IECA News

Why Should YOU Attend Environmental Connection?

As always, Environmental Connection promises an entertaining and educational experience. This year, the 44th annual IECA conference will be held in San Antonio, Texas, on February 16–19, 2016. The event will host the usual roundup of educational sessions, exhibit hall, networking opportunities, and a cast of characters from the erosion, sediment, and stormwater community. We will be celebrating the Expo Hall opening at our Opening Reception. The exhibit hall will be host to over 140 exhibits you should be sure to check out. The hall will be centered around the IECA Town Hall, which will house our photo contest gallery, job boards (post jobs or résumés), prize drawings, learning lab, and much more! Additionally, we will be providing social events to interact with your peers, and if you are new to Environmental Connection, this is a great time to find a mentor.

Education Offerings: A Step Above the Rest

As usual, you can earn  professional development hours (PDHs) by attending the technical sessions and keep up-todate on the latest technologies in products and services.

Erosion and Sediment Control
Achieving Successful, Cost Effective Erosion Control Through Proper Management of Vegetation and Soil
Technical Level: Advanced
Instructors: Julie Etra, MS, CPESC,
and Adrian Juncosa, Ph.D., CPESC

99% Sediment Yield Reduction in Two Easy Steps: A Case Study
Presenter: Barry Fagan, P.E.,PLS, CPESC, CMS4S, CESSWI

Roundtable: Hydraulic Fracturing
Moderator: Richard McLaughlin, Ph.D.
Panelists: R. Jo Reser; Michael H. Young, Ph.D.;
and Virginia Brown, M.S.

Emergency Watershed Protection Program Post Disaster Erosion Control Projects in Colorado
Presenter: John Andrews, P.E., CPESC

Paper of the Year: Large-Scale Performance Enhancement Study of Sediment Basin Technology
Presenter: Michael Perez

Ditch Stabilization to Reduce Soil Loss: Lining Option and Cost/Benefits
Presenter: Jacob Wiseman

Performance Comparisons of Construction Inlet Protection Practices Using Large-Scale Testing
Presenter: Wesley Zech, Ph.D.

Developing Best Management Practice Guidance Matrix Decision Trees
Presenter: Dwayne Stenlund, CPESC

Roundtable Discussion of Potential Changes to EPA’s Construction General Permit
Presenter: Erika Farris (invited guest)

Testing and Specifying Erosion Control Products
Presenters: C. Joel Sprague, P.E. and Jay Sprague, CPESC

Fore! Going Off-Course with Sediment and Erosion Control at a Golf Course Redevelopment Project
Presenter: Daniel Nitzsche, CPESC, CESSWI

Five Fundamentals for Successful Restoration of Disturbed Lands
Presenters: Marc Theisen and Matthew Welch, CESSWI

Stormwater Management How Dirty Is Your Watershed?  Sediment/Turbidity TMDL Development and Compliance
Technical Level: Intermediate
Instructor: Craig Benson

319 Grant: Urban Stormwater Retrofit of a Public Works Facility
Presenter: Erin Keys, P.E., CPESC

Green Infrastructure—Make Maintenance a Priority
Presenter: Anthony Kendrick

The Nitty-Gritty of Green Roof Substrates
Presenter: Jenny Hill, CChem, Ept.

Green Infrastructure, Green Building, and Compost-Based BMPs—A Match Made in Heaven
Presenter: Britt Faucette

Developing SWPPPs Across Multiple Jurisdictions
Presenters: Sarah Gilstrap, CPESC, and Daniel Schertz

Integrating Stormwater Quantity and Quality Requirements Using the Runoff Reduction Method
Presenter: Eric Larson, P.E., AICP, CPSWQ, CFM

Surface Water Restoration Ultra-Urban Ecosystem Restoration—Northerly Island Ecosystem Restoration in Chicago
Presenter: Jonathan Koepke, CPESC, LEED-AP

In Stream Work Plan: Means and Methods
Presenters: Luis Montgomery and Carlos Bulnes

Restoration of the Urban Section Of Rimac River (Peru) by Bioengineering Methods
Presenter: Joel Fernandez Espinoza

MS4 Management
I Have to Conduct Stormwater Monitoring—Anyone Else Want to Join in the Fun?
Presenter: J. P. Johns, P.E.

Permanent Stormwater Quality Features for MS4 Stormwater Management
Presenter: Brad Flack, CPESC, CESSWI

Industrial MS4 Program
Presenter: Martin Miller

Recent Impact on the Construction Industry due to Increased Local Regulatory Activity
Presenter: Philip Handley

Assessing Your MS4 Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping Program
Presenters: Lori Gates, CPESC, CPSWQ, CMS4S,
and Heather Buck, CMS4S, CPSWQ

The Challenge of Dual Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Jurisdiction
Presenter: Nathan Reynolds

Pre-Conference Training Courses
Each year IECA offers pre-conference courses. These full-day courses will earn you 0.7 CEUs or 7 PDH credits. This year the seven courses will be on Tuesday, February 16.

New This Year
IACET Certified Courses: IACET-Approved Full-Day Courses are worth 0.7 IACET CEUs (continuing education units), which is equivalent to 7 PDHs.

IECA Goes Big in San Antonio!

Conference Location
Environmental Connection will be located at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in downtown San Antonio.
200 East Market St.
San Antonio, TX 78205

Booking Your Hotel
IECA wants to help you plan your trip to Environmental Connection 2016. We pride ourselves in helping you make your travel and lodging as easy and affordable as possible. Conference Direct is the ONLY official housing provider for the Environmental Connection 2016. You have various hotel options with a range of discounted group rates. To book your room, visit www.ieca.org/travel.

Getting Around
A cab from the airport to the convention center area will cost approximately $20–$25. Shuttle service is available from the airport to downtown for $19 (one way) or $34 (round trip).

Air Travel
The major airport serving San Antonio is San Antonio International Airport (SAT). For a full list of airlines that fly into SAT, visit www.sanantonio.gov/SAT.aspx.

Convention Center Parking
There is a number of parking options surrounding the convention center.

Things to Do in San Antonio
Whether this is your first trip to San Antonio or you’ve been several times, there is always something new to discover. San Antonio has world-famous attractions such as the Alamo, the Riverwalk, and countless museums and cultural centers. Be sure to visit www.visitsanantonio.com/meeting to make the most of your visit to the Alamo City!

Show Us Your Badge
The San Antonio CVB is dedicated to helping you build meeting attendance and ensuring attendees have the best San Antonio experience possible. They established the Show Us Your Badge program to help attendees explore the city on a budget.

Through the Show Us Your Badge program, convention attendees can receive discounts and special offers at over 50 restaurants and nightlife establishments in downtown San Antonio simply by showing their conference badge. This complimentary program is their way of extending a warm San Antonio welcome.

1. Meet new people: There’s an expected attendance of over 1,500 of the industry’s brightest minds. Connecting with new faces will help you in your career.
2. Get top-notch education: You can learn from over 130 presentations of the latest case studies and topic focused technical sessions.
3. Build business relationships: We have numerous networking and social opportunities so you can make connections with future clients or even connect with potential employers/employees.
4. Stay credible: Earn professional development hours (PDHs) by attending technical sessions.
5. Stay ahead of the curve: Keep up-to-date in today’s newest technologies in erosion and sediment control products and services at our two-day expo.
6. Support a cause: Attending conference helps to show
   your support for IECA, which is a non-profit organization
   that provides education, resource information, and business opportunities for professionals in the erosion and sediment control industry.

Find out more at www.ieca.org/conference.

Photo Contest—Cash Prize for First Place

IECA’s Annual Photo Contest is an opportunity to gain visibility and share your accomplishments with the erosion and sediment control community. Entries will be displayed on our website and enlarged to be showcased at Environmental Connection, IECA’s annual conference and expo. The contest is FREE—so send in your photos!

Preliminary voting will take place on IECA’s Facebook page by liking or commenting on your favorite images. The top six in each category will be enlarged and on display at Environmental Connection 2016.

Final voting of the top six will take place at Environmental Connection 2016 in San Antonio. Ribbons will be awarded to the first, second, and third place winners of each categories.

The photo with the most votes in each category (first place) will receive $50 in cash. Second place will receive $35 in cash. Third place will receive $15 in cash. The winner must be present to obtain their prize. If the first place winner is not present at the time of the award (announced in the Environmental Connection conference program), the prize will be given to
the second place winner, if present. If the second place winner is not present, the third place winner may obtain the prize, if present. If they are not present, the cash will be donated to IECA’s foundation, the SOIL Fund.

Rules and Guidelines

1. Entries are due on or before December 31, 2015.
2. Photo resolution must be 300 dpi or higher. The higher the resolution, the better your image will appear.
3. Photos will be accepted only in .jpg, .tif, .gif or bitmap formats.
4. You must include a brief description for each submittal. See the entry form for details.
5. Entries will be screened for eligibility. IECA has the right of refusal for any or no cause.
6. Photos may only be submitted for entry to the Annual Photo Content once. Re-entries will be discarded.
7. Individual image filed may not exceed 10 MB in size.
8. Photos must be submitted electronically to: www.ieca.org/photosubmit.

We are looking for high-quality photos. This focused with proper lighting. Photos that are out of focus, too dark, too light, grainy, or otherwise unclear will not be competitive.

The 2015 Photo Contest is sponsored by

Categories and Judging Criteria

Before and After (Submit two photos for each entry in this category, one “before” and one “after”)

• Photo alignment—are the photos taken from exactly the same place?
• Amount of change shown—how dramatic is the “after” photo compared to the “before” photo?

Impacts of Erosion and Sediment

• Degree of environmental impact—what is the effect on water or air quality?
• Degree of social impact—what is the effect on property, human life, infrastructure, etc.?

Technology in Action

• Identification of technology—is it obvious what technology is being used?
• Degree of action—does the photo show a process or merely a completed installation?

Recognition

All accepted submitted photos will be recognized at Environmental Connection—IECA’s Annual Conference and Expo. These photos will be posted on the IECA website and may be featured in Environmental Connection magazine, Land & Water magazine, and on association promotional material.

PAPER OF THE YEAR

2016 Most Distinguished Technical Paper Award

IECA is proud to announce that Large-Scale Performance Enhancement Study of Sediment Basin Technology, which was submitted by Michael Perez, has been named the winner of the Most Distinguished Technical Paper Award for Environmental Connection 2016. This award honors the presenters who have demonstrated excellence within the content of their Environmental Connection technical presentation.

Michael Perez is a graduate student at Auburn University pursuing a Ph.D. in civil engineering. “I’m truly honored to be recognized by IECA for our research work,” says Perez. “I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the co-authors: Dr. Wesley Zech, Dr. Xing Fang, and Dr. Jose Vasconcelos, to our research sponsor ALDOT, and to the team of students and technicians that have dedicated significant effort and time to this project. I would also like to thank the IECA University Partners Program for their continued support in providing me the opportunity to participate in the Environmental
Connection conferences. The technical presentation will discuss innovative sediment basin research we are conducting at the Auburn University
Erosion and Sediment Control Facility. I look forward to sharing exciting results from our large-scale testing that show how the design of sediment basins can be modified to provide for enhanced performance,” concludes Perez.

The presentation of Large-Scale Performance Enhancement Study of Sediment Basin Technology may be seen at Environmental Connection 2016,
which will be held from February 16–19, 2016, in San Antonio, Texas. IECA has already released the call for nominations for its 2015 Awards of Environmental Excellence, to be recognized at Environmental Connection
2016. For more information, visit www.ieca.org/awards.