Water Quality Trading Workshops and Webinars - Recordings Now Available

Introduction:

These webcasts have now passed. Please check the Webcasts page for information on any plans for future offerings. Links to the webcast recordings can be found below.

Water quality trading was the focus of two back-to-back workshops, both free and open to the public. On Wednesday, November 28, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hosted a webinar on the needs and perspectives of potential buyers and sellers, as well as the stakeholders they interact with. On Thursday, November 29, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) hosted a webinar focused on some technical issues related to water quality trading.

Both workshops were accessible via the web. Each was held at the WRI headquarters in Washington, D.C., which also provided limited seating for attendees. EPA's workshop had additional in-person locations around the country, including Boston, Massachusetts; Annapolis, Maryland; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Chicago, Illinois; and Seattle, Washington. Each day ran from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern. Audience members were able to ask questions.

November 28 - Day 1

Sponsor: U.S. EPA

Audience members heard from representatives of 'buyers' and 'sellers', as well as from state government, brokers and NGOs active in advancing water quality trading. A forum was provided for stakeholders to discuss the status and next steps in advancing environmental markets as a tool to achieve water quality improvement under the Clean Water Act. This was a non-technical workshop to provide a forum for stakeholders to better understand the perspectives and needs of each other, and discuss ways to promote and enhance trading and market opportunities. The formal presentation segment and expert panel segment included a total of two hours of audience Q&A.

November 28th Agenda 

Webcast Recordings: 

• Opening Remarks 
• Guest Speakers 
• Panelists 
• Open Discussion and Closing Remarks 

Presentation Handouts: 

Guest Speakers 

• Russ Baxter, Chesapeake Bay Coordinator, Virginia DEQ - Program Manager Perspective
• Charles Logue, Director, Renewable Water Resources - Buyer Perspective
• Roger Wolf, Director of Environmental Programs & Services, Iowa Soybean Assocation - Seller Perspective

Questions about the November 28th event should be sent to Bob Rose at U.S. EPA, rose.bob@epa.gov.

November 29 - Day 2

Sponsor: World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF)

This workshop focused on some of the technical issues related to water quality trading, such as baselines and additionality, pollution "hot spots" and water quality standards, and stormwater and MS4 trading. The format was a series of presentations with Q&A time allotted for each speaker. Presenters included professionals from the private and public sector who are on the cutting edge of water quality trading issues.

November 29th Agenda 

Webcast Recordings: 

• Opening Remarks 
• Addressing Local Water Quality Issues 
• Developing Baselines and Ensuring Additionality 
• Extending Trading Opportunities to Stormwater and MS4s and Closing Remarks 

Presentation Handouts: 

Addressing Local Water Quality Issues 

• Cy Jones, World Resource Institute
• Jessica Fox, Electric Power Research Institute

Developing Baselines and Ensuring Additionality 

• Peter Hughes, Red Barn Consulting

Extending Trading Opportunities to Stormwater and MS4s 

• Brian Van Wye, District Department of the Environment (Washington, DC)
• Hale Thurston, EPA National Risk Management Research Laboratory
• Ginny Snead, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

Questions about the November 29th event should be sent to Seth Brown at WEF, sbrown@wef.org.