wastewater

Indianapolis — Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment and Transport (WWETT), the world’s largest annual trade show for wastewater and environmental service professionals, today unveils its conference program. The event takes place February 20-23, 2023 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. Register to attend here.

Marc Acampora, VP & Market Leader of the WWETT Show, said, “We are delighted to bring wastewater and environmental service professionals together with the leading minds in the industry to help drive their businesses forward. There will be a tremendous amount of learning, exploring, networking, and fun to be had this winter in Indianapolis.”

The WWETT accredited conference program delivers unparalleled education including nearly 100 sessions across 21 tracks targeted to municipalities, plumbers, portable sanitation professionals, septic contractors, sewer contractors and wastewater professionals.

Chad Williams, resilience speaker, bestselling author and Navy SEAL, will deliver the keynote address. Williams draws from his experience in military to provide a Navy SEAL’s perspective on issues related to effective leadership, resilience, teamwork, overcoming adversity and motivation.

Conference program highlights:

• Seven national associations leading education
• Two Technical Tours
• Women in the Industry Networking event
• New to the industry networking event

• New Diversity Track
• Four-hour Confined Space Entry Training
• Two workshops on Management/Leadership
• Eight-hour certification classes led by National Association of Wastewater Technicians and Portable Sanitation Association International

Many sessions count toward fulfilling required continuing educational units (CEUs) and professional development hours (PDHs). Learn more here.

In addition, the Expo Hall will showcase new and innovative products from 500+ exhibitors such as Federal Signal, Environmental Solutions Group, Satellite Industries, Vac-Con, Inc and CUES, Inc.

Additional event highlights:

• The NAWT Shootout brings awareness to the updated Federal Regulations regarding Pre-Trip inspections. It also gives individuals who will be testing soon for their CDLs an opportunity to practice their Pre-Trip Inspections and those that already have their CDLs an opportunity to learn what the new regulations cover and how to respond to road-side inspections. The top four individuals with the most correctly identified problems will be named winners.
• The National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association (NOWRA) will be conducting the National Backhoe ROE-D-HOE® Championship Competition. The three-day open event allows attendees who are skilled backhoe operators compete by using the backhoe bucket to skillfully and smoothly move small objects such as a golf ball or bowling pin in an extreme race against time. The competition is timed and will culminate with the contestants with the top three times winning belt buckles in addition to up to $1,000 in cash prizes.
• WWETT Talks Live is a new interview series that will feature bite-sized insights from the wastewater industry’s most innovative leaders. It will cover the state of the industry, which trends to adopt and which ones to avoid, leadership and roles in company structures, becoming a multi-dimensional operation, trials and tribulations of expanding and the importance of your work and community impact.
• Operators Without Borders provides certified, volunteer water and wastewater operators who can support utilities in developing countries following emergency and disaster situations to ensure that safe drinking water and wastewater management services are resumed. On February 21 at 4:00 p.m., a special Happy Hour General Session will be hosted at booth #2149 in the Expo Hall to discuss the current situation of water and wastewater utilities in Ukraine and how we can help.
• WWETT will show the documentary Sh*t Saves the World, which provides an intriguing and humorous glimpse into our species’ impact on the Earth by exploring how one of the most simple and obvious solutions to aid the environment may lie in what we often look down upon as waste.
• IndyHumane has been committed to helping central Indiana’s pets in need since 1905. The organization’s locations collectively support an average of 10,000 animals each year, roughly 90 percent of which are adopted. In booth #5935 in the Expo Hall there will be dogs and kittens to meet, play with and adopt.
• The Welcome Party takes place February 21 at 5:00 p.m. at The Grand Hall @ Downtown Union Station.

Indianapolis—Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment and Transport WWETT, the world’s largest annual trade show for wastewater and environmental service professionals concluded its annual event February 21-24, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. With 10,500 registered professionals, the annual event connected notable and emergent brands with thousands of buyers, while providing ample networking opportunities and a full range of education led by renowned industry experts.

The 2022 edition of WWETT took over 270,000 NSF of the Convention Center, hosting 450 industry-leading suppliers in the expo hall; thus, offering attendees access to a wide variety of products and activations from the world’s largest suppliers and manufacturers to specialized SMBs with specific services. Manufacturers and suppliers showcased the latest products, services, and technology for the water and wastewater industries, including notable companies such as Federal Signal, HammerHead Trenchless, Infiltrator Water Technologies, Satellite Industries, Ridge Tool, Draincables Direct, and more.

In addition to an expansive expo floor, registered participants had the opportunity to engage with world-class education made available at the event. The event’s educational programs served as inclusive and productive sessions that allowed for connections in specific groups. WWETT 2022 registered over 10,000 seats in education classes.

“The opportunities for learning, engagement, and growth for both attendees and exhibitors were exemplary at this year’s WWETT event,” said Lauren Lamb, VP, Strategy, Marketing, and Conference, WWETT at Informa Markets. “The live format allowed for regional and non-local companies to communicate their products and expectations effectively, while expanding their connections in the proper areas that will largely benefit their company and consumers, as well as the industry as a whole. The focus of quality product and innovation was at a peak this year, with many exhibitors launching products and solutions to solve the industry’s current challenges.”

Mixers for Women in the Industry and New to the Industry both served as successful networking events. The mixers hosted a larger audience than in years past, with important connections established. Women in the Industry’s purpose is to connect women throughout the convenience services industry, encouraging professionals to meet, share ideas and develop important business relationships.

WWETT hosted a well-attended welcome party with over 1,400 industry members in attendance, which featured live music and entertainment as well as casino games. The welcome party served as another opportunity for industry connections and engagement.

Washington, D.C. — The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO^®), publisher of the American National Standard Uniform Codes, enthusiastically applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, bipartisan legislation that makes vital investments in the nation’s infrastructure, including funding for water and sanitation, roads and bridges, rail, transit, ports, airports, electric grid, broadband and other priorities. The legislation provides $944 billion in total spending over five years, totaling $550 billion in new spending, and represents a significant infusion of federal funding for U.S. public works across numerous industries.

Up to 10 million American households and 400,000 schools and childcare centers lack safe drinking water. This new legislation invests $55 billion to expand access to clean drinking water for households, businesses, schools, and childcare centers across the country. From rural towns to struggling cities, the legislation will invest in water infrastructure and eliminate lead service pipes, including in tribal nations and disadvantaged communities.

“Access to clean drinking water and safe sanitation is a basic human right that the plumbing industry strives every day to make a reality,” said IAPMO Executive Vice President for Government Relations Dain Hansen. “Included in this bill is funding for new and existing programs that will help us to provide life-changing services to communities who need it most.”

Among the items supported by IAPMO, the legislation includes:

• Lead in Drinking Water: Authorizes $200 million in funding to address lead in school drinking water systems. It also includes $11.73 billion for projects directly connected to the identification, planning, design and replacement of lead service lines.
• Water Reuse: Includes $1 billion in funding for Western water recycling programs and approximately $48 million for national water reuse programs. It also requires the U.S. EPA to facilitate sharing of information between stakeholders by creating a water data sharing pilot program and directs the agency to create a Water Reuse Interagency Working Group.
• Water Filters for Disadvantaged Communities: Authorizes $510 million in funding for the Assistance for Small and Disadvantaged Communities Drinking Water Grant Program, which helps public water systems in underserved and disadvantaged communities meet Safe Drinking Water Act requirements. The bill includes language that allows for the purchase of certified point-of-entry or point-of-use filters and filtration that will help to remove harmful drinking water contaminants
• Decentralized Waste Systems for Low Income Households: Creates a new $250 million grant program for the construction of individual and cluster household decentralized wastewater systems for low-income households. This new program is critical to bringing safe sanitation to the 2 million Americans who don’t have access to clean drinking water and a toilet in their homes.
• New sanitation facilities for Native American Communities: Provides $3.5 billion in funding to the Indian Health Services for construction of safe water, wastewater, and solid waste systems. This represents an unprecedented investment in IHS sanitation that will help resolve the current backlog of projects.
• Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Contamination: Includes $10 billion to clean up the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. This dedicated funding for PFAS includes:
  • $5 billion to help small and disadvantaged communities address PFAS in drinking water
  • $4 billion to help drinking water utilities remove PFAS from drinking water supplies or connect well owners to local water systems
  • $1 billion to help wastewater utilities address PFAS in wastewater discharges.
• WaterSMART Grants: Includes $400 million for the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART program, with $100 million of the funds going toward improving existing nature-based projects. WaterSMART projects help increase water efficiency and supply by modernizing and restoring existing infrastructure.
• Disaster Resilience: Provides $1 billion over five years ($200 million per year) for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program, which supports pre-disaster and hazard mitigation activities, including building code updates, undertaken by states and local communities.
• Low Income Water Assistance Pilot Program: Directs EPA to launch a pilot grant program to address water affordability. The pilot program will award grants to eligible entities to develop programs to assist low-income households with maintaining access to drinking water and wastewater treatment. Assistance could include discounted rates or direct financial support to households or debt relief to water system owners or operators.

IAPMO, through its charitable arm IWSH, has been actively working to expand access to water and sanitation systems in the United States. Wastewater infrastructure in the communities where IWSH works is either failing, inadequate, or non-existent. This leads to the perpetual presence of wastewater in and around homes and takes a significant toll on individuals’ mental and physical health. Through IWSH projects in Alabama, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, The IAPMO Group is working to ensure communities have adequate sanitation in order to break cycles of poverty and marginalization and increase opportunities for education and employment.

The Water Environment Federation (WEF) proudly announces the 2021 class of WEF Awards for Operational and Design Excellence recipients, as well as winners of WEF’s Citation of Excellence in Advertising.

These awards recognize individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the water environment profession through their innovative approaches to fabricating, marketing, or utilizing water infrastructure.

“Effective, efficient, and equitable deployment of water and wastewater infrastructure requires champions within the sector daring and capable enough to pursue new ways of doing things,” said Lynn Broaddus, WEF President. “The WEF Awards for Operational and Design Excellence, as well as WEF’s Citation of Excellence in Advertising, recognize these crucial changemakers.”

Winners of the 2021 WEF Awards for Operational and Design Excellence include:

Collection Systems Award: Angela D. Charles and George Kurz

The Collection System Award is presented to an individual for contributions to the advancement of wastewater collection.

Angela D. Charles has worked for the City of Charlotte, N.C., since 1988, working in numerous roles in wastewater and stormwater management as well as administration. Charles currently serves as director of Charlotte Water, leading a group of over 1,000 employees. Charles has developed numerous educational programs to help employees develop in their operations careers. In most recent years, Charles initiated an apprenticeship program that has developed into a highly successful and model program. Charles is a longtime WEF member and active in its Collection Systems Committee and Collection Systems Symposia.

George Kurz has been active in several facets of collection systems during his 45-year career in Chattanooga, Tenn. He designed and implemented Chattanooga’s pretreatment program, which was the first approved by the state of Tennessee. In 1985, Kurz architected Chattanooga’s municipal compliance plan for sewer rehabilitation and control of sewer overflows. Kurz additionally transcribed over 170,000 data points from Tennessee Monthly Operating Reports into a simple spreadsheet for infiltration/inflow analysis. This spreadsheet is now used by operators to analyze the inflow/infiltration in their collection system. He is a Life Member of WEF, serves on the WEF Collection Systems Committee, and has previously served as president of the WEF Member Association representing Kentucky and Tennessee.

Morgan Operational Solutions Award: Michael Parsons

The Morgan Operational Solutions Award recognizes valuable contributions to the in-facility study and solution of operational problems.

During his career with the Hampton Roads Sanitation District in Virginia Beach, Va., Michael E. Parsons has developed and demonstrated biological nutrient removal (BNR) processes that will revolutionize the industry. Using an innovative conversion process, Parsons replaced the aeration tanks at a water resource recovery facility (WRRF) with a unique, five-stage biological nutrient removal process for less than $200,000. Using homemade materials, Parsons converted a 15-mgd WRRF from a fully aerobic step-feed process to a two-pass step-feed BNR with an anaerobic zone. He currently oversees the operation of two pilots testing partial denitrification/anammox.

WEF Project Excellence Award: Longmont (Colo.) Biogas Treatment and RNG Fueling Station; Metro (Denver, Colo.) Wastewater Reclamation District Nuisance Struvite and Dewaterability Improvements; and Portsmouth, N.H. Peirce Island Wastewater Treatment Facility Upgrade

WEF’s Project Excellence Award pays tribute to excellence and innovation in the execution of projects and programs in the water sector.

The City of Longmont’s innovative biogas-to-renewable-natural-gas (RNG) project equipped their 13-mgd WRRF with a biogas-upgrading system that treats and converts 140,000 ft³/day of biogas into RNG. This gas is transferred to a new vehicle-fueling station that serves the city’s natural-gas-fueled trash and recycling trucks.

Driven by regulatory requirements, WRRFs have been implementing biological phosphorus removal to address current and future total phosphorus limits. Anaerobic digestion of the waste solids from the biological phosphorus removal process has been associated with deterioration of dewatering performance. Metro Wastewater Reclamation District’s Nuisance Struvite and Dewaterability Improvements project involved constructing the world’s largest phosphorus recovery reactor tank to address these challenges.

The Peirce Island Wastewater Treatment Facility upgrade project sustainably redeveloped an operating WRRF on an island with limited access and extensive archaeological and recreational resources located in historic downtown Portsmouth, N.H. The team delivered a successful project on a court-ordered schedule with increased capacity, secondary treatment, and total nitrogen removal without expanding the site while overcoming public opposition.

WEF Safety Award: City of Garland, Texas Duck Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant

The WEF Safety Award encourages active and effective safety programs in the water environment field and recognizes entities that not only invest their resources to develop high-quality safety programs and adopt them within their own culture, but also actively seek out opportunities to share these programs with others in the water industry for the benefit of all.

The City of Garland, Texas has established a strong program for investigation, corrective action, and education to prevent recurring regulatory issues. The city trains its employees in safety and risk management trends, legislation, products, and practices through their drafted Safety Connection: an inter‐departmental forum for safety review, education, and exchange of ideas. These efforts manifested in two long-term streaks of zero lost-time incident over many years of operating two WRRFs.

Industrial Water Quality Achievement Award: Bongards Creameries (Perham, Minn.)
The Industrial Water Quality Achievement Award is presented to a corporation and, if applicable, to its engineering firm that best demonstrates significant, lasting, and measurable excellence in water quality improvement or in the prevention of water quality degradation as demonstrated by innovative design and operation of an industrial wastewater, pretreatment, or source-prevention program.

By implementing new, sustainable practices, Bongards Creameries, located in Perham, Minn., minimized the volume of wastewater it produced and decreased the volume of potable water it used. Since 2015, Bongards has had a 28% reduction in wastewater production and a 40% reduction in potable water used per pound of milk processed, all while increasing milk processing by 60%. The increase in milk processing, however, caused an increase in the by-product “salt whey,” which added to the loading on the wastewater treatment facility.  Bongards found a solution for this problem by turning the by-product into a viable feed product which is licensed to sell to local farmers.

Winners of the 2021 WEF Citation of Excellence in Advertising include:

• Best Overall Ad: Homa Pump Technology — Increase Pump Station Efficiency, Decrease Life-Cycle Costs
• Best Presentation of Information (Full Page): Mueller — Hymax – Innovative Pipe Solutions
• Best Presentation of Information (Less Than Full Page): Electro Static Technology — Protect Large Motors from Bearing Damage with AEGIS PRO Rings
• Best Design (Full Page): Xylem — FLYGT – New Concertor Pumping System with Integrated Intelligence
• Best Design (Less Than Full Page): Flomatic Corporation — Manufacturing in America: It’s Our Commitment

WEF’s Citation of Excellence in Advertising is granted to advertisers in Water Environment & Technology magazine who demonstrate effective and original presentation of equipment and services.

Visit https://www.wef.org/membership/awards-recognition/wef-awards/ for more details about this year’s WEF Award winners. For more information about WEF’s recognition programs, visit https://www.wef.org/awards.