WEF Highlights

Water resource recovery facility (WRRF) managers in Broward County, Fla., have been working actively for nearly a decade to reduce the utility’s carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency without compromising its high standard of wastewater treatment. At WEFTEC 2019, the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) and its partners recognized Broward County Water and Wastewater […]

Although water and wastewater treatment is a vital public service, often it is difficult for customers to understand the processes, products, and people that keep our water safe and our environment clean. Luckily, Hollywood has a way of bringing unseen and undiscussed concepts into the public eye through theaters and living rooms. Last November, WEF […]

A new public education campaign is relying on social media, community outreach and kid-friendly messaging to motivate residents of a Phoenix suburb to rethink their waste disposal habits. Developed by the Water Resource Management (WRM) department in Surprise, Ariz., the campaign invites residents to “Be G.R.O.S.S” — that is, Guardians Regarding Our Sewer System. It […]

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 […]

Roy Arthur Herwig, known as the father of capacity, management, operation, and maintenance (CMOM), died Dec. 17, 2017, at the age of 75.   Herwig worked for Region 4 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 1984 to 2001. During his tenure at EPA, he helped develop the CMOM program to help evaluate the performance […]

The Dublin (Calif.) San Ramon Services District’s public education messaging has gone mobile. To spread its messages about items not to be flushed down toilets and the value of water, the district has equipped their vehicles with educational signs. The district’s “What Not To Flush” program asks customers to never flush wipes, diapers, or feminine […]

Get the complete picture of fats, oils, and grease (FOG) during the interactive seminar, Navigating the World of FOG. During the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) and AZ Water Association event, presentations, exercises, and facilitated discussion will train attendees on the options available for utilities to design and implement their own, site-specific FOG management […]

In New Hampshire, the City of Keene worked with local high school students to create a music video for “Don’t Flush That,” a song featuring a manhole superhero and set to the tune of Bruce Springsteen’s “Pink Cadillac.” Lyrics advise against flushing used baby wipes; cloth and paper rags; fats, oils, and grease; and plastic […]