WEF Highlights

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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) […]

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 […]

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 […]