Call for Proposals: Rethinking Water
By: Daniel Hayden, President & CEO Restore America’s Estuaries
When the tides began spilling into the streets of Charleston on cloudless days, residents first treated it as a curiosity. But by the time store owners were laying sandbags across thresholds twice a week, the story had changed. What used to be a rare nuisance had become a defining feature of daily life. NOAA now predicts U.S. communities may face 45 to 85 days of high‑tide flooding each year by 2050—turning experiences like Charleston’s into the national norm. [dialectica.io]
For coastal towns, farms, and the millions who rely on shrinking aquifers and aging stormwater systems, water has become both a giver of life and a persistent stressor. NASA reports that global sea levels have already risen 102.8 mm since 1993, steadily raising the baseline from which storms, tides, and runoff do their damage. And where planners once trusted historical models, new research shows storm‑surge extremes were underestimated at 85% of U.S. tide‑gauge sites, meaning many communities are more exposed than they ever realized. [worldbank.org] [virtuemark…search.com]
Water is telling us a story about the future—and it’s time we listen and act.
Why Your Voice Matters
What’s your version of the Charleston story?
- A town losing wells to saltwater intrusion
- A neighborhood dealing with weekly “sunny‑day” floods
- A port or refinery adapting to rising seas
- An Indigenous community restoring hydrology in the face of climate pressure
This range of issues is why the 2026 RAE Coastal & Estuarine Summit is elevating Water Resources as a central focus area. We’re asking practitioners, researchers, tribal leaders, engineers, utilities, innovators, and storytellers to help shape a new national dialogue on managing water in an era of extremes.
We welcome session proposals on:
- Innovative surface water and aquifer management
- Stormwater design that accounts for higher baselines
- Dam removal, sediment recovery, and natural flow restoration
- Groundwater rise adaptation
- Addressing water‑intensive demands from data centers and AI
- Safe drinking water and agricultural supply solutions
- Tools that reveal what’s coming
Submit your proposal here: https://estuaries.org/2026-summit-call-for-proposals/
An Invitation to Sponsors
Organizations stepping into this conversation are addressing one of society’s great problems. Sponsoring this track or events at Summit signals that your organization is ready to lead in solving one of the most urgent challenges facing coastal economies, ecosystems, and communities.
For sponsorship opportunities, contact LSpeidell@estuaries.org
Be Part of the Story
Water shapes every coastline—and now, it’s shaping every decision we make about resilience, restoration, and community wellbeing.
Registration for the 2026 RAE Coastal & Estuarine Summit opens April 13.
Join us. Help rewrite the story of water in the coastal era.
