Join us for the 9th webinar in this series focused on the financial, managerial, and technical aspects of green infrastructure. Experienced practitioners, policy and funding experts, as well as academics, will discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the implementation of green infrastructure. These informative sessions will be offered quarterly, from April 2024 to July 2026.

Series Host: Southwest Environmental Finance Center

July 17, 2026 | Session 9 | Source Water Protection and Floodplain Reconnection: Watershed-Scale Green Infrastructure

Description: This webinar will cover Source Water Protection, Floodplain Reconnection, and Watershed Planning, and as methods for improving and protecting water quality. Source water protection involves a set of actions aimed at preserving the quality or quantity of a water body, such as an aquifer, river, or reservoir. Floodplain Reconnection refers to the use of historic flood regimes to determine how and where to direct riparian restoration efforts. To effectively implement these larger-scale forms of green infrastructure, larger-scale planning is often required. Watershed Planning encompasses managerial practices implemented by stakeholders across an entire watershed to safeguard and enhance water quality within that watershed. This webinar, featuring the work of two experts in New Mexico, will conclude the Green Infrastructure Webinar Series by zooming out for a big-picture look at support of natural systems as essential to long-term water security.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand that source water protection plans entail a series of management practices implemented to safeguard the quality and/or quantity of a specific drinking water source (e.g., groundwater, reservoir, river).
• Recognize floodplain reconnection as a method of encouraging natural water systems and existing topography to do the work of water quality improvement.
• Make the big-picture connection between implementing landscape-scale green infrastructure and achieving long-term water security.

Guest Speakers:

• Martha Graham, Source Water Protection, NM Rural Water Association
• Martha Cooper, The Nature Conservancy

Certificate: This webinar has NOT been submitted for continuing education credit approval. We can provide a certificate of attendance to eligible attendees but cannot guarantee it will meet your PDH or CEU requirements.

Who Should Attend:

We invite rural, small, and tribal wastewater personnel, as well as planners, landscape architects, architects, consultants, engineers, designers, managers and board members, elected officials, policy experts, citizens, and community groups to join us for this series. We hope to build a community of systems, municipalities, and individuals interested in participating in a wide-ranging conversation about green infrastructure.

Partner: