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NWDTW 2026
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Wednesday, July 22
 

8:00am CDT

USGS National Water Quality Network (NWQN-SW): Overview of Sample Collection, Data Reporting and Products
Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:00am - 8:20am CDT
Understanding the water quality of U.S. streams and rivers requires consistent data collection and analysis over decades. The U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water Quality Network (NWQN) was established to facilitate national-scale understanding of surface-water quality conditions through the collection of comparable data in large rivers and small streams in different geographic and land-use settings. Data collected by the NWQN supports the needs of Federal, State and local stakeholders tasked with managing our Nation’s water resources. This talk will provide an overview of the history of national-scale, surface-water quality monitoring in the USGS, current network objectives and scope, sample collection and reporting methods, sampling resources as well as highlight products utilizing NWQN data.
Speakers
avatar for Melissa Riskin

Melissa Riskin

National Water Quality Network Coordinator, USGS-WMA-OSD
Melissa Riskin is currently the Coordinator of the National Water Quality Network (NWQN-SW) within the USGS Water Mission Area, Observing Systems Division. She is also the Product Owner of the field software Superfly. Melissa graduated from the Pennsylvania State University with a... Read More →
Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:00am - 8:20am CDT
BCC - Central Bank (39 Class / 60 Theater)

8:00am CDT

History and Current Activities of the Federal Interagency Sedimentation Project
Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:00am - 8:20am CDT
The Federal Interagency Sedimentation Project (FISP) was founded in 1939 to standardize sediment sampler instrumentation, sampling methods, and sediment sample laboratory analysis processes. The project expanded over the many years of its operation to include automatic samplers, surrogate instrumentation such as acoustics and turbidity meters, water quality samplers, and much more.
This session will cover the history, achievements, and current projects the FISP is working on.
Speakers
Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:00am - 8:20am CDT
BCC - Nichols (21 Class / 40 Theater)

8:30am CDT

WMA LIMS Status Update
Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:30am - 8:50am CDT
Discuss capabilities of WMA LIMS solution - HIGH LEVEL Project Overview
Includes project release timelines, Catalog services, Client Portal, and Billing processes.
Speakers
Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:30am - 8:50am CDT
BCC - Central Bank (39 Class / 60 Theater)

8:30am CDT

Help Us Curate a Stronger National Groundwater Monitoring Network
Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:30am - 8:50am CDT
The National Groundwater Monitoring Network (NGWMN) is a compilation of selected groundwater monitoring wells from Federal, State, and local groundwater monitoring networks across the nation. The NGWMN is designed to be a curated network of wells that are of known quality and can provide insight to groundwater araciality. The NGWMN Data Portal provides access to data in the Network; monitoring locations must be added to the network through a manual process. Each Water Science Center can select wells they deem appropriate for inclusion in the NGWMN. This session will cover criteria for wells to include in the NGWMN, give tips on how to determine if wells should be added or deleted, and review the application that can be used for this process.
Speakers
avatar for Candice Hopkins

Candice Hopkins

Product Owner, USGS - WMA
Candice Hopkins is a product owner at U.S. Geological Survey's Water Mission Area. Candice focuses on creating products that deliver data to a broad group of users, including scientists and the public. Her current products include the Water Quality Portal, the National Groundwater... Read More →
Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:30am - 8:50am CDT
Hotel Capstone - Presidents (50 Theater/40 Classroom)

8:30am CDT

Interactive ADCP game/quiz
Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:30am - 8:50am CDT
Test your knowledge and see how much you know about the different types of ADCPs. A fun session for beginners to advanced users.
Speakers
avatar for Justin Boldt

Justin Boldt

Hydrologist, USGS
Justin is a Hydrologist for the USGS Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center in Louisville, KY. He began his career with the USGS in 2010 as a student working for the Office of Surface Water out of the Urbana, Illinois office. In 2013, he graduated from the University of Illinois... Read More →
Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:30am - 8:50am CDT
BCC - Birmingham (65 Class / 100 theater)

8:30am CDT

Field Support & Research to Operations Team Overview and Panel Discussion
Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:30am - 9:20am CDT
The Field Support & Research to Operations Team (FS/R2O) of the Hydrologic Networks Branch is tasked with providing support to field staff, project staff, and other science center personnel. In this session, FS/R2O staff will lead a panel discussion on the support provided to the science centers, take questions, and provide insight into ongoing projects, training and workflows that FS/R2O staff are working on to advance the various WRD topical areas (GW, QW, Sediment, R2O).
Speakers
avatar for Lance Gruhn

Lance Gruhn

Hydrologist, USGS
Lance Gruhn is a Hydrologist stationed in Iowa City, Iowa and is the groundwater technical and field support lead for the Hydrologic Networks Branck of the USGS Water Resources Mission Area. Lance coordinates the Groundwater Data Processing class and the Groundwater Field Techniques... Read More →
KS

Kimberly Shaffer

Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey
Kimberly Shaffer has a degree in Civil Engineering from The Ohio State University and has worked for the U.S. Geological Survey for the past 27 years. As a hydrologist, she has collected and published streamflow, water-quality, and water-use data. In 2021, Kim became the Continuous... Read More →
HH

Heather Heckathorn

Water Quality Specialist, USGS
avatar for Russ Lotspeich

Russ Lotspeich

Hydrologist, USGS WMA-HNB
Robert (Russ) Lotspeich is a Hydrologist in the Hydrologic Networks Branch of the USGS Water Resources Mission Area. Russ' interests are in developing new and innovative technologies and methods to aide in data collection activities across the Water Enterprise. As the Research to... Read More →
Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:30am - 9:20am CDT
BCC - Sellers (476 Class / 800 Theater)

10:00am CDT

Readying Superfly for LIMS Modernization and Other Updates
Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:00am - 10:20am CDT
The upcoming modernization of LIMS will require modifications to the Superfly files we use to generate ASRs. More broadly, the modernization of many of our tools creates opportunities for Superfly to become more integrated into the Discrete Water Quality Workflow. This session will talk about how Superfly is being updated and how users can prepare accordingly.
Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:00am - 10:20am CDT
BCC - Central Bank (39 Class / 60 Theater)

10:00am CDT

USGS Signage Updates: Coordinating Across HIF, WSCs, and the Innovation Depot
Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:00am - 10:20am CDT
Join us to learn more about USGS signage! An USGS team is working on a new line of standardized, field ruggedized signage designed specifically for Monitoring Locations, with production coordinated through the Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF). The goal is to allow Water Science Centers to order signs. The initial design concept includes a sign sized approximately 12 by 18 inches. Centers will be able to tailor their signs through a range of construction options—including aluminum or vinyl signs, pre-drilled mounting configurations, acrylic protective covers, and optional aluminum back plates.
Speakers
KS

Kimberly Shaffer

Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey
Kimberly Shaffer has a degree in Civil Engineering from The Ohio State University and has worked for the U.S. Geological Survey for the past 27 years. As a hydrologist, she has collected and published streamflow, water-quality, and water-use data. In 2021, Kim became the Continuous... Read More →
Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:00am - 10:20am CDT
BCC - Mobile (33 Class / 60 Theater)

10:00am CDT

ICE-Edge: Computing Continuous Under-ice Discharge on the Edge
Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:00am - 10:20am CDT
As of Jan 5, 2026, 1,185 of the 9,004 USGS streamgages were ice-affected - approximately 13.2% of our assets that lack the capacity to deliver real-time discharge. Existing USGS under-ice methods require hours to complete, are cost prohibitive, lack the capacity to deliver continuous discharge time series, and place hydrographers at risk. ICE-Edge computes real-time under ice discharge on the “edge” (think by the riverbank) by integrating a RaspberryPi (RPi) computer, python code, uplooking Acoustic Doppler Velocity Meter (u-ADVM), FirstNet modem, and leveraging the probability concept discharge algorithm.
Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:00am - 10:20am CDT
BCC - Lackey (54 Tiered Class Only)

10:00am CDT

Groundwater Monitoring Essentials
Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
This presentation will cover groundwater site establishment, characterization, operation and maintenance, and quality assurance. The talk will also discuss instrumentation used to collect water level data and considerations for measurement frequency.
Speakers
avatar for Lance Gruhn

Lance Gruhn

Hydrologist, USGS
Lance Gruhn is a Hydrologist stationed in Iowa City, Iowa and is the groundwater technical and field support lead for the Hydrologic Networks Branck of the USGS Water Resources Mission Area. Lance coordinates the Groundwater Data Processing class and the Groundwater Field Techniques... Read More →
Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Hotel Capstone - Presidents (50 Theater/40 Classroom)

10:00am CDT

What to do after you’ve measured the “big one”: USGS peak-flow data for Hydrologic Technicians
Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:00am - 11:20am CDT
Annual peak streamflow data from USGS streamgages are a critical dataset engineers and hydrologists use for flood frequency analyses that inform bridge designs, floodplain maps, and other projects in and along rivers. Updated Federal guidelines for flood-frequency analysis (Bulletin 17C) were released in 2019, which allow for better use of information published by the USGS, such as censored (greater than or less than) data, and data sources outside of streamgage records, such as historic peaks. In this workshop, attendees will learn how annual peak-flow data are used, what peak flow qualification codes mean and when to use them, what flood information should be included in station descriptions and manuscripts in SIMS, the proper application of “highest since” notes to annual peaks, proper treatment of peak flows at crest-stage gages, and lots of other flood-related facts. An example streamgage will be analyzed with the PeakFQ software to demonstrate application of USGS data to a real-world flood-frequency problem.
Speakers
SS

Seth Siefken

Hydrologist
Seth Siefken is a civil engineer based in Helena, Montana. He's been working with USGS since fall 2018, where his projects have included flood frequency analysis, water quality monitoring, writing software, and field data collection. He is currently the maintainer of the USGS PeakFQ... Read More →
Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:00am - 11:20am CDT
BCC - Wilson (54 Tiered Class Only)

10:30am CDT

Connecting the Triangle of Superfly - LIMS - and AQS
Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:30am - 10:50am CDT
It costs us time trying to get our Discrete Water Quality applications to talk to one another as data moves through the workflow. The modernization of those applications provides an opportunity to strengthen those connections and hopefully save us some time. This presentation will describe some of the ways that new connections are being built into those applications and how our workflow will tap into those new features.
Speakers
avatar for Dave Rus

Dave Rus

WQ Specialist, NEWSC
Product owner of the Batch Data Loader and Water Quality Review (AQS tools)
Project lead of the Triangle Project
Member of the QWILS team
Water Quality Specialist at Nebraska WSC
Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:30am - 10:50am CDT
BCC - Central Bank (39 Class / 60 Theater)

10:30am CDT

Fluvial Sediment Monitoring in the USGS
Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:30am - 11:20am CDT
In this session we’ll cover the progression of sediment science in the USGS, its uses, importance, and challenges to collect this data. We’ll also cover the current state of sediment science, field support resources, and vision of the future of sediment science in the USGS.
Speakers
Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:30am - 11:20am CDT
BCC - Nichols (21 Class / 40 Theater)

11:00am CDT

Upcoming changes to the presentation of NWQL and Contract Laboratory data in AQUARIUS Samples
Wednesday July 22, 2026 11:00am - 11:20am CDT
As LabVantage replaces the StarLIMS system at the National Water Quality Laboratory, the format of data sent to AQUARIUS Samples will shift significantly from today’s QWBATCH structure. This session will explain how LabVantage’s outputs align more closely with AQS’s Observations format, what differences users can expect in the new data model, how these changes enable features and capabilities that were not possible with QWBATCH, and what new constraints will be present in the data flow.
Wednesday July 22, 2026 11:00am - 11:20am CDT
BCC - Central Bank (39 Class / 60 Theater)

2:30pm CDT

Upcoming changes to OneStop ordering
Wednesday July 22, 2026 2:30pm - 2:50pm CDT
The HIF is modernizing its business software, including key user-facing features of the OneStop platform. This talk will share up-to-date information about the plans for modernization such as target timelines, known feature changes, and plans for user communications in advance of any changes.
Speakers
Wednesday July 22, 2026 2:30pm - 2:50pm CDT
BCC - Mobile (33 Class / 60 Theater)

2:30pm CDT

Well Integrity Evaluations - Approaches, Use Cases, Data Management, and other Considerations
Wednesday July 22, 2026 2:30pm - 3:50pm CDT
This presentation will discuss what well integrity is and its importance as a foundation of quality assurance at groundwater well sites. The talk will highlight office and field-based approaches to evaluating well integrity including use-cases.
Speakers
avatar for Lance Gruhn

Lance Gruhn

Hydrologist, USGS
Lance Gruhn is a Hydrologist stationed in Iowa City, Iowa and is the groundwater technical and field support lead for the Hydrologic Networks Branck of the USGS Water Resources Mission Area. Lance coordinates the Groundwater Data Processing class and the Groundwater Field Techniques... Read More →
Wednesday July 22, 2026 2:30pm - 3:50pm CDT
Hotel Capstone - Presidents (50 Theater/40 Classroom)

3:00pm CDT

Streamflow Measurement Uncertainty: How do I rate this ADCP measurement?
Wednesday July 22, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm CDT
Excellent? Good? Fair? Poor? Computing the uncertainty of an ADCP moving-boat discharge measurement is a complex task. This session will review what makes up the uncertainty model in QRev, and how a better understanding of the components can help guide the user in rating a measurement.
Speakers
avatar for Justin Boldt

Justin Boldt

Hydrologist, USGS
Justin is a Hydrologist for the USGS Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center in Louisville, KY. He began his career with the USGS in 2010 as a student working for the Office of Surface Water out of the Urbana, Illinois office. In 2013, he graduated from the University of Illinois... Read More →
Wednesday July 22, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm CDT
BCC - Birmingham (65 Class / 100 theater)

4:00pm CDT

Discrete Discharge from Multiple Platforms and Novel Algorithms: Fixed‑Mount and Portable Velocity Radars and Drone‑based Cameras
Wednesday July 22, 2026 4:00pm - 4:20pm CDT
Standard streamgaging methods to compute discharge rely on placing equipment and personnel in water and integrating velocities and depths at multiple verticals at a channel cross section (25 to 30 to hundreds of hydroacoustic ensembles). However, a paradigm change has occurred with the advent of non-contact platforms such as fixed‑mount and portable velocity radars and drone‑based cameras. The benefits of coupling these platforms and novel algorithms are clear – enhanced safety and increased efficiency.
Wednesday July 22, 2026 4:00pm - 4:20pm CDT
BCC - Mobile (33 Class / 60 Theater)

4:00pm CDT

Flow Photo Explorer: Using Trail Cameras to Estimate Streamflow Dynamics
Wednesday July 22, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm CDT
This session introduces the Flow Photo Explorer (FPE)—a USGS tool that uses time-lapse trail camera images to estimate relative streamflow dynamics, especially in ungagged streams and now deployed at 600+ locations. We’ll show how simple imagery can be turned into flow models and highlight ongoing work expanding these methods. The session includes a live demo of the platform so you can see how it works in practice, along with examples of where it’s been useful and what’s coming next.
Speakers
Wednesday July 22, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm CDT
BCC - Mason (33 Class / 60 Theater)
 

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