Want to stay updated on regulatory changes in the PNW but don't have time to track all the different agencies? You don't have to! The PNCWA Government Affairs Committee stays on top of issues and gives monthly updates in the PNCWA digest. Not signed up for the digest? We've got you covered. Sign up here. Here's the update for December 2019.

• E. Regional Office of DOE is working closely with Spokane River dischargers to reduce PCB loading to the Spokane River through requirements in their NPDES permits. All five WA dischargers into the Spokane River have requested discharger specific variances from the 7ppq PCB water quality standard. A variance is a temporary change to a water quality standard requiring Ecology to undergo a formal rulemaking effort. Ecology hopes to issue a draft response to variance requests in early 2020 and to finalize the rule by fall 2020. Find out more information here.
• We need your help! Please take a minute to take the EPA's Nutrient Survey. The voices in the PNW need to be heard. Nutrient pollution is one of the largest environmental challenges in the country. This survey will help develop a baseline for secondary treatment plants across the nation – which will provide some idea of the costs associated with reducing nutrients on a national level. Surveys are still being accepted. You can fill out the survey here. 
• PFAS continues to be a major discussion item, nationally. WEF has issued a new call-to-action requesting letters to our congressional delegations. You can find more information and WEFs form letter here. 
• In September 2019, Oregon DEQ released its draft 2018/2020 Integrated Report and is soliciting comments through Jan. 6, 2019. The federal Clean Water Act requires Oregon to report on the quality of its surface waters every two years. Although not a written report, the Integrated Report is a reporting of the status of water quality in Oregon and a list of waters considered to be impaired. You can read the report here. 

PNCWA celebrated a special milestone at the 2019 conference: the InFLOW cohort attended for the first time.  InFLOW is a scholarship program developed by WEF that invites students from underserved minority groups to attend WEFTEC for free. The PNCWA InFLOW effort was spearheaded by Member Services Chair, Brittany Burch, with support from several other members of PNCWA leadership including Steven Drangsholt, Kristi Steiner, Dick Finger, and Brittany Park. Brittany Burch was inspired by the stories and successes already coming from WEF’s InFLOW program and wanted to create the same opportunity for PNCWA students.

“People who work in water are passionate. It shows in our work, on our faces, and in our interactions. Many of us attend conferences to be inspired, and sharing this inspiration with the InFLOW group is so critical to the long term success of the program. The support from our PNCWA members made that part easy,” said Burch. By creating a regional program, PNCWA has opened up opportunities for students in the Pacific Northwest who may not have had exposure to the water sector before. PNCWA InFLOW helps pique students’ interest in the water sector and sets students up with networking opportunities to increase their potential for employment and long-term success.

Each year, the Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association (PNCWA) offers scholarships to Student and Young Professional (S&YP) committee members to attend the national Water and Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC). As the lucky recipient of one of this year’s two scholarships, I had the opportunity to join over 20,000 water professionals gathering in Chicago for the 92nd WEFTEC, the largest annual water quality exhibition in the world.

The conference kicked off with an opening session featuring keynote speaker Dr. Lera Boroditsky, an Associate Professor of Cognitive Science at the University of California-San Diego. Dr. Boroditsky spoke about how language plays a critical role in influencing our perception of the world, including the development and reinforcement of personal biases. She connected this power of language to the importance of understanding how to use communication in developing a diverse and inclusive workforce in the water industry. Dr. Boroditsky’s message was echoed in the remarks of (past) WEF president Tom Kunetz who emphasized the power of building an inclusive and diverse workforce in the world of water and wastewater.

It’s that time of year again — the time when we start planning next year’s conference. But Tony, you say, PNCWA 2019 was just a few weeks ago? It can be hard to keep up the excitement after such an incredible time together, networking with so many dedicated water professionals. Post-conference feels like the time of year we tend to put the cruise control on and coast to the end of the year. Here are some things that I learned through the connections I made at conference and also some of my plans for the coming year to stay motivated. I might even help you keep the energy all the way to PNCWA 2020 in Spokane.

This year’s conference for me was amazing. I saw so many new faces and spoke with a number of both first-time attendees and long-time attendees. There were several commonalities amongst our conversations. First, we are a passionate group of people. We love water and the environment, and we're doing all that we can to improve water quality for as many people as we can reach. Our reach extends far beyond the Pacific Northwest, and we are very proud of that. Second, we have the desire to be a part of something. It might be something local and important to specific communities, or it might be something big. I mean really big—like cleaning up Puget Sound big! The third takeaway was how much talent and knowledge we have. We all bring something to the table that is of value. We have brilliant design engineers, accomplished PhDs, inspired city officials, skilled operators, and many others. 

The PNCWA Annual Member Survey has been designed to provide feedback to the Board of Directors and Committees on how effective our organization has been at meeting the professional needs of our membership. The information contained in the surveys submitted will be used to determine PNCWA success in meeting it's strategic plan goals, adjust the plan if necessary, and provide feedback to the board and committee chairs to help identify what the organization is doing well as well as proactive suggestions for areas that may need a little more attention or improvement.

 

It only takes a few minutes: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019PNCWAmembership-survey

Information compiled thanks to John Hendron and Carrie Finan.

There are several state and federal programs that provide financing to eligible entities for planning, designing, and constructing wastewater projects. Whether the goal is to build or repair collection systems or treatment facilities, these important resources can help aid in your project’s success.

If you are responsible for the management of maintenance in your utility, please take this survey

The Utility Management Committee is seeking to understand how Computer Maintenance Managements Systems (CMMS) are utilized by Pacific Northwest utilities. Is your utility using a CMMS system or not? What are the barriers, challenges, and successes? If you are responsible for the management of maintenance in your utility, please take this survey. We want to hear from you!

"Dear PNCWA Members,

On Tuesday, September 10th, the PNCWA Board will ask those of you in attendance at the Business Luncheon, which serves as the Association's Annual Meeting, to vote on proposed changes to the PNCWA Constitution. This serves as your 30-day notice, as required by PNCWA's Constitution and Bylaws. The PNCWA Board will also vote on proposed changes to the PNCWA Bylaws, and the Board welcomes your comments on the proposed changes. This also serves as your 30-day notice. Continue

PNCWA 2019 SYP WEFTEC Scholarship application is online

Eligibility: Applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered:
1. Be a Student or Young Professional member of PNCWA at the time of application.
2. Reside and work within WA, OR, or ID.
3. Cannot be a previous recipient of a SYPC WEFTEC Scholarship.
Instructions: Please complete the SurveyMonkey form no later than Aug 9, 2019, at 5:00PM Pacific Time. To ensure an unbiased evaluation process, please do not include any identifying information (your name, the name of your employer, etc.) in your application responses...we will track your application by your WEF member number! Scholarship application is at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SYPC2019WEFTEC.

WE are the experts.

Let’s speak with a loud, united voice. Speak up. Share your knowledge. It is more important now than ever. Inform government decision-makers and the public about the importance of water.

Aging infrastructure, strict requirements, and continued economic pressures have put unprecedented stress on local governments and agencies that provide essential water services. Elected officials are being called upon to make tough choices that will impact water quality and the viability of our communities for generations to come.

We know there is a better path—a path that leads to public appreciation for the value of water, investment in our essential water infrastructure, and a better quality of life for our states and communities.

WEF’s Water Advocates Program is a simple and effective way for you to become more involved with engaging elected officials and the public on important water issues. The Water Advocates Program provides training and engagement to promote grassroots advocacy before elected officials and the public with the goal of creating a network of trained water advocates in every state. Continue.

With the PNCWA annual conference just around the corner, we wanted to take a minute to reflect on the myriad of reasons why membership and involvement are so important. Membership not only impacts our own professional development, but the connections we make have the potential to create ripples across the region. We asked a few PNCWA members to tell us their story and why PNCWA matters so much to them in their own words. We also hear from the Membership Committee Chair, Brittany Burch, about an exciting initiative PNCWA is taking on to build diversity in our member association. Read their story here.

 

What’s your reason for getting up in the morning?

CARRY ON FOR CLEAN WATER: A MESSAGE FROM WEF LEADERSHIP

WE ARE THE REGENERATION
WE are The ReGeneration. What does it mean, and why did we choose it? It started with a mission to land on a unifying theme and call to action for WEFTEC that would clearly define why WEF and WEFTEC exist. The reason we are driven to achieve our shared purpose: to be a community of empowered professionals, who work together to create a healthy global water environment, by recovering, renewing, and reusing our water resources.

The ReGeneration is defined as a modern movement that’s made up of a diverse group of globally connected, innovative, and like-minded individuals of all ages and nationalities who share a common interest in renewable resources, recycling, and other means of sustaining the earth’s natural environment. It’s about harnessing the power of individuals working together for something greater. We didn’t make it up, nor do we know who did, but we can’t think of a better definition of who we are, what we do, and why we do it. What started off as a search for a catchy buzzword to inspire and unify turned into so much more. Among the many accomplishments that we achieved together in 2018, one that we are particularly proud of, ties very closely to the above definition. Last fall, the Board of Trustees approved new strategic goals. Among them is this: “Increase diversity and inclusiveness in the water sector through engagement and membership growth.”  Continue

June 13, 2019,10:00 - 4:30 pm; (mixer to follow, first drink is on us!)
HDR, 600 University Street, Seattle, WA 98101
$75 PNCWA or WEF members; $90 nonmembers; includes lunch and beverages. 
Register online: at www.pncwa.org/CS-Leadership2019-form by 11:59pm on June 6

One key to success is to fully understand how to apply your greatest talents and strengths in your everyday life. A person’s talents – those thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that come naturally – are the source of your true potential and power.  Continue

The Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association (PNCWA) is accepting proposals for an Executive Director (ED). We are looking for an inspirational leader to manage and grow this organization into the future. This position will report directly to the Board of Directors (Board) and is responsible for working with the Board to set strategic direction, represent member interests, promote educational opportunities for members, and perform outreach to current and potential members. Proposals are due to Jim Baird, PNCWA President, at [email protected], no later than the end of the day June 14th, 2019. Read about the position and search.

Hopefully, you noticed the ode to classic films in the title of this blog post. It was a nod to the classic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, in which Jefferson Smith, played by the inimitable James Stewart, heads to the Senate floor to defend that which he holds dear. John Beacham, PNCWA Government Affairs Chair, led an equally inspired contingent of fellow Pacific Northwest water warriors to Washington D.C. for the 2019 National Water Week Fly-In in April. The twelve-person team attended EPA workshops and visited with several members of Congress from Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. PNCWA's influence in Washington has continued to grow since the first contingent traveled to the nation's capital in 2013. Our membership is recognized as leading subject matter experts and our 1,500 members are a resource for numerous Congressional requests for information on clean water issues. Below is a recap of the visit summarized by members of the contingent themselves. We hope you enjoy their story, learn from their journey, and consider joining the Government Affairs Committee. We'd love to have you in D.C. with us in 2020.

At PNCWA, our mission supports the professional development of our members. The AWWA/WEF joint YP Summit provides the young professionals in our organization the opportunity to join other YPs from across the country to learn, grow, and build community. Each year the Student and Young Professional committee sponsor two member YPs to attend the YP Summit. Due to an increase in interest this year, the S&YP committee made a call for applications. Erica Haide, a marketing professional from Brown and Caldwell, and Brittany Sorenson, an engineer with BergerABAM, were selected through the application process.

Erica has been involved in the Pacific Northwest water industry since 2015. She applied to attend the YP summit because she knew it would only further her passion for the industry. “I would love to continue my leadership within the industry,” Haide explained. “The more exposure I can get with like-minded people will help me further those goals and turn them into reality.” Brittany was equally passionate but approached applying for a slightly different reason. “I got my PE a year ago and signed up as a WEF member but six months later felt like I hadn’t been a good member or taken advantage of member benefits like I had hoped,” Sorenson said.

Nominations due May 31, 2019

What you need to before you nomination a person or project, here.

Know a person, project, or organization who accomplished something incredible this year? Please read below:

Be one of the volunteer Board of Directors who lead and govern PNCWA

Nominations remain open through May 3, 2019. 

Nomination are open for:

PNCWA Vice President (nominations are open)
PNCWA Treasurer (nominations are open)
PNCWA WEF Director (nominations are open)
Young Professional Representative* (proposed, see below)

PNCWA is represented well this year in Washington D.C. for the annual fly-in. Through a mix of funding, including PNCWA funding, eleven members are attending. This is by far our biggest year and we’d love to see an even bigger contingent next year.

The group will be presenting the PNCWA positions on TSCA/PCBs, Integrated Planning, and Climate Change Resiliency located here. Additionally, they will be delivering a joint message from WEF, NACWA, AWWA, APWA, and other entities. They will hear from administrators from the EPA Office of Water on a variety of topics, including their intended focus areas for the upcoming year. Check out the PNCWA public LinkedIn page this week for any updates from our fly-in team. The members attending this year are listed below. Stay tuned for a recap in May!