Clemson to hold Lowcountry stormwater pond management conference

CHARLESTON — Clemson Cooperative Extension and partners are holding a conference next month to give the latest information, resources and tools on stormwater pond management for the Lowcountry community.

The 2018 Stormwater Pond Management Conference will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 14 at Trident Technical College, 7000 Rivers Ave., Building 920, Charleston. The cost is $30 for individuals and $80 for vendors, which includes two registrations. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

The event is geared toward stormwater pond owners and homeowners’ association (HOA) representatives, and property and pond management professionals. To register, visit www.ashleycooper.org/ by Nov. 7.

“The conference is divided into two specialized tracks and designed for the needs of both pond owners and professionals,” Clemson Extension Water Resources Agent Guinn Wallover said. “This is an opportunity for pond owners and managers to interact with other pond owners and learn from local and regional experts in pond management, organizations in the pond management industry and regulatory agency representatives.”

Complimentary registration for the conference will be offered to 30 HOA representatives and pond owners in the Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester areas. Limit one registration per HOA. To find out how to qualify, visit www.ashleycooper.org.

Participants will receive a resource package with information and reference materials as well as continuing education credits for S.C. pesticide applicators, certified floodplain managers and members of the S.C. Planning Education Advisory Committee and American Planning Association.

Topics will include the latest research on coastal ponds, integrated weed management, shoreline erosion and sedimentation, pond inspection, funding and budgeting, upland management, wildlife control, hands-on problem-solving and more. There will also be a vendor showcase and ask-an-expert tables.

“Stormwater ponds are one of the most highly used practices in our communities to manage flooding and protect water quality in South Carolina,” Wallover said. “Extension is excited to offer this conference and share the latest science-based management options for maintaining stormwater ponds with the people of the Lowcountry.”

The conference is hosted as a partnership between Clemson Extension, the S.C. Department of Natural Resource’s ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve, S.C. Sea Grant Consortium and the Ashley Cooper Stormwater Education Consortium.

For more information, contact Wallover at cggarre@clemson.edu or 843-730-5210.