAS in flowing water, groundwater, and lakes. Talks will focus on sampling and analytical approaches, quality assurance, and PFAS data in the context of sources.

S35: Advancements in wetland monitoring and assessment

Efforts to monitor and assess wetlands have progressed substantially in the past decade. This session will highlight examples from national, regional, and state initiatives.

S36: Building Credibility in Community-based Monitoring Programs

This session will explore best practices for building data credibility into collaborative monitoring projects that engage volunteers.

S37: Local, State, and Regional Uses of Community Collected Data

There are nearly 2000 aquatic citizen science/volunteer monitoring programs across the nation, these sessions will explore local, state, and regional examples of how community collected data have been used.

S38: Applications of monitoring data to meet the needs of policy makers and drive water quality management decisions

Monitoring is designed to support water management efforts, however too often we struggle to meet policymakers needs. We invite presentations showcasing use of water data to support water management decisions.

S39: Effective Use of Monitoring Data to Demonstrate Improved Estuarine Ecological Health from Management Actions

Water quality monitoring information is vital to demonstrate the improved ecological health of Long Island Sound and other estuaries. Innovative methods for using it are essential for demonstrating management effectiveness.

S40: Biogenic Methane Monitoring and Mitigation

Floating Island International (FII) and practitioners from our network of environmental service providers will expand on means to quantify and reduce biogenic methane emissions associated with nutrient impaired water.

S41: Analytical approaches for evaluation of equity and inclusion in water quality programs

Justice40 is a whole-of-government effort to ensure that Federal agencies work with states and local communities to deliver at least 40 percent of the overall benefits from Federal investments in climate and clean energy to disadvantaged communities (DAC).In this session we are inviting water quality programs to share their approach analyzing existing water quality data, socioeconomic and demographic data, and programmatic indicators with the intent of establishing an understanding of current program efforts in DAC areas and uncover potential focus to improve equity and inclusion in their program.

S42: Fish tissue contaminants/ bioaccumulation in fish/shellfish

Program Committee is requesting abstracts on current research on fish tissue contaminants and bioaccumulation within fish and shellfish communities. Talks may include innovative methods to look at emerging pollutants of concern, heavy metals, impacts on human and ecological health, etc.

S43: Biological assessment in rivers, streams, and lakes

Program Committee is requesting talks on how to integrate biological assessment data across data types, trophic levels, and waterbodies. Abstracts could discuss collaboration amongst different organizations with an interest in biological data or combining biological data with other data sources such as chemical, physical, climatological, or demographical data. Additionally, talks may discuss the development of both metrics and indices for measuring biological integrity, as well as the development and use of O/E models.

S44: Measuring and assessing impacts of Trash/ microplastics

Program Committee is requesting information on methods which water monitoring professionals are collecting, measuring, and assessing impacts of trash pollution (including microplastics) on water quality, including aquatic biota health, human health, and aesthetics.

S45: Innovative Molecular Methods for Water Monitoring

Program Committee is requesting talks with innovative analytical methods for conducting water monitoring. Abstracts could include information on how the use of eDNA or qPCR. These talks may address how molecular methods are being used to track organism-related human health parameters such as Covid-19, or how methods are advancing the understanding aquatic community population dynamics.

S46: Wastewater based epidemiology/surveillance

Program Committee is requesting abstracts about the use of wastewater based epidemiology and surveillance to inform public health decisions. Abstracts could include the use of wastewater influent as an early detection warning for pathogens and viruses like SARS-COV2 (COVID-19) within a specific community. How data is collected, analyzed, and shared to make better public health decisions are all topics to include.

S47: Microbial Source Tracking (MST)/stormwater monitoring

Program Committee is requesting talks on innovative ways fecal indicator bacteria are being identified and tracked in stormwater as related to recreational use waters or shellfish fisheries. Identifying the source of fecal contamination using specific genetic markers can help develop management actions that target the source of impairment.

S48: Use of Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence to improve water quality monitoring priorities and assist in decision-making options

Program Committee is requesting abstracts related to the newest uses of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) in the water quality monitoring field. Applications of AI/ML to monitoring science; emerging approaches and opportunities; ethical use, data-driven decision making; and knowledge transfer across science organizations and stakeholders.