Friday, 28 February 2025
8:30 - 9:30AM in the IECA Expo Hall

This session will include roundtable discussions from IECA Education Committee Leaders, Members and Speakers from the Annual Conference. Hosted during the Hammer and Eggs Breakfast on the IECA Expo Hall show floor, each discussion is designed to foster meaningful conversation and collaboration among industry professionals. This session will kick off the final day of the conference with a platform for attendees to share their experiences, challenges, and innovative solutions in a collaborative environment.








Our discussion topics are hosted by IECA education committee members, leadership and IECA Annual Conference speakers.

• Permanent Water Quality BMPs…That’s A Long Time!:Open discussion on permanent/post-construction water quality Best Management Practices (BMPs). All are welcome, from grey to green, above or below ground, detention or retention, filtration or infiltration, old-school or innovative. This group will collaborate on what BMPs are common back home and share successes and challenges of long-term implementation. DO our BMPs work as intended? HOW long do they work? WHO does the maintenance? WHO is inspecting? WHAT should a BMP look like? SHOULD BMPs be out-of-sight-out-of-mind or a feature of the landscape? These questions and your own personal curiosities are all on the menu at this table.


• The Remaining Low-Hanging Fruit:The management of stormwater and erosion control has seen impressive progress over the last several decades, but despite many emerging innovative approaches and technology, some low-hanging fruit remain. Some examples: the incorporation of organic matter into soils, the continued replenishment of that organic material through proper vegetation and maintenance practices, and the expanded use vegetative conveyances in lieu of standard culverts. What are some other examples of low-hanging fruit, what are the challenges in enacting them, and how might we overcome those challenges?


• Qualified Personnel: Every state has its own definition of training for Qualified Construction Inspectors. With every state doing it s own thing, how does the benefit and impact the stormwater construction community? - Hosted by Amesha Morris - Acorn EnviroComply


• Hiring and Retaining Employees:It’s becoming more of a challenge to hire and retain high performing employees. This discussion will allow attendees to share tactics that work and others that may not work. - Hosted by J.P. Johns, Woolpert


• Practical Erosion BMPs: Meet and discuss what works, what doesn't and the best field fit erosion control solutions. - Hosted by Damon Sump


• Sedimentation on Solar Farms: Join the discussion on challenging areas of solar farms in terms of preventing erosion and minimizing sediment leaving the site. Challenges include but are not limited to slopes, swales, and panel driplines. These challenges occur during and post-construction. - Hosted by Del Fueller, Ferguson Waterworks


• Challenges of solar development: While there are many positive benefits of solar energy, the conversion and clearing of land for solar farms can have a detrimental effect on our aquatic resources without thoughtful planning and implementation of stormwater and erosion control practices. This roundtable will include a collaborative discussion among professionals about some common stormwater and erosion control problems of solar developments. Participants will learn about challenges faced by other professionals, project-specific successes and failures, and unique solutions that have been utilized by other professionals across the industry. - Hosted by Erin Harris, Nutter & Associates


• When "Agriculture" isn't "Agriculture": The State of North Carolina and others exempt some (or all) agricultural activities from erosion control requirements. This is understandable as a farmer shouldn't need a permit to till their field. However, sometimes what a property owner calls "agriculture" to get out of EC requirements doesn't always pass the smell test. Vague laws can make it challenging on regulators to enforce erosion control requirements before it’s too late. This roundtable will discuss how different regulators and the erosion control community work with agricultural properties to protect our water and land resources. - Hosted by Ryan Eaves, Durham County


• E&SC Collaboration for Success: Share challenges we have with getting construction stormwater compliance and compare to sites where we have collaborated and achieved success. Want to hear from the others on how they are able to achieve success with the development and partner more with them. - Hosted by Karyn Pageau, Wake County


• Achieving Sustainable Development Goals: Implementing Erosion and Sediment Control Measures (ESCM) can significantly improve water quality and the surrounding environment on development sites, contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By empowering key stakeholders like designers, developers, regulators, contractors, and field inspectors, we can ensure effective implementation of these measures. Let’s break this down using the "Who, When, Why, What, Where, Which, and How" questions to prepare for a collective discussion in our roundtable forum. - Hosted Kwok Wing Leong, CHT - Natural Solutions


• Safe/Effective Polyacrylamide (PAM) Applications: Provide a brief overview of PAM uses including as flocculants, tackifiers, demucking, and enhancing traditional BMPs. Participants will then be asked to share any questions, concerns, or comments on how these products have worked or have not worked given their experiences. - Hosted by Brian Free, Applied Polymer Systems


• Sustainable BMP Practices Successes & Failures: Discuss BMP options that can further sustainably options to further protect the environment and wildlife / insects. What has the group seen working? What is still a work in progress? What is not working? - Hosted by Joe Moore, Siltworm


• Soil Health and Infiltration: Understanding the importance of Organic matter content for infiltration, soil testing and soil amendments. - Hosted by Mike Everhart, EJ Prescott


• Introduction of Disruptive Technology: There is an urgent need for Sales Engineers, who bridge the divide between Erosion Control Professionals and those making the purchasing decisions, to be better able to advocate the outstanding life cycle cost benefits of the disruptive technologies they represent. One example of many is the introduction of woven sludge dewatering bags to replace tailings dams which have caused and are causing massive erosion control pollution all over the world. - Hosted by David Morgan, Slegah Holdings Pty Ltd


• New Product Development: Developing new products and bringing them to market is always challenging. From determining the best way to differentiate a new offering to drafting specifications that provide a fair advantage to the innovators to developing resources for engineers and installers, there's a lot to tackle. Let's discuss what works and what doesn't, and what challenges you face with your innovation efforts. - Hosted by Corey Simonpietri - Ripple Stormwater Technologies


• Climate Change: Impact of climate change on stormwater systems. Discuss how increasing storm intensity and frequency is affecting stormwater management systems. - Hosted by Nathan Collier, POWER Engineers


• Implementing Nature Based Solutions: Nature-based solutions (NbS) encompass a range of strategies including rain gardens, wastewater wetlands, green roofs, and more. They provide an array of co-benefits in addition to their infrastructural functions by offering carbon sequestration, ecosystem services, and public space enhancements than typical grey infrastructure can provide. This discussion will present an opportunity for an open conversation on the creative ways IECA attendees have seen NbS implemented in practice, as well as discussion of the constraints, lessons learned, and challenges behind implementing NbS. - Hosted by Sonja Hartmann, Arup


• PFAS Remediation from Stormwater: Stormwater carries chemicals, trash, and sediment as it moves from the land surface to holding ponds, creeks, or waterbodies. One of the chemicals that is getting a lot of attention currently is PFAS. Discussion will center around if this is an issue professionals in IECA should consider and if it is, what can be and is being done. - Hosted by Gary Hawkins, University of Georgia