The Spring 2026 Confluence is almost here, and we wanted to send you off with a guide to make the most of the day. Whether you have been to a Confluence before or this is your first one, here is what to bring, what to look for, and how to plug in.
A Note from John Detisch
Attached is the schedule of events for the Confluence. A few things to bring along: questions for our panelists. This is an opportunity to understand the hows and whys of our drinking water. The Climate Simulator will make you think. Plan to visit the Boatload of Knowledge. This is a place to spend time and make the connections.
Please visit the H2O Headwaters to the Ohio Water Network table, where we are introducing our Resource Library. Dr. Mason is well respected in the field of plastic pollution and a great speaker.
Remember to bring your single-use plastics for recycling.
We want to hear from you. What are your successes? What do you need help with? Are you interested in being part of a POD (working group) to tackle a single issue? I hope the Confluence provides you the opportunity to connect, to share, and to learn AND to have a good time.
See you on Friday.
John Detisch
Strategic Working Group for H2O Headwaters to the Ohio Water Network
Introducing the H2O Resource Library
This Confluence marks the debut of the brand-new H2O Resource Library, the first self-maintained knowledge hub designed specifically for river activists in the Upper Ohio River Basin. You will find it at the sign-up table when you arrive and again inside the Boatload of Knowledge room throughout the day. Come see the newest resource built for the people doing the work, and tell us what you would add to it.
The Schedule
Morning: Panels and Networking
Registration opens at 9:30 AM, and the day kicks off at 10:15 with a Water Authority Panel we have been looking forward to for months. Representatives from the PA Municipal Authority Association, the Beaver Falls Municipal Authority, and the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County (MAWC) will share the stage. Three communities, three very different water stories, and a whole lot to learn from each other.
Running alongside the panel is the En-ROADS Climate Simulator, hosted by Climate Ambassadors from Pitt’s Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation. En-ROADS reveals how today’s policy and technology choices shape our planet’s future, from global temperature and extreme weather to changes in energy consumption, global health, and GDP. This is a two-part session, with the second half running from 2:00 to 3:00 PM.
Midday: Lunch and the Boatload of Knowledge
From 11:15 AM to 1:00 PM the exhibit floor opens. The Boatload of Knowledge (BOK) is where H2O partner organizations set up shop and share the projects, tools, and resources they are working on. It is one of the best parts of Confluence every year and the easiest way to discover what is happening across the network.
Afternoon: Keynote and Breakouts
At 1:00 PM, Dr. Sherri Mason takes the stage for her keynote on microplastics and drinking water. If you have been following our coverage, you already know why this one matters. If you missed it, go back and read our last post.
After the keynote, two breakout sessions run from 2:00 to 3:30 PM:
Session 1: Stream Restoration with John Jackson, Stroud Institute
Over the past 25 years, the United States has delisted only a handful of streams impaired by nonpoint source issues. Reexamining impairment and its causes is a critical first step toward changing our approach. If we have been unsuccessful, has our treatment been wrong? Have we not created enough change? Have we underestimated the time needed for recovery?
Addressing watershed-scale impacts requires watershed-scale solutions. We cannot fix this by working only within the channel or the riparian zone. It takes a holistic approach: communities working together with landowners, especially along small headwater streams, to implement every effective BMP available, from gray infrastructure to soil health practices to streamside forests. The systems we build need to be resilient and dynamic enough to respond to changing land cover and the climate-driven shifts in storm frequency and intensity we are already seeing.
Session 2: Managing Your Community’s Flood Plain with Matt Genchur, PA Association of Flood Plain Managers
According to FEMA, 99% of U.S. counties have experienced a flood event in the last 20 years. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), established by Congress in 1968, lets property owners and renters in participating communities buy insurance to protect against flood loss. To participate, communities must adopt and enforce regulations that reduce flood damage.
In Pennsylvania, that means up to 2,500 individuals are responsible for administering local floodplain ordinances, making decisions every day that affect people living along a waterway. Do you know your floodplain administrator? Did you know there is a state-level association devoted to floodplain management? What can we do to mitigate flood risk, and what should we expect from our political leaders? Let’s have a conversation about an often-overlooked part of our community, at least until those flood waters start rising.
En-ROADS Climate Simulator: Session 2
The afternoon continuation of the morning En-ROADS session, 2:00 to 3:00 PM.
3:00 to 4:00 PM: Problems to PODs
Review the day and discuss the issues you are facing. This is the time to connect with others and start working together.
And remember: bring your single-use plastics for recycling.
Who’s in the Boatload of Knowledge?
Here is a look at the crew you will meet on the exhibit floor:
- Allegheny County Conservation District: ACCD’s Streamlined Watershed Planning, an efficient, data-driven approach to identifying and prioritizing projects that improve water quality, reduce flooding, and support resilient communities.
- Conemaugh Valley Conservancy: Checking macros for stream health. Come learn about the creatures that tell us how our streams are really doing.
- RiverWise: The great work happening in Beaver County.
- Southwest Commission: Recent water activities including Climate Pollution Reduction Grants, the Chartiers Creek Watershed Study, and meetings with officials on flood prevention measures and projects.
- Fayette County Recycling: Collecting single-use plastics and offering recycling education.
- Pennsylvania Road Salt Action: Road salt pollution and what we can do about it.
- Ohio Valley Derailment Mutual Aid: Toxins found in the streams in and around East Palestine, Ohio, from the February 3, 2023 derailment to today, and the ongoing health effects on residents on both sides of the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.
- PA Resource Council: Informational materials and hands-on activities showing the connection between waste, materials, and water.
- PSU Extension Master Watershed Steward Program
- PA Growing Greener: Funding brochures and on-site staff to answer questions.
- PA Association of Flood Plain Managers
- Down Stream Strategies
- Mon River Project
- Washington County Watershed Alliance
- 3 Rivers Waterkeeper
And more to come.
See you Friday, May 29, at Geneva College in Beaver Falls. Bring your questions, your plastics, and your willingness to connect. That is what Confluence is for.
