Agenda – North Carolina Onsite Water Protection Conference 2026
North Carolina Onsite Water Protection Conference 2026
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Save the Date: October 13-15, 2026
2026 Agenda
NOTE: Speakers and topics may change. Last modified: 7/02/2026
| Day 1 – Tuesday | |||
| Session 1: Opening General Session | |||
| Moderator: Justin Milstein, Wake County | |||
| 8:15am | Welcome | ||
| 8:30am | AI Soil Evaluations | ||
| John Kelly Retired USDA-NRCS |
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| 9:30am | Hurricane Helene |
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| Alan McKinney & Karen Wallace NCDHHS |
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| 10:30am | Break | ||
| 11:00am | Spodosols |
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| David Lindbo Former Director of the Soil and Plant Science Division, USDA-NRCS |
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| 12:00pm | Luncheon and Awards Presentation Erik Severson, PhD, NC State University Steve Steinbeck Onsite Water Protection Hall of Fame Award |
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| Concurrent Breakout Sessions | |||
| Session 2: Soils |
Session 3: Systems |
Session 4: Environmental |
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| Moderator: | Heath Ward Ward Land Consulting |
Alan Clapp LSS |
Kenny Melder Guilford County |
| 1:30pm | TBD
David Lindbo |
Hanging Rock State Park Installation Overview
Tim Woody |
What to do when something goes wrong, insurance and liability-related
Sarah Menser |
| 2:00pm | 811 Talk
Howard Corey
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GIS Integration into Environmental Health Programs: A collaborative approach
Kelsey Pieper |
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| 2:30pm | Saprolite & Wastewater Treatment
Aziz Amoozegar |
Break | |
| 3:00pm | Break | Radionucleotides in ground water
Mason Hale |
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| 3:30pm | Break | Putting 10 gallons of wastewater in a 5-gallon bucket
Scott Greene |
Well Variances and Well Authorizations
Chad Rakes |
| 4:00pm | Water Movement in Soil Micropore vs Macropore Josh Heitman |
Surface Application – Soils
Sloan Griffin |
Ethics
Bob Rubin |
| 4:30pm | Surface Application – Design
Sloan Griffin |
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| 5:00-6:00pm | Ice Cream Social in the Exhibit Hall | ||
| Day 2 – Wednesday | |||
| Concurrent Sessions | |||
| 7:30-8:30am |
Continental Breakfast in the Exhibit Hall |
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| Session 5: Soils |
Session 6: Natural Influences on Development |
Session 7: Non-Residential Wastewater Systems |
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| Moderator: | Jake Bradsher Person County |
Rob Snow Alamance County |
Noelle Spence Wake County |
| 8:30am | Private permitting
Eric Bailey |
Storm Water
Erin Rivers |
Commercial Systems
Kevin Davidson & Jeff Vaughan |
| 9:00am | Special Site Evaluation
David Ward |
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| 9:30am | Soil Texture Measurement Work
Olivia Peters |
Break | Systems Under Parking Lots or Driveways
Trish Angoli |
| 10:00am | Break | Single Lot Storm Water Management
Scott Jones
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Black Dog Acres RV Park Pilot Mountain, NC: Soils – Design – Installation – O&M Alan Clapp |
| 10:30am | Mineralogy
Matt Ricker |
Difficult Installations (Slopes) Installer
Adam Jones |
Break |
| 11:00am | Crop and Soil Sciences Department Head Introduction
Ian Burke |
TBD
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TBD |
| 11:30am | Certificate Program in Soil Science – NC State University
Mike Vepraskas |
Migrant Housing
Jose Borja, DHHS |
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| 12:00pm | Lunch at McKimmon Center – Silent Auction Announcement | ||
| Hands-on Workshops. Attend 2 of 3 options. | |||
| Workshop 1 | Workshop 2 | Workshop 3 | |
| 1:00-1:45pm & 1:45-2:30pm |
Surface Application Water Balance Walkthrough
TBD |
Soil Texture Contest
Erik Severson, NC State University |
Flow EQ
Bill Fenner |
| 2:30pm | Break in the Exhibit Hall | ||
| Session 8: Closing General Session, Moderator: Chad Rakes, NCDHHS | |||
| 3:00pm | QA for Local Wastewater Programs Training Team
Andy Blethen, Team Leader Training Team, NCDHHS |
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| 3:45pm | State of the State Address
Wilson Mize, NCDHHS |
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| 4:30pm | Adjourn | ||
| Day 3 – Thursday | |||
| Field Sessions | |||
| Start Time: 9:00am | |||
| End Time: Varies depending on travel time. All tours will have a full 3 hours of instruction. | |||
| #1 – Soil Pits – Lake Wheeler | |||
| Location: Raleigh, NC | Leaders: Erik Severson, NC State University |
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| #2 – Mountain Field Tour | |||
| Location: TBD | Leaders: Alan McKinney, NCDHHS Karen Wallace, NCDHHS Savannah Kent, NCDHHS |
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| #3 – Triassic Soils | |||
| Location: TBD | Leaders: Sloan Griffin, Infiltrator |
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| #4 – Startup Inspection for Drip | |||
| Location: TBD | Leaders: Trish Angoli, NCDHHS |
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| #5 – Reuse Field Tour | |||
| Location: TBD | Leaders: Bob Rubin, NC State University |
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