Stormwater Solutions Workshops
OEC is hosting low-impact development workshops to help growing Oregon communities protect watersheds from urban runoff while reducing infrastructure costs.
Green development workshops help you turn rain and snowmelt into a resource – benefiting the developer, the community, the environment, and the bottom line.
Leading experts will address common questions about low-impact site development practices for residential, commercial and public properties, including: costs and benefits, maintenance, groundwater protection, pervious pavements, use of native plants, irrigation, and how to meet government requirements.costs and benefits, maintaining green stormwater facilities, and local governments encouraging innovation.
Who should attend?
Builders, developers, designers, stormwater engineers, elected officials, planners, public works staff, watershed councils and other professionals involved in or interested in land development.
Workshops include:
- Leading experts and practitioners in the fields of building, site planning, engineering and economics
- Local case studies, real-life experiences and lessons learned
- Educational materials
- Technical guidance
- The latest information on permits and codes
- Networking opportunities
How to register for workshops:
Online registration is fast, easy and secure. Click the "Register" button below each workshop description to register online using a credit card. If you need to pay with a check or would like us to send you an invoice, please call Karen Roberti at 503-222-1963 x100 or email info [at] oeconline.org.
Upcoming workshops
We've held three workshops in Central Oregon, and one more will take place in January or February. Registration for that workshop is not yet open.
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Past events in this series:
Retrofitting UICs
OCTOBER 26
9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Cost: $35
LOCATION: Redmond Fire Hall
341 NW Dogwood Ave.
Redmond, OR 97756
Trainers include:Learn how to use green infrastructure to meet DEQ's new requirements for Underground Injection Controls (UICs, also known as drywells and drillholes) to protect groundwater. This workshop will include case studies of UIC retrofit and replacement projects in Central Oregon, and tools you can use to choose cost-effective alternate stormwater management options.
- Dave Elkin from Greenworks, a Portland-based landscape architecture firm currently working on UIC retrofits in Bend
- Rob Von Rohr with Hickman Williams & Associates, who has years of stormwater engineering experience in Central Oregon
Bioretention and Rainwater Harvesting for Residential Properties
SEPTEMBER 26
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Cost: $35
LOCATION: Westside Village Magnet School
1101 NW 12th Street
Bend,
OR 97701
Learn how to design your landscape to capture rain and snowmelt. Put your yard to work for clean water and healthy rivers. This is a hands-on train-the-trainers course with indoor and outdoor components for master gardeners, landscape contractors, planners, public works employees and others.
Low Impact Development in a High Desert Climate
SEPTEMBER 14
Workshop 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Tour 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Cost: $35
LOCATION: Bend Parks & Recreation District
Riverbend Community Room
799 SW Columbia Street
Bend, OR 97702
Featuring guest speaker Susan Donaldson, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. Susan provides LID education and technical assistance to land use decision-makers in the Reno area. Find out what lessons Central Oregon can gain from another high desert community working to manage runoff and development more sustainably.
Stormwater Solutions for Coastal Communities
May 20: Cannon Beach
9 am - 1pm, followed by an optional site visit
Location:Tolovana Inn3400 South Hemlock
Tolovana Park
Cannon Beach, Oregon 97145
Cost: $20.00 includes lunch
Speakers: Steve Fancher is the City of Gresham's Watershed Division Manager. Steve has worked on many green street projects for the cities of Gresham and Portland, and he has sage advice for communities that are considering adopting low-impact development practices for improved stormwater management.
Joe Balden, Certified Arborist
Frank Burris, Curry County Watershed Extension
Jeff Harrington, HLB OTAK
Colby Weathers, Native Landscape Design
Stormwater Solutions for Coastal Communities
May 26: Coos Bay
9 am - 1pm, followed by an optional site visit
Location: Mill Casino
3201 Tremont Avenue
North Bend, OR 97459
Cost: $10.00 includes lunch
Speakers: Maria Cahill, Green Girl Land Development Solutions. Maria explains the principles and practices of low-impact development from the perspective of an experienced green project manager with a background in civil engineering design.
David Holman, Port Orford Planning Commission
Harry Hoogesteger, South Coast Watershed Councils
Robert Vandervelden - Home Builders Association of SWO
Derek Windham – Engineering Coordinator, City of North Bend
Jim Hossley – Public Works and Development Director, City of Coos Bay
Shannon Souza – Sol Coast Consulting and Design
Low-Impact Site Development from Start to Finish (Eugene workshop)
WHEN: Nov. 18 (Wed.) 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
WHERE: 500 East 4th Avenue, Eugene, OR 97401
COST: $50. Includes lunch. Scholarships are available.
SPEAKERS & AGENDA: Maria Cahill, sustainable site development specialist with Green Girl Land Development Solutions and Derek Godwin, watershed management specialist and Marion County chair for OSU Extension Service and Oregon Sea Grant. Learn how the site development process impacts sustainability goals for stormwater management in this hands-on workshop. Multidisciplinary teams will collaborate with guidance from trainers on a case study to prevent and mitigate these impacts throughout the master planning, design, construction, and operations and maintenance phases, revisiting earlier phases and updating the plan as new insights are made.
Making Low Impact Development a Reality in Your Community (Salem workshop)
WHEN: Sep. 30 (Wed) - 8:30 am – 1:00 pm
Followed by optional tour from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
WHERE: Salem: Pringle Creek Community, 2110 Strong Road SE, Salem, Oregon 97305
COST: $35 for general public, $20 for HBA members
SPEAKERS: Steve Fancher is implementing LID and sustainable stormwater management in Gresham, where he is the City’s watersheds division manager.
Ed MacMullan is an economist with ECONorthwest who authored the report, “The Economics of Low Impact Development: A Literature Review”
What’s working? What’s not?: Panel discussion with local builders, designers and planners
DESCRIPTION: Low Impact Development (LID) is an approach to land development that preserves natural resources and mimics natural systems for managing stormwater runoff while meeting development goals. Learn about the costs and benefits of LID, see examples of projects relevant to growing Willamette Valley communities, identify the key components of successful implementation, and hear lessons learned from LID programs in Oregon. Ask questions and discuss how LID could work in your community.
Green Streets: Coming to a Town Near You
WHEN: Oct. 22 (Thurs) – 8:30 am – 1:00 pm
WHERE: Albany: Linn County Extension Office / Old Armory Building, 104 4th Ave SW, Albany, OR 97321
COST: $35 for general public, $20 for HBA members. Includes lunch.
SPEAKERS: Mike Faha and Jason King are landscape architects at GreenWorks PC, a landscape architecture and environmental design firm based in Portland. Their experience includes numerous green streets projects, large and small.
Pervious surfaces panel: Learn the latest from the experts. Bring your questions!
DESCRIPTION: The integration of stormwater management into the street right-of-way has evolved from catch basins to roadside grassy swales, to a number of current “green street” examples that allow for parking access, pedestrian movement, street trees, and more. See case studies of green streets ranging from urban environments to residential streets and county roads. Then, get the latest information about pervious surfaces for streets and parking areas.
Rain Garden Training
WHEN: Oct. 30 (Fri.) – 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
WHERE: Salem: Pringle Creek Community, 2110 Strong Road SE, Salem, Oregon 97305
COST: $50. Includes lunch. There are scholarships are available. Contact Teresa Huntsinger by email or at 503-222-1963 ext.112 for more information
SPEAKERS: Trainers Rob Emanuel and Derek Godwin, Oregon State University Extension Service and Oregon Sea Grant. Authors of the forthcoming Oregon Rain Garden Manual.
DESCRIPTION: The rain brings many benefits for watersheds and residents. But it can also be a bane for both if it carries pollutants or excessively floods our local streams. Capturing, controlling and filtering some of this stormwater runoff in rain gardens is one way to help beautify our landscapes while we improve the health of our watersheds.
The purpose of the training is to help gardeners and homeowners learn the skills needed to design, build and maintain rain gardens and serve as local resources to other community members interested in building rain gardens. It will include both an indoor and outdoor component. Seating priority will be given to those willing to work with OSU as rain garden representatives and provide assistance to local communities in which they live.
Untangling the Codes and Maintaining Stormwater Systems
WHEN: Nov. 12 (Thurs.) – 8:30 am – 1:00 pm
WHERE: Keizer Civic Center, 930 Chemawa Rd NE, Keizer OR 97303
SPEAKERS: Lori Faha is an engineer and consultant who has has reviewed planning and development codes and standards for local governments including Oregon City, Gresham, Springfield, Rogue River, and jurisdictions in Washington County.
Carrie Pak is engineering division manager at Clean Water Services.
COST: $35 for general public, $20 for HBA members. Includes lunch.
DESCRIPTION: Get all your ducks in a row. Make the most of the current construction slowdown to ensure that you will be ready when things pick back up again. Learn how local governments around the region and the state are encouraging innovation, protecting water quality, and ensuring that local development codes and incentives make it easy for developers to do the right thing. Learn what maintenance is required for green stormwater facilities and how to ensure that public and private facilities continue to work well over time.

