The Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) received a silver EXCEL Award in the Special Publications category from Association Media & Publishing (AMP; McLean, Va.) for the 2011 WEF Media Kit. The award in the Special Publications category for Media Kits — Digital/Online recognizes the best and brightest in association media and publishing. Winners were chosen for exemplary work in editorial, design, advertising and marketing, online publishing, mobile applications, digital editions, and electronic newsletter categories. “This year’s competition featured an extraordinary number of high-quality entries, but yours stood out from the rest as truly representing The Best and the Brightest in the association community,” said AM&P leaders in the award notification letter.

Jon Harrison, marketing art director for WEF (right), accepts a Silver 2011 Excel Award from Amy Lestition, executive director, Association Media & Publishing (AM&P) and Ryan Johnson, president, AM&P. Photo courtesy of Dave Scavone. Click for larger image.

WEF was recognized at the 31st Annual EXCEL Awards Gala in Washington, D.C., on June 1, with 195 other winners representing 99 nonprofit organizations and associations selected from more than 1100 entries.

“WEF is very appreciative of this honor and proud of the outstanding job our WEF staff team did on this online media kit,” said WEF Executive Director Jeff Eger. “Their vision, talent, and commitment made this award possible.”

View the award-winning media kit here.  

On May 6, the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) Board of Trustees approved a revised position statement on stormwater management. The position statement seeks to protect water quality and advance WEF's involvement in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stormwater regulatory program. The revised position includes recommendations to improve the national stormwater program and provides a platform from which related policy can be developed.

“WEF members recognize that innovative and nontraditional approaches are needed to address stormwater challenges of the 21st century,” said WEF Executive Director Jeff Eger. “This revision reflects the best thinking from water quality experts about how to best address stormwater from a national perspective.”

The position statement recommends updating regulations under the Clean Water Act and outlines several recommendations for improved stormwater management, including use of a volume-based approach for stormwater treatment, support of green infrastructure, flexibility in regulating stormwater, consideration of climate change, and integration of a watershed-based approach in permitting.

WEF will continue to meet with leading water organizations to solidify consensus and principles for a unified approach to stormwater management in anticipation of the new EPA rule expected this fall.

“While wastewater treatment facilities have done a tremendous job in addressing point source pollution, nonpoint source pollution, such as stormwater runoff, is a huge contributor to water quality problems in this country, and WEF has been involved with EPA’s stormwater program since it began the early 1990s,” Eger said. “We’ll continue to focus on this major challenge to clean water by participating actively in legislative and regulatory developments, and providing the technical assistance and resources water quality professionals need.” 

On May 22, 12 teams from across North America participated in the 2011 Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) Wastewater Challenge at the Residuals and Biosolids conference in Sacramento, Calif.

Students on 12 teams participated in the 2011 WEF Wastewater Challenge. Photo courtesy of Megan Yoo, WEF Students and Young Professionals Committee (SYPC) Wastewater Challenge Sub-Committee chair. Click for larger image.

	Left, a student team competes at the Residuals and Biosolids 2011 Wastewater Challenge. Photo courtesy of Yoo.	Teams designed a treatment system to handle the a scenario of a failed levee system. The challenge was to design a system that would control the runoff by intercepting flow, treating the water using common household items, running the water through a composting facility, and discharging it into a wetland. Enough of the water, containing low levels of dissolved oxygen and high levels of nitrate, orthophosphorus, and turbidity, had to be passed through the treatment system to reduce nutrients, keep a neutral acidity, and raise dissolved-oxygen levels in the time allotted. The teams submitted design notebooks and were scored on design simplicity and sustainability, efficiency and structural–operational durability, creative use of engineering principles, and overall safety. Cal State University–Fullerton team members Nikolas Vokhshoori and Michael Dummer placed first, receiving $1500, and University of California–Irvine team members Robert Davis, Garrett Kehoe, Daryl Santos, and Wayne Wu placed second, receiving $1000. Award money and team plaques presented to the two winning teams were funded through sponsorship. For more information, see www.wef.org/WastewaterChallenge.
Above, the first and second place winners of the student competition. Photo courtesy of Haley Falconer, SYPC Community Service Project chair.

Register through July 31 as a team to compete in this year’s Operations Challenge competition being held at WEFTEC^® 2011 in Los Angeles. This annual competition allows a maximum of 40 teams to demonstrate excellence in wastewater operations. Registration forms can be found here or by request at opschallenge@wef.org.

The Operations Challenge Committee also needs judges for the competition. The process control and laboratory events will be held on Monday, Oct. 17, and the collection, safety, and Wilo maintenance events will follow on Tuesday, Oct. 18. Be a part of this event and see the industry’s stars up close. The competition will be followed by an awards ceremony at the JW Marriott at LA Live. If you are interested, contact Steve Harrison at (703) 684-2400, ext. 7715, or opschallenge@wef.org.

Anyone who missed the National Biosolids Partnership Charting the Future of Biosolids Management forum held Dec. 1–2, 2010, in Alexandria, Va., now can view a report summarizing the results of the meeting. The report identifies potential future trends and action items to help biosolids practitioners meet the challenges and opportunities expected. Read the free, 100-page full report or the executive summary.  

The Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) announces the first recipients of the WEF Fellow Recognition Program. The program honors professional achievements, stature, and contributions of WEF members in various fields of water expertise. A total of 17 WEF members were approved by the WEF Board of Trustees to be honored this year.

“We are very pleased to celebrate not only the personal achievements of this year's Fellows but also the invaluable role WEF has as a leading water quality organization,” said WEF President Jeanette Brown. 

The Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) introduces the Stormwater (MS4) Permit video series.  The informational series includes nine videos that describe innovative, low-cost approaches to communicating stormwater messages. The series, consisting of content from a WEF webcast held May 4, presents information designed to help small- to mid-size municipalities meet newly required public education and outreach components of the NPDES/MS4 stormwater permit.

The first video of the series includes an introduction to the topic and an outline introducing presenters and topics to be discussed. The second and third videos feature Wendy Warren, environmental coordinator for Bangor, Maine, discussing her experience collaborating with other governments at the regional level. The fourth and fifth videos feature Matt Dunn, Watershed Division manager for the City of Auburn, Ala., reviewing suggestions for engaging local businesses and government departments through various low cost approaches. The sixth and seventh videos feature Drew Brown, Public Education Programs manager for the City of Philadelphia, teaching how to target audiences by age, customer type, and neighborhood. In the eighth and ninth videos, all presenters answer questions from webcast participants. Watch the videos today.  

Do you have a new book or report on wastewater treatment or watershed management issues? Let us help you spread the word about it. Please send review copies of new books to Margaret Richards, WE&T, 601 Wythe St., Alexandria, VA 22314.  

Water Environment & Technology (WE&T) seeks volunteers to join its book review team. Stay up to date on the latest wastewater treatment and watershed issues by contributing brief, informative reviews for the “Water volumes” column. Reviewers may keep the books they review. To be considered, please send your area(s) of expertise to Margaret Richards at mrichards@wef.org.  

The Water Environment Federation (Alexandria, Va.) will host the Member Association (MA) Technology Summit on Aug. 3, followed by the MA Leaders Summit Aug. 4–5 in Alexandria. The Technology Summit will provide MA leaders with advice on Web site development, database selection and implementation, e-commerce development and integration, and social media. The Leaders Summit offers session topics to assist MAs in the daily management and operations of their associations.  

Take part in a Water Environment Federation (Alexandria, Va.) webcast.

The Perspectives on Collection Systems Rehabilitation and Replacement webcast series provides viewpoints from engineers, consultants, manufacturers, contractors, owners, and operators; case studies and lessons learned; and effective quality assurance and control through four webcasts. Buy three of the webcasts and receive the fourth free:

• Perspectives on Pump/Lift Station Rehabilitation, scheduled for Nov. 16;
• Perspectives on Service Lateral Rehabilitation, held June 1— recording available;
• Perspectives on Manhole Rehabilitation, held Feb. 9 — recording available; and 
• Perspectives on Pipeline Replacement, held Nov. 10, 2010 — recording available. 

Don’t miss the opportunity to take part in the Energy and Water 2011 — Efficiency, Generation, Management, and Climate Impacts conference. It will cover the current state of knowledge of the water–energy nexus and address energy efficiency in the water and wastewater sectors.

The opening session will feature Susan Hedman, administrator of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 in Chicago on Aug. 1. Speakers from the U.S. Department of Energy laboratories; water, wastewater, and electric utilities; and energy and water experts from across the country will present sessions. Topics will include cutting-edge technology entrepreneurship, electric utilities’ views on future water demands, EPA’s Climate Read Utility Program, the latest research on energy recovery from wastewater plants, and state-of-the-industry for biofuels from algae and biosolids.

The conference will be held July 31 to Aug. 3 at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago. Register online.  

The Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) International Pavilions provide companies with a cost-effective, direct-marketing opportunity to introduce and distribute products and services into the global market. WEF International Pavilions give businesses with development plans in the Middle East, China, Singapore, and Europe an opportunity to exhibit under the WEF banner in a prime location and reach out to thousands of new potential customers.

Singapore International Water Week Water Expo 2011
During the next 3 years, the size of the market for water conservation and recycling systems in Singapore is projected to expand by 10% to 15% annually. The current size of this market is estimated at $950 million and under pressure to expand due to the robust growth of the economy and increased population demands. The expo will be a premier water and environmental show in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

July 4–8 (convention) and July 5–7 (exposition); Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Suntec City

Aquatech Amsterdam 2011
During the next 10 years, the Netherlands will have to invest at least $6.2 billion to live up to the safety and environmental standards set both by the Dutch and European governments. There are growing pressures on European countries to reverse years of environmental damage and to find more integrated pollution control techniques. This event provides a unique exhibiting venue and a single access point to the European environmental market.

Nov. 1–4, Amsterdam RAI (Rijwiel en Automobiel Industrie)

WATEC Israel 2011
Water reuse rates in Israel stand at 70%, and the government plans to move it to 90% by 2012. To accomplish this challenging initiative, innovative products and technologies will be in great demand. WATEC 2011 will be a premier water and environmental show in Israel.

Nov. 15–17, Tel Aviv (Israel) Exhibition Center

The 2012 WEF Pavilion shows will be held in India, Dubai, China, and Germany. For more information, click here, or contact Laila Sukkariyyah at (703) 684-2458 or (703) 650-8516, or lsukkariyyah@wef.org. 

Ensuring safe drinking water and effective wastewater treatment services is essential to the public health and economic vitality of any society. Being prepared to promote drinking water and wastewater services during and after an incident will reduce hardships.