Save the Date

Join us for the upcoming Stormwater Symposium 2026 at Villanova University

We are excited to extend an invitation to the upcoming Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership (VUSP) Stormwater Symposium, a biennial event at the forefront of advancing sustainable and resilient stormwater management. Hosted on the campus of Villanova University that is a stormwater living laboratory, the Symposium will take place on October 14-15, 2026.

As a leading convener of experts dedicated to combating urban flooding and protecting environmental quality, and advancing the planning, design and operation of green stormwater infrastructure, VUSP is proud to present the theme for this year's Symposium, Propelling Solutions. There are three key subthemes:

The challenges we face and overcome in stormwater design and management
The innovations we are developing to meet current and future stormwater needs, and
The collaborations that produce successful and sustaining stormwater projects

The Villanova Center for Resilient Water Systems, home to VUSP, is committed to fostering the development of public and private partnerships through cutting-edge research. The 2026 Stormwater Symposium aims to bring together professionals from diverse backgrounds, including academia, nonprofit organizations, government, and industry, to explore innovations in green stormwater infrastructure. Over the course of the two-day program, attendees will have the opportunity to engage in discussions, share insights, and contribute to the multidisciplinary collaboration necessary for resilient stormwater solutions relating to community impact, water quality and quantity, innovative solutions and processes, and policy and government.

Mark your calendars for October 14-15, 2026, and plan to join us at Villanova University to be part of this dynamic exchange of knowledge and ideas. The symposium rate schedule is now posted for your budgeting purposes. Stay tuned for further details, including registration information, as we look forward to your participation in this enriching and empowering event.

Attendee registration will launch in late Summer 2026.

Call for Abstracts

Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership invites academics and industry professionals to submit abstracts for the 2026 Stormwater Symposium on Propelling Solutions. We're seeking presentations that deliver practical, actionable insights attendees can immediately apply in their work, while also offering innovative "food-for-thought" that advances the field of stormwater management.

New this year: In addition to our traditional extended abstract format, we're now accepting shortened abstracts to provide more flexible submission options.

Submission Deadline: June 1, 2026

Share your research, case studies, and real-world solutions with a community of experts and practitioners ready to learn and collaborate. Access the abstract submission portal, formatting guidelines, and templates at the link below.

You should attend if...

- Work in Watershed or Water Resources Management sectors, including engineers, planners, government representatives, land development professionals, architects, watershed and conservation groups, manufacturers, industry representatives and the research community.

- Work in the region: PA, NJ, DE, MD, NY.

- Want to learn about data-driven, best practices in stormwater management, with an emphasis on green stormwater infrastructure and resiliency.

- Seek ways to include communities and equity into your stormwater planning and design.

- Want to build your network with peers across the academic, industry, government and nonprofit sectors.

- Want to recruit graduate-level talent (MS & PhD) from the the Villanova Center for Resilient Water Systems.

Professional Development Hours (PDH) forms for engineers will be available.

350+

Attendees

60

Abstracts

6

Panels

2

Keynote Speakers

VUSP Directors

Leaders in Resilient Water Systems

Faculty in the Villanova Center for Resilient Water Systems are sought-after and renowned experts in their fields. Subscribing to the teacher-scholar model, they bring their considerable research experience and opportunities to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Bridget Wadzuk, PhD

Director of the Villanova Center for Resilient Water Systems (VCRWS) and the Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership (VUSP)

Director of Sustainable Engineering

Professor, Edward A. Daylor Chair in Civil Engineering

Bridget Wadzuk has been in the field of stormwater management for over twenty years, with a focus on urban, sustainable, and resilient stormwater systems taking a systems approach and linking flooding and environmental justice, integration of big data and machine learning in water resources systems, real-time control, and integrated temporal and spatial scales. As a researcher, her goal has been to provide sound data and reasoning to enable data-driven recommendations and practices for the engineering community. Her research has been inspired by the users, the stormwater community, on the challenges they encounter and the applications they work in. Her research on green stormwater infrastructure, including constructed wetlands, bioretention, green roofs and infiltration trenches looks at how these systems have been developed and improving sustainability and resilience while optimizing design and performance. She has served the profession through a series of leadership roles in the ASCE Environmental and Water Resources Institute.

Virginia Smith, PhD

Associate Director of the Villanova Center for Resilient Water Systems (VCRWS) and the Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership (VUSP)

Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Dr. Smith is an Associate Professor of Water Resources in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Villanova University and the Associate Director of the Villanova Center for Resilient Water Systems. Her research has focused on urban hydrology and sediment transport dynamics, leveraging tools including artificial intelligence, physics-based computational models, and remote sensing. Dr. Smith has overseen and worked on a diverse collection of water and natural resource projects across the US and around the world, including projects in Asia, Africa, the South Pacific, and Afghanistan. She has leveraged her experiences in her research to work across disciplines to address major challenges facing the management of surface water. She is the winner of the Early Career Award from the University Council on Water Resources (2020), the Villanova College of Engineering Excellence in Teaching Award (2021), the ASCE Excellence in Engineering Education Award (2021), the Meyer Award for Innovation (2023), the Villanova University Award for Meritorious Teaching and Mentorship (2024), and the Fellow of the Dean (2025).

Robert Traver, PhD, PE

Former Director of the Villanova Center for Resilient Water Systems (VCRWS) and the Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership (VUSP)

Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Rob Traver has been a leader in green stormwater infrastructure for over thirty years. As a researcher, Dr. Traver aims to improve our engineering practices through understanding of the unit processes. His commitment to the practice has been exemplified through the creation of the Stormwater Green Infrastructure Demonstration and Research Park at Villanova University and the ASCE Journal of Sustainable Water in the Built Environment. He has also served the profession as a member of the National Research Council Committee that authored Urban Stormwater Management in the United States (2009) and as president of the American Academy of Water Resource Engineers. Dr. Traver has been recognized for this work as a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineering and the recipient of the American Academy of Water Resource Engineer Outstanding Research and Innovation Award in 2023.

Want to become a partner or vendor?

VUSP Stormwater Symposium 2026

October 14 & 15 | Villanova University