The 2024 Annual Conference and Expo in Sacramento promises to be one of our largest and most exciting. Connect and celebrate at the West Coast’s largest wastewater conference and explore all of the new technologies and vendors in the 72,00 square feet expo hall. We’re in California’s farm-to-fork capital – the beautiful tree-lined city of...

2023 Grand prize winner Rudy Hurtado, City of Manhattan Beach Crew members installing a submersible pump inside a wet well. View all the member photo entries on Flickr >

Click image for a larger view. Photos by Jim Aanderud, SSCSC (Southern Sections Collection Systems Committee of CWEA). All photos posted with permission of the photographer.  

Let’s put safety first within the wastewater profession. Join 150 wastewater pros representing 43 agencies and firms at the 2023 Southern Safety Day. 2023 Southern Safety Day Thursday, October 26 Learn more and register >   ACWA JPIA City of Alhambra City of Chino City of Corona City of Covina City of Culver City City...

As California’s water, wastewater, irrigation, and regulatory agencies face a wave of retirements, the state’s water associations are on a mission to elevate the profile of water-related careers. In recent years, California water agencies have witnessed a significant portion of their workforce retiring, up to 50% of the workforce at several agencies. “From finance and...

Dear CWEA Members, We hope this letter finds you well. Today, we would like to take a moment to reflect on the life and extraordinary contributions of Dr. David Jenkins, a beloved member of our water community. Dr. Jenkins was not only a respected professor and expert in wastewater treatment but also a compassionate volunteer...

With the recent uptick in online scams and cybercrime attempts, CWEA is taking steps to help protect members and volunteers from being exploited by cybercriminals. CWEA has put together this scam clarifier will help you screen out scams with tips on how to spot and avoid scams, what to do if you encounter a suspected scam,...

What a week! We hope you had a fantastic time at the CWEA Annual Conference & Expo in San Diego. AC23 was an opportunity to catch-up with friends and make new ones during the engaging technical sessions and at the exciting social events. Attendees got to participate in sessions, workshops, tours, social receptions, award lunches,...

Some may have retired to a life of golf and relaxation after spending more than 40 years as a civil engineer and serving as the Director of Wastewater for the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) in Oakland. However, Dave Williams felt he still had more to give. Before retiring in 2013, Dave decided to...

The 2023 Annual Conference and Expo at the Town and Country Resort in San Digeo is the one places to connect with nearly 2,000 wastewater professionals from 210 agencies and firms who are registered to attend. We are one community, with one purpose: protecting California’s most critical resource – clean water. Plus 155 exhibitors in...

At the Water Environment Federation, our vision for the future is life free of water challenges. As water professionals, this is our ultimate goal – a world where each person has access to clean water and sanitation, where communities prosper, and where nature thrives. To get there, our mission is to inspire the water community...

What are the big I.D.E.A.s when it comes to increasing diversity in the water profession?  That was the focus of an October 28th workshop in Oakland that brought together the CWEA Board of Directors, DEI Task Force members and several local section leaders. Twenty-eight volunteer leaders and staff members participated in the workshop facilitated by ...

Calling all current and future water leaders! WEF/AWWA Utility Management Conference 2023 March 28 – 31 The 2023 AWWA/WEF Utility Management Conference will be held at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center in Sacramento, California. Together, the American Water Works Association and the Water Environment Federation are once again partnering to offer this prestigious gathering...

CWEA and WEF are undertaking large, strategic initiatives to bolster diversity, equity, and inclusion within the water and wastewater profession. WEF is rolling out new initiatives, and CWEA has developed JEDI-Openers – stories about diversity that can help leaders start meetings with a short diversity moment. We recently pulled our membership demographic data and found...

Nominations for the 2023 CWEA State Board of Directors positions are now open. Below is a summary of the nomination process – and how you can become involved in selecting your leaders.  See the CWEA Leaders website at leaders.cwea.org for board nominations information and forms.  Nomination forms must be in by December 16, 2022. Serving...

CWEA member, Luis León, has over 37 years of U.S. and international engineering and management experience in the areas of master planning, feasibility studies, asset management, design (plans, specifications, and estimates), permitting, and construction management of public and private infrastructure projects. These projects have included wastewater collection systems, water distribution facilities, storm drainage, transportation systems,...

The AC23 Education Program Committee is currently accepting presentation proposals for the upcoming Annual Conference & Expo on April 18-21, 2023, in San Diego. This is a valuable opportunity to share your knowledge and expertise. This year’s conference theme is One Community. One Purpose. The focus is on intentionality, uniting the wastewater community, and collaborating for a...

Stories about PFAS have multiplied as we discover more about these “forever chemicals.” They’ve been in our lives since the 1940s – used in clothing, carpets, couches, cookware, cosmetics, and more – but we had no idea until this century that prolonged exposure could be harmful to our health. At least 80 percent of PFAS...

Thank you Harris & Associates for sponsoring the California Stockholm Junior Water Prize. The Water Environment Federation (WEF) proudly announces that John Benedict and Pauline Estrada, siblings from Clovis North High School in California, are the winners of the 2022 U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize (S.J.W.P.) for their project on conservation of irrigation water using...

CWEA is proud to announce the state winners of the Annual Awards program. These individuals and agencies were selected by CWEA’s Committees from over 172 applications. “It’s an incredibly exciting time to work in the wastewater industry. From recycled water to green energy to resource recovery, these award winners demonstrate they can step up, work together,...

Calling all WEF Members – It’s time to nominate candidates for the WEF Awards! Canham Scholarship Now Open! Open to WEF members currently enrolled in a graduate-level education program. For consideration, applications must be received by March 1, 2022. Learn More Additional WEF Awards Now Open! WEF offers a number of professional recognition awards to...

The Water Environment Federation (WEF), in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has launched the NutrientSmart (NSmart) program to help reduce nutrient loadings in waterways and recognize the water utilities that are leaders and innovators.  NSmart will begin as a pilot program and encourage the adoption of enhanced nutrient management practices by water...

Over 100 municipal agencies and firms are represented, so far, by P3S22 attendees. Don’t miss out, register today! Advanced Drainage Systems Atkins North America Blackburn Environmental Services Burbank Water and Power Cal Poly Pomona Cal Poly SLO Camrosa Water District Carmel Area Wastewater District Carollo Engineers CASA CDM Smith Central Basin MWD Central Contra Costa...

Wastewater collection systems are valuable assets to their communities and play a crucial role in public and environmental health. However, their value is often under-recognized and under-appreciated, leading to inadequate reinvestment and insufficient resources for the proper management of these systems. Wastewater Collection Systems Management, MOP 7 is designed to address these challenges and to...

On Friday, November 5, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (H.R. 3684). This bill will provide nearly $1.2 trillion in funding for the nation’s infrastructure. Approximately, $550 billion of the total is new funding to be spent during the next five years, and almost $51 billion is allocated to...

With many changes coming to CWEA, one of the biggest was our move to a new office space within our Oakland building. We decided to brighten up the office by having the wonderfully talented illustrator and muralist Nigel Sussman create a mural for CWEA. For those unfamiliar with Nigel’s work, he’s created art for many...

Water resource recovery professionals have long understood that when processed correctly, fertilizers made by repurposing wastewater biosolids can often represent a safer, cheaper, and more sustainable soil amendment compared to manure or chemical-based fertilizers. However, while biosolids reuse in the U.S. has become more common in recent decades, its adoption has been sluggish because of inconsistent regulatory guidelines, gaps...

Schedule of Events Panel Discussions Celebrating Water Professionals Virtual. The webinars are organized and promoted by a coalition of California water associations including ACWA, BAYWORK, CA-NV AWWWA, CASA and CWEA. Oct 6th – Veterans in Water panel discussion (virtual) Register Event Flyer Oct 7th – Diversity in California Water panel discussion (virtual) Register Event Flyer...

This update comes from the Water Environment Federation (WEF) This Week in Washington… The bill includes almost $55 billion in water infrastructure funding and several policy provisions that will benefit the nation’s water infrastructure. The water infrastructure section in the Senate package is fairly similar to what was passed by the Senate in April in...

CWEA recently sat down with Arvind K. Akela to discuss his involvement in CWEA over the past few years and  his goals as the new president of the Association as he works to implement the organization’s updated strategic plan during his term. Akela comes to CWEA with over 15 years of experience in engineering and...

Utility Management Conference 2022 February 21 – 24, 2022 Orlando, Florida, USA ABSTRACT SUBMITTAL DEADLINE: August 23, 2021 We are excited to announce that the 2022 Utility Management Conference will be in Orlando, Florida, and we are calling the water sector’s thought-leaders and experts to share their knowledge with the rest of the industry. The...

ASAE announced today the winners of the 2021 Gold Circle Awards, which denote excellence, innovation and achievement in association/nonprofit marketing, membership and communications programs. CWEA has won first place in the “Rebranding” category. This is our first ever ASAE first place award. “CWEA’s rebranding was a huge effort that affected all aspects of our association,”...

CWEA is here to support and empower wastewater professionals to help protect California’s most critical resource: clean water. We are a passionate and diverse community of over 10,000 members. To successfully accomplish our mission, CWEA needs the ongoing support and participation of innovative companies. Our new annual Sustaining Sponsorship is designed to support CWEA’s programs and members. Sponsorship offers...

NEW ~ Watch Brave Blue World on Netflix, then join our March 30th, 11:00 a.m. panel discussion hosted by Pacific Institute and CWEA. Learn more and register > A recording of our October 14th Brave Blue World panel discussion. A new documentary film titled Brave Blue World examines how new technologies and innovations can create...

At CWEA, we celebrate the critical work of our members every day, but especially during the fourth annual California Water Professionals Appreciation week! On October 3-11, we will join hundreds of agencies throughout California in recognizing all you do—from keeping essential wastewater service flowing to taking action to protect California’s waterways. Career Roundtable Webinars for New and...

The CWEA History Committee recently had the good fortune of acquiring a 1943 CSWA Annual Convention and Conference program from the estate of the late Roy E. Ramseier, consulting engineer and longtime member of CWEA.  In 1943, Mr. Ramseier was serving as Senior Sanitary Engineer, Pacific Division of the U.S. Engineering Department and was actively...