Spring Runoff Conference Open for Registration, Presentation Submissions

LOGAN, Utah – Utah State University and the Northern Utah Water Users have announced the 2025 Northern Utah Water Users/Spring Runoff Conference, set to take place on March 25-26.

This year's theme is "Advancing Solutions for Policy, Innovation and Sustainability." Organizers include the USU Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water and Air, USU’s Utah Water Research Laboratory, USU’s Department of Watershed Sciences, and Cache Water District.

Positioned as the premiere event for key insights on water research and Utah water legislation, the Spring Runoff Conference is an essential gathering for the region’s water scientists, scholars and experts.

The conference will begin on March 25 at the Cache County Event Center with a reception at the Utah Water Research Laboratory on Tuesday evening and continue on March 26 at the Eccles Conference Center on the Logan Campus of Utah State University.

The two-day conference will feature plenary sessions with policymakers, scientists and experts. This year, a special panel with Utah environmental journalists will discuss their experiences reporting on water issues.

“We are working to continue this conference and grow its impact to a wider community,” said Anna McEntire, managing director of the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute of Land, Water and Air. “We appreciate the longstanding support from USU colleges and departments. In the past few years, we've been able to host Governor Cox and legislative leaders to sign some 2024 water bills, and we are working to continue that again. In 2023, we were honored to have Lt. Governor Diedre Henderson as the keynote speaker.”

Additionally, this year marks the 60th anniversary of the Utah Water Research Laboratory at USU, celebrating its significant contributions to water research and management. A special reception will take place Tuesday evening for conference attendees at the water lab, located near the mouth of Logan Canyon.

“By establishing the Utah Water Research Laboratory 60 years ago, the state of Utah recognized the important contribution of research for managing our scarce water resources,” said David Tarboton, director of the lab. “With population growth and environmental change, the lab’s research remains critical for serving the state.”

The conference organizers are calling for abstract submissions for poster and oral presentations. The submission deadline is Feb. 26. The poster presentation session will be March 25 at the Cache County Event Center during the lunch hour, and breakout sessions will be on the afternoon of March 26 at the USU Logan campus.

“Our goal for this year's conference is to bring in additional high-impact speakers and extend invitations to colleagues from other regional institutions,” added Scott Hotaling, assistant professor in the Department of Watershed Sciences.

Registration is free but required and closes on March 23. For more information and to register, visit the USU Spring Runoff website, usu.edu/ilwa/spring-runoff.