Bari, Italy
May 27th-June 1st, 2012

Abstract Submission Deadline has been extended to January 15, 2012

We are pleased to extend an invitation to professionals working in watershed technology and related areas to submit an abstract for consideration to be presented during the Conference in Bari (Italy) on May 27th-June 1st, 2012.

This is one of a series of highly successful international conferences organized by ASABE and IRSA/CNR at Bari focusing on water quality. Over the last decade there has been a maturing of watershed science with new research findings and modeling approaches. These new solutions have resolved many of the problems that first faced watershed managers in dealing with water quality and quantity issues, but there are also emerging impediments to watershed assessments and achieving water quality goals. This international conference “21st Century Watershed Technology: Improving Water Quality and Environment” will look at emerging problems and new solutions to managing watersheds to meet water quality and quantity standards

The Conference will provide a forum for agriculture and water related professionals to exchange information on science, applications and developments in the use of watershed science and technology. It will cover a wide array of topics. These include new applications of well established and understood technologies to innovative and entrepreneurial applications of emerging technologies, in addition to issues related to policy and knowledge dissemination.

The Conference is organized by

• ASABE (American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers)
• IRSA-CNR (Water Research Institute – National Research Council. Italy)
• USDA-ARS (US Dept. of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service)
• EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency)
• TIAER (Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research)
• University of Florida
• Soil and Water Conservation Society
• AAAE (Asian Association for Agricultural Engineering)
• ALIA (Asociación Latinoamericana y del Caribe de Ingenieros Agrícolas)

The Conference will be accompanied by Workshops:

Sunday, May 27th, 2012

Workshops:

• Application of Integrated Environmental and Economic Simulation Models Using CEEOT-SWAPP to Evaluate BMPs at the Field and Watershed Levels (8:00-5:00) (held by Ali Saleh, Texas Institute for Environmental Applied Research)
• Water Supply, Pond Design and Levee Pond Economic Analysis (8:00-5:00)

Thursday and Friday, May 31st and June 1st, 2012

Workshops:

• Two-day beginners (day 1) and advanced (day 2) Watershed Modeling Using SWAT (8:00-5:00) (held by Jeff Arnolds, USDA- ARS).

The topics of the Conference include but are not limited to:

Hot Topics

• Emerging water quality/quantity case studies
• Emerging tools in water quality analysis
• Effects of climate change on water resources and water quality
• Impact of extreme weather conditions for water quality/quantity

Monitoring Technologies/Issues

• Measuring success – post implementation monitoring
• Biological monitoring for water quality/quantity projects
• Bacterial monitoring, source identification and control practices
• Data quality and management
• Data collection to support water quality/quantity development
• Data mining, knowledge discovery in water quality data set
• Wetlands, stream and river restoration, biomonitoring and land use impacts on downstream water bodies

Management

• Watershed implementation planning
• Agricultural BMP effectiveness
• Pollution control/management practices for point and nonpoint sources
• Management practices for sediment control
• Bioremediation systems for agriculture (wetlands, infiltration ponds, photocatalysis, radio frequency, UV pulsed and others)
• Water quality issues for forest and rangelands

Modeling

• Performance and validation of models for water quality/quantity
• Field and watershed scale modeling
• GIS tools for watershed assessment

Social Impacts/Studies

• Political and social ramifications
• Solutions for increasing stakeholder involvement in the water quality/quantity process
• Economic implications of water quality/quantity
• Water quality / sediment standards

Focus on Europe and the Mediterranean

• Watershed modeling and management in semi-arid areas
• Accounting of Ecosystem Services in watershed management
• The Water Framework Directive: an assessment after the first implementation cycle

Abstracts are due on January 15th, 2012. Please submit a 800 word abstract using the on-line submission form.

Information: Ali Saleh; Antonio Lo Porto; www.watershedtech.org