2026 Salt Symposium

The 2026 Salt Symposium marks an exciting new chapter in one of the nation’s leading forums on chloride reduction, winter maintenance, and freshwater protection. Now hosted by the University of Minnesota Cold Climate Stormwater Center of Excellence (CCSCoE), the Symposium continues its long-standing mission of bringing together researchers, public agencies, industry leaders, educators, and practitioners to advance innovative, science-based solutions for managing salt use in cold climates. Building on more than two decades of collaboration and leadership established by Fortin Consulting, the Freshwater Society, and Bolton & Menk, the 2026 Salt Symposium will expand opportunities for research, training, and cross-sector collaboration focused on protecting infrastructure, water resources, and community safety while designing a lower salt future. The call for abstracts is open until June 30, 2026.

Engineered Amendments for Climate-Resilient Green Infrastructure

Please join us in person or online on June 18, 2026 for the next Minnesota Stormwater Seminar Series event - a monthly experience featuring national, state, and local experts on stormwater and green infrastructure.

Presenters & Panelists:

• Keynote: Sanjay Mohanty, Associate Professor, Civil And Environmental Engineering, Samueli School Of Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles. 
• Panelist: Lea Pollack, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Minnesota
• Panelist: Bridget Ulrich, Principal Research Scientist, Environmental Chemistry, Natural Resources Research Institute
• Panelist: Pete Weiss, Professor; Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering; Valparaiso University

Abstract: Green infrastructure systems are increasingly used to mitigate the impacts of climate change in urban environments, including flooding, drought, heat stress, and declining water quality. These systems are typically designed to provide water quantity benefits via enhanced infiltration or groundwater recharge, and water quality benefits via pollutants removal through filter media or their degradation by soil microorganisms and plants. Conventional green infrastructures, however, are not designed to operate or provide stable performance under climatic conditions that deviate significantly from historical averages. Despite the growing frequency and severity of climate extremes associated with global warming, green infrastructure designs are seldom adapted to account for these changing conditions. Both drought and intense precipitation events challenge the ability of urban water systems to effectively store, treat, and reuse water to meet present and future demands. With innovative design and strategic implementation, however, green infrastructure can provide resilient local water supplies while also supporting long-term water storage needs, including reservoirs for wildfire response. This presentation examines the use of engineered amendments, including biochar and lightweight aggregates, to improve the resilience and performance of green infrastructure systems. These materials can enhance infiltration during high-intensity rainfall while simultaneously increasing plant-available water during drought conditions. In addition, the proposed designs improve the removal of emerging contaminants such as microplastics and PFAS, alongside legacy pollutants including metals and excess nutrients. Thus, green infrastructure design manuals must be updated to incorporate climate resilience and ensure reliable performance under future climate conditions.

DATE & TIME: Thursday, June 18, 2026, 10a - 12p US Central

In-person: St. Anthony Falls Laboratory Auditorium (2 Third Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN). THERE IS NO PARKING AVAILABLE AT SAFL. We recommend you consider biking (bike racks available at SAFL), mass transit, or parking in the 212 SE 2nd Ave parking garage, free or metered parking along nearby side streets (3rd Ave, Main Street, etc.) and give yourself about 10-15 minutes to walk down to SAFL (2 Third Ave SE).

Online: https://z.umn.edu/mn-stormwater-seminar-series (active 10 minutes prior)

Registration: Learn more or Click here to Register

About the MN Stormwater Seminar Series:

The Minnesota Stormwater Seminar Series is a monthly program featuring national, state, and local experts in unique discussion panels that share their research, knowledge, and innovations in stormwater and green infrastructure. This seminar series is a program of the University of Minnesota's St. Anthony Falls Laboratory and Water Resources Center. The seminar is supported by the Minnesota Stormwater Research Council, the Clean Water Land and Legacy Amendment by appropriation through the Clean Water Fund, and in kind by the Cold Climate Stormwater Center of Excellence, which is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and co-directed by the University of New Hampshire and the University of Minnesota, in partnership with the National Municipal Stormwater Alliance.

See the full schedule here or visit our YouTube Channel for all recordings.

Past Seminars (YouTube Channel):

• Adaptive Level Control Systems – Research on Maximizing Stormwater Pond Functionality featuring Cory Anderson, Sarah Stratton, and local experts.
• Can stormwater pond sediment be managed as a valuable resource instead of a costly waste? featuring Dr. Francine Kelly-Hooper, GHD, and local experts.
• Minnesota Watersheds: Uniquely Equipped to Address Water Resource Challenges featuring Louis Smith, Smith Partners, and local experts.
• The Green Stormwater Revolution: What Have We Learned and What's Next? featuring Rob Traver, Villanova University, and local experts.
• Stormwater reduction and pollutant sourcing from urban trees featuring Xue Feng (UMN), Diana Karwan (UMN), and local experts.
• Addressing the challenge of water-soluble emerging contaminants in green stormwater infrastructure featuring Greg LeFevre, University of Iowa, and local experts.
• Urban Flash Flood Detection with Low-Cost IoT Sensor Networks featuring Bill Selbig, USGS, and local experts.
• Enhanced Street Sweeping: America's First Line of Defense in the Abatement of Urban Stormwater Pollution featuring Roger Sutherland, Cascade Water Resources, LLC, and local experts.
• Performance and Maintenance of Sand Filters Amended to Retain Phosphate featuring John S. Gulliver, St. Anthony Falls Lab & University of MN, and local experts.
• Managing Stormwater Ponds for Optimal Function: Characterizing Phosphorus and HAB Export, Plus a New Tool for Prioritizing Maintenance Needs featuring Katie Hembre (Stantec), Dr. Poornima Natarajan (UMN SAFL), and local experts.
• Using Winter Chloride Management to Reduce Impacts of Winter Maintenance Operations featuring Laura Fay, Montana State University, and local experts.
• Turning tight spaces into big solutions: testing a high-volume stormwater filter at Rosland Park featuring Andy McCabe, Barr Engineering, Erica Sniegowski, Nine Mile Creek Watershed District, and local experts.
• Extreme Weather Impacts Across the Water Sector Sunny Wescott, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Chief Meteorologist and Federal Emergency Response Official and local experts.
• Assessment of urban stormwater chloride and its impact on surface water trends featuring Dr. Ben Janke, Dr. Jacques Finlay, and local experts.
• Funding and technical assistance for stormwater management and green infrastructure featuring Robyn DeYoung, US EPA; Travis Ostrom, US EPA, and local experts.
• Moving towards multi-functional stormwater management systems featuring Lauren McPhillips, Penn State University, and local experts.
• Watershed-scale effectiveness of green stormwater infrastructure featuring Aditi Bhaskar, University of Colorado Boulder, and local experts.
• Emerging policy issues that may influence future stormwater management efforts featuring Chris Kloss, U.S. EPA, and local experts