WEF News Hub
The WEF News Hub provides a single portal to see the content from most of WEF's news sources at a glance. The items below represent a wide scope of the regulatory, organizational, membership, current events, and conference happenings at WEF.
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Todd Saums and Tom McGrain, who operate and manage water resource recovery facilities for the Northwestern Water and Sewer District (Bowling Green, Ohio), spent 8 days last month in the Bahamas assisting with recovery efforts that are still underway after Hurricane Dorian devastated the island chain in early September.
On Nov. 5, the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) welcomed an international delegation from Palestine to discuss the current status and future of water in the West Bank region, which is bordered by the countries of Jordan and Israel. The meeting with the group of seven delegates focused on how international cooperation can help water professionals navigate such issues as loss and leakage, resource security, unbalanced regulations, and workforce shortages.
A water quality-focused pilot program in Fairfax County, Va., aims to connect untapped local talent with paid opportunities in stormwater management. Through Operation Stream Shield, a partnership between the municipal government and local homeless shelters, people attempting to join the workforce help enhance the local environment with part-time jobs clearing away litter from waterways and removing invasive plants.
Ahead of a $1.6 billion revitalization project in New York City’s Staten Island borough, the New York City Economic Development Corp. (EDC) is piloting an innovative strategy to simplify regulatory compliance and save developers money without compromising the benefits of the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary’s remaining wetlands.
Members of the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) WEF Eco program participated in the City of Alexandria’s storm-drain marking program on Nov. 4. Participants marked 52 drains near WEF headquarters with stickers that warn against illicit dumping.
According to the Brookings Institution (Washington, D.C.), as much as 50% of the current water workforce in the U.S. will retire within the next 35 years. 2019-2020 WEF President Jackie Jarrell provides details on ways WEF is working to attract and retain new talent.
As cities grow and develop over pervious spaces, stormwater runoff has increasingly fewer places to soak into and often flows into urban waterways. But how that extra runoff entering streams affects flash flooding may not be as elementary. A newly published study explores the relationship between urban development and flash flooding.
Words on Water • Episode No. 114
Valerie Lucas is the Executive Director of the Clean Water Professionals of Kentucky & Tennessee. In this episode Valerie explains why the organization changed its name to better communicate with the public about the water sector’s work. She talks about collaborating with the Louisville water utilities and four breweries to create their version of Pure Water Brew called Next Round. Valerie also discusses how she has seen the role of women in water change during her career and why it is important to increase the number of women in the industry.
When the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) promoted a subtle shift in terminology from wastewater treatment plant to water resource recovery facility in 2013, for example, the organization formally recognized a long-underway change in focus from the problems water professionals solve to the products of their work.
The Water Environment Association of Kentucky & Tennessee made a similar move in October 2019, changing its name to the Clean Water Professionals of Kentucky & Tennessee (CWP-KT).
Words on Water • Episode No. 113
Kelly Trott is Senior Director of Imagine H2O. In this episode Kelly discusses the role that technology can play in solving urban water challenges, particularly as the global population further shifts to cities. She explains how catalytic funding and patient capital can create pilot opportunities and partnerships for entrepreneurs. Kelly also talks about the transferability of solutions across urban areas and how a certain innovative approach may work for one city and not another.
Although downtown Houston, Texas, sits only about 15 m (50 ft) above sea level, enough room exists underground to build a massive tunnel system for stormwater conveyance, according to the preliminary results of a Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) inquiry. Building the system according to plan would cost Harris County up to $1.5 billion, according to study estimates.
Student teams from the University of British Columbia (UBC; Vancouver, Canada) and the University of Colorado (UC; Boulder) left WEFTEC 2019 as winners of the 18th-annual Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) Student Design Competition. The competition, which showcased innovative design projects from 30 universities, recognizes outstanding solutions to local water quality issues.