2023 VWMC Conference

Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Henrico County Training Center
7701 East Parham Road, Henrico, VA 23228

Thank you to all who made the 2023 VWMC Conference a success!

PRESENTATIONS: Thank you to our conference presenters! Click the name of the presenter to see the presentation slides.

Virginia Conservation Assistance Program: Financial Assistance for Water Quality Projects at Homes, Schools, Businesses, or Places of Worship – Blair Blanchette, Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts
To the Rescue: Virginia’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Investment in Septic Assistance – Lauren Linville, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (Virginia DEQ)
An Overview of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s PFAS Dashboard – Joe Famularo, Virginia DEQ
Detecting PFAS in Virginian Private Wells – Leigh Anne Krometis and Kathleen Hohweiler, Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech
Chesapeake Bay Policies: 2025 and Beyond – Anna Killius, Chesapeake Bay Commission
KEYNOTE ADDRESS: “Chesapeake – A Love Letter to a Watershed” – Showcasing the Beauty of our Home Waters – Eric Braker, Braker Bros, LLC / Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
Characterizing the Impact of Deicers on Engineered Ecosystems: Implications for Performance, Resilience and Self-Repair through Phytoremediation – Megan Rippy, Virginia Tech
Microplastic Exposure Increases Disease-Related Mortalities in Finfish – Rob Hale, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Assessing Stream Health through the Lens of Fish Environmental DNA (eDNA) – Joe Buckwalter, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech

SCHOLARSHIPS: The VWMC is proud to honor the memory of longtime VWMC Steering Committee member Ken Brooks by offering two scholarships in his name. Ken was a champion of student involvement in the VWMC’s annual conferences. The “2023 Ken Brooks Scholarships” will cover the conference registration fee for two full-time college students. Congratulations to our 2023 Ken Brooks Scholarship recipients:

Joe Presinzano, a junior at Ferrum College majoring in Environmental Studies, and
Tabitha King, a graduate student at George Mason University in Environmental Science and Public Policy.

EXHIBITORS: Thank you to our conference exhibitors!

U.S. Geological Survey