Tag Archives: Featured

Water Professionals Bring Rural Sanitation Solution to San Francisco

December 10, 2020

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A team of water professionals developed a new approach to provide access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services for homeless people in urban environments, which earned them the top prize in a United Nations competition in October. From top left going clockwise, team members include Ashly Thomas, Tim Moran, Cristina Baily, and Victor Silva. Image courtesy of Moran

Water professionals are sought-after participants in the United Nations’ UNLEASH Hacks program, which convenes talented young researchers, practitioners, and influencers from around the world to develop new solutions to further the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) during intensive, 2-day seminars. Water professionals play a direct role in achieving several of the SDGs, including SDG […]

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5 Ways to Use Social Media to Promote the Value of Water

December 1, 2020

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Brian Campbell, founder of WaterFilterGuru.com, offers five tips to help water professionals become more effective social media users. Image courtesy of Thomas Ulrich/Pixabay

Brian Campbell, founder of WaterFilterGuru.com, offers five tips to help water professionals become more effective social media users. Image courtesy of Thomas Ulrich/Pixabay Nowadays, it’s rare to find someone without an account on at least one social network, whether that be Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Snapchat. For water professionals, social media represents one of the […]

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Apply for Water Leadership Institute Class of 2021

November 6, 2020

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The Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Virginia) Water Leadership Institute program builds management skills while forging strong professional networks of like-minded water professionals. Applications for the Water Leadership Institute Class of 2021 are now open. Image courtesy of Julianne Jones/WEF

Nearly 350 water professionals have gained in-demand career skills as graduates of the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Virginia) Water Leadership Institute program since its introduction in 2012. Join them by applying for the Water Leadership Institute Class of 2021 by January 14, 2021. “The Water Leadership Institute is an instrumental program for the development […]

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WEF Recognizes Ingenuity in Operations and Design

October 16, 2020

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WEF celebrated four WRRF upgrade initiatives as winners of the 2020 WEF Project Excellence Awards. Among them was South Platte (Colorado) Water Renewal Partners, who led a partnership that delivered the state’s first facility that captures natural gas and sells it for a profit to a local pipeline owner. Image courtesy of South Platte Water Renewal Partners.

Effectively tackling emerging threats to public health and the environment requires water professionals to be agile; adaptable; and able to develop, implement, and operate new innovations that advance the way the sector approaches its work. In August, the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Virginia) announced the winners of its 2020 WEF Awards for Operational and […]

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2020 WEF Awards Recognize Excellence in Education, Communications

September 22, 2020

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Whether persuading community members to conserve water, working in a laboratory to study the latest threats to water quality, or preparing the next generation of water professionals, education is at the heart of the water treatment sector. Each year, one category of the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Virginia) Awards recognizes individuals and organizations driving […]

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What We Can Learn From COVID-19

August 21, 2020

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Robert Pontau, Jr., a Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Virginia) member and assistant general manager of the Brunswick (Maine) Sewer District, recently reflected on how working in WRRF management during the COVID-19 pandemic has changed his perspective. Image courtesy of Pixabay

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) […]

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U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize Winner Focuses on Oil Spills, Penguins

July 20, 2020

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Zoe Gotthold, a high-school student from Richland, Washington, won the 2020 U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition for her investigation into mitigating environmental damages from oil spills. In August, Gotthold will compete against national-level winners from 28 other countries during a virtual event. Image courtesy of Gotthold

Innovative devices to help clean up oil spills won Washington high-school student Zoe Gotthold the 2020 U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) competition, the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Virginia) announced in late June. Her project now advances to the international competition in August, where she will represent the U.S. against 28 other countries. Plastics […]

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Collections Systems Professionals Invent New Tools for Battle Against Non-Flushables

June 30, 2020

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Northumbrian Water sewerage maintenance operative Mark McCone overlooks the Porcupine (left), a tool invented by colleague Ray Armstrong in 2014 to prevent blockages related to woven wipes and identify their sources. McCone recently invented two successors to the Porcupine, named the Stinger and the Sentinel. Image courtesy of Northumbrian Water

Flushing household products – such as wet wipes for restroom use or cosmetic wipes for removing makeup – is a global issue for the wastewater sector. These products are often mislabeled as “flushable” despite their inability to disperse in conventional collections systems. Flushing them can result in costly and messy septic backups, environmental contamination, and […]

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