Paula Hart Every spring, the EWRI St. Louis Chapter and Saint Louis University Water Institute host an annual Spring Symposium, “Water, Water Everywhere.” The 2025 Symposium was held on Friday, February 28th at the Il Monastero Banquet Center at Saint Louis University.
The event included ten presentations from local and regional experts. Presenters came from the City of Ladue, Heartlands Conservancy, Horner & Shifrin, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, National Weather Service, Saint Louis University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, University of Illinois, and Washington University.
The event included ten presentations from local and regional experts. Presenters came from the City of Ladue, Heartlands Conservancy, Horner & Shifrin, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, National Weather Service, Saint Louis University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville,
Samantha Keeven Presentations highlighted the importance of thoughtful action from the smallest scales (such as a rain garden or whale-inspired filtration) to the largest scales (such as the Mississippi River basin), and everything in-between. The audience was engaged throughout the day, with thoughtful question and answer sessions occurring after each presentation. The presentations were:
- Prairie du Pont Watershed Plan by John O’Donnell, Heartlands Conservancy
- Baleen Whale-Inspired Filtration Architectures for Microplastics Removal Across Scales by Dr. Jean Potvin, Saint Louis University
- Way Beyond Bigness: The Need for a Watershed Architecture by Derek Hoeferlin, AIA, Affiliate ASLA, Washington University
- Changing Rainfall Patterns and Associated Impacts in Illinois by Trent Ford, Illinois State Climatologist, University of Illinois
- Flood Inundation Mapping for the Nation by Mark Fuchs, National Weather Service
- MSD’s Green Infrastructure Program by Jenna Jarvis, PE, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District
- Snakes in the Bathtub: City of Ladue Flood Buyout Program by Amanda Griffin, PE, City of Ladue and Rachel Dixon, PE, Horner & Shifrin
- Missouri Hydrology Information Center (MoHIC) by Zackary Becker, Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Samantha Keeven Over 70 students and professionals attended from six government agencies, five universities, and over a dozen civil engineering firms. Attendees received 6 professional development hours and got the added benefit of a networking opportunity with others in the field. The EWRI St. Louis Chapter 2025 Spring Symposium was proud to bring together a diverse group of civil engineers, students, and professionals.
After the Symposium finished, the group walked across the street for a social event at Wellspent Brewing Company. Everyone enjoyed a beverage along with food from Imo’s Pizza.
We'd like to give a special thanks to our presenters for sharing their knowledge and experiences with us and for the SLU Water Institute for cohosting the event. Lastly, thanks to our Spring Symposium Committee (Samantha Keeven, Charles Pugh, Jiaman Xu, Jhao-Hong Chen, and Azadeh Bloorchian-Verschuyl) for their time and effort planning this successful symposium.
Samantha Keeven