2024 Annual Conference Agenda

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2024 / PRE-CONFERENCE

8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
[Registration Required]

[Pre-Conference - Service Project]
SESWA Volunteer Service Project - This Event Has Reached Capacity!
The City of Chattanooga and North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy, in collaboration with the Southeast Stormwater Association, invite you to join a pre-conference cleanup project along North Chickamauga Creek. Located just 20 minutes north of downtown Chattanooga, this beautiful stretch of river recently received the designation of State Scenic River. Despite its protected status, certain areas are impacted by litter and debris, making this project a crucial conservation effort. Participants will be cleaning a section of the Creek, please dress accordingly.  All materials will be provided, there is no cost to participate.

12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Registration Desk Open

12:15 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
[Additional Fee, Registration Required]

[Pre-Conference Tour]
Stormwater Projects Tour - This Event Has Reached Capacity!
Join the City of Chattanooga's Stormwater Management division on an informative bus tour highlighting various stormwater and water quality efforts. The pre-conference tour offers a unique opportunity to learn about the City's initiatives firsthand while exploring Chattanooga's beautiful landscapes. Don't miss this chance to gain insight into how stormwater is managed and the importance of water quality in our community. There are a limited number of seats available, and we anticipate the tour filling up quickly. Transportation will leave the hotel lobby promptly at 12:30 p.m. and will return no later than 3:00 p.m.  Please dress casually and wear comfortable shoes. 

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
[Additional Fee, Registration Required]
2.00 credits

[Pre-Conference Workshop]
Wetland and Natural Solutions for Stormwater Management
Join us as we highlight key stormwater projects that utilize wetlands and natural systems to address stormwater pollution and assist with watershed restoration. The three discussions will review the challenges that local governments face when embarking on a similar journey including policy decisions, funding options, and planning considerations. The workshop will provide a valuable forum to learn and inquire about efforts in our region.

1:00 p.m. - 1:40 p.m.  
Session 1 - Untold Legacy of the National Irrigation Congress & its Urban Watersheds Impact
This session will examine the legacy of the National Irrigation Congress (NIC) on one city’s watershed,  focusing on a wetlands restoration project. The session will share how a historical analysis uncovered the NIC's influence on urban landscapes and how program managers can leverage this information to prioritize future projects and secure the needed funding to align past legacies with current environmental goals to enhance resilience and sustainability.

Carl Thomas, CSM, CFM, Stormwater Solutions Manager
Jacobs

Cody Dallas, Interim Stormwater Utility Manager
City of Dunwoody, GA

John Schneider, PE, Project Manager
Freese and Nichols

1:40 p.m. - 2:20 p.m.
Session 2 - Meeting Goals for Citywide Stormwater Improvements and Bacterial Removal
Learn how one city, as part of the development of the citywide watershed master plan, prioritized watersheds based on various factors including recreational use, water quality, and repetitive flooding. Sustainable stormwater management is critical to maintaining the capacity and health of natural resources while also ensuring the public safety of residents, tourists, and business owners. This session will share how identifying integrative stormwater solutions that provide flood mitigation while addressing the quality of stormwater runoff is a critical component of the master plan.

Tom Murray, PE, Senior Project Manager
W.K. Dickson

2:20 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Session 3 - Active Water Management & Wetland Restoration - Lake Mattamuskeet Watershed
The Lake Mattamuskeet Watershed Restoration Plan (LMWRP) was established to address watershed-wide flooding and water quality issues arising from inadequate gravity outfalls and surrounding agricultural land use. This presentation will cover the first phases of the LMWRP including an alternatives analysis that prioritized projects to manage lake levels and improve watershed flooding and the preliminary design of prioritized projects.

Alessandra Braswell, PhD, PE, Senior Engineer
Geosyntec Consultants

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2024 / REGULAR CONFERENCE

8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Registration Desk Open

8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

8:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
(General Session)
1.25 credits

Welcome, Announcements and Opening Session

Demetria Kimball Mehlhorn, Acting President
Southeast Stormwater Association

Anna George, PhD, VP of Conservation Science and Education
Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute

Break in Exhibit Hall

Track A – “Shakey"-ing Things Up in Tallahassee: A Study in Water Quality Restoration
Learn how the City of Tallahassee, FL initiated a study for Shakey Pond to determine potential restoration activities necessary to meet water quality criteria. The presentation will reveal how the study developed a hydrologic and nutrient loading analysis through a combination of monitoring and desktop analysis. Recommended mitigation strategies to help in the attainment of water quality standards will also be shared.

Nico Pisarello, GISP, Water Resources Professional
Geosyntec Consultants

Mark Heidecker, CPM, Manager - Stormwater Quality Programs
City of Tallahassee, FL

Track B – Building Successful Stream Stabilization and Drainage Assistance Programs
The City of Raleigh, NC has two programs that help private property owners with flooding and erosion, a Drainage Assistance Program and a Stream Stabilization Program. The Drainage Assistance Program was created in 2016 to help residents with flooding and severe erosion. Then in 2022 the City Council authorized the creation of the Stream Stabilization Program to assist with moderate erosion. Join to learn how these programs have helped Raleigh residents with their stormwater issues.

Chas Webb, PE, CFM, Engineering Supervisor
City of Raleigh, NC

11:20 a.m. - 12:05 p.m.
0.75 credits

Track A – Reaching for Healthy Streams: Navigating Restoration & Stabilization in Tight Urban Spaces
The City of Brookhaven, GA’s experiences in this case study show how to improve watershed health through two stream restoration and stabilization design projects. This session will give municipalities insights on the project prioritization, urban design development using natural channel design, implementing a surgical approach in constrained areas, grant funding processes, permitting lessons learned, best practices for stakeholder communication, and collaboration during construction.

John Schneider, PE, Stormwater Engineer
Freese and Nichols

Tom Roberts, MS, PE, PMP, Deputy Director of Public Works
City of Brookhaven, GA

Track B – Use the Cemetery to Solve Flooding? Approaches to Flood Mitigation in Watersheds
Addressing flooding is hard, addressing it in a built out watershed is a harder, adding in residential homes, narrow roads, one-way streets, utilities, and a historic cemetery makes the project memorable.  Dalton, GA, just 30 minutes from Chattanooga, TN tackled such a project.  Using policy, green and grey infrastructure, and environmental restoration, the City addressed long-time complaints with one project.  This session will explore the challenges and ultimate solutions of this effort.

Richard Greuel, PE, Principal Engineer
Arcadis

12:05 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Lunch Break

Track A – BMPs to SCMs: Cary’s Adaptive Approach to Post-Construction
The Town of Cary, NC has gone from a small town to the 7th largest in the state. Its Best Management Practices (BMPs) date back to 1989, first tracked by a spreadsheet and handwritten inspection reports. Now with almost 1,400 privately owned Stormwater Control Measures (SCMs) managed through an ArcGIS enterprise system and robust monitoring program, the Town of Cary will share its history and factors that have led to its success. This session will discuss the Town’s approach to post-construction from its program’s start in 2001 to the present, looking ahead to a sustainable future.

Charles Brown, CFM, Stormwater Field Services Administrator
Town of Cary, NC

Emily Cochran, CFM, Stormwater Program Analyst
Town of Cary, NC

Track B – Flood  Resiliency Blueprint: Backbone of Flood Resiliency Planning
The North Carolina Flood Resiliency Blueprint is a new statewide initiative that will form the backbone of the state’s flood planning process to increase community resilience to flooding. An online-decision support tool and associated planning strategies will address flooding for communities across North Carolina’s seventeen river basins. Join us to learn more about the Blueprint, a first-of-its-kind program in North Carolina that represents the largest statewide flood mitigation investment in state history.

Stuart Brown, Flood Resiliency Blueprint Supervisor
NCDEQ

John Dorman, VP, Director - Emergency and Risk Management
AECOM

Track A – Treatability of Microplastics by Urban Stormwater Controls
Urban stormwater controls like bioretention and detention ponds effectively mitigate traditional contaminants but lack microplastic research. Investigating microplastics in stormwater is crucial. This session will explore a study that tracked microplastics in urban ponds and assessed bioretention for microplastic presence.

Jejal Reddy Bathi, PhD, PE, Assistant Professor
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Mithu Chanda, Graduate Student
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Maria Price, PE, Assistant City Engineer
City of Chattanooga, TN

Track B – Holistic Flood Management and Modeling Under Climate Impacts
Climate change has resulted in significant alterations to climate patterns, resulting in more frequent extreme precipitation and flooding events. This session will review a Water Research Foundation project that examined sixteen case studies across North America to identify the state-of-the-practice and innovative approaches for holistic flood management and flood risk modeling. Criteria will be shared that was developed to communicate uncertainty, benefits, risks, and trade-offs to key project stakeholders.

Jennifer Miller, Senior Associate
Stantec

Break in Exhibit Hall

3:00 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
0.75 credits

Track A – Wetlands Wonderland: Natural Infrastructure as an Economic Incentive for Redevelopment
The City of Johns Creek, GA plans to attract future development within its Town Center by transforming two legacy wet ponds into a vibrant park space that includes a constructed wetland and the restoration of a highly eroded stream channel. Join us to learn more about a project dubbed by a supporting Council member as the “Wetlands Wonderland”, a regional stormwater approach that will offset the detention pond requirements for future redevelopment in the Town Center overlay.

Cory Rayburn, Stormwater Utility Manager
City of Johns Creek, GA / Jacobs

Erica Madsen, PE, Recreation & Parks Director
City of Johns Creek, GA

Track B – Innovations and Lessons Learned - Watershed Planning
To provide a holistic approach to stormwater management that includes flood mitigation, water quality, and ecosystem restoration, the City of Raleigh, NC embarked on the development of integrated watershed plans. To date, the City has completed one plan with three additional plans underway. This session will highlight each step of the watershed study process with a focus on lessons learned along the way and innovative methods and tools that may be useful to other communities.

Lori Visone, PE, Principal, Water Resources Engineer
CDM Smith

Sheri Smith, PE, PMP, Senior Engineer
City of Raleigh, NC

Track A – Green Infrastructure in Historical Neighborhoods - Lessons Learned
100+ year old infrastructure upgraded with Green Infrastructure to prevent flooding in a historical neighborhood in New Orleans, LA. Learn how the project team was able to integrate traditional grey infrastructure with more than one acre of permeable pavement and 100 rain gardens.

Anthony Kendrick, Project Manager
City of New Orleans, LA

Track B – Beyond the Boom: Tackling Stormwater Challenges
Metro Water Services (MWS) in Nashville, TN is responsible for a stormwater service area of 514 square miles which is currently divided into 63 sub-basins.  The MWS stormwater service area includes over 75,000 culverts and pipes and 95,000 structures.  Discover how Nashville, TN's stormwater infrastructure adapts to rapid growth! Join us for insights on master planning and innovative solutions.

Adrian Ward, PE, CFM, Senior Engineering Manager
Barge Design Solutions

Matt Tays, PE, Project Manager, Metro Water Services
City of Nashville, TN

Southeast Stormwater Association Annual Member Meeting and the Election of Board of Directors and Officers

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2024 / REGULAR CONFERENCE

8:00 a.m.

Registration Desk Open

8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

8:30 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
0.75 credits

Track A – No Staff Time, No Money, No Problem: Leveraging Relationships with Schools and Colleges
You know your program could be better, but without staff time and funding to research and implement new strategies, how do you move forward? You probably already have the contacts that can help you get this work done; the next step is to ask. And if you don’t have the contacts now, you can still ask! Get ready to say yes to free research, design, and implementation that ALSO counts toward your Public Education & Outreach goals. From marketing to curriculum, we did it and you can, too!

Julie Berbiglia, Education Specialist, Metro Water Services
City of Nashville, TN

Gretchen Judkins, Environmental Compliance Officer, Metro Water Services
City of Nashville, TN

Track B – Finally!  Automated, Bacteria Measurement - Case Studies from Several MS4s
The challenges associated with stormwater sampling/analysis of bacteria indicators are well documented.  Learn more about an innovative new bacteria analyzer capable of collecting in situ samples for enumeration of reliable bacteria concentrations. This innovative new approach has allowed several MS4 communities to better characterize local receiving waters and whether bacteria concentrations exceed water quality standards.

James Riddle, PE, Program Director
Woolpert

Track A – Empowering Communities: The RainSmart Initiative
This presentation explores the collaborative endeavor between the City of Chattanooga, TN and WaterWays, a local non-profit organization, through the RainSmart Initiative. The RainSmart Initiative aims to enhance community engagement and sustainable water management practices by incentivizing residents to adopt environmentally friendly measures on their properties.

Erik Hancock, Public Information Specialist
City of Chattanooga, TN

Haley Hamblen, Environmental Specialist
City of Chattanooga, TN

Rosy Harpe, Sustainable Landscape Ecologist
WaterWays

Track B – MS4 Gap Analysis: Navigating Permit Compliance
Join us for a panel discussion focusing on common challenges local governing bodies face when striving to comply with the NPDES Phase I MS4 Permit and to highlight how Gwinnett County, GA utilized a MS4 Program Gap Analysis to better meet MS4 permit requirements.

Danielle Hankins, Project Delivery Leader
RK&K

James Moore, Section Manager
Gwinnett County, GA

Danielle Schwanke, Engineer II, Water Resources
RK&K

Federal Update and National Stormwater Trends
The National Association of Clean Water Agencies will provide an update on water-related issues and US EPA’s stormwater program priorities at the national level, focusing on stormwater policy and permitting programs.

Matthew McKenna, Director of Government Affairs
NACWA

10:55 a.m.