February Learning Hour 

Wednesday, February 22, 12 p.m. Pacific/1 p.m. Mountain 

New Year, New Name. Same Great Program. 

Prepared by Catherine Chertudi

The Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) is the world's most prestigious award presented to a high school student for a water-research project. The Water Environment Federation (WEF) has coordinated the U.S. competition since its inception in 1997, and partners closely with Member Associations (MAs) to execute the program. 

The Utility Management Committee is relaunching and looking for folks who want to share knowledge and network to learn how your peers at other utilities do what we do.  We envision a collaborative space with monthly lunchtime meetings to discuss topics of interest and plan quarterly events or presentations from speakers about topics that interest our committee.   

What does “Utility Management” mean to you?  If you have interests, ideas, curiosities about how best the Utility Management Committee can help spread knowledge or just want to stay up to date on the Committee’s activities please contact Jessica Rinner at [email protected] or Yarrow Murphy at [email protected].

Every year, water sector professionals from around the United States gather in Washington, DC and virtually to discuss important issues together and with our Federal lawmakers. Water Week 2023 will take place April 24-28. During this week, we come together to focus on national policy that impacts the water sector and how we can work together to make sure all communities have access to safe, reliable, and affordable clean water.  

The National Water Policy Fly-In is an important part of water week, presented by WEF, NACWA, WateReuse Association, AWWA, the Water Research Foundation and many others. During the fly-in, water sector professionals conduct meetings with lawmakers and/or their staff to discuss water policy positions and priorities for the year. Meetings can be held in person or virtually. A half-day summit is hosted in DC featuring speakers from Federal agencies and Congress and capped off with a networking reception.  

The 2023 state legislative sessions are in full swing and PFAS is on the agenda in both Oregon and Washington. At the federal level, the EPA continue to progress along the PFAS Action Plan, publishing validated test methods, categorizing PFAS chemicals within existing regulatory programs, and progressing research to better characterize the presence of PFAS in our natural and built environments.  

PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large, complex group of manufactured chemicals that are ingredients in various everyday products. Multiple health effects associated with PFAS exposure have been identified and are supported by scientific studies. Wastewater treatment facilities are not manufacturers or users of PFAS, rather they are receivers of these chemicals used by industry and everyday consumers. Legislators, regulators, and clean water agencies must work collaboratively to manage PFAS holistically, with science driving the decision-making.  

On January 19, the Sustainability and Biosolids Committee and the Government Affairs Committee hosted a webinar on Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), featuring Ms. Rashi Gupta (Carollo), Dr. Jason Conder (Geosyntec Consultants), and Mr. Frank Dick (City of Vancouver). The webinar addressed multiple topics including updates on the state-of-the-art of PFAS, current management practices, risk assessment, and legislation for PFAS in biosolids. Thank you to all our speakers for providing such important and timely information! If you missed the webinar, you can watch a recording of it here. 

Rashi addressed PFAS fundamentals sources, an update on the PFAS roadmap from the EPA, health advisory levels, current treatment technologies for biosolids, implications of PFAS presence in biosolids management, and recommendations for facilities to adapt to the rapidly changing regulations.  

Receive up to $5,000 for operator training through WEF! 

WEF provides scholarships to individuals who are seeking water sector operator education, training, or certification to enter the industry or advance their knowledge, skills, abilities or license.