Last August, we (Forester Media , the publisher of Stormwater) launched the first North American Surface Water Quality Conference and Exposition - StormCon - in Marco Island, FL. Several hundred people attended the conference sessions and visited the exhibit hall, where more than 75 exhibitors were set up to display products and technologies related to stormwater treatment. We've selected a slightly larger venue for this year's conference - which will be held in San Antonio, TX, July 28-31, 2003 - in anticipation of even more attendees.

The goal was to gather a group of people focused exclusively on stormwater management and surface water quality, separate from the many other water-related concerns that share the stage at larger events. The tight focus makes it easier for participants in all aspects of the conference to home in on what they're seeking: Attendees can choose from a wider range of information within a narrower scope, so to speak, rather than the more general presentations they might encounter where stormwater is one topic among many. Those seeking stormwater-related products and technologies don't need to search for the few islands in a vast exhibit hall that have what they need; the entire hall is dedicated to stormwater. And the companies displaying and demonstrating their products can talk with a steady stream of people who are in the right field. "Instead of the buckshot, you've got the bullet," as one exhibitor expresses it.

From the feedback we've received - scores of comments from attendees, speakers, exhibitors, and sponsors - StormCon met that goal, bringing together a geographically diverse group with common interests and a common, increasingly urgent need to meet water-quality goals.

"The people we saw were very targeted, very focused," says Tom Menegus of Tennant Company, an exhibitor at the show.

"We had a really good mix of regulators versus engineers versus academia," adds Tina Thomas of BaySaver, which exhibited at StormCon and was also an event sponsor. "A lot of the regulators and engineers were mostly from smaller municipalities, but it was interesting that even some of the larger ones found something new."

StormCon's 40 technical sessions included more than 100 speakers from 22 states and two Canadian provinces. They shared their experiences in choosing BMPs, setting up monitoring and evaluation programs, creating public outreach strategies, and financing their programs. While many challenges are universal, attendees learned about specific regional strategies as well. And as Gordon England, a speaker at the conference, noted in our November/December 2002 issue (www.forester.net/sw_0211_guest_editorial.html), some attendees also discovered BMPs, originated in other parts of the country, that they hadn't encountered before.

Opening-session keynote speaker Andy Reese, of AMEC Earth & Environmental in Nashville, TN, started off with a spirited look at the tremendous distance stormwater management has come - including some of the wrong turns, dead ends, detours, and scenic drives along the way - and at where it's headed.

Overall, the attendees "were a pretty switched-on group with respect to what's going on in the stormwater world," comments Fran Tighe, vice president of Vortechnics, one of the event sponsors and an exhibitor at the conference. "It was a reasonably good mix of regulators, engineers, and public-sector people." He remarks that for the 2003 conference, he hopes to see an even wider spectrum of people - more of those from the "traditional treatment camp" as well as those who are exploring, or who are already employing, proprietary stormwater technologies and solutions. Tighe and several others from various companies participate in ad hoc industry meetings, at StormCon as well as at other events, and he says the group noted that it's important to draw those from all aspects of the industry.

John Roy of AquaLogic, a sponsor and exhibitor and a relatively new player in the stormwater arena, says StormCon represented part of the company's breakout strategy to the national market. "We haven't gone to all the other big shows," he relates. "We had a lot of pleasant surprises; it was a great forum. They were very focused attendees, and I'm just as excited as can be for this year."

StormCon™ '03 Focuses on Phase II

This year's event, coming as it does shortly after the March 2003 permit deadline for NPDES Phase II, will focus more intensely on the regulatory aspect of stormwater management, and we expect to see stormwater professionals from smaller Phase II communities in force at the conference. Nothing ends with that deadline, of course, and many Phase II MS4s will still have a long way to go to fully implement their stormwater programs.

In fact, with reclassifications based on the 2000 Census, many communities and other MS4s were caught unprepared for their Phase II status. MS4s within urbanized areas - defined as areas with a total population of 50,000 or more and a density of at least 1,000 per square mile - are covered by Phase II. However, many "areas outside urbanized areas" with the same density but with populations of only 10,000 might also be covered, and some of these areas are still uncertain of their status. (Tables of both types of areas are available state by state on EPA's Web site at http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/urbanmaps.cfm.)

One of the four conference tracks for StormCon™ '03 deals specifically with "Meeting the Regulatory Challenge" at all levels. A large part of that involves Phase II, but the total maximum daily load program - how to meet TMDLs, whether it's possible to integrate them with Phase II requirements, and how to accomplish all that's required with limited resources - will also figure strongly.

She also says that on the several e-mail listservs of which she is a member, she has observed people from various MS4s increasingly looking to each other as models and offering up their own experiences. "'What are you guys doing about this TMDL thing?' and 'How does this fit into the watershed plan?' They're asking each other who's got a rollout plan to inform the public. They're starting to scramble."

Bob Maestro of HydroLogic Solutions in Occoquan, VA, which also exhibited at StormCon, agrees with that observation. "No one really feels very secure about what's going to be required. They're looking for additional guidance," he says. "With my business I see that people are anticipating already and trying to do things now as far as their choice of BMPs in anticipation of meeting the Phase II requirements. Also, some - although I'm surprised how few - are also realizing the more stringent requirements with the TMDL regulations."

What to Expect in 2003

StormCon™ '03 will take place July 28-31 at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter. We look forward to a larger conference, an even wider array of products and technologies on display, and some lively discussions and exchange of ideas.

In addition to the regulatory track, StormCon™ '03 will include conference tracks on choosing BMPs, water-quality monitoring, and public outreach. The conference sessions, exhibit hall, and reception area will be adjacent to each other on a single, spacious meeting floor of the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter, allowing attendees to move easily among events. As with the first StormCon, one aim is to allow participants to meet and interact in a variety of settings, not just in formal conference sessions or on the exhibit floor. Comments Tom Menegus, "I did enjoy the open luncheons and rubbed elbows with a lot of the other people, including the presenters. I thought the format of the show was terrific." For information on StormCon™ '03, go to www.StormCon.com. I hope to see you there.

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SW - January/February 2003