Whether you’re selecting a school, a medical professional or a testing laboratory, one of the key factors to consider is always: “Are they accredited?” When dealing with the protection of public health and the environment, accreditation is critical. The Orange County Sanitation District’s (OCSD) Laboratory has always been accredited by the State, but now they...

The West County Wastewater District (WCWD) received the 14 Platinum Peak Performance Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA). This platinum award is the highest given by NACWA and recognizes public wastewater treatment facilities for their outstanding performance and ongoing compliance with EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) requirements. Established in...

Story from the Sacramento Bee Roseville City Council members voted unanimously to expand the city’s sewer plant and build facilities that recover energy from waste, including natural gas to power city garbage trucks. “It provides us an opportunity to be innovative with this construction,” said Councilman Scott Alvord, who lives near the treatment plant. “The...

On Friday Sept 29th Baywork released their long awaited report on water workforce reliability before a gathering of 65 representatives from water utilities, associations and community colleges. The Bay Area will need over 828 new water professionals in the next three years and there are not enough students in the training pipeline right now the...

One of the most anticipated events during WEFTEC, the Operations Challenge is a unique and fast-paced test of the essential skills needed to operate and maintain wastewater treatment facilities, their collections systems and laboratories — all vital to the protection of public health and the environment. This year’s competition included 44 teams from the U.S.,...

Increasingly faced with finding creative ways to afford major capital programs, many utilities are exploring alternative funding options that will help expedite their projects and reduce the burden to ratepayers. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) has accomplished an impressive step in this direction by being selected for a new Environmental Protection Agency WIFIA...

Below is the joint comment letter CWEA and CA NV AWWA have submitted focused on the operator certification piece of the DPR Report to the Legislature on the Feasibility of Developing Uniform Water Recycling Criteria for Direct Potable Reuse. Dear State Water Resources Control Board: Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the State Water...

  The path to on-site non-potable water reuse has been beset by roadblocks, but a new initiative is removing them to clear the way for more efficient water management. Whether challenged by multiyear drought, extreme flooding, impacts due to a changing climate, or increased demand on water supplies due to population growth, water utilities across...

Anders Wistrom of Centriair will be presenting a session on Odor Control at the Biosolids and Renewable Energy Technology Seminar next month. He answered some questions for us on the subject and says most of the odor work is “proprietary” and not readily available and, when available, often not very useful for the design or...

After two years with the city, Milpitas Public Works Director and CWEA member Nina Hawk is leaving to become the chief operating officer of water utility enterprise at Santa Clara Valley Water District. “Nina is a rare talent, and I’m very sad to see her leave our city.  But I am also very excited to...