2026 VWMC CONFERENCE
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Virginia Public Safety Training Center, Knox Hall
7093 Broad Neck Rd, Hanover, VA 23069
REGISTER NOW!
PROGRAM: The conference runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (doors open at 9:00 a.m.). We have scheduled brief morning and afternoon breaks and lunch. A draft agenda is shown below (subject to change):
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- Studying a Correlation between Land Use Change and Virginia SOS Water Quality Results – Geoff Orth, Fiona Hawley, Posie Magurn, and Frances Lash;* Smith Mountain Lake Association (SMLA), Virginia Save Our Streams, and *Ferrum College
- Connecting Water Quality Monitoring and Community Science to Tribal Engagement – Sophie Stern, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, and Jessica Phillips, Chickahominy Indian Tribe – Eastern Division
- Genus Virginia Stream Condition Index for Aquatic Macroinvertebrates in the Non-Coastal Areas of Virginia – Drew Garey, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
- Modeling the Potomac Interceptor Collapse: ICPRB’s Operational Emergency Response – Sarah Ahmed, Interstate Commission for the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB)
- The Potomac Interceptor Spill: Rapid Response, Lingering Concerns, and Chronic Challenges – Wes Slaughter; Department of Geological, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences; University of Maryland
- Data Centers, Water Demand, and Regional Water Supply Planning in the Potomac River Basin – Alimatou Seck, Interstate Commission for the Potomac River Basin
- Social-Ecological Impacts of Salt in Freshwater Streams – Stanley Grant, Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Lab / Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech
- Hellbender Salamanders as Sentinels of Water Quality in Virginia – Bill Hopkins, Global Change Center / Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech
- Rising Tides & Real Data: Catching the King & Measuring the Muck – Stephanie Letourneau, Wetlands Watch, and Margaret Mulholland, Department of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Old Dominion University
REGISTRATION: Register Here! Registration includes morning coffee, lunch & snacks. Registration requires completing an online form and paying via check or credit card. No refunds are provided, but substitutions are allowed. The entire conference will be recorded, and all who register will receive a link to the recording following the conference.
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- Registration closes Friday, September 18, 2026 (5 p.m.) or once the space reaches full capacity.
- Early Registration (through Friday, July 31, 2026 at 5 p.m.): $65
- Regular Registration: $80
If you have problems with registration or are registering a group of people, contact Sophie Stern at sstern@allianceforthebay.org.
EXHIBITORS: Conference exhibitors will receive a tabletop booth space, registration for one person to attend the conference, and recognition on promotional materials. Registration for exhibitors is $300. Contact vwmc@vt.edu if you have questions about exhibiting at the conference.
SCHOLARSHIPS: Offering “Ken Brooks Scholarships” to cover the conference registration fee for two full-time college students. Given in memory of longtime VWMC Steering Committee member Ken Brooks. The application deadline is Friday, September 4, 2026. To apply for the scholarship, click here. Note: If you register for the conference and are selected for a scholarship, your registration fee will be refunded.
LOCATION: The conference will be held in Knox Hall at the Virginia Public Safety Training Center (VPSTC), located at 7093 Broad Neck Rd, Hanover, VA 23069. Parking is free. View a map to the VPSTC here, and download a campus map here (Knox Hall is building #2 on the campus map). A list of nearby lodging and restaurant options are provided here.
QUESTIONS? If you have questions regarding the conference, contact: vwmc@vt.edu. If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Jane Walker at 540-231-4159 or vwmc@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.
PARTNERS: Thank you to our conference partners!
Virginia Public Safety Training Center 
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
Virginia Water Resources Research Center 
RECENT CONFERENCES: To learn more about past VWMC conferences, click the link below for the respective year. Recordings of several past VWMC Conferences can be found on the VWMC’s YouTube Channel.