Iowa Water Conference

Wednesday, March 22, 2017 - 8:00am to Thursday, March 23, 2017 - 5:00pm

The theme for the 2017 Iowa Water Conference is Watershed Management: Partnerships for Progress. The conference will be held March 22 and 23, 2017 at the Scheman Building in Ames, Iowa.

The Iowa Water Conference is the largest outreach and collaboration effort of the Iowa Water Center and is designed to bring together multi-disciplinary organizations and institutions to discuss relevant water issues across Iowa.  The conference draws nearly 400 attendees and strives to encompass the whole of Iowa’s water landscape including expanding into realms of education and outreach, conservation, policy and regulations.

Through general and concurrent sessions, conference-goers will explore current trends across water resource management in both urban and rural landscapes, with a particular emphasis on the interconnected nature of our water resources, and the opportunities this offers for collaboration. There are 9 tracks offered with 4-8 sessions each:

  • Engaging the community as a partner
  • Floodplain mapping and modeling
  • From grey to green in urban watersheds
  • Managing soil and nutrients within the field
  • Measurement and monitoring
  • Partnerships in action
  • Tales from the watershed
  • Current technology
  • Research presentations

The conference will also offer sessions for research and educational posters from water professionals, as well as a poster competition for students. The Leopold Center's prestigious Spencer Award presentation will be at lunch on March 22. The honorees for 2016 are David and Corrine Williams and Tom Kaspar.

Conference partners

Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Flood Center, Iowa Floodplain and Stormwater Management Association, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Iowa Storm Water Education Partnership, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Luther College, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Trees Forever and the U.S. Geological Survey -- Iowa Water Science Center.