Please join us for additional content! All occur before or after the conference so you won't miss any sessions. There are a limited number of spots available for each. They are not included in conference registration, but pricing is listed below.
Social Event
Monday, April 8, 2024 | 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Monday Meet-up at Bouldin Acres
Feel free to join for a casual gathering at the South Lamar Bouldin Acres! Paying tribute to a historic Austin neighborhood, Bouldin Acres is a local restaurant and drinkery that takes a lively approach to dining, entertainment, and hospitality. While celebrating the Texas outdoors, Bouldin Acres is a venue where good food, good drinks, and even better company come together to create a truly Austin experience. This space has a patio, lawn games, pickleball courts, and is open late!
*NEW* Tuesday, April 9, 2024 | 7:00 pm– 9:00 pm CDT
Evening Dinner Cruise
Price: $50
This social event includes dinner, a drink, and bat-watching entertainment! Austin is home to the largest urban bat colony in the world. We'll cruise along the Colorado River to Lady Bird Lake and enjoy both the natural beautiful and the urban beauty of downtown Austin, Texas!
Attendees should walk or UBER to the Capital Cruises Boat Dock at 208 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704. The boat will depart at 7:00 PM sharp.
Tour
Wednesday, April 10, 2024 | 12:00 pm– 4:00 pm CDT
Waller Creek Tunnel Tour
Price: $80
This tour will be of the Waller Creek Tunnel, which is a flood control facility that takes water from Waterloo Park through Downtown Austin and flows into Ladybird Lake. It provides flood control for this area and a world class park is being built along the Waller Creek Corridor. Water is pumped from Ladybird Lake to provide permanent flow in the creek and prevent water in the tunnel from going anaerobic. There have been operations and maintenance challenges both foreseen and unforeseen that City of Austin Watershed Protection staff have risen to meet. The tour of this facility will be from the perspective of those responsible for ensuring this facility continues to provide flood control into the future and advice or wisdom they have for the design community.
A boxed lunch will be included.
Workshops
Sunday, April 7, 2024 | 12:00 pm– 4:00 pm CDT
Connecting the Dots from Control Measure Performance to Program Effectiveness and Maintenance Optimization
Price: $100
Realizing cleaner urban stormwater depends on individual stormwater control measures performing up to their potential. Data synthesis efforts, long-term monitoring campaigns, and scientific research have made it clear that BMPs can range widely in their pollution reduction performance, even when they are of the same type and employ the same design criteria. This tells us that some BMPs require maintenance more frequently than others, and that their collective performance is an important source of uncertainty for future water quality outcomes. By quantifying BMP performance within the context of pollution reduction targets stormwater programs can prioritize maintenance actions to maximize water quality benefits over time.
In this interactive workshop, we will clarify the operational connections between BMP maintenance actions, BMP performance, and program effectiveness. We will provide practical examples of how municipal staff are using technology to efficiently prioritize maintenance actions and plan new implementations. A breakout exercise will help participants identify ways to use this understanding to guide weekly maintenance decisions, inform long-term planning, and communicate progress. Workshop participants will learn to:
- Define actionable performance metrics for BMPs
- Identify and address critical data gaps and technical blockers to getting started.
- Apply rapid field protocols to evaluate BMP performance.
- Inform pollutant load reduction tracking with BMP performance estimates.
- Quantify and communicate the value of stormwater program actions.
Sunday, April 7, 2024 | 1:00 pm– 3:00 pm CDT
Sowing Seeds for Success: Transforming Vegetation to Assets in Stormwater Infrastructure
Price: $100
To balance rising costs of managing stormwater assets, the City of Austin developed a creative approach to vegetation maintenance through their Wildflower Meadow Program. This program enables Watershed Protection to reduce costs and emissions associated with mowing, provide pollinator habitat, increase biodiversity, and promote healthy watersheds. Properties under this special type of maintenance, including stormwater ponds, are on a reduced mowing schedule, which allows wildflowers to bloom and reseed, while allowing native grasses to thrive. Participants will learn about how the City piloted the program, including initial data collection to shape a successful, relevant program engaging local industry and community stakeholders. Participants will also learn how the pilot program was scaled up to a City-wide initiative and take away information for developing criteria for site selection, seeding practices, and management of these sites. The workshop will include detailed classroom style presentation plus a site visit.
Sunday, April 7, 2024 | 12:00 pm– 4:00 pm CDT
Green Stormwater Infrastructure Construction Inspection Training
Price: $100
Design of green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) practices are only a part of properly managing stormwater runoff. If the practices are not properly constructed and maintained, they will not function as they are designed. Little guidance has been provided on properly constructing or inspecting the construction of green infrastructure or low impact development (LID) practices. There are many variables, including construction practices and materials, that can have a significant impact on the performance and function of GSI practices. For example, compaction of the subgrade can have a significant impact on infiltration and the overall performance of bioretention areas and permeable pavement. Materials used during construction can also have a significant impact. It is important to have a trained person onsite who can determine if the gravel has been washed and free of fines and if the bioretention soil media contains the amount and quality of organic material as specified in the construction documents. This workshop will discuss the proper phasing of construction, inspection of materials upon delivery, a multitude of proper construction practices, and field testing and verification to ensure GSI practices are properly constructed and function as they are designed.