The WEF Odors and Air Pollutants Virtual Event is special for those of us in the “odor business.”
Many collection and treatment facilities do an outstanding job of protecting water quality and reclaiming valuable resources, but their public image can be tarnished when odors drift into adjoining neighborhoods. Odor abatement is vital to the public acceptance and sometimes even to obtaining permits for the wastewater systems that are pivotal to our health and water resources. Every two years, wastewater industry professionals gather to spend three days sharing and learning about this important aspect of wastewater treatment.
We regret that the pandemic forces us to meet virtually this year – seeing friends and making business contacts in the industry is one of the highlights of the gathering. We wish all of our colleagues the best of health during this unique time and look forward to seeing them all in person again soon. We are excited that numerous professionals have stepped forward with more than 30 technical papers for our virtual event, enabling us to continue with our educational offerings until that time comes.
We have a great combination of live and on-demand technical content for this event, slated for April 20-22.
The event will begin with an opening general session that will include a discussion of odor regulations around the world, as well as a panel discussion featuring industry leaders. We will have live technical sessions (four papers each) on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, supplemented by almost 20 pre-recorded presentations. Session topics will include biological treatment, collection system odors, utility odor management, odor modeling, innovation, odor measurement, and a special session addressing corrosion, air transport, fans, and exhaust stacks.
The WEF Odors and Air Pollutants Virtual Event has something for everyone in the industry. We hope to see you all in the live sessions and again when we can meet in person!
Mark Perkins is president and founder of Perkins Engineering Consultants, Inc. and has 39 years of experience in planning and design of municipal water and wastewater facilities. His work during the last 20 years has focused heavily on odor and corrosion mitigation for both public and private sector clients. He currently serves as chair of the WEF Odor and Air Quality Committee. He is a past president of the Fort Worth Branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and past president of the North Texas Section of the Water Environment Association of Texas. Mark earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering and an MBA in finance, both from the University of Texas at Arlington. He is a licensed professional engineer in Texas and six other states. 