It is time to pack up and head West. This year’s StormCon will be in Reno, Nevada, from August 27-29. The goal this year was to combine fun with education, and with the conference being less than an hour from Lake Tahoe, this year’s StormCon has something for everyone.
In addition to more than 35 educational sessions, spanning topics from green infrastructure to industrial stormwater management, we have a slew of other educational events, in addition to our exhibit floor, which is quickly filling up.
Firstly, before the conference kicks off, attendees can register and participate in the two-day Certified Designer of Sediment and Erosion Certification program or the two-day CISEC Certification Course. These courses will take place over Monday, August 26 and Tuesday, August 27. Additionally, prior to the opening reception the evening of Tuesday, August 27, attendees can participate in the National Municipal Stormwater Alliance’s annual public meeting.
Furthermore, we have an extensive lineup of speakers, panelists and other educational events. Here they are at a glance:
Tours
This year, StormCon is offering four tours. Three will take place the day before the official conference kickoff on August 27. These include a private and guided natural history hike in Lake Tahoe and a private and guided kayak tour around Lake Tahoe. As another option on August 27, attendees can join the StormCon team on a tour of the Truckee River floodplain restoration project and nature walk. The tour will include a stop at the Lakewood Restoration Project & Recreational Trailhead where attendees will learn about the ongoing restoration project while also discussing maintenance and resiliency over time.
The final tour of StormCon 2024 will be after sessions ends on Thursday, August 29. It will be the Sparks North Truckee Drain Watershed Basin Tour, which will cover the realignment of the North Truckee Drain, which is a tributary to the Truckee River. This tour will include multiple stops, featuring the Sparks Marina, the Spanish Springs Dam and a proposed Recreational Park and Fishery Site.
Keynote speaker
Sunny Wescott, chief meteorologist with the Department of Homeland Security, will be this year’s keynote speaker kicking things off the morning of August 28. Wescott’s presentation, “Extreme Weather and Climate Change Impacts to National Critical Infrastructure,” will cover a vast array of topics related to changes occurring in the upper atmosphere that are triggering intensity and longevity shifts in weather patterns at the surface. Attendees will understand weather events threatening water safety and security and the supporting critical infrastructure and operators in each region across the US.
Microplastics panel
On the afternoon of Wednesday, August 28, we will host a special microplastics panel, “Tackling Microplastics Across the Country.” Join panelists Monica Arienzo of the Desert Research Institute; Katie Senft of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center and; Sarah Wilkerson of the City of Springfield, Missouri, as they share how they are mitigating this contaminant in their communities. Attendees will learn about work being done around Lake Tahoe, where microplastics have been observed, and about ideas on observing and mitigating microplastics in bodies of water. From there, the panel will travel to the Midwest and hear how the city of Springfield, Missouri, is handling the evolution of microplastics, especially as they relate to stormwater.
Top Projects awards
New this year will be the announcement of Stormwater Solutions’ 2024 Top Projects. Every year, Stormwater Solutions honors innovative stormwater and erosion control projects in print and online, but this year, we are spotlighting these projects and their stakeholders during the final StormCon lunch on August 29, which is also when we will announce the winners of the conference’s passport program for visiting exhibitors. Attendees will learn about each project’s goals, challenges, collaboration efforts and more.
And in between these events and opportunities are our educational sessions and networking receptions. It will be a packed few days full of fun, education, and networking. We hope to see you there. To register or learn more about StormCon, visit stormcon.com.
Katie Johns
Katie Johns, editor-in-chief of Stormwater Solutions, graduated from the University of Missouri in 2016 with a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. Johns joined the Stormwater Solutions team in September 2019. Johns also helps plan the annual StormCon conference and co-hosts the Talking Under Water podcast. Prior to entering the B2B industry, she worked as a newspaper reporter and editor in Sarasota, Florida, and a magazine assistant editor in the Chicago suburbs. She can be reached at [email protected].
