WEF Community Service Project

Since 2008, the WEF Community Service Project has made a significant impact on several WEFTEC host cities.

About the Community Projects

Over the years, these projects have created more than 6 rain gardens, 8 bioswales, 2 outdoor classrooms, and 1 stormwater managing walkway, all of which include hundreds of native plantings.

Registration for the Service Project is free and open to all WEFTEC attendees and their guests. Volunteers will receive transportation to and from the site, a T-shirt, lunch, and a WEF Community Service Project ribbon for their WEFTEC badge.

Help Support the Service Project

The WEF Students and Young Professionals Committee (SYPC) organizes the WEF Community Service Project each year. Committee volunteers help design, market, and raise funds and materials for the project. This project provides a great opportunity for WEFTEC attendees to give back to our host city.

If you are interested in helping plan this year’s project, please contact the 2024 Service Project Chairs: Olga Mikhalchishina and Brandon Friedland.

Contact Us about Participating

2023 - Today’s Water Students, Tomorrow’s Water Leaders

2022 - St. Augustine High School

Titled Marching to a Greener St. Augustine, this project took place at St. Augustine High School in the Seventh Ward of New Orleans. The project transformed the school’s entryway into a beautiful, welcoming, and green space.

2021 - 12th Street Beach on Northerly Island

On Saturday, October 16, 2021, the WEF Students and Young Professionals Committee organized and completed the 13th Annual WEFTEC Community Service Project, Life Is Better By the Lake. The project took place in Chicago.

2019 - Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy

For the 12th annual Community Service Project, a large group of volunteers spent their day installing permeable pavers, a rain garden, and other green infrastructure elements at the Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy in Chicago.

2018 - Treme Community Center

Volunteers at this event transformed a 14,000-square-foot planter box into a bioswale that will capture, detain, and treat thousands of gallons of stormwater runoff and also created a green infrastructure graphic to educate the community about the importance of water.

An Award Winning Program

Our Students and Young Professionals Community Service Project was awarded a 2020 Power of A Silver Award from ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership! This award, the association industry’s highest honor, recognizes the association community’s valuable contributions on the local, national, and global levels.

 

Stormwater & Watershed Management
Transforming Chicago One WEFTEC at a Time

10th Annual WEF Community Service Project Leaves a Lasting Mark in the Windy City

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Join the 2022 WEF Community Service Project

Every year, on the Saturday before WEFTEC, volunteers gather for the WEF Community Service Project. Help us continue this 14-year tradition and join us in New ...

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Service Project Location Selected

One Chicago public school will be getting a new garden and a new outlook on water this fall.

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My ‘WEFTEC Why’

With so much to choose from at WEFTEC, everyone has unique reasons why they attend. We asked some of the people you can meet in Chicago this October to share with ...

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From hands-on-training and leadership opportunities, such as Operations Challenge, to online training, such as the Wastewater Treatment Fundamentals series, WEF provides operators with many opportunities to advance on-the-job knowledge and develop their careers.

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Through biosolids management, solid residue from wastewater treatment is processed to reduce or eliminate pathogens and minimize odors, forming a safe, beneficial agricultural product. Biosolids are carefully monitored and must be used in accordance with regulatory requirements.

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Take a comprehensive look at how all water resources, including uplands, drainage basins, wetlands, stormwater, surface water, and groundwater interact.

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