2026 VWMC CONFERENCE
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Virginia Public Safety Training Center, Knox Hall
7093 Broad Neck Rd, Hanover, VA 23069
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: We are at full capacity so register has closed. To be added to the wait list, please contact Sophie Stern at sstern@allianceforthebay.org.
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.
EXHIBITORS: Thank you to our conference exhibitors!
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality 
YSI, a part of Xylem Analytics 
PARTNERS: Thank you to our conference partners!
Virginia Public Safety Training Center 
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
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.