PNCWA SW Committee Quarterly Newsletter

During the first half of 2024, the Stormwater Committee successfully hosted three Stormwater Learning Hours, supported a workshop at the PNCWA Spring Summit, and is currently in the middle of organizing a Service Event at the annual PNCWA Conference in Boise, ID! Please find information on our past and upcoming events below.

Past Events:

Stormwater Learning Hours

Thank you for attending our 2024 Stormwater Learning Hours! View the recordings here. 

• January 2024 - Aaron Nichols, a water resources engineer at Atwell, presented on the current state and future of artificial intelligence in stormwater and water resources. During the presentation, Aaron discussed how to leverage AI tools like ChatGPT to automate tasks and improve productivity in the engineering field.
• February 2024 - Torrey Lindbo with the City of Gresham presented on a modified deep drywell retrofit project recently completed by the City. Infiltration is a critical mechanism for reducing direct runoff into streams and recharging groundwater. Soils near the surface are not always ideal for infiltration, so the City developed the deep drywell concept. The drywells are designed to reduce the volume of flow to the City’s MS4 while protecting groundwater the community relies on as a drinking water source.
• May 2024 - Tage Aaker from the FCS Group presented the highlights and findings of the Washington Stormwater Benchmarking and Rate Structure Survey. The presentation provided insight into the current practices of Washington State stormwater utilities, providing both quantitative and qualitative context for evaluating the types of stormwater rates, charges, and credits currently in use.

National Water Policy Fly-in

This year’s National Water Policy Fly-in focused on PFAS regulations, legislation to prevent non-flushable wipes from entering the wastewater systems, amplifying essential funding for aging water infrastructure, especially the State Revolving Funds, and concerns related to workforce development.

As part of the National Water Policy Fly-in a National Stormwater Policy Forum was hosted on April 8th. The forum opened with keynote speakers to provide remarks on critical national policy matters that affect stormwater management. Afterwards, a panel of speakers from Capitol Hill and federal agencies shared insights on priority legislative and regulatory actions. The forum included an interactive panel discussion to present cutting-edge information related to flood resilience planning, emerging contaminants, and federal funding for stormwater from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The 2024 PNCWA Spring Summit

The Stormwater Committee partnered with committees in the Science and Regulation COP to host a successful workshop on emerging contaminants including PFAS and 6PPDQ. Thank you to all who attended!

Upcoming Events:

Seattle Project Tour and Social: Ship Canal Water Quality Project

• Date: August 1^st from 3-5 pm
• The tour will include a presentation on the Ship Canal Water Quality Project. Seattle Public Utilities and King County Wastewater Treatment Division are building an underground storage tunnel to significantly reduce the amount of polluted stormwater (from rain) and sewage that flows into the Lake Washington Ship Canal, Salmon Bay, and Lake Union from our sewer system.
• Event will be free to join and the first round of drinks at the social location (TBD) is sponsored by the Stormwater Committee and Emerging Technologies Committee.
• Registration Link: Ship Canal Water Quality Project Tour and Social (pncwa.org)

2024 Annual Service Event

• Planning for the Annual Service Event for the 2024 PNCWA conference in Boise, ID is currently underway! Please reach out if interested in planning the event.

If you are interested in learning more about any of these events or joining the committee, please reach out to our chair, Josh Van Wie, at  or our vice chair, Shannon Kronz.