MARC co-hosts Stormwater Conference

MARC Water Quality hosted two keynote speakers and more than 40 breakout sessions to help attendees meet professional development hour requirements for their certifications.

MARC Water Quality, with help from the Kansas Water Environment Association and the Missouri Water Environment Association, hosted the biennial KC Urban Stormwater Conference at the Hyatt Place Lenexa Conference Center. Over 200 attendees in the stormwater and public works community networked in-person for the first time since the 2019 event (the 2021 event was canceled outright due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Day 1 keynote speaker Dr. Robert Traver of Villanova University’s Center for Resilient Water Systems spoke on resilient green stormwater infrastructure, its performance, and rethinking regulatory approaches.

On Day 2, Dr. Trisha Moore of Kansas State University spoke on vegetation and plants and their role in stormwater infrastructure.

In addition to the keynotes, the two-day conference provided seven and a half hours’ worth of professional development hours, across 45 breakout sessions taking place on-site.

The event ended with a panel moderated by MARC’s Water Quality Planner Synthia Isah, and featuring Andy Sauer of Burns & McDonnell, Andrew Smith of Black & Veatch, Lee Kellenberger of Johnson County government and MARC Environment Programs Director Tom Jacobs. Each speaker gave a small presentation, and the floor was opened to questions from the audience.

Committee Co-Chair Hobie Crane closed out the meeting by summing up the need for getting education out to the public about the control of contamination from the source point to our waterways: “Make sure they know– if it’s on the ground, it’s in our streams.”