Mike Selna, AAEE Vice President (lt) Attendee (ctr) Joseph S. Cavarretta, AAEE Executive Director (rt)
By Wendy Wert
LABS Director
On October 13, 2009 the American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE) hosted a breakfast and networking event at WEFTEC09 in Orlando, FL. The AAEE/AIDIS/WEF “Trends in Wastewater Treatment” event drew attendees from a broad spectrum of the environmental profession. AAEE President, Debra R. Reinhart Ph.D., P.E., BCEE, welcomed attendees and introduced the featured speaker, James L. Barnard Ph.D., P.E., BCEE. Dr. Barnard is recognized internationally as “the Father of Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR).” A celebrated 40-year career includes groundbreaking work that forms the basis for all BNR process configurations in use today. His current research on membrane and biofilm technology is leading to innovations that may reduce BNR plant size by more than two-thirds.
Dr. Barnard led environmental professionals on an entertaining historical journey through wastewater treatment. His presentation highlighted the discovery of the activated sludge process, major trends in wastewater treatment, drivers for Research and Development, wastewater as a resource, and possible future scenarios.
James H. Clark, Vice President, Black & Veatch (credit: CWEA)
The Water Environment Federation earlier this month announced Jim Clark, Black & Veatch Vice President and LABS’ President in 1991, as this year’s winner of the Engelbrecht International Achievement Award. The award will be given next month during a ceremony at WEFTEC in Orlando.
According to WEF “the Engelbrecht International Achievement Award is named in memory of Richard S. Engelbrecht, WEF President from 1977-1978. The award recognizes sustained and significant contributions to the furtherance and improvement of WEF’s international activities.”
Jim is Past-President of WEF and active in many of the Federation’s activities, including supporting the expansion of student and young professional outreach and activities.
Black & Veatch is a LABS’ sponsor.
Read Jim’s complete profile on the WEF website.
WEF is reminding attendees they have a Utility Partnership Program to help municipalities during the current economic crisis. Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts and the City of Los Angeles are already members of the discount program. WEF writes…
WEF recognizes the importance of utility participation in making WEFTEC “The Water Quality Event” of the year, and is aggressively working to ensure that utilities can participate. Only WEFTEC has a discount program specifically designed to ensure that utilities can participate.
WEF Utility Partnership Program
WEF has set-up an information web page about the Federal stimulus and possible funding for wastewater projects.
WEF’s leaders are urging industry professionals to write to their Congressional representative and posted a sample letter here.
WIN and WEF are calling on Congressional leaders to set aside $20-billion from the proposed stimulus package and dedicate it to the EPA’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). As WIN points out both the EPA and the General Accountability Office have written long reports about the shortfall in funding for the nation’s clean water infrastructure and predict the investment gap will grow to $500-billion over the next 20 years.
There are thousands of wastewater projects and hundreds of thousands of jobs that can be created by adding additional funding to the EPA’s CWSRF program. WIN wrote to Congressional leaders:
Again, we are confident that including $20 billion for wastewater and green infrastructure in the economic recovery package will create approximately 700,000 needed jobs in the short term, enhance America’s competitiveness in the future, and dramatically improve water quality and the environment
View California’s SRF Priority List of wastewater projects.
Who knew such a pretty color could cause such an ugly fight. According to WEF’s blog this morning, new Plumbing Codes set to go to the printer this past summer from the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) would have designated “purple pipe” as the color for any greywater application – a potential source of confusion since the Water Reuse industry has branded purple pipe as clean, fully treated reclaimed wastewater. A joint Task Force has been formed by all of the Associations (IAPMO, WEF and AWWA) to look into pipe colors.
WEF Reuse Chair Don Vandertulip, PE of CDM writes in his blog post:
The bottom line is that technical solutions will be developed for consideration by both reclaimed water utility interests and plumbing code enforcement officials. Water utilities and professionals have done a good job of “branding” purple pipe and educating constituents within the immediate service area about the value of reclaimed water.
Cecilia V. Estolano, chief executive officer of the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles, has been tapped by President-elect Obama’s transition team to advise them on EPA matters including policy, budget and personnel, according to WEF’s This Week in Washington.
Mrs. Estolano was a Special Assistant LA City Attorney from 2001-2004 and was the top negotiator on the landmark Clean Water Act settlement regarding the City’s wastewater collection system.
The EPA is a major supplier of low interest rate loans for wastewater treatment plant upgrade and construction via the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. State environmental agencies then approve grants and loans each year based on the SRFs available funds.
WEF’s This Week in Washington.
KCET Los Angeles will air the documentary Liquid Assets at 10:30pm on Saturday night. I guess water infrastructrure doesn’t rate as a prime time viewing experience and gets bumped to late night.
A PBS documentary about America’s crumbling water and wastewater infrastructure is coming to television in October. The series, called Liquid Assets – The Story of Water Infrastructure, focuses on 10 cities, including Los Angeles, struggling to repair, replace and expand their water and wastewater treatment plants in order to keep pace with growing populations and maintain the quality of life and health that clean water provides all of us.
The series was produced by Penn State with funding from ASCE and NACWA among others.
WEF is publicizing the series as part of their Water is Life public outreach campaign.
Newly installed President Rebecca F. West calls on Congressional leaders to invest $6.5-billion in the nation’s clean water infrastructure sooner rather than later. Mrs. West writes:
Investment in our nation’ s aging wastewater infrastructure not only protects public health and the environment, but each $1 billion invested in such projects generates more than 47,000 jobs. The House recently approved economic stimulus legislation (H.R. 7110) that provides $6.5 billion for wastewater infrastructure… and we urge this level of funding be considered in a new stimulus package. The National Association of Clean Water Agencies has identified nearly $3 billion in ready-to-go infrastructure projects that could be funded immediately.
Read the WEF President’s full letter here.
First it was LA Times writer Susan Carpenter re-piping washing machine water into her front yard, now WEF’s Water Environment & Technology highlights the greywater trend in an article.
Widespread graywater reuse holds strong potential for reducing the load on collection systems. “Less volume entering the system translates to lower electricity requirements for pumping at wastewater treatment plants,” said Chase Broward, director of development for homebuilder Brock Built. “A higher amount of graywater reuse also would work to concentrate the [wastewater], leading to more efficient treatment.”
WE&T article here (‘Shades of Gray’ about half-way down the page).
