Two weeks out from Spring Confluence 2026 and the agenda is locked in. On May 29 at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA, H2O Water Network is hosting a full day of sessions, conversations, and connections built for the people doing the real work of protecting water in the Upper Ohio River Basin.
Here is what the day looks like.
Morning – Panels, Networking, and Climate Simulation
Registration opens at 9:30 AM. The day kicks off at 10:15 with a Water Authority Panel featuring representatives from the PA Municipal Authority Association, the Beaver Falls Municipal Authority, and the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County (MAWC) – three communities with three very different water stories, and a whole lot to learn from each other.
Running alongside the panel is the En-Roads Climate Simulation, hosted by Climate Ambassadors from Pitt’s Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation. EnROADS is a climate simulator that reveals how today’s policy and technology choices can 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 part two 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 up. 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.
This year’s BOK crew includes:
- Allegheny Conservation District – Streamlined Watershed Planning: data-driven identification and prioritization of projects that improve water quality, reduce flooding, and support resilient communities.
- Conemaugh Valley Conservancy – Checking macros for stream health. Learn about the creatures that tell the story of a healthy stream.
- RiverWise – Great work happening in Beaver County.
- Southwest Commission – Recent water activities including Climate Pollution Reduction Grants, the Chartiers Creek Watershed Study, and flood prevention work with local officials.
- Fayette County Recycling – Single-use plastic collection and recycling education.
- Pennsylvania Road Salt Action – Road salt pollution and what communities can do about it.
- Ohio Valley Derailment Mutual Aid – Toxins in streams around East Palestine, Ohio from the February 3, 2023 derailment through today, and the ongoing health effects on residents across the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.
- PA Resource Council – Hands-on activities and materials connecting waste, materials, and water.
- PSU Extension Master Watershed Steward Program
- PA Growing Greener – Funding brochures and staff on hand to answer questions.
- PA Association of Flood Plain Managers
- Mon River Project
And bring your single-use plastics – Fayette County Recycling will be collecting them throughout the day.
Afternoon – Keynote and Breakout Sessions
At 1:00 PM, Dr. Sherri Mason takes the stage for her keynote on microplastics and drinking water. Her research has fundamentally changed how scientists and policymakers think about plastic pollution in water systems – and she is bringing that expertise directly to the communities most affected in the Upper Ohio River Basin.
After the keynote, two breakout sessions run from 2:00 to 3:30 PM.
Session 1 – Stream Restoration
John Jackson, Stroud Water Research Center
Over the past 25 years, the U.S. has delisted only a handful of streams impaired by nonpoint source issues. Reexamining what impairment means and what causes it is the critical first step toward changing our approach. Have our treatments been incorrect? Have we underestimated the time needed for recovery?
Addressing watershed-scale impacts requires watershed-scale solutions – communities working with landowners along small headwater streams to tackle all sources of pollution through gray infrastructure, soil health practices, streamside forests, and more. Building resilient systems that can respond to climate-driven shifts in storm frequency and intensity is the goal.
Session 2 – Managing Your Community’s Floodplain
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 – established by Congress in 1968 – requires participating communities to adopt and enforce floodplain regulations. In Pennsylvania alone, up to 2,500 individuals are responsible for administering local floodplain ordinances every day.
Do you know your floodplain administrator? What can we do to mitigate flood risk? What should we expect from our political leaders? This session opens a conversation on an often-overlooked part of our communities – until the flood waters start rising.
3:00 to 4:00 PM – Problems to Pods
The day closes with Problems to Pods – a structured wrap-up to review what you heard, share the challenges you are facing, and connect with others working on the same issues. This is where the real collaboration starts. Come ready to talk and leave with contacts you can actually use.
Register Now
Date: May 29, 2026
Location: Geneva College, Beaver Falls, PA
Registration: GO HERE NOW
This is the Upper Ohio Basin’s biggest water gathering of the year. Come ready to learn, connect, and leave with something you can use.
