It's Time for the 2018 Student Design Competition - Submit intent to enter by Feb 19

The Adopt-a-School grant program provided water education opportunities for 1,567 students in 16 schools throughout Oregon, Washington and Idaho. A total of $6,500 was awarded as follows

Clackamas Web Academy

Cliff Church, who holds Grade II Wastewater Operator and Grade I Water Operator licenses, received the 2016 Oregon Wastewater Operator of the Year Award from the Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association. The award announcement calls Church “an operator who exhibits a commitment to learn safe and efficient plant operations. … He is willing to understand the operations of each plant and has shown a mechanical ability by repairing, maintaining and trouble- shooting equipment.”

Church, a reclaim water technician, was nominated by Andrew Albee, former Myrtle Creek Public Works director and now superintendent of the clean-water plant in Roseburg. “Right from the start,” he says, “Cliff struck me as a real square guy who cared, was really interested in his work, and didn’t treat wastewater as a just a job.” Continue

Webinar Series:  Enabling the Water Resources Utility of the Future

Webinar:  Achieving and Maintaining Economic and Social Health for the Community
January 23, 2018
1:00 - 2:30 PM, EST

The landscape that has traditionally driven clean water utilities is changing rapidly. Today’s utility managers are no longer just treating and discharging wastewater. They are looking for ways to optimize their efficiency, recover valuable resources, and enhance their contribution to the overall health of watersheds and their communities.

As “anchor institutions” in their communities, these Utilities of the Future employ innovative approaches not only to meet their own goals, but also to support the financial and social health of the communities they serve. Please join NACWA, WEF, U.S. EPA, WateReuse, and WE&RF for this webinar describing how leading clean water utilities are using innovative assistance programs to support low-income ratepayers and small water systems serving surrounding communities, enhancing the overall economic and social well-being of the entire area.

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.)