2024 NHA Southeast Regional Meeting

January 23rd - January 24th Auburn, AL

Register today! The 2024 Southeast Regional Meeting will be held in Auburn, Alabama, on January 23-24, 2024.


Detailed Agenda
Attendee List
Event Sponsors

Registration Rates

Standard Registration Rate: $525
NHA Member Discounted Registration Rate: $225

Sponsors should contact Ellie Rubalow for registration assistance.

NHA offers special discounted rates for:

  • Speakers
  • Federal Government employees
  • Young professionals involved in NHA’s Future Leaders of Waterpower (FLOW) group
  • Federal Government employees
  • Representatives of NGOs

Please reach out to Ellie for more information.

3 EASY STEPS TO REGISTER

STEP 1: FIND YOUR EXISTING PROFILE
Click here to search for your profile

Can’t find yourself? No problem! Click HERE to create a free profile

If you already have a profile, log in HERE.

STEP 2: LOG IN TO THE PORTAL
Log in to the Portal here

STEP 3: CLICK ON THE NHA REGIONAL MEETINGS TILE (top right)

For additional assistance, please contact Catherine Ryan.

CANCELLATION POLICY

You may transfer your registration at any time at no cost.  Cancellations received in writing by December 20 will be refunded less a $50 administrative fee.  Cancellations after this date cannot be refunded.

Meeting Location & Accommodations

The 2024 NHA Southeast Regional Meeting will take place in Auburn, Alabama at the Hotel at Auburn.

The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center
241 S College St
Auburn, Alabama 36830

Nearby Airports

  • Montgomery is about an hour away
  • Atlanta is just under 2 hours away
  • Birmingham is 1.5 hours away

With the help of Southern Company, NHA has arranged for attendees to book at the discounted rate of $169 per night, not including taxes and fees. To book your room, use the link below.

Host Utilities

Schedule of Events

Monday, January 22
Golf Outing on own

Tuesday, January 23
8:45 AM- 9:00 AM: Meet in hotel lobby. Bus will leave at 9:00 AM.

9:00 AM – 1:00 PM: Tour of Martin Dam OR Tour of Reservoir via Pontoon Boat (lunch included)

1:00 PM- 5:00 PM: Dam Safety Comprehensive Assessment Workshop

2:00 PM – 4:00 PM:  Clean Energy Career Expo at Auburn University, Hosted by Hydropower Foundation (Please contact Amanda@hydrofoundation.org to reserve a table)

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Workshop on Geomembrane Linings (Invite only; for more details, please contact andy@riverconnectivitysystems.com)

5:30 PM – 7:00 PM: NHA Networking Welcome Reception

Wednesday, January 24
8:00 AM – 6:00 PM: NHA Southeast Regional Meeting – A Full Day of Education and Networking

Topics include:

  • Water Power Market Trends in the Southeast
  • Pumped Storage: Updates on Project Development/Expansion in the Southeast
  • Spillway Gates – Trends and Lessons Learned
  • Modernization of the Federal Hydro Fleet in the Southeast
  • Flexibility Is Hydro’s Superpower but at What Cost? Insights on Opportunities and Costs of Providing This Service to the Grid
  • Funding for Hydro: Dollars are Flowing! Putting Financial Incentives from Federal Legislation to Work
  • History of the Formation of One of the Largest Investor-Owned Utilities in the U.S.

 

Golf Outing

NHA is not officially organizing a golf outing but has researched a nearby course and the information is below.  This is not part of the Regional Meeting Registration and you will need to set up your own tee time and payment.

Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Grand National
3000 Robert Trent Jones Trail Opelika, AL 36801
334-749-9042

The earliest tee time is 8:00 AM and latest tee time is 1:30 PM.

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail offers 3 courses:
1 – The Links course is the longest.
2 – The Lakes course is the most popular course.
3 – The Short course course is a par 3 course.

Costs:

  • The Links and The Lakes Course:  18 holes is $95 including cart before tax
  • The Short Course: $52 per 18 before tax
  • Rent a set of clubs for $70 per round

Tour Information

Alabama Power is providing two tours:

1- Tour of Martin Dam Hydroelectric Project
2- Pontoon Boat Tour of Reservoir, Focusing on Shoreline Management and Public Recreation at the Martin Project

Attendees will depart the hotel together at 9:00 AM on buses and arrive at Martin Dam.  At that time, the participants will divide into the two groups.  They will come together again at 1:00 PM to ride back to the hotel together. Boxed lunches will be available for the return ride to the hotel.

There is no fee to attend a tour; however, you will need to sign up for a specific tour when you register for the event and cannot switch the day of the event.

Registration for the tour closes on January 17th or 50 attendees, whichever comes first.

If you need to change your RSVP for the tour, please reach out to Ellie Rubalow at Ellie@hydro.org

Tour of Martin Dam

The Martin Dam, located on the Tallapoosa River. The dam was built in the 1920s to provide flood control and to generate hydroelectric power. It was originally named the Cherokee Bluffs Dam, but was later changed in honor of Thomas Wesley Martin, who was president of the Alabama Power Company at the time of construction.

Civil-related features include:

  • 168-foot-high, 2,000-foot-long concrete arch gravity dam
  • Spillway of 20 gates that are each 30 ft (9.1 m) x 16 ft (4.9m)
  • Total discharge capacity of 134,000 cubic feet per second (3,800 m3/s)

Regarding the powerhouse, the 182.5-MW project contains:

  • 4 Francis turbines (3 from the original construction; 1 added in 1940s)
  • Generates more than 327 million kilowatt-hours (KWh) each year

The max capacity for this tour is 50 attendees. 

You must fill out a waiver before entering Martin Dam, you can find that here. Once the waiver has been signed, please send it to Ellie Rubalow at Ellie@hydro.org.

Pontoon Boat Tour

Attendees will board pontoon boats with tour guides to learn about the Shoreline Management and Public Recreation aspects and activities at Alabama Power’s Martin Project.

The tour of Lake Martin will include visits to:

  •  Alabama Power’s “Preserves” public recreation sites
  • Chimney Rock
  • Goat Island
  • The Village
  • Ridge Marina
  • Kennebec
  • Union Ramp
  • Chuck’s Marina
  • Harbor Point
  • Emerald Shores
  • The Camp at Long Leaf
  • The Ridge
  • Other notable landmarks as time permits….

The max capacity for this tour is 30 attendees. 

Overall Tour Information

Tour Durations

Both tours are about 1 hour and 30 minutes long.

Transportation

A bus will be provided. Attendees should meet in the lobby of the hotel at 9:00 AM. Parking at the facility is very limited; attendees are encouraged to take the transportation provided by the conference.

Security

Please bring a government-issued photo identification. Passports are not required.

You must also fill out a waiver before entering Martin Dam; you can find that here. Once the waiver has been signed, please send it to Ellie Rubalow at Ellie@hydro.org.

Dress Code & PPE

Close-toed shoes are required, and work boots are highly recommended. No sandals or heels. Comfortable clothing for walking, nothing loose or baggy. PPE will be required and provided. It is encouraged to bring your own if possible.

Other Things to Know

Pictures are allowed outside the plant, not inside the plant. No food is allowed inside the plant, only water bottles. However, please make sure they are properly disposed of. Bags, backpacks, etc. are not allowed in the plant, please keep them on the bus.

Clean Energy Career Expo at Auburn University

Hydropower Foundation invites you to set up a table at the Clean Energy Career Expo to meet with students from Auburn University and surrounding regional schools like Tuskegee & Georgia Tech.

Tuesday, January 23
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm CT
Brown-Kopel Engineering Student Achievement Center

RSVP: Please contact Amanda Neves at Amanda@hydrofoundation.org to RSVP. She will reserve a table for you and send you more detailed information.

Media Sponsor

Additional Information

 

Membership

Interested in becoming a member of NHA? Want to know how to leverage your current membership? Contact Marla Barnes at marla@hydro.org or call (816) 588-4639 for more information.

Questions and Sponsorship

Interested in how you can get involved in planning the agenda? Looking for brand visibility? Please contact Joseph LoSasso at joseph@hydro.org or call him at (202) 697-2404 with questions about sponsorship opportunities.

Other NHA Events

For information on other events owned and held by NHA, reach out to Francesca Hadjimichael at francesca@hydro.org.

Meeting Conduct Policy

As a professional society, the National Hydropower Association is committed to providing an atmosphere that encourages the free expression and exchange of ideas. Consistent with this commitment, it is the policy of the NHA that all participants in NHA activities will enjoy a welcoming environment, free from unlawful discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Read the full policy here.

 

Privacy Statement

NHA does not sell information. We deeply respect the privacy of our attendees and we have never nor will we ever reach out to anyone with offers to sell our mailing lists. Any communications that say otherwise are scam attempts and should be deleted and/or blocked.