WEF Highlights

Faced with the challenge of staffing three new water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs), Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD; Virginia Beach, Va.) launched its wastewater apprenticeship program in 1979. HRSD has grown to operate 13 award-winning WRRFs that provide service to 1.7 million residents across 18 cities and counties. Its apprenticeship program has grown in tandem, […]

Blending science with poetry may seem like an odd combination, but it is one of Art Stewart’s favorite activities. The professional limnologist, who studies inland waters, performed ecology and ecotoxicology research at Oak Ridge (Tenn.) National Laboratory for 17 years. In 2018, he joined the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) after taking a job […]

Florida outreach campaign centers around spoof horror-movie trailer The horrors of fatbergs — those accumulations of grease, baby wipes, paper towels, and other trash that combine to block wastewater pipes — are very real for water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs). JEA, a public utility in Jacksonville, Fla., decided to have a little fun bringing these […]

On March 22, four Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) staff members strapped on their helmets and pedaled their way around the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to celebrate water resource recovery facility (WRRF) operators. Jessica Rozek, Steve Harrison, Megan Livak, and Brad Lovett celebrated World Water Day by biking to three local WRRFs. The group […]

The Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) has released its first children’s storybook, Why Water’s Worth It. This highly anticipated book came from the positive response to the public service announcement video that was released last October as part of the WATER’S WORTH IT® campaign relaunch. Similar to the video, this fun and engaging educational […]

Since the end of World War II, the investment of federal money into basic research has led to many advances in engineering, materials science, computer science, medicine, and psychology. Yet, even with evidence of all these benefits, the relative contribution U.S. Congress has made into research as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) has […]

Tideway, an independent water company in London, launched a first-of-its-kind apprenticeship program to clean the River Thames and address a pending worker shortage in one fell swoop. “London relies on a 150-year-old sewer system built for a population less than half its current size,” said Hannah Shroot, media relations lead for Tideway. The company is […]

The Hohokam Native American society flourished for almost 1500 years in what is today central Arizona. Part of that long, rich history can be attributed to a breakthrough water technology: canals. Beginning around 300 C.E., the Hohokam people settled the arid desert environment of the Gila and Salt River Valley, an area that encompasses present-day […]