Spring has sprung, and NHA is traveling to Green Bay, Wisconsin, from April 28 – 29, 2026, for the Midwest Regional Meeting, co-hosted with the Midwest Hydro Users Group (MHUG); this event is an excellent opportunity for water power professionals to connect and learn alongside one another.

The Midwest Regional Meeting will take place at the Hyatt Regency Green Bay, located in the heart of the city. Attendees will have the opportunity to tour Lambeau Field, the home of the Green Bay Packers, visit Wisconsin Electric Power Company’s Chalk Hill Dam (7.8 MW), and cheer on the next generation of hydropower professionals at the Hydropower Collegiate Competition (HCC) finale!

NHA’s Midwest Regional Meeting also provides a forum to address regional issues and location-specific challenges, as well as exploring topics top-of-mind for the Midwestern water power community.

Green Bay’s CityDeck, straddling the Fox River (Photo Credit – Chris Rand, Wikimedia).

TOUR OPPORTUNITIES

NHA’s Regional Meeting series always takes full advantage of its location, offering attendees unparalleled access to cultural landmarks, behind-the-scenes tours of the hydro powering our nation, and much more.

At this year’s Midwest Regional Meeting, NHA and MHUG have secured some exciting opportunities for attendees; read on to learn more.

Lambeau Field

Regardless of whether you’re a football fan, the opportunity to peek inside a National Football League (NFL) stadium should not be missed, especially when the team is as iconic as Wisconsin’s own Green Bay Packers.

The Packers are football legends, holding the record for the most wins in NFL history. With an origin dating back to 1896, the Packers are the last of the “small town teams” that were commonplace during the early years of the NFL.

While Lambeau Field was not the original home of the Packers, the team has played their home games there since 1957, and the stadium was the first modern facility constructed specifically for an NFL franchise. Undergoing countless modernizations over the years, Lambeau Field is the second largest stadium in the NFL by seating capacity, with enough room to accommodate 81,441 visitors!

Midwest Meeting participants will have an unforgettable visit to this iconic stadium. As part of the “Champions Tour,” visitors can expect to see the south end zone loft, the player’s tunnel and field-level views, and the Packers Hall of Fame.

The tour of Lambeau Field will take place on April 25 at 3:30 PM CST, and costs $40, which can be paid during event registration.

A panorama of Lambeau Field (Photo Credit – Lordmontu / Wikimedia)

Chalk Hill Dam Tour

When it comes to American hydropower history, the Midwest is iconic. Wisconsin lays claim to the Vulcan Street Plant – built on the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin – this project went into operation in September of 1882, making it the first hydroelectric central station to serve a system of private and commercial customers in North America.

Constructed in 1927, the Chalk Hill Hydroelectric Facility was designed with Gothic features – pointed-arched windows outlined by compound arches, brick drip molding punctuating reddish brick walls, and interior reminiscent of a church, with stained glass windows, beamed ceilings, ornate wall sconces, and mosaic floors.

Spanning the Menominee River above the Rosebush Lake, and fifty-eight miles upstream from the point where the river flows into Green Bay, the project includes a 300-foot-long spillway constructed of reinforced concrete on bedrock, eleven tainter gates, and an earth dike.

Owned by Wisconsin Electric Power Company, Chalk Hill is one of twelve hydropower projects the company operates on the banks of the Menominee River or its tributaries; the Menominee serves as the border between Wisconsin and Michigan.

Attendees will have the opportunity to tour this nearly one hundred-year-old facility, which, over the past 15 years, has undergone complete modernization of its dam and powerhouse. Visitors to Chalk Hill will get to hear from the people involved in the design, construction, and operation of the revitalized project.

There will be three tours of Chalk Hill – both on April 28, 2026 – with the first beginning at 7:15 AM CST, the second at 8:45 AM CST, and the third at 10:45 AM CST; additionally, lunch and transportation will be provided. The cost of the tour is $50, and it can be purchased during registration.

Chalk Hill Dam (Photo Credit – WE Energies) 

ADVANCING THE HYDROPOWER WORKFORCE

The Hydropower Collegiate Competition Finale

With U.S. hydropower facing a looming wave of personnel retirements, the loss of decades of institutional knowledge represents a very real dilemma that both the industry and the Department of Energy (DOE) are working hard to address.

The Hydropower Collegiate Competition (HCC) is a component piece of the larger solution, and NHA and MHUG have the honor of hosting the HCC finale at this year’s Midwest Regional Meeting!

Each year, the HCC tasks students with developing solutions for some of hydropower’s most complex challenges while offering them access to real-world, resume-boosting experience and professional connections that can give them a head start in pursuit of a career in hydropower.

This year’s competition features students from 12 colleges and universities across the United States, and attendees at the Midwest Regional Meeting will have the opportunity to meet the competitors and celebrate the winners! The finale takes place on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.

Endicott College, winners of the 2023 HCC, take the stage at NHA’s Water Power Week (Photo Credit – NHA).

The Hydropower Foundation’s Power Your Future Career Expo

At the heels of the Power Your Future Career Expo during Clean Currents in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which drew more than 75 students from 11 colleges, universities, and trade schools, the Hydropower Foundation is bringing the next Power Your Future Career Expo to Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The Foundation’s Expo events are designed to broaden awareness of the varied career disciplines across the hydropower sector, connecting students with professionals already working in the field. By focusing on career disciplines, the Expo format helps students see how their education, skills, and professional goals could be applied to meaningful careers in hydro.

As part of the upcoming Midwest Regional Meeting, the Hydropower Foundation will be hosting the Power Your Future Career Expo at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College on April 29, 2026, from 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM CST.

If you’re interested in attending and speaking with students as a representative of your career discipline, serving as a career concierge, or setting up a table to recruit local students, then reach out to Ashley Brooks, the Hydropower Foundation’s Director of Workforce Development, at [email protected].

Students and industry connect at the Hydropower Foundation’s Expo during Clean Currents 2025 in Pittsburgh (Photo Credit – NHA).

FOR MORE INFORMATION

To learn more about the upcoming Midwest Regional Meeting, click here.

To register for the event, click here.

Reach out with any question to Caroline Herman, NHA’s Meeting and Events Manager, at [email protected].