Shared Waters, Shared Solutions:
Strengthening Connections in a Time of Shifting Hydrology

The Alaska Section of the American Water Resources Association (AWRA) is excited to host the AK-AWRA 2026 Spring Conference in Anchorage, Alaska, themed "Shared Waters, Shared Solutions: Strengthening Connections in a Time of Shifting Hydrology".

AWRA's mission is to advance multidisciplinary water resources education, management, and research. Our annual conference is an opportunity for collaboration and connection among physical, biological, and social scientists, engineers, and students concerned with water resource research, planning, development, management, and education.

This will be a hybrid conference. We highly encourage all who can to attend in person. Stay tuned and keep an eye out for more details in your inbox and on this webpage regarding conference information, sponsor opportunities, and more!

Abstract Submission Deadline: CLOSED as of March 27th, 2026.

In-Person & Virtual Registration: OPEN now through the conference.

Schedule

Below is the general schedule of the conference. Check out our full program for presentations & details!

Monday, April 6th

Registration check-in and breakfast: 8:30 - 9:10 AM
Introduction and welcome remarks: 9:10 - 9:20 AM
Session 1: Data Solutions: 9:20 - 10:50 AM
Session 2: Hydroecology: 11:10 - 12:10 PM
Session 3: Poster Lightning Talks: 1:00 - 1:25 PM
Session 4: Hydropower &Infrastructure: 1:30 - 3:00 PM

Tuesday, April 7th

Session 5: Flood Mitigation: 9:10 - 10:40 AM
Session 6: Special Topics: 12:45 - 3:30 PM

Topics

These examples list some water-related topics covered at our conference:

Stewardship - Regulating, monitoring, and protecting ecosystems through interdisciplinary and multi-jurisdictional perspectives.
Development - How to plan, design, and protect infrastructure considering the impacts of future hydrologic regimes.
Management - Sustaining water resources for shared ecological functions and anthropogenic uses including fisheries, hydroelectricity, transportation, and other industries.
Challenges for Coastal Communities - Extreme weather events, frequent floods, changing groundwater dynamics, and increasing coastal erosion.
Land Hazards and Risks - Mitigating landslides, subsidence, permafrost degradation, and terrestrial risks.
Water Quality and Limnology - Pollutants, impacts, and mitigation strategies to maintain clean water and healthy ecosystems.
Hydrologic Connectivity - Pathways connecting groundwater, surface water, local weather, and global climate.
Cryosphere - Changes in the magnitude, timing, and dynamics of precipitation, ice, glaciers, and other cold-regions processes.
Technology - improving understanding and mitigating risks through technologic innovation and advancements in methodology.
Geospatial/Modeling - GIS and computer-modeling tools to make sense of variables and relationships implicit to water resource management.
Community Perspectives and Indigenous Approaches - Observations of change, impacts to subsistence activities, and adaptation practices.
Jurisdictional - Intersecting water laws and policies related to aquatic habitat, fisheries, and wildlife conservation and development.

AWRA's commitment to community, conversation, and connection guides our efforts organizing this conference annually. Compelling presentations are the foundation, and we look forward to your presentations, which will help provide insights and inputs to stimulate informative conversation. Come make connections and contribute to these conversations!

Registration

Registration is open now through the conference. To receive conference membership pricing, please become a member at our membership page before registering for the conference. We look forward to seeing you in April!

Sponsorship

Thank you to our sponsors! We are continuing to accept sponsors for this year's conference - please contact awra.alaska@gmail.com.