WEF Highlights

The COVID-19 pandemic has attracted widespread attention to how WRRFs approach biohazard preparedness, worker safety, and personnel management. Staggered schedules, erratic shifts, and stringent safety protocols have become another part of the job for wastewater professionals. Robert Pontau, Jr., a Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Virginia) member and assistant general manager of the Brunswick (Maine) […]

Studying concentrations of pathogens in wastewater — a practice known as wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) — is a time-honored approach to gathering crucial public health data that traditional approaches might miss. During the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are partnering with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a […]

During the coronavirus pandemic, water utilities around the world are emphasizing the importance of flushing only the “Three Ps” — pee, poop, and toilet paper. In March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) amplified the water sector’s plea, urging Americans only to flush toilet paper and dispose of all other items in garbage receptacles. The […]

During the coronavirus pandemic, much of the water-sector workforce is working longer hours with smaller operations teams, placing unprecedented pressures on their individual skills and experiences. At the same time, many water professionals are spending more time at home due to social-distancing requirements, providing a unique opportunity to deepen their knowledge base and develop as […]

In recent days, state and federal regulatory groups have made several temporary policy changes that recognize the water sector’s critical role in protecting public health during the coronavirus pandemic. These changes relax certain restrictions, such as temporarily honoring expired operator certification credentials or forgiving missed consent decree deadlines, that could otherwise impede a water resource […]

Even during the coronavirus pandemic, water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) cannot cease operations even for a moment. It remains critical, then, for WRRF managers to develop actionable plans to ensure continuity of operations despite potential staffing shortages and supply chain disruptions. For utility managers, effectively responding to coronavirus requires additional attention to employee safety and […]

During the coronavirus pandemic, directives focused on avoiding social contact create unprecedented questions for the relationship between water and wastewater utilities and environmental regulators. For example, should regulators continue to enforce minor failures to meet permit obligations because of unavoidable staffing shortages at water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs)? Does the language in regulatory permits, agreements, […]