If you requested CEUs or PDHs from PNCWA2017, the certificates have been mailed. Additionally, WA ECY and OR DEQ have been provided lists of individuals receiving CEUs and the number of CEUs awarded. After Jan 1, If you still need a PDF of your certificate, please email [email protected]

As you plan for your end of the year charitable giving please consider the Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association’s Scholarship Fund. PNCWA is investing in the future of our industry by providing scholarships to students and operators that are pursuing a professional career in the water quality field.

It is projected, by the EPA, that 31 to 37 percent of the water and wastewater professionals will be retiring in the next 10 years. All of us in this industry need to do our part to ensure that there is a pool of qualified water professionals to meet the current and future needs of our communities.

Aging infrastructure, strict regulatory requirements, and continued economic pressures have put unprecedented stress on local governments and agencies that provide essential water services, but you can help! The Water Advocates program will create a network of water professionals in every state and community, in every congressional district, to get the word out about the value of water and steps needed to protect it. As part of the network, you’ll receive the training and information needed to become an effective Water Advocate for clean and safe water. It’s a great opportunity to help in specific ways, including letters to elected officials and newspaper editors, presentations to business and community organizations, and visits to legislative offices. 

Water needs YOUR voice. Click here to view the flyer. To sign up, log onto the WEFCOM community titled "Water Advocates" and join the community.  You can also submit your information to [email protected]. Please include your name, title, organization, address, e-mail, and telephone number. After you sign up, you will be in the Water Advocates program and receive important announcments about actions you can take to help.

The 2017 PNCWA Conference, held this year in Vancouver, Washington, was one of our best yet. Revisit the friends, networking, and training by browsing our photo album on Flickr. While we are still in the process of uploading conference proceedings, we have many already online, which you can access here. Here are some more highlights!

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Record Turnout 
This year, the PNCWA conference had a record turnout. Over 900 attendees—a mix municipality-agency works, operators, consultants, manufacturers, regulators, researchers, and students—came to Vancouver, Washington, to participate in 128 technical presentations and five preconference workshops. The outstanding mix of attendees coupled with the fantastic programming—the backbone of our conference—made it one of our most successful gatherings. Plus, we had over 200 first-time attendees. Thanks to Conference Chair Lara Kammereck and Technical Program Chair Corinne DeLeon for their work.

Are you a PNCWA Member?

Please take our 2017 PNCWA Membership Survey. We need your feedback. The survey takes less than 2 minutes and will provide the member services committee with valuable information to inform our membership strategic plan!

There are a lot of reasons to be excited about the 2017 PNCWA Conference, but the technical program is the heart and soul of the annual event. This year, conference organizers received a record 275 abstracts! From the submissions, organizers take care in creating a diverse program that speaks to all levels of PNCWA, from every region and from every aspect of the water industry. Conference organizers have worked hard to make sure that everyone—from engineers to operators to non-technical workers—will be able to fill their schedules with exciting educational opportunities. Special thanks to Technical Program Chair Corinne DeLeon of Seattle Public Utilities and the volunteer Technical Program Committee.

Don’t forget, you can read updated abstracts and information about the program here. Plus, on the official PNCWA 2017 app, you can keep track of your schedule, get pertinent info, and follow along live on Twitter. Download it from your app store today.

From the EPA: 

SEATTLE - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that it is awarding $14.6 million to Idaho’s clean water and drinking water revolving funds to help finance improvements to water projects that are essential to protecting public health and the environment. The funds will be used to finance water quality protection and drinking water projects that will last far into the future.

We’re less than a week away from the 2017 PNCWA Conference! We look forward to the conference every year, but this October we’re especially excited. Conference Chair Lara Kammereck and Technical Program Chair Corinne DeLeon have outdone themselves and have provided an inclusive program with a diverse range of events, activities, and tracks. Here are five reasons why this year’s conference is better than ever.

1. Tons of Networking Events

The annual conference is about learning new skills, celebrating each other’s hard work, and planning for the future. But it’s also one of the only times when folks from all over the Pacific Northwest are all in one place. This year, there’s something for everyone with networking events.

The technical program for #PNCWA2017—coming up soon October 22–25 in Vancouver Washington—is packed with great educational opportunities. But sometimes 45 minutes isn’t long enough to dig deeper into a topic. That’s why we’ve put together a great lineup of preconference workshops allowing you to spend a half or even full day immersed in a specific topic.

These workshops—covering leadership development, odor control, utility management, greenhouse gas emission, and collection system inspection—take place the Sunday before the conference. Not only will you earn additional CEUs, you’ll also get an in-depth training for a fraction of what the cost usually is. (Plus, after they’re over you’ll be right on time for the evening’s networking events!) Registration for these workshops are not included in your regular conference registration, but you can still register for them online.

We're only a few weeks away from our annual conference! Here are some updates and reminders about what's to come. 

Thank You PNCWA2017 Conference Champions:

PNCWA's Adopt-a-School Grant, organized by the Communications & Outreach committee, supports water science education, involvement and restoration activities by 4th–12th grade students in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho who are working toward clean water education goals.

These grants have let students in Olympia learn about plankton aboard a 103-year-old sailing ship, high schoolers from Eugene visit wetlands and wastewater treatment plants, and biology students in Salem test wastewater in the classroom, among other projects. (Read more about 2016 Adopt-a-School grantees in our annual report.)

School is back in swing, which means it’s time for the EPA’s annual Campus RainWorks Challenge!

Each year, teams from universities around the country come up with innovative new ways to manage stormwater on their campus. The RainWorks Challenge fosters a dialogue about responsible stormwater management and showcases the environmental, economic and social benefits of green infrastructure practices.

Exciting news for students in and around Western Washington! The EPA issued the following press release today:

"Manhole Diving for Walla Walla”

Each year, PNCWA’s membership honors and recognizes excellence in the clean water industry. The mission of the awards program is to facilitate and promote the recognition of professionals involved in supporting, operating, or managing wastewater collection systems, stormwater systems, or wastewater treatment/water resource recovery facilities in the Pacific Northwest. Here are the 2017 PNCWA Awardees as determined by the PNCWA Awards Committee:

The Arthur Sidney Bedell Award
The Bedell Award was established to acknowledge extraordinary personal service to a WEF Member Association. The award is named for Arthur Sidney Bedell, WEF's second president for his long devotion and service to the New York Sewage and Industrial Wastes Association, now the New York Water Environment Association. He was Chief of the Bureau of Sewage and Waste Disposal of the New York State Department of Health.

Every year, the PNCWA Student and Young Professionals Committee invites students and young professionals (S&YPs) in the water world to gather for networking, leadership development, and industry training. This year, the summit will be November 3rd at the Brightwater Center in Woodinville, Washington with a satellite location at the Bureau of Environmental Services building in Portland, Oregon. The theme of this year's summit is "Reach Your Peak."  Register here today! 

 

Next year, the Water Environment Federation’s 2018 Odors and Air Pollutants Conference will be held March 25–28 in Portland, Oregon. WEF is partnering with PNCWA to host the conference and wants your abstracts!