Temperature, Precipitation, & More: Datasets for Comprehensive Analysis of Local Climate Change Impacts
2024-07-17 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Virtual
EPA’s Dynamically Downscaled Ensemble (EDDE) is a collection of complex 3D physics-based models reflecting the potential changes over time to weather, extreme events, and regional climate across much of North America out to the year 2100. EDDE includes data that are driven by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scenarios and global-scale models. The regional datasets within EDDE are created using state-of-the-science numerical models that consider the physical interactions of the atmosphere, soil, and water. The output in EDDE is archived at the regional model’s spatial scale and at hourly increments over historical and future periods that span multiple decades. These data were prepared by EPA to support assessment, adaptation, and resilience activities to protect human health and the environment. This webinar will discuss EDDE Version 1 data availability, as well as the design and release timeline of EDDE Version 2.

PFAS in “Real World” Samples
2024-07-25 08:00 - 09:00
Hosted by Marina Evich and Anna Robuck, EPA ORD Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling
The complexity of environmental exposures can be difficult to adequately capture in laboratory settings, necessitating the analysis of ‘real world’ samples for many contaminants including legacy and novel PFAS. Following large scale historic contamination spanning decades in New Jersey, multiple environmental media, including soil, sediment, water, and biota, were collected and analyzed using high resolution mass spectrometry, providing a more accurate understanding of the occurrence and behavior of novel, understudied, and legacy PFAS in interconnected environmental matrices.

Climate Change: Nutrient & Sediment Impacts
2024-07-31 11:00 - 12:00
Role of Climate and Nutrient Inputs in Influencing Riverine and Coastal Nutrient Loads – Robert Sabo, EPA Office of Research and Development

Leveraging some of the best-available empirical nitrogen and phosphorus input-output budget information and environmental and climate datasets, researchers at EPA and their collaborators are developing powerful deep learning models to explain the spatial and temporal patterns of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution to waterways across the U.S. This presentation will cover the development of this modeling work, including how these models will help identify likely drivers of water quality improvement and degradation since the 1990s and highlight what local factors (e.g., soil characteristics, climate) enhance or diminish the loss of nutrients to waterways. In addition, these predictive models will be used to evaluate the sensitivity of watershed nutrient loss to shifts in precipitation and increases in temperature due to projected changes in climate in the coming decades.

Assessment of Chesapeake Climate Change Using A Suite of Atmospheric, Land Use, Watershed, and Estuarine, Models – Lewis Linker, EPA Region 3 Chesapeake Bay Program Office

This presentation will cover a comprehensive analysis of climate change in the Chesapeake watershed and tidal waters using an integrated suite of land use, airshed, watershed, and estuarine models. The analysis supports the historic 2010 Chesapeake Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), the largest and most complex in the nation, in offsetting current and future climate impacts by quantifying its impairments. The analysis looked at 23 separable elements of climate change, such as changes in atmospheric deposition of nitrogen, nutrient speciation, tidal wetland loss to sea level rise, and others, with a quantification of the impact of change climate conditions on many of the separate elements.

U.S. Hydropower Supply Chain: Gaps and Potential Remedies
2024-08-06 11:30 - 13:00
Join Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm and experts from the Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), other government agencies, and the hydropower industry to explore gaps facing the U.S. hydropower supply chain along with potential remedies. Hear from the Secretary and a panel of experts on what these findings mean to the U.S. Department of Energy and the industry moving forward. This discussion is part of WPTO’s efforts to engage with the hydropower community on strategies to secure and encourage domestic manufacturing.

Applying for FY24 Nonpoint Source Program Watershed Planning Grants
2024-08-13 07:00 - 08:30
EGLE Nonpoint Source (NPS) program staff will describe the FY 2024 NPS Program funding for watershed planning projects. NPS staff discuss the grant application schedule, program priorities, eligibility criteria, application requirements, tips for successful applications, and they will also answer your questions. This webinar is intended for watershed groups, conservation organizations, municipal environmental coordinators, drain commissioners and others interested in applying for a nonpoint source grant to develop or update watershed management plans to restore and protect watersheds and enhance water quality.

Consolidation, Partnerships, and Regionalization
2024-08-27 14:00 - 15:30
Mapping the Nation’s Community Water Systems: Linking Drinking Water Data to Consumers

EPA recently released a national geospatial dataset of community water system service areas. This dataset allows for the accurate linkage between drinking water providers and their associated consumers, opening a wide range of potential applications. This presentation will cover the development of the datasetꟷincluding data collection, machine learning methods, and evaluationꟷand will demonstrate how to access the data and how it can be integrated into other areas of research, such as environmental justice and health. Plans for updating this dataset going forward and strategies to improve drinking water research will also be discussed.

Andrew Murray, EPA’s Office of Research and Development
Andrew is a geographer with EPA’s Office of Research and Development, Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response. He holds a doctorate in geography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research centers around drinking water and hydrological processes with specific attention to contamination, supply and environmental justice. Andrew conducts his research using geostatistics, spatial analysis and machine learning, principally using R computing language.

Drinking Water Consolidation and Partnerships in California: Evolving Solutions to Achieve the Human Right to Water

The California State Water Board, through the Safe and Affordable Funding or Equity and Resilience (SAFER) program, harnesses a set of tools, funding sources, and regulatory authorities to help struggling water systems sustainably and affordably provide safe drinking water. The SAFER program uses data to identify need and guide decision making on sustainable drinking water solutions, while direct engagement and partnership ensure solutions best meet the needs of each unique community. This presentation will discuss how data, direct engagement, and a breadth of experience create feasible consolidation solutions that offer the highest levels of water system sustainability and resilience. Where physical consolidation is impractical, increased creativity is needed to include managerial consolidation, regionally governed water districts, formal partnerships, and more.

Chad Fischer, California State Water Resources Control Board
Chad is a supervising engineer at California’s State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, where he leads the effort on SAFER (Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience). SAFER provides resources to and partners with communities and schools struggling to provide a reliable source of safe and affordable drinking water. Chad holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a California Professional Chemical Engineer license. In his spare time, Chad enjoys hiking and backpacking in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, especially when he can convince his two teenage boys to join him.

Wildfire Impacts on Water Infrastructure
2024-09-11 11:00 - 12:00
Over 56,000 wildfires were reported in 2023 according to the Department of Interior’s National Interagency Fire Center. Many of these fires have destroyed countless acres of land as well as any structure on them. In August 2023, a wildfire in Maui, Hawai’i impacted over 2,000 structures and is considered the deadliest United States wildfire in at least the past 100 years. Contamination of drinking water systems and premise plumbing from wildfires is an emergency concern, especially in the Western United States. Much about wildfire-associated contamination from benzene and other hazardous materials is not well understood. Knowledge gaps complicate response and recovery actions and efforts to build water systems resilience against future wildfires.
This presentation will discuss EPA’s emergency response efforts to the Maui wildfires and ongoing research to further understand contamination of water infrastructure. Research topics include uptake and release of contaminants in hot and cold pipes commonly used in premise plumbing and the effects of hot gasses and smoke on drinking water pipes.

DOI Environmental Justice Technical Assistance Webinar Series
2024-09-17 11:30 - 12:30
Join the Department of the Interior’s Environmental Justice Steering Committee’s second webinar of its Environmental Justice Technical Assistance Webinar Series on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, from 2:30 – 3:30 pm ET (11:30 am – 12:30 pm PT). This webinar will be held jointly with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Representatives from the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (EJ TCTACs) will discuss their services. Please share any requests for additional accommodations by September 10, 2024, by 4pm ET.

Assessing Community Vulnerabilities to Potential Contaminant Releases from Extreme Events
2024-09-18 12:00 - 13:00
Extreme events (e.g., excessive heat, droughts, floods, wildfires) are projected to be more frequent and intense under future climate scenarios. During extreme events, contaminated sites and waste management facilities have the potential to release contaminants and impact nearby communities. Understanding the risks to communities from potential exposures to water- and airborne contaminants underlies preparedness, emergency response, and mitigation planning. To better understand and communicate what is known and unknown about such risks, EPA ORD developed indicators of environmental, public health, socioeconomic, or other conditions to assess community vulnerabilities to potential contaminant releases from extreme events. The Handbook on Indicators of Community Vulnerability to Extreme Events: Considering Sites and Waste Management Facilities provides the conceptual framework and indicators approach. Join the webinar to learn more about the handbook and how to use the approach.

PFAS: National Primary Drinking Water Regulation, Occurrence, Analytics, and Risk Communications Webinar
2024-09-24 10:00 - 14:00
This special extended webinar event includes talks given at the EPA 21st Annual Drinking Water Workshop on September 17-19, 2024. Presentations will focus on the initial monitoring requirement and analytical methods to be used under the regulation, the use of grant funding for small and disadvantaged community treatment programs, characterization, and risk communication and community engagement. Q&A sessions will follow each presentation.
Information on the annual drinking water workshop: [epa.gov/water-research/21st-annual-epa-drinking-water-workshop-small-system-challenges-and-solutions]epa.gov/water-research/21st-annual-epa-drinking-water-workshop-small-system-challenges-and-solutions

EPA Tools & Resources Training Webinar: Equitable Resilience Builder
2024-09-24 12:00 - 13:30
This training webinar will demonstrate the EPA’s Equitable Resilience Builder (ERB) tool, which incorporates local knowledge and experience into the development of a resilience, hazard mitigation, or climate adaptation plan. ERB is a downloadable application that supports communities in strengthening resilience to disasters and climate change. It contains a series of collaborative activities users can select from to include local voices in resilience planning via storytelling, trauma-informed engagement, participatory mapping, and indicator prioritization. Presenters will guide participants through each step of applying ERB to inclusive resilience planning.

Coastal Dissolved Oxygen Dynamics and A Brief Introduction to the Hypoxia Task Force
2024-09-25 11:00 - 13:00
Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force: Advancing Nutrient Reductions – Jake Greif and Whitney King, EPA Office of Water

The Hypoxia Task Force (HTF) is a collaborative partnership of federal agencies, states, and Tribes in the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin with the shared goal of reducing the size and extent of the hypoxic zone in the northern Gulf of Mexico. This presentation will introduce the HTF, including its history, Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan, and goals. It will also describe the Gulf Hypoxia Program (GHP), which provides significant funding from BIL to support the Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan and the actions GHP recipients are taking to engage stakeholders, expand capacity, and improve water quality.

USGS Long-term Monitoring: Measuring Progress Toward Nutrient Reduction Goals Set by the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force – Gretchen Oelsner, U.S. Geological Survey

Since the early 2000s, USGS has supported NOAA and the Interagency Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force collective efforts to track long-term changes in nutrient inputs to the Gulf. This presentation will focus on the long-term trends in nitrogen and phosphorus loads in rivers throughout the Mississippi-Atchafalaya watershed and to the Gulf of Mexico as a measure of progress towards the nutrient reduction targets and to describe how hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico might be linked to nutrients coming from throughout the watershed.

Measuring and Modeling Oxygen Dynamics in Coastal Ecosystems: Application of ORD’s Coastal Generalized Ecosystem Model (CGEM) – Brandon Jarvis, EPA Office of Research and Development

The Coastal Generalized Ecosystem Model (CGEM) is a biogeochemical model designed to address eutrophication, dissolved oxygen, and acidification dynamics in coastal and freshwater ecosystems. This presentation will highlight CGEM’s application to the northern Gulf of Mexico, which has demonstrated new ecological theories on hypoxia, informed water quality governance, and guided decision making via ensemble modeling approaches. It will also cover the development and application of a multimedia modeling framework to more effectively evaluate climate change impacts.

EPA’s Water Security Test Bed: Critical Infrastructure Research
2024-10-09 11:00 - 12:30
Maintaining water distribution system operability during a security threat and after disasters is vital for community resilience. With 84% of the U.S. population receiving water from over 160,000 public drinking water systems; it is imperative that emergency responders return a water system back to operation quickly and with confidence that the water is safe to drink. This presentation will discuss EPA’s first-of-its-scale Water Security Test Bed (WSTB), which replicates a section of a typical municipal drinking water piping system to better understand the behavior of water systems under real-world conditions.
EPA researchers are evaluating infrastructure and premise plumbing decontamination technologies, mobile emergency water treatment systems and research focused on radionuclides. The future vision for the WSTB focuses on prevention, mitigation, and quick return-to-service of distribution system operational technology hardware and software compromised by cyber attacks. Presenters will provide an overview of site capabilities, work that has been conducted at the WSTB over the last 10 years, and the future research vision for the next decade.

Assessment of clogging in Managed Aquifer Recharge schemes
2024-10-17 09:00 - 12:30
Managed aquifer recharge, or MAR, refers to the intentional recharge of water to aquifers for subsequent use or environmental benefit. MAR offers numerous benefits, including storage to improve the security of water supply, including long-term storage for drought supply. natural treatment. All MAR schemes will invariably experience clogging of some type (physical, chemical or biological), and to some degree, during their operational life and is the single greatest operational risk to sustainability of schemes.
This webinar is for new proponents and operators of existing MAR schemes to assist them in recognising the potential for clogging and how to employ the appropriate mitigation or remediation measures.
The webinar will use case studies from both injection and infiltration MAR schemes and describe their approaches to clogging management through engineering design or operational management practices. Practical tips for managing the dominant types of clogging and principles on reducing clogging effects for new schemes will be shared.

Occurrence of Legionella pneumophila In Drinking Water Distribution Systems
2024-10-24 10:00 - 13:00
Legionella pneumophila is a significant drinking water contaminant due to its role in causing Legionnaires’ Disease (LD), a potentially fatal illness. While LD risk is largely determined by water management within buildings, public water systems also contribute to L. pneumophila exposure and must play a role in its management. However, limited data exist on its occurrence in distribution systems (DSs) and associated factors.
Project 5156, Occurrence of Legionella pneumophila in Drinking Water Distribution, was a two-year study involving fifty-seven utilities monitoring L. pneumophila in water distribution systems across various regions, system sizes, and disinfectant types. The study aimed to develop a response and communication protocol for utilities following positive L. pneumophila detections; collect data to examine the relationship between L. pneumophila occurrence and disinfectant residuals; analyze the associations between disinfectant type, concentration, and system characteristics; and identify locations at higher risk for L. pneumophila presence. Additionally, a benchmark risk analysis was conducted to assess the risk of L. pneumophila in distribution systems.
In this webcast, presenters will share key findings from the study, offering practical recommendations for monitoring and managing L. pneumophila in public water systems. The research enhances our understanding of L. pneumophila occurrence in distribution systems and provides valuable insights to help utilities improve water management practices and protect public health.

Lead Service Line Cost Efficiencies Webinar
2024-10-24 11:00 - 12:00
This is a national webinar focusing on cost efficiency opportunities for lead service line replacement (LSLR) activities. While everyone is welcome and encouraged to join, utility staff will particularly benefit from attending. You will hear directly from water utility panelists about their ongoing lead service line replacement programs.

Establishing a Framework for Integrating Stormwater Capture into Water Supply Planning
2024-10-29 13:00 - 16:00
Stormwater is an increasingly important water resource and potential new water supply. It is estimated that systematic stormwater capture and use (SCU) could meet more than half of municipal and industrial water needs in the nation’s urban areas, about the same amount of supply achievable through wastewater recycling. Moreover, comparisons of costs of supply augmentation alternatives suggest SCU often is a less expensive source than wastewater recycling, desalination, or new supply development. The research team will focus on SCU for water supply augmentation where a primary objective includes augmenting (or offsetting) use of existing supplies through potable and/or non-potable applications.
The core objective of this project is to develop a pragmatic, actionable research to inform and guide water sector professionals in (1) evaluating the potential value and feasibility of tapping stormwater as a source of supply (within the context of multi-benefit stormwater management); and (2) navigating the complex process of working with other utilities, regulators, elected officials, and relevant stakeholders to move ideas into action.

Lessons Learned in Filing an Application for the Maintaining and Enhancing Hydroelectricity Incentive (EPAct Section 247)
2024-10-30 10:00 - 12:00
Join the Grid Deployment Office (GDO) for an overview and lessons learned from applications submitted for the Maintaining and Enhancing Hydroelectricity Incentive (EPAct Section 247). This session will also provide lessons learned in the development of a Community Benefits Plan (CBP).
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) provides $553.6 million to Maintaining and Enhancing Hydroelectricity Incentive (EPAct Section 247) for capital improvements in grid resiliency, dam safety, and environmental improvements. On September 5, 2024, DOE announced over $430M in incentive payments for capital improvements at 293 hydroelectric improvement projects across 33 states.

Elevating communications in an age of climate solutions
2024-11-19 14:00 - 15:00
Despite the momentum of the clean energy industry, too often companies and organizations are communicating in silos and using jargon. The energy transition requires technical expertise, but communicating effectively also requires talking like a human to many kinds of other humans.
Join Canary Media, RMI, twentytwo & brand and Wärtsilä Marine for a conversation about effective storytelling and communications as climate solutions abound.
These experts will discuss crafting compelling narratives, including people-led stories, leveraging data and more. Whether you work for a startup, an established company or a nonprofit, this forum will provide you with actionable strategies to take your communications strategies to the next level.

EPA Tools & Resources Webinar: 5th National Climate Assessment - Resources and Interactive Atlas
2024-11-20 12:00 - 13:00
Released in November 2023, the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) is the US Government’s preeminent report on climate change impacts, risks and responses. Led by the U.S. Global Research Program (USGCRP) and its 14 member agencies, including the US EPA, NCA5 draws on the expertise of nearly 500 authors and 250 contributors from every state, as well as Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. EPA contributed to chapters on air quality, energy, forests, coasts, ecosystems, social systems and justice, economics, as well as regional and response chapters and the overview.
This webinar will provide an introduction and overview of the 5th National Climate Assessment. It will walk through the major findings presented in the Overview chapter and provide a demonstration of how to navigate the online report and resources. It will also highlight some of the new features of NCA5, such as Art × Climate, which is the first art gallery to be featured in the NCA. It will guide users to resources including podcasts, recorded webinars, and Spanish translations of the NCA5 chapters. The webinar will also specifically highlight and demo the NCA Interactive Atlas, which provides access to the data compiled for NCA5 and enables users to do custom analysis and mapping.

Lead Reduction Updates and Lead Service Line Identification and Replacement
2024-12-03 10:00 - 13:00
This special extended webinar event includes talks given at the EPA 21st Annual Drinking Water Workshop on September 17-19, 2024. Presentations will include an overview of EPA regulations and programs designed to reduce lead in drinking water and current efforts to provide technical assistance for lead service line identification; a review of new technologies, methods, and predictive modeling tools for identifying service line materials; and an overview of sampling methods for identifying lead service lines. Q&A sessions will follow each presentation.
Information on the annual drinking water workshop: [epa.gov/water-research/21st-annual-epa-drinking-water-workshop-small-system-challenges-and-solutions]epa.gov/water-research/21st-annual-epa-drinking-water-workshop-small-system-challenges-and-solutions.

EPA Tools & Resources Training Webinar: ECOTOX Knowledgebase and PFAS Updates
2024-12-05 12:00 - 13:30
This webinar will demonstrate EPA’s Ecotoxicology Knowledgebase (ECOTOX) tool, which gives quick access to reliable and up-to-date information about how chemicals potentially affect ecologically relevant species. ECOTOX is a comprehensive, publicly available knowledgebase providing single chemical environmental toxicity data for over 12,000 chemicals and species, including aquatic life, terrestrial plants, and wildlife. ECOTOX provides robust curated toxicity data for aquatic and terrestrial organisms to support ecological risk assessments, site assessments, criteria/benchmark development, and other research. The knowledgebase is additionally used to aid the prioritization and assessment of chemicals. By leveraging this knowledge, EPA remains committed to providing clear, actionable, and accessible information about PFAS to the public, researchers, and risk assessors. This presentation will include information on updates to ECOTOX data for PFAS to support hazard evaluation and development of ecological risk assessment screening values. The ECOTOX Knowledgebase Resource Hub can be accessed here.

Local Partnerships: Developing Solutions for Rapid Needs
2024-12-11 11:00 - 12:30
Working collaboratively with a variety of partners, including EPA regions, states, and Tribes, is a vital feature of ORD research and its goal to address high priority near-term community needs. Directly working with partners provides a valuable opportunity to strengthen relationships between researchers and communities. Researchers collaborated with local partners in EPA Region 6 to better understand Naegleria fowleri, also known as brain-eating amoeba, and its potential to contaminate splash pads.
Over the past several years in EPA Region 6, splash pads connected to disinfected drinking water have been at risk of contamination. Presenters will discuss their investigation into this issue, identify best management practices, and provide risk mitigation tools for prevention and detection of various waterborne disease outbreaks.

EPA Tools & Resources Webinar - Better Together: Participatory Science Resources & Opportunities at EPA
2024-12-11 12:00 - 13:30
Participatory science uses the collective strength and knowledge of the public to collect, analyze, and use data to answer environmental and public health questions. Participatory science is the involvement of the public in scientific research and includes a broad and inclusive array of activities. Projects answer wide ranging questions, can engage the public in any or all steps of the scientific process, and operate using diverse models ranging from community-led to institutionally driven. These efforts facilitate community engagement and an increase in place-based connections, environmental stewardship, and scientific literacy. EPA has a long history of engaging data collected by the public. In recent years, the agency has collaborated with Tribal Nations, state agencies, academia, technical support providers, and volunteer scientists to explore effective collaborations and approaches to implementation. This webinar will explore three areas of participatory science focus at EPA: role of participatory science at EPA, key considerations and resources available when starting a project, and lessons learned and project spotlights.

The Start of the 119th Congress: What You Need to Know
2025-01-14 08:00 - 09:00
The Republican-led Congress plans to hit the ground running in January with a packed policy agenda and some new faces in key roles. This webinar will provide a comprehensive look at the start of the new Congress, including top legislative priorities, potential changes to tax and spending policy, and regulatory shifts. Gain insights into the new committee leadership, outlook for major nominations in the Senate, and timeline for key bills.

Lead Chemistry, Communication, and Local Engagement
2025-01-28 10:00 - 13:00
This special extended webinar event includes talks given at the 21st Annual EPA Drinking Water Workshop on September 17-19, 2024. Presentations will include overviews of lead corrosion and release basics, research on pipe scale sampling and analysis, best practices for starting and maintaining corrosion control treatment, Ohio’s lead strategy and engagement toolkit, and the impact of Michigan’s Safe Drinking Water Act on compliance lead service line sampling and system and customer communication

Briefing: How should we talk about attacks on environmental policy and budget?
2025-01-29 11:00 - 12:00
Join the Combined Defense Project 3.0 and our partners for the first in a series of briefings to understand practical insights into how to best make your messages resonate with your targeted audience.
This briefing is open to advocates and staff in the climate and environmental space and will feature presentations on:
-The latest polling insights from the Environmental Polling Consortium;
-Pointers on defining and reaching your audience from the Innovation Hub; and
-Results from new research sponsored by the Combined Defense Project 3.0
We will record this session so please register in advance to attend and receive all of the briefing materials.

Mapping Potential Wetland Areas for Landscape and Nutrient Management Across Conterminous United States
2025-01-29 11:00 - 12:30
Advancements in Mapping Potential Wetland Areas Across the Conterminous United States – Lauren Krohmer, EPA Office of Research and Development

Increased availability and accessibility to 10-m landcover, topographic, and environmental data alongside tools and computers to process these data at the continental scale support large-scale landcover modeling. EnviroAtlas researchers harnessed 17 datasets at 10-m resolution and the Random Forest algorithm to identify locations across the conterminous United States that are likely to support a wetland ecosystem based on biophysical characteristics. The associated suite of products from this research provides opportunities to highlight locations for wetland construction, conservation, and restoration to contribute targeted ecosystem services related to nearby threats, including pollution from agricultural runoff and flooding.

Interception of Agricultural Surface Runoff by Wetlands Across CONUS – Scott Alford, EPA Office of Research and Development

Wetlands are widely valued for their effectiveness in reducing nutrient loads in surface waters, but there is growing need for targeted wetland conservation and construction to maximize impacts on water quality management while efficiently investing resources in wetland projects. This presentation will describe efforts to identify existing and potential wetland areas that intercept agricultural nonpoint source pollution in the form of surface runoff as a means of nutrient management across the conterminous United States (CONUS). This framework represents the initial steps in developing a CONUS scale wetland prioritization tool to be used for water quality management.

Exploring the Year's Top Priorities in Climate, Energy, and the Environment
2025-01-29 11:00 - 12:30
With every new administration and Congress comes a different set of energy and environmental priorities. Despite shifts in political offices and rhetoric, there are opportunities for policy action toward a healthy environment and thriving economy. Join Resources for the Future (RFF) and leaders from across government, business, philanthropy, and media to discuss the big decisions anticipated in 2025. We’ll explore the priorities of the incoming Trump administration and the 119th Congress, as well as offer expert insights to inform research and policy agendas for the coming year.
Join us on Wednesday, January 29 from 2:00–3:30 p.m. ET to hear from these thought leaders on 2025’s big decisions, including upcoming opportunities and challenges with congressional and federal regulatory activities, and how looming federal court decisions may change decisionmaking into the future
Speakers

Carlos Curbelo, Co-Chair, Climate Solutions Foundation
Roger Martella, Chief Sustainability Officer, GE Vernova
Eliza Barclay, Climate Opinion Editor, the New York Times
Kate Gordon, Chief Executive Officer, California Forward
Kevin Rennert, Fellow and Director of the Federal Climate Policy Initiative, RFF (Moderator)

Recent and Future Trends in Water Resources from the RPA Assessment
2025-01-31 11:00 - 11:30
Human activities and natural processes have significantly altered the water resources of the United States, and continual changes are expected. This webinar will review results from the Water Resources Chapter of the 2020 RPA Assessment, summarizing recent trends and future projections of freshwater use and supply, as well as likelihood of water shortages to 2070 based on RPA scenarios and how those shortages impact communities throughout the United States.
To highlight the value of the RPA approaches, we will then hear how The Pew Charitable Trusts uses information and outputs like those from the RPA project to better understand how their conservation work may affect local communities, what that means for how they engage in partnerships with those communities, and how that may translate to project objectives and metrics for success.
