Every spring, something important happens in the Upper Ohio River Basin – water advocates, watershed groups, municipal authorities, and community partners gather in one room to share what they know, learn from each other, and figure out what comes next.
This year’s Spring Confluence is happening May 29, 2026 at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA – and registration is now open. Register here →
Start the Journey Early: Bioblitz May 1–16
Before the Confluence, we’re inviting the whole network to get outside.
From May 1–16, H2O Water Network and Pennsylvania Master Naturalist are hosting a regional Bioblitz – a community-wide effort to document biodiversity across the Upper Ohio River Basin using the free iNaturalist app. Log observations of any living organism in your neighborhood, park, watershed, or schoolgrounds, and they’ll be added to the H2O Water Network Spring Bioblitz project.
The project currently covers Beaver, Washington, Allegheny, Butler, and Lawrence counties (PA), plus Columbiana County (OH) and Hancock County (WV). Don’t see your county? Register on our website and we’ll add it.
New to iNaturalist? Registered participants get access to an introductory webinar. Get your community involved. Have fun.
A Keynote You Won’t Want to Miss
Dr. Sherri Mason is one of the country’s leading researchers on microplastics and drinking water contamination. She’ll be delivering the keynote at this year’s Confluence – bringing her research directly to the communities and watersheds most affected by plastic pollution in the Upper Ohio Basin.
This is the kind of conversation that doesn’t happen often at the regional level.
What’s on the Agenda
The day runs from 9:30 AM registration through 4:00 PM, with a full slate of sessions in between:
- Water Authority Panel – Representatives from PMAA, Beaver Falls, and others share very different water stories in the same room at the same time.
- En-Roads Simulator (Pitt) – An interactive climate policy tool that lets you explore how decisions like electrifying transportation, pricing carbon, and reforming agriculture affect energy, air quality, sea level, and more.
- Breakout Sessions – Deep dives on stream restoration, source water protection, and watershed cooperation with experts from the Stroud Institute, Mountain Watershed Association, and more.
- Boatload of Knowledge (BOK) – Our open exhibit floor where partner organizations share projects, tools, and resources throughout the day.
- Meet the Experts – Bring your questions and sit down with researchers to discuss the challenges you actually face.
Something New This Year
H2O Water Network has been building a new tool for our partners – a searchable Resource Library designed to connect watershed groups, municipalities, and advocates with funding opportunities, technical resources, and policy tools across the region.
We’ll be previewing the Resource Library live at Confluence. If you work in water stewardship in western PA, Ohio, or West Virginia, this one’s for you.
Mark Your Calendar
Date: May 29, 2026
Location: Geneva College, Beaver Falls, PA
Bioblitz: May 1–16 on iNaturalist
Registration: Open now – secure your spot today →
This event is built by and for the people doing the work – the watershed coordinators, the municipal water operators, the conservation district staff, the advocates who show up every day for clean water in the Upper Ohio Basin.
