CMC at the MWMC Conference

PFAS and Chloride Pollution at the MWMC Conference

This December the Izaak Walton League of America’s (IWLA) Clean Water Team attended and tabled at the 2022 Maryland Water Monitoring Council’s (MWMC) conference in Linthicum Heights, MD. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) runs the conference every year as an opportunity for all stakeholders across Maryland and beyond that are working in the water monitoring field to collaborate. This year’s conference theme was “What are you drinking? Protecting the Source. The conference also covered a variety of topics including: roles of utilities, microplastics, PFAS, climate change, restoration, the Maryland Biological Stream Survey, vernal pools, TMDLs, salt in freshwater, forestry and agriculture best management practices (BMPs), and environmental justice.

The IWLA team provided outreach on chloride pollution by tabling through their Salt Watch program. In addition to the tabling, the clean water members attended sessions to learn more about opportunities to enhance the overall work being done by the CMC. Specifically, the CMC team engaged with sessions that covered how stakeholders are working to bring the tenets of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice to water monitoring communities. Conferences continue to be a vital tool for the CMC to connect with new partner organizations and learn about the best practices working in the community science field.