Texas Water Association - Annual Convention

Thanks for Joining Us!

Presentations & Resources ⟶ CLEs & Certificates ⟶ Award Recipients ⟶ 2026 Sponsors ⟶

The TWA 2026 Annual Convention brought together more than 500 water professionals, policymakers, and leaders from across the state for three days of discussion, collaboration, and networking at The Worthington Renaissance Fort Worth Hotel.

Keynotes & Presentations. Attendees heard from keynote speakers, including Rep. Ramón Romero, Jr. (Texas HD 90), Col. Calvin A. Kroeger (Commander, USACE, Fort Worth District), Director Ashley Morgan (TWDB), Commissioner Morgan Johnson (PUC), and Regional Administrator Scott Mason (U.S. EPA, South-Central). Industry experts and leaders shared insights on issues impacting Texas water, offering valuable perspectives and discussion from across the water community.

CLE Information & Attendance Certificates. The TWA 2026 Annual Convention has been approved for 6.5 hours of continuing legal education (CLE) credit for Texas-licensed attorneys. Attendance certificates are available for those seeking education credits. Course information and certificates are posted below.

Annual Awards Luncheon. A key highlight of the Annual Convention is the Annual Awards Luncheon. This year, TWA recognized some of the biggest water champions in our state. Join us in congratulating the 2026 Annual Awards Recipients whose leadership and service have made a lasting impact.

Thank you! A Texas-sized thank you to all our attendees, sponsors, speakers, and exhibitors for joining us and making this year’s Annual Convention one of the best yet. We look forward to seeing you at the next Annual Convention, March 3–5, 2027, in Austin.

Presentations & Resources

Presentation materials are linked if available. Some sessions do not have accompanying PDFs or resources.

Keynotes

Representative Ramón Romero, Jr. (Texas HD 90)
Colonel Calvin A. Kroeger (Commander, USACE, Fort Worth District)
Director Ashley Morgan (TWDB)
Commissioner Morgan Johnson (PUC) – Presentation
Regional Administrator Scott Mason (US EPA South-Central)

Speaker Sessions

Are Desired Future Conditions Delivering? Criticisms & Opportunities
Moderator: Leah Martinsson, Water Policy Consultant; Panelists: Amy Bush (RMBJ Geo, Inc.), Alan Day (Brazos Valley GCD), Robert Mace (The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment), and Stacey Reese (Stacey Reese Law, PLLC)

Broadband Support for Water Infrastructure – Jason Ervin & Stephen Kellicker (Lower Colorado River Authority)

SB 3 Flash Flood Update – Sam Marie Hermitte (TWDB)

Water Quality Updates – Committee Chair: Nathan Vassar (Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend, P.C.)
– Fort Worth’s Approach: Replacing Service Lines on Private Property – Stacy Walters (Fort Worth Water)
– Using GIS Tools to Facilitate MS4 Inspections & Maintenance – Ryan Deal (Freese and Nichols, Inc.)
– Seawater Desalination: Water Quality Issues Related to Treatment & Concentrate Discharge – Vasu Veerapaneni (Black & Veatch)

To P3 or not to P3
Moderator: Darrell Nichols (Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority); Panelists: Donovan Burton (San Antonio Water System), Michael Irlbeck (EPCOR), Dave Sobeck (Carollo)

Cloud Computing without a Forecast: The Data Deficit on Data Center Water Usage
Moderator: Adam Conner (Freese and Nichols, Inc.); Panelists: Lucas Beran (Accelsius), Jeremiah Bihl (City of Abilene), Marisa Bruno (Hill Country Alliance)

Federal Affairs & Agency Updates – Committee Chair: Amy Stelter (Trinity River Authority of Texas)
– Update on Revised Waters of the U.S. Definitions – Ricky Wilson (HDR)
– Endangered Species Act Updates – Lauren Thomson (Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend, P.C.)

Case Law Updates – Katie Jeffress (Baker Botts, LLP) and Jake Steen (Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend, P.C.)

Panel Presentations

Groundwater Panel – Chair: Drew Satterwhite (Canadian River Municipal Water Authority) and VC: Mike Turco (Harris-Galveston Subsidence District)

General & Environmental + Navigation & Flood Control Panels – G&E Chair: Carolyn Ahrens (Booth/Ahrens), VC: Ed Shackelford (San Jacinto River Authority); N&F Chair: Dan Buhman (Tarrant Regional Water District), VC: Derek Boese (San Antonio River Authority)

CLES. The 2026 Annual Convention has been approved for 6.5 hours of CLE credits. Course details below:

Course Title: TWA Annual Convention
Course Dates: 03/11/2026 to 03/13/2026
Course Location: Fort Worth, TX
Course No: 174314430
Sponsor No: 2073
Total Hours: 6.50, as follows:
– Are Desired Future Conditions Delivering? Criticisms and Opportunities (1.00 hour)
– Rep. Ramon Romero, Texas House District 90 (0.50 hours)
– Col. Calvin Kroeger, Commander - USACE Fort Worth District (0.50 hours)
– To P3 or Not to P3 Panel (1.00 hour)
– Director Ashley Morgan, TWDB (0.50 hours)
– Federal Affairs Updates (1.00 hour)
– Morgan Johnson, PUC Commissioner (0.50 hours)
– Scott Mason, EPA Region 6 Administrator (0.50 hours)
– Case Law Update (1.00 hour)

Certificates. Attendance certificates are available for engineers, geoscientists, and other professionals who want to keep a record of continuing education. Please download the certificate of attendance and convention program.

2026 Annual Awards Recipients

TWA 82nd Annual Convention Dedication