WEF Purchases First U.S. Watershed-Based Carbon Offset Credits, Names Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District Official Carbon Offset Partner of WEFTEC 2026

Already twice recognized by Events Industry Council as a Platinum level by EIC Sustainable Event Standards, Water Environment Federation is expanding its sustainability impact through the purchase of an initial 1,000 carbon credits offered by the Yahara WINS project.  

These credits are part of an initial 24,000+ credit offering, issued by Regen Registry in January 2026 and quantified by Virridy, through the Yahara WINS Watershed Carbon Project.  

Yahara WINs, launched in 2017 by the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District, replaces chemical and energy-intensive wastewater treatment technology upgrades with Best Management Practices (BMPs) designed to reduce phosphorus runoff, restore wetlands and better manage nutrients. Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District is a regional wastewater utility serving more than 440,000 people across 24 customer communities in the greater Madison, Wisconsin area.  

“Watershed conservation can be a smarter path to compliance. Verified carbon credits in avoided greenhouse gas emissions add another measurable benefit,” said Martye Griffin, Ecosystem Services Manager at Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District. “This is a model that other utilities can replicate to help offset the cost of Clean Water Act obligations and support climate goals.”  

With WEF’s purchase of 1,000 credits to mitigate WEFTEC 2026 operational emissions,sustainable event management in Louisiana directly supports sustainable watershed management in Wisconsin. WEF will retire its  1,000 credits s and offer sponsors and attendees the opportunity to purchase additional credits that can be applied to travel .  

“This is an industry first and WEF is proud to support Yahara WINS as a pioneering model that brings together watershed health, regulatory innovation and climate leadership,” said John Ikeda, Chief Mission Officer at WEF. “By partnering with the District, and integrating this high impact project into WEFTEC 2026, we’re hoping to catalyze additional water quality carbon offset projects and raise awareness of the significant carbon mitigation opportunities available in the water sector.”  

While carbon credit markets are generally tied to forestry and renewable energy projects, these are the first U.S. watershed-based carbon offset credits. As such, they tie into WEF’s strategic goal of leading the transformation to the circular water economy: finance can empower utilities and municipalities to pursue technologies that capture and regenerate water and nutrients that they may not otherwise be able to afford.  

“This partnership is one new way we can, as a sector, connect the dots between finance, circular water practices, and regulatory compliance to better steward our most precious resource on behalf of our communities,” said WEF President, Keith Hobson. “WEF is proud to lead with this initial purchase of credits and is thrilled by the range of organizations that collaborated to make this happen.”  

WEFTEC 2026 attendees can look forward to more information soon on registration and how to participate in this new initiative to offset their travel to New Orleans for this year’s event.  

Virridy’s work to develop the Regen Registry’s ‘watershed carbon’ methodology and pilot collaborations with Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District and other wastewater facilities in Wisconsin and Colorado was supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation and the National Science Foundation’s Convergence Accelerator. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Alyson Moses, WEF Managing Director, Marketing and Communications, (954) 562-7023 | amoses@wef.org

 

About WEF

The Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization providing water professionals with the latest in education and training. WEF is leading the transformation to the Circular Water Economy: reducing waste, recovering resources, and regenerating ecosystems. Founded in 1928, WEF's mission is to inspire its 31,000 members and 75 affiliated member organizations and the water community in pursuit of human and environmental wellbeing. WEFTEC, WEF’s premiere event, is the largest annual water quality exhibition in North America attracting a diverse, global audience. More than 20,000 registrants and 1,000 exhibitors convene at WEFTEC to experience innovative solutions and gain expert insights that positively impact the future of water. For more information, visit wef.org.