This year’s World Water Day, on March 22, 2023, focused on accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis. Ensuring access to water and sanitation for all is one of the United Nation’s (U.N.) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The U.N. 2023 Water Conference was the first major U.N. conference focused on water in over 45 years. Stakeholders discussed potential game changers for the Water Action Agenda based on the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework: capacity development, governance, data and information, financing and innovation. A report summarizing the conference can be found here.

In the United States, progress continues to be made toward reducing emerging toxins in drinking water. On March 14^th, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) released its proposed rule addressing levels of 6 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. For decades, PFAS have been incorporated into many different consumer, commercial, and industrial products. Exposure to PFAS can lead to a variety of health effects due to its' ability to bioaccumulate. There are thousands of PFAS chemicals that tend to co-exist with each other, creating mixtures of PFAS that can pose a greater health risk than each chemical on its own. This regulation proposes to regulate two individually (PFOS and PFOA) and four together as a hazard index (HFPO-DA, PFBA, PFHxS, and PFNA).

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Panel: Water Industry Careers

April 6, 2023 • Virtual

The Young Professionals (YP) Committee of the Ohio Section American Water Works Association (OAWWA) is hosting a virtual panel for students and young professionals to learn about different career paths in the water industry. The event will include brief presentations from 4 panelists, a Q&A session, and the opportunity to speak with panelists individually in breakout rooms. Learn more and register here.

Webinar: Engineering for a Changing Climate

April 6, 2023 • Virtual

Registration is open for the Water Luncheon Webinar, Engineering for a Changing Climate, hosted by the Ohio Stormwater Association (OSWA). This talk will discuss the limitations of current rainfall statistics, highlight several methods to predict future rainfall, and showcase leading practices in climate adaptation to manage the risk of urban flooding.

Webinar: Water Resource Restoration Sponsor Program 2024 Updates

April 19, 2023 • Virtual

Ohio EPA’s Water Resource Restoration Sponsor Program (WRRSP) will be conducting a webinar, in preparation for the program’s annual call for project nominations. Pre-Nomination site visits, post-award construction oversight and management for restoration projects, full and partial mineral rights severances, finding potential sponsors, and contract requirements for restoration projects will be discussed. Learn more and register here.

Water Week 2023: The National Water Policy Fly-In

April 25-26, 2023 • Washington, DC

Hosted by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), the Water Environment Federation (WEF), the Water Research Foundation (WRF), and the WateReuse Association, this event will focus on achievements in the water sector, their implementations, and the outlook over the next year. Register and learn more here.

Webinar: Lake Erie Charter Captains Business Survey

April 26, 2023 • Virtual

Registration is open for a freshwater science webinar hosted by the Ohio Sea Grant, Stone Lab and the Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative. Ohio Sea Grant Extension Program Leader Troy Gabriel will be speaking on a survey he led on licensed fishing guides gauging the attitudes, characteristics and economic impacts on the industry for the 2020 season.

Workshop: OEEF Grant Writing 101/102 (OEE)

April 27, 2023 • Lima, OH

Ohio EPA offers Ohio Environmental Education Fund (OEEF) grant writing workshops to help would-be grant recipients hone their ideas and make their best presentation in a competitive grant process. Register and learn more here.

Conference: 16th Annual Ohio Stormwater Conference

May 10-12, 2023 • Sandusky, OH and Virtual

Registration is open for the annual Ohio Stormwater Conference. This event is dedicated to advancing the knowledge and understanding of comprehensive stormwater and watershed management for those dealing in aspects of planning, design, implementation and regulatory compliance.

Webinar: Finding Veterinary Pharmaceuticals in Lake Erie Tributaries

May 23, 2023 • Virtual

Registration is open for a freshwater science webinar hosted by the Ohio Sea Grant, Stone Lab and the Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative. Dr. Laura Johnson at Heidelberg University will be speaking on her research examining if antibiotic concentrations in water samples from Lake Erie tributaries can be linked to nutrient runoff from livestock farms to better explain variations in nutrient loading into the lake.

Conference: 2023 UCOWR/NIWR Annual Water Resources Conference

June 13-15, 2023 • Ft. Collins, CO

Registration is open for the 2023 Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR) / National Institutes of Water Resources (NIWR) Annual Conference. Discussions will focus on critical water issues facing the western United States, the continent, and globe. Learn more here.

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