In the surveys we conduct after the StormCon conference each
year, many of you who’ve attended have been asking for more advanced classes on
best management practices (BMPs). At StormCon ’08 in Orlando (August 3 through
7), we’ll have a selection of pre-conference workshops to choose from, taught by
some of the top experts in the field.
* “Low-Impact Development: Introduction,
Applications, and Technical Implementation” is a two-day workshop taught by
Larry Coffman, considered by many the “father of LID” for his work on developing
these techniques in Prince George’s County, MD. This course was very
well-received last year, and it’s your chance to get a comprehensive overview of
what LID is—and what it isn’t—from the leading authority on the subject.
* “Advanced BMP Design,
Installation, and Maintenance: New Generation Stormwater Treatment Practices” is
a full-day, interactive workshop by Tom Schueler, founder of the Center for
Watershed Protection and currently the coordinator of the Chesapeake Stormwater
Network. You’ll learn to develop and adapt effective design specifications for
the new stormwater treatment practices.
* “Advanced
Post-Construction Stormwater Inspection, Maintenance, and Repair” is a full-day
workshop by Theodore E. Scott, an expert with more than 20 years’ experience in
the design and maintenance of stormwater management systems. Maintenance is a
key issue, and often a stumbling block for programs once they have BMPs in
place; this class shows you what you need to do to keep BMPs operating as they
should and stop them from becoming a liability, a public hazard, or a
point-source of pollution.
*
“Advanced BMP Design,
Installation, and Maintenance: Large Municipal Projects” is a full-day,
interactive focusing on theory, design criteria, and the decision-making process
for selecting and designing advanced treatment BMPs. The instructor, James
Sullivan of Metcalf & Eddy, has designed many stormwater treatment BMPs,
including for advanced pilot studies and for large municipal projects.
*
“BMPs: Selection,
Inspection, and Maintenance” is a popular full-day workshop by Gordon England
and Stuart Stein that we’ve offered for the last several years. It provides a
thorough overview of pollutant sources and types, pollutant-removal mechanisms,
and how to choose the BMPs that best fit your situation.
In addition to these
pre-conference classes, there are a couple of BMP-related events to be aware of
during the rest of the conference.
One of them is a continuation of
the very popular BMP panel we’ve held for the last two years. This year’s
session is called “BMPs and the Bigger Picture,” and it will be held Wednesday,
August 6, from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. The panelists are Andrew Reese of AMEC Earth
& Environmental, who will act as the moderator; Bill Hunt from North
Carolina State University; Robert Roseen from the University of New Hampshire’s
Stormwater Center; Nikos Singelis of the USEPA; and Tom Schueler. The panel will
take questions from the audience, and you can also submit questions ahead of
time online at www.stormcon.com/sc_questions.html.
A second panel discussion will
take place on Wednesday, August 6, from 2:15 to 3:45 p.m. Titled “Pollutants
and Performance Protocols,” it will feature a focused discussion about the
testing (in the field and in the lab) of BMPs and how we can evaluate and verify
their effectiveness. The scheduled panelists are Bill Barfield of Woolpert Inc.;
Gordon England of GPI Southeast Inc.; Bill Hunt; Masoud Kayhanian of the
University of California-Davis; Gary Minton of Resource Planning Associates;
Betty Rushton, an environmental scientist who has worked with the Southwest
Florida Water Management District; and John Sansalone of the University of
Florida. John Moll of CrystalStream Technologies will moderate. You can submit
questions for this high-powered group online at www.stormcon.com/sc_questions.html
or email them directly to John Moll at johnmoll@crystalstream.com with the
word “Forum” in the subject line.
For more information about all the pre-conference workshops
and technical sessions at StormCon, see www.stormcon.com.