hampton city jam the city on the move! · vwea 2010 corporate sponsors . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....
TRANSCRIPT
Fall 2010
Our vision: The Virginia Water Environment Association (VWEA) will preserve and enhance Virginia’s water environment, now and for future generations.
V I R G I N I A W A T E R E N V I R O N M E N T A S S O C I A T I O N , I N C .
INSIDE...President’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
2010 JAM Golf Tournament Results . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Young Professionals Events at Water JAM 2010 . . . .6
Water JAM Government Affairs Session . . . . . . . . .10
VA AWWA-VWEA Joint Laboratory PracticesCommittee 2010 JAM Workshop . . . . . . . . . . . .11
16th Annual Good Laboratory Practices Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-13
VWEA Committee Chairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Advanced Concepts, Techniques, and Tools forInfrastructure Asset Management Workshop . . .15
Virginia’s Terminal Velocity Takes Top Honors at2010 Operations Challenge Competition . . . . . .17
Operations Challenge Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Accident Prevention & Safety Committee . . . . . . . .17
Sustainable Utilities Committee Workshop . . . . . . .19
Industrial Waste and Pretreatment Committee Gearing Up for 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
2010 NVRAC Golf Classic Recap . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
NOVA YPs at World Water Monitoring Day . . . . . .26
VWEA 2010 Corporate Sponsors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Hampton City JAM The City on the Move!Eric and I are happy to say that JAM 2010 was a great
success! We had a record breaking attendance thisyear too. The 2010 Joint Annual Meeting (JAM) was heldSunday, September 19th through Thursday, September23rd at the Hampton Roads Convention Center (HRCC)in the heart of Hampton.
A HUGE thanks goes out to all of the JAM committeemembers and volunteers – we couldn’t have succeededwithout you all!
The technical review team headed by Scott Dewhirst andKraig Schenkelberg has accomplished great things onceagain. There were many excellent papers submitted andthe sessions will be organized by topic. The topicscovered include an array of timely and pressing issues toour industry and include biosolids treatment, nutrientremoval, stormwater, planning, design and construction,sustainability and water reuse. The Local ArrangementsCo-Chairs; Stacie Metzler and Kim Clements and therest of the folks who served on their committee puttogether several exciting events during this year’s JAM.To help kick off JAM 2010, Jeff Haas and Karen Levy
continued on page 4
Long-time VWEA Administrative Coordinator Jay Givens(left) is congratulated by VWEA President Abha Sharma forhis many years of dedicated service to the association.
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OFFICERS AND DELEGATES
PresidentCHRIS TABORCDM757-873-8850 • Fax [email protected]
President-ElectGRACE LEROSE804-646-0033 • Fax [email protected]
Vice PresidentCLARKE WALLCRAFT540-639-3947 • Fax [email protected]
SecretaryJEANIE GRANDSTAFFHopewell Regional WW Treatment804-541-2214 x208 • Fax [email protected]
TreasurerSTEVE JOHNSONAlfa Laval804-236-1322 • Fax [email protected]
WEF DelegateBILL M'COY757-222-1517 • Fax [email protected]
WEF DelegateJIM CHASTAIN804-965-0086 • Fax 804- [email protected]
PWO RepresentativeSCOTT SHIRLEY804-853-1283 • Fax [email protected]
Young Professional RepresentativeMARTIN MALONECDM757-318-9800 • Fax [email protected]
Past PresidentABHA SHARMAProctors Creek WW Treatment804-751-4406 • Fax [email protected]
Executive DirectorMICHELE RINGROSE703-444-4677 • Fax [email protected]
The Conduit Communication CommitteeSONIA OTON, ChairKEVIN WOOD, Vice Chair
Mail correspondence to:SONIA OTONHazen and Sawyer4035 Ridge Top Road, Suite 400Fairfax, VA 22030(703) 218-2034 • Fax: (703) 218-2040Email: [email protected]
The Conduit is published by the Virginia Water Environment Association, Inc. (VWEA) as a service to its members.The VWEA expressly disclaims any responsibility arising from the selection of topics on presentation of information, materialsor opinions contained within The Conduit. Each reader of The Conduit shall be solely responsible for determining the adequacy,accuracy and reliability of any information, materials and opinions presented.The information, materials and opinions presentedin The Conduit represent the knowledge and views on selected topics by the particular individuals and do not necessarily reflectthe position of the VWEA.
The year has whizzed past us with so manyaccomplishments under our belt. The three new
committees –Sustainable Utilities, Continuing Educationand Development, and VA WARN have been very activeand had very successful meetings and presentationsthroughout the year. The Continuing Education andDevelopment committee was very successful in ensuringthat the recertification needs for PE’s and operators are metby this organization. This was put to the test at Water JAM2010, where the barcode scanning process went throughseamlessly. Virginia Water and Wastewater Agency
Response Network (VA WARN) has 19 members to date, which is very impressive.I would also like to acknowledge all the existing committees for doing suchfabulous job throughout the year by providing numerous educational opportunitiesto VWEA’s membership.
The huge success of JAM was no surprise. We surpassed previous records forattendance, despite the gloom and doom in the financial sector, thanks to theleadership of Farah Foster-Chase, Eric Whitehurst and the entire hard workingcommittee members. The Community Outreach event at the JAM 2010, organized byour Young Professionals, speaks volume of what dedication means. Over 15 membersvolunteered in this unique “Clean and Teach” event. Local 5th thru 8th gradestudents, from various schools, participated in clean-up and water treatment activitiesaided by volunteers. The YP’s helped to beautify the school’s campus and taught localstudents about engineering in the water and wastewater industries. The group alsoparticipated in World Water Monitoring Day by sampling an area of New MarketCreek that runs near the school’s campus.
I would like to take a moment to introduce and welcome Michele Ringrose. She hasjoined our organization as the Executive Director, allowing Jay Givens his muchdeserved retirement at the end of this year. Michele’s background is in the publicpolicy management arena and she brings over twenty-five years of experience in not-for-profit organizations to VWEA.
In closing, I would like to reiterate that all these positive things going on with theorganization would not have been possible without the strong leadership of thecommittee chairs, vice chairs and committed involvement of the committee members.My sincerest thanks to all of you for doing such an outstanding job, to all the Boardmembers and to Jay Givens for all the guidance and encouragement given to methroughout the year to help me sail by through calm, as well as, choppy waters.
Abha SharmaVWEA President
Our vision: The Virginia Water Environment Association (VWEA) will preserve and enhance Virginia’s water environment, now and for future generations.
President’s Corner
Fall 2010
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had two interesting speakers for the Opening Session. Thekeynote speaker was Doug Domenech, the Secretary ofNatural Resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia;and the featured speaker was Laura Seltzer, Producer,Director and Photographer for Seltzer Film & Video.
Hampton City JAM, continued
Attendees can’t keep those smiles in during WaterJAM2010!
Looks like the dealer is making out better on thisparticular hand!
Michael Morris and Todd Boykin had the veryimportant job of putting the exhibitor portion of the JAMtogether. There were some great events including; theRapid Tappin’, Ops Challenge, Scavenger Hunt and aRaffle drawing. We are grateful to the exhibitors for theirparticipation.
Lauren Zuravnsky and Erin Doss provided a wide arrayof activities for our young professionals with numerousnetworking and education opportunities.
Jessica Hou was focused on our student competition forengineering and science majors from Virginia universitiesin which student teams addressed a real world waterquality issue and had a specified time to develop aproposed solution. In addition, the Joint VWEA and VAAWWA Student Activities Committee judged all paperspresented by students of Virginia’s universities withawards going to the best water-themed and wastewater-themed presentations.
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas – and with thiscrowd, you don’t want to know.
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We were helping Hampton celebrate a bit of theillustrious city’s heritage and history, but…..pirates?
Deserving award recipients are some of many recognizedthroughout WaterJAM sessions.
2010 JAM TOURNAMENT LONG DRIVE
Ladies – Beate Wright Men's – Brian Miller
CLOSEST TO THE PIN #2 – Andy Snyder 5'7" #4 – Karen Levy 6'2"
#13 – Greg Anderson 5'7"
CLOSEST TO THE LINE #18 – Stewart Lassiter
Third Flight 3rd: Johnson, Koonce, Deguida, Jones 74
2nd: White, Hart, Luning, Snyder 74 1st: Bedell, Gilsdorf, Nold, Mitchen 74
Second Flight 3rd: Wright, Lipinsky, Jacobson, Gregson 68
2nd: Lassiter, Beringer, Elam, Brown 68 1st: Desouza, Smith, Fisher, Logioco 68
First Flight 3rd: Sciancchitano, Swilley, Quesenberry, Phillips 62
2nd: LaRue, Meekins, Angel, Miller 62 1st: Enoch, Noonan, Clark, Ramsey 62
What a beautiful day for a round of golf!
To bring all this information together, Kim Hughes andKelli Stamm worked hard to make sure all theinformation was included in the Registration andConference Planner brochure, which enabled attendees totrack the sessions, events, and programs they wanted toattend throughout the week.
This year’s JAM was filled with technical information,product innovations, networking opportunities andfabulous entertainment. Hampton, Virginia is celebratingtheir 400th year. Thank you all for attending! See you allnext year at the Beach!
by Eric Whitehurst and Farah Foster-ChaseJAM Co-Chairs
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The VWEA and VA AWWA YP Committees organizedseveral events at this year’s WaterJAM: The
Community Service/Outreach Event, the Wii Challenge,the Fresh Ideas Poster Contest, and the YoungProfessionals Workshop. The events were well attendedand contributed to making this year’s JAM a success.
Clean Water Education Day – YPCommunity Service/Outreach Eventby Erin Doss
To kickoff Water JAM 2010, the Young ProfessionalsCommittee held a very successful community outreachevent in the City of Hampton on Sunday, September 19,at the outdoor classroom at Mary Peake Center. Over 15members volunteered in this unique “Clean and Teach”event. Local 5th-8th grade students from various schoolsparticipated in a clean-up and water treatment activitiesaided by volunteers. The group helped to beautify theschool’s campus and taught local students aboutengineering in the water and wastewater industries. Thegroup also participated in World Water Monitoring Dayand sampled an area of New Market Creek that runs bythe school’s campus. Additional resources were providedto local teachers and parents in attendance to furtherdiscussions in the classroom. Brown and Caldwellsponsored the materials and refreshments for the event.Hampton Roads Sanitation District provided materialsand gift bags for the students. McKim and Creedprovided additional materials. Hampton Clean CityCommission aided in advertisement of the event. Aninformal happy hour sponsored by Brown and Caldwellfollowed on the deck at Marker 20 Restaurant indowntown Hampton.
Young Professionals Events at WaterJAM 2010Wii Challengeby Lauren Zuravnsky
The WaterJAM Wii Challenge, located in the ExhibitionHall, was organized by the Young ProfessionalsCommittee for the second year in a row. The event was asuccess, featuring an open-play format for conferenceattendees during the day on Tuesday and Wednesday.Close to 100 participants challenged themselves andothers by playing Wii Sports games, including golf,bowling, tennis, and baseball. One courageous pair ofparticipants even attempted virtual boxing! After eachgame played at the Wii Challenge station, participantswere awarded one raffle ticket and game winners wereawarded three. Each raffle ticket offered a chance to winthe complete Wii system donated by Greeley and Hansen.Although individual game scores were not recorded thisyear, the last game of bowling proved to be very exciting,with Sarita Moore bowling SIX strikes in a row for awhopping high score of 245! At the end of the day onWednesday, the lucky raffle winner was picked andHeather Thomas of Alexandria Sanitation Authority tookhome the Wii system. Special thanks go to all of thegreat volunteers who gave their time to help make theWaterJAM Wii Challenge a success and congratulationsto Heather!
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YP Community Service/Outreach Event Participants Wii Challenge raffle winner Heather Thomas (left)with Lauren Zuravnsky (right)
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YP Events at WaterJAM 2010, continued
Fresh Ideas Poster Contestby Stephanie Klaus
Once again, WaterJAM featured a diverse group of youngprofessionals presenting their work in the 2010 FreshIdeas Poster Contest on Wednesday, September 22nd inthe Exhibition Hall. This year’s contest featured the workfrom members of the academic and consulting fields.
This year’s winner is Phill Yi with Hazen and Sawyer forhis poster “Evaluation of Nitrification Kinetics andBiological Phosphorus Removal using Batch RateTesting, Profile Sampling, and Process SimulationModeling.” Phill’s poster was selected as the best overallposter in the competition by a panel of three judges.
The YP Committee would like to thank all of theparticipants in this year’s contest: Ben Popovich of UVA,Michael Downey of UVA, Loveenia Gulati of CH2MHill, and Phill Yi of Hazen and Sawyer. Specialrecognition goes to this year’s judges: Gary Schafran ofODU, Gary St John of CDM, and Tim Mitchell of City ofLynchburg.
workshop titled “Young Professionals – ProgressingForward” was focused on young professionals and findinganswers to some of the question YPs typically have whenworking in the water/wastewater industry. JohnMcGettigan, AECOM gave an informative presentationon the various accreditations options available for the YPto progress forward in their careers. Following John’spresentation the attendees actively participated in a roundtable group exercise to discuss the various accreditationsthey were aware of, and what was the perception of theseaccreditations in the industry. Dr. Charles Bott, HRSDactive member of WEF and other association, Lisa Bassactive member of ‘Engineers Without Borders’ (EWB)and Toshia Martin active member of ‘Water for People’(WFP) gave a very inspirational presentation, andmotivated young professionals to give back to thecommittee by being involved in organizations like WEF,AWWA, IWA, EWB and WFP. Scott Dewhirst, City ofNewport News briefed everyone on how the wheels spinin the industry as a project progresses from conception tofinal deliverable at the city or county level.
The workshop was a great success with recordattendance. The real measure of the success of theWorkshop was the feedback received: YPs felt theyincreased their understanding of the industry and a fewattendees approached the YP Workshop organizers andEWB to express interest in being an active member oneach committee. The YP Workshop Planning Committeewould like to thank all the speakers and attendees and islooking forward to more involvement with the committeewhile progressing forward.
Phill Yi with his winning poster.
Scott Dewhirst giving his presentation on “How a ProjectBecomes a Project”
Young Professionals Workshopby Sonali Ambre
The Young Professionals (YP) workshop at WaterJAM,organized by VWEA and VA AWWA Young Professionalsand Student Activity Joint Committees, was held onWednesday, September 22nd from 1:30 pm to 5 pm. The
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The Government Affairs session at WaterJAM onSeptember 22nd was very well attended; not
surprising, given the prestigious and influential lineup ofspeakers presenting news and views on current andupcoming issues of critical importance to WaterJAMattendees.
Dave Paylor, Director of Virginia’s Department ofEnvironmental Quality, did not address Chesapeake Bayissues as other speakers were giving the new Bay TMDLextensive coverage. Mr. Paylor covered seven significantissues. He discussed the need for Virginia to develop amore robust system for tracking and responding to draughtconditions. On a closely related topic, he discussedgroundwater monitoring and the need to develop strategiesthat were sustainable in perpetuity. Regarding the shift ofbiosolids responsibilities from VDH to DEQ, Mr. Paylorspoke about the substantial staff and effort that DEQ hasdedicated to the Program. DEQ now has twenty staffworking on biosolids permitting and inspection, withfourteen of them working in the field. Last year, DEQinspected approximately 70 percent of all biosolidsapplication sites. DEQ remains committed to providingthe sound science and compliance enforcement necessaryto provide the needed assurance for public acceptance ofsustainable biosolids practices despite strong objectionsfrom some. Also of direct interest to water and wastewaterprofessionals, Mr. Paylor discussed greenhouse gas issuesand the VA adoption of the EPA tailoring rule. He brieflysummarized other projects DEQ was involved in includinghydro-fracking to recover natural gas and water protectionefforts associated with fly ash storage and disposal.
Jeff Corbin, Senior Advisor to EPA Region IIIAdministrator, followed and he did speak aboutChesapeake Bay issues. Mr. Corbin detailed EPA effortsand schedule to develop Total Maximum Daily Loads(TMDLs) for the Bay and adjourning waters. Theschedule included milestones to review the VirginiaWatershed Improvement Plans (WIP), finalize the EPATMDL by the end of this year and reach 60 percent ofgoals by 2017 and 100 percent of goals by 2025. Hestressed the draconian measures EPA was prepared to takeif the states did not provide ‘reasonable assurance’ that theTMDL nutrient allocations would be met.
Alan Pollock (Virginia Department of EnvironmentalQuality, Water Quality Division) started by stating that theBay TMDL discussion to date had “sucked all the humor”out of him. Nevertheless, Mr. Pollock proceeded to
present positively the five key elements of the VirginiaWIP. These included:
1) meet all basin targets by 2017
2) expand the credit exchange program to include urbanstormwater systems and septic system as well aswastewater dischargers and agriculture
3) develop a strategy to re-evaluate the James Riverchlorophyll-a criteria and related nutrient goals
4) aggregate loads across all sectors
5) adopt and implement adaptive management
Mr. Pollock concluded that, while much work remains,much has been accomplished and he is optimistic that theVirginia WIP will succeed.
Jack Fry, Director of Virginia Department of Conservationand Recreation, Soil and Water Conservation Division,spoke about nonpoint pollution control efforts in Virginia,in particular, DCR efforts in support of the Virginia WIP.Mr. Fry declared that the new administration had set a goalto have 400,000 additional acres under land conservationeasements in addition to that achieved by the previousadministration. Mr. Fry also discussed DCR efforts in theMS4 stormwater control efforts and his division’s effortsto propagate additional agricultural and forestry BestManagement Practices (BMPs). He stated that the fivemost effective agricultural BMPs have been adopted onbetween 30 and 40 percent of agricultural lands and DCR’sgoal is to have all five BMPs adopted on 60 percent ofapplicable land.
Finally, Chris Pomeroy of AquaLaw, conducted an open,town-hall style meeting to discuss the enforcementimplications of the Bay TMDL point and non-pointcomponents. The discussion was lively, to say the least.At the end of the day, many feared EPA would try to forceinequitable and inefficient conditions on Virginia’swastewater and stormwater permitted facilities. Chrisoutlined, in general terms, what could be done to avoidthis wasteful outcome. He emphasized the need foraffected parties to be involved in the process and provideformal and detailed comments on the EPA TMDL plan.
by Glenn HarveyVWEA Public and Government
Communications Committee
WaterJAM Government Affairs Session
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The VA AWWA – VWEA Joint Laboratory PracticesCommittee held a workshop at JAM 2010 at the
Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton onMonday, September 20th. The workshop was entitledLaboratory Leaders: How to maintain a QualitySystem with a decrease in budget and manpower. Theworkshop was a tool for laboratory managers andsupervisors covering topics that are successful to maintaina quality system in the laboratory. Starting off themorning session, Bob Steidel with the City of Richmondpresented “Doing the Most with What You’ve Got fromWhere You Are At.” He spoke about planning andcontrolling an effective budget, budgeting for the expectedand unexpected in the laboratory, capital budgeting, havinga Business Continuity Plan, and many other helpful tipsfor successful laboratory budgeting. Greg Hudson withEnviroCompliance Laboratories, Inc. presented “QualityAssurance – Performing Internal Audits,” coveringinformation for successfully performing internal audits inthe laboratory: SOP for a self audit, defining what will bepart of the audit, how it will be performed, correctiveactions, and documentation.
Karen Pallansch with Alexandria Sanitation Authoritystarted the afternoon session with “How to EmpowerYour Employees and Boost Morale” talking aboutaction-centered Leadership – achieving a task, managing ateam, managing the individual, and motivation. HenryBeauchamp with Wibby Environmental presented“Performance Testing (PT) - The Backbone of your
Quality System” explaining the PT process from providerto participant and how PTs work in your laboratory forquality control and quality assurance, and describing howPTs help maintain your quality system.
There were 26 attendees with a very broad base ofknowledge and experience including drinking water,wastewater, and consulting, which provided for veryinformative discussions of all of the topics presented. Allattendees left with a wealth of information and lots ofideas on how to better maintain a quality system in theirlaboratory.
Our thanks to the presenters for their time andpresentations and their contiued support of the LPCCommittee.
by Regina CuthbertVWEA Laboratory Practices Committee
The VA AWWA-VWEA Joint Laboratory PracticesCommittee 2010 JAM Workshop
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The VA AWWA/VWEA Laboratory PracticesCommittee hosted the 16th Annual Good Laboratory
Practices Conference at the Omni in Charlottesville,Virginia on Monday and Tuesday, August 2nd and 3rd.The Conference was well attended with 106 attendees inthe workshops, 172 in the technical sessions, and 31vendors exhibiting the latest in water and wastewatertechnology and products.
On Monday, six different workshops were offered; eachattendee got their choice of two subjects. Morningsessions included: BOD, TSS and Fecal Coliform,presented by Marlene Moore, which was a brief overviewof the methods and quality control required.Electrochemistry: pH, BOD, and Ammonia Analysis,presented by Kelly Sweazea and Peter Poczatec, reviewedcalibration, care, maintenance, measurement, performanceevaluation and troubleshooting with BOD highlightingpolarographic and optical technology. Microbiology forWater and Wastewater, and Certified MicrobiologyMethods for Drinking Water, presented by Chris Griffin,introduced water microbiology, methods for bacterialtesting of drinking water and wastewater, proper samplingtechniques, QA/QC, and regulations for drinking waterand wastewater. The Conference offered in the afternoon,Data Handling and Ethics, a review of the ethical code ofconduct for environmental analysts presented by MarleneMoore, and a second Microbiology for Water andWastewater workshop. A vendor reception ended theevening with a relaxing Meet And Greet.
Tuesday morning the Conference opened with remarksand introductions from the Chair of the joint committee,Wendy Harding. Mala Burton was introduced as the newVice-Chair of the Laboratory Practices Committee. JohnAllen, with Fairfax Water, was recognized as the recipient
16th Annual Good Laboratory Practices Conference
Participants are engaged in the Good Lab PracticesElectrochemistry Workshop.
At left, Conference speaker Cathy Westerman (DCLS)receives a certificate of appreciation from Wendy Harding(right), VWEA Lab Practices Committee Chair.
Exhibitors displayed their wares and drew participantsinto good conversations in between sessions.
of the Lab Analyst Award. The morning session topicsincluded the following speakers: Marlene Moorepresenting Requirements to Obtain VELAP Accreditation,Henry Beauchamp presenting PT Program – Current andFuture Changes, and Cathy Westerman presentingVELAP Certification: Understanding PT Requirementsand Common On-Site Assessment Issues.
Concurrent afternoon sessions included 12 presentationscovering a broad range of laboratory issues: CyanideDetermination Using MICRODIST, Validation of aSolvent-Free Method for Membrane Recoverable Oil andGrease Analysis by Infrared Determination (ASTMD7575), Simplified Procedure for the Determination ofTKN in Water and Wastewater, The Impact of Toxicity inWater and Wastewater, Comparison of Recent EPAAlternate Test Procedures (ATPs): Non-Stirred vs. StirredBOD Analysis by Optical Dissolved Oxygen
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Conference Speaker Marlene Moore during herpresentation at the technical workshop.
It was a packed house at the Good Lab PracticesConference Held in Charlottesville.
Measurement, Approval to use your Luminescent (LDOand RDO) DO Sensors, GC Troubleshooting, SamplingTechnique and How it Affects Sample Analysis,Overview of New EPA Method 334.0 Determination ofResidual Chlorine in Drinking Water Using an On-lineChlorine Analyzer, All About IC: Using IC for DrinkingWater Analysis, New EPA Methods: Determination ofDisinfection by-Products Bromate and Haloacetic Acidsby Direct Injection of Drinking Waters With High IonicStrength Matrices, and Continuous Imaging Fluid ParticleAnalyzer for the Detection, Identification, andEnumeration of Taste and Odor Causing Algae andCyanobacteria.
The workshops and conference were a huge success; all ofwhich would not have been possible without our sponsorsand the cooperation of all of committee members. Specialthanks go to Sherry Williams (Registration), RobinPurnell and Kimberly Stubbs (Programs), Alicia Connellyand Regina Cuthbert (Workshops), Chris Griffin(Exhibits), and Stuart Wilson (Local Arrangements). Weextend our thanks to all of our attendees for attending, and
for your patience while we used our barcode scannerswhich were being used as a trial for CPE and CECdocumentation. If you did not get a chance to attend thisyear, we hope you will be able to join us next year. Wehave already started planning, and we look forward tobringing you another great conference.
by Regina CuthbertVWEA Lab Practices Committee
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VWEA Committee ChairsJam
Eric Whitehurst, ChairCity of Richmond
Accident Prevention & SafetyJim Cherry, ChairCity of Virginia Beach
757- [email protected]
AwardsKaren Pallansch, ChairASA
Bioenergy Sub CommitteeLori Stone, ChairBlack & Veatch
Central Virginia Regional ActivitiesLauren Zuranvnsky, ChairGreeley & Hansen
Collections & StormwaterCommittee
Stephen Crowe, ChairMalcolm Pirnie
CommunicationsSonia Oton, ChairHazen & Sawyer
Continuing Education &Development
John McGettigan, ChairAECOM
Eastern Virginia Regional ActivitiesMark Swilley, ChairYork County
EducationPete Baskette, ChairBlack & Veatch
757-456-5380 [email protected]
5 - SKaren Pallansch, ChairASA
Industrial Waste & PretreatmentLinda Respess, ChairHopewell RWTF
804-541-2214 [email protected]
Lab PracticesWendy Harding, ChairCounty of Chesterfield
Manuf & RepsSteve Johnson, ChairAlfa Laval
MembershipFarah Foster Chase, Chair O'Brien & Gere
NominatingKaren Pallansch, ChairASA
Northern Virginia Regional ActivitiesThom Lipinski, ChairLoudoun Water
OperationsAndy Nelson, ChairHRSD
757- [email protected]
Ops Challenge Barbara Jackson, ChairCity of Richmond
Public & GovernmentCommunications
Bob Canova, Chair540-819-7255
[email protected] Junior Water Prize
Nina Andgren703-485-8420
[email protected] Planning
Kathi Mestayer, ChairKMA Consulting
Student ActivitiesNitin Kumar, ChairCH2M HILL
Sustainable Utilities Nina Andgren, ChairUOSA
Utility ManagementRobert Forgione, ChairUOSA
Virginia WARNClarence Warnstaff, ChairMichael Baker, Jr., Inc.
Water ReachBrent Waters, ChairGolder
Water for PeopleChip England, ChairCounty of Henrico
Water ReuseLeita Bennett, ChairCDM
Young ProfessionalsMarty Malone, ChairCDM
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Advanced Concepts,Techniques, and Tools forInfrastructure Asset Management Workshop
The joint Utility Management Committee was pleasedto have sponsored the new USEPA Advanced Asset
Management Workshop at the Upper Occoquan ServiceAuthority on September 27th and 28th. This workshopentitled Strengthening the Asset Reinvestment DecisionUsing Advanced Risk Techniques to Determine the End ofAsset Life is the first of its kind offered on the east coastand is a sequel to the USEPA’s Fundamental AssetManagement Workshop series that has been around forseveral years. The workshop was created by leaders inthe field of Asset Management: Mr. Steve Albee, USEPAProject Director and Mr. Duncan Rose, Technical Directorand Principal Consultant with GHD Consultants.
Building upon the core structure of EPA’s Fundamentalsof Asset Management series, this workshop assumed thatparticipants had attended the “Fundamentals” workshopand mastered basic concepts developed in theInternational Asset Management Infrastructure Manual.Attendees were asked to bring laptops to work throughmini-exercises that were incorporated throughout the two-day workshop to demonstrate specific techniques andanalysis tools such as business risk exposure, conditionalprobability, risk mitigation strategies, triple bottom lineeconomic analysis, intervention costs, and calculated riskcosts. A final project concluded the workshop andrequired participants to deploy techniques tosystematically evaluate the three triggers for reinvestmentdecisions: service/capacity life, physical life, andeconomic life on a real world project. The concepts andtools learned in the course were applied by breakingparticipants into small management teams. The workshopwas limited to 40 people so that the final team projectcould be effectively managed and engaging to allparticipants.
A total of thirty-nine people representing water andwastewater utilities, consulting firms, and vendors fromacross Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts participatedin the workshop. This workshop provided an excellentopportunity for practitioners to network and hone theirasset management skills using the latest techniques andtools. The Utility Management Committee through itsAsset Management subcommittee will be offering moreoutreach programs this upcoming year. For moreinformation contact Matt Stolte, Asset ManagementLeader of the Utility Management Committee.
by Matt StolteVWEA Utility Management Committee,
Asset Management Leader
Thirty-nine people from multiple organizations participatedin the Infrastructure Asset Management Workshop.
A final project Asset Management Team brainstorms to applywhat they learned to a real world scenario.
Welcome, New VWEAExecutive Director!
VWEA has a new Executive Director, withnew address and contact information.
Michele Ringrose, Executive Director
VWEA21010 Southbank St, #2025Potomac Falls, VA 20165
[email protected](703)444-4677 phone
(703)444-3253 fax
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jThe Water Environment Federation (WEF) proudlyannounces Terminal Velocity from the Virginia Water
Environment Association as the first division winners ofthe Operations Challenge competition that was held at theNew Orleans Morial Convention Center in New Orleans,Louisiana. Coached by Bobby Williams, the team ofDonnie Cagle, Paul Cubilla, Steve Motley, and Jason Truittcompeted against 37 teams from the United States,Canada, and Argentina during the fast-paced, two-dayevent. The full competition results include:
Division 1
First Place: Terminal Velocity, VWEA
Second Place: LA Wrecking Crew, California WEA
Third Place: Seacoast Sewer Snakes, New England WEA
Division 2
First Place: Team HRSD, VWEA
Second Place: Dillo XXPress, WEA of Texas
Third Place: Liquid Force, WEA of South Carolina
Now in its 23rd year, Operations Challenge has grownfrom an original 22-team event to its current 37-team, two-division format. Winners are determined by aweighted point system for five events including collectionsystems, laboratory, process control, maintenance andsafety. The events are designed to test the diverse skillsrequired for the operation and maintenance of wastewatertreatment facilities, their collection systems andlaboratories – all vital to the protection of public health and the environment.
Virginia’s Terminal Velocity Takes Top Honors at 2010 Operations Challenge Competition
… And the winner of the Accident Prevention and Safety Committee’s NFL hard hat raffle is
Chris HarbinWater Production Manager
Department of UtilitiesCity of Norfolk
While Chris is taking home the Washington Redskins hat,he also passed up the New Orleans Saints hard hat to DonGartrell with Mickel Baker Jr., Inc. Don will be sporting
the New Orleans hard hat around construction sites.
Accident Prevention andSafety Committee
Operations ChallengeResults
Virginia will come back home as the NationalChampions for Division I Operations Challenge. The
City of Virginia Beach Terminal Velocity team dominatedthe competition and won in convincing fashion by beatingthe 2nd place team by nearly 100 points. By far, thelargest margin of victory ever at the national competition.Terminal Velocity is comprised of Jason Truitt, BobbyWilliams, Steve Motley, Elijah Smith, Donnie Cagle andPaul Cubilla. They will be featured on the COVER of theNovember 2010 WE&T National Magazine. TerminalVelocity placed first in Laboratory, Pump Maintenance,and Collections; second in Safety; and third in ProcessControl. In Division 2 the team from HRSD won 1stplace Overall, to give Virginia a Clean Sweep of the topspot in both Divisions.
by Stephen T. Motley, P.E.
Chris Harbin, Water Production Manager for NorfolkUtilities(left) and Jim Cherry, Chair of the AccidentPrevention and Safety Committee (right).
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The newly formed Sustainable Utilities Committeekicked off WaterJAM 2010 on Monday, September
20th by holding a full-day workshop entitled Efficiencyand Sustainability: Seeking Compatibility notCompromise. The much anticipated workshop was hostedby Jeff DuVal of the Alexandria Sanitation Authority(ASA) who is currently serving as vice-chair of thecommittee. The event was attended by a diverse group of 30 individuals representing regulatory agencies, utilityauthorities, consulting firms, and energy servicecompanies (ESCO).
The morning session began with Jim Hanlon, US EPAOffice of Wastewater Management, delivering apresentation outlining EPA’s Sustainable UtilitiesInitiative. Jim touched on the four areas of the EPA’sSustainable Initiative including effective utilitymanagement tools, energy and water efficiency, peerreviewed wastewater technology evaluations, andcollaboration with stakeholders. Jim Eddinger, US EPAEnergy Strategies Group, followed with a segment on AirEmissions and Combined Heat and Power Initiativeswhich updated attendees on the newly proposed BoilerMACT (maximum achievable control technology)Standards. Ellen Gilinsky, VA DEQ Water Division,offered insight into state regulatory perspectives onsustainability with a presentation outlining the key driversfor sustainability in Virginia including compliance withthe Chesapeake Bay TMDL, costs of emergingtechnology, the need for energy efficiency, and waterconservation. Karen Pallansch, ASA, presented on ASA’scommitment to sustainability and the Authority’s uniqueapproach to evaluating the triple bottom line. Attendeeswere then presented with several case studies by KathiMestayer of KMA Consulting which showcased thepositive social impacts of sustainable projects. TucsonWater’s Sweetwater Recharge Facility, Western VirginiaWater Authority's Water Pollution Control Plant, andAlbany, Oregon's "Talking Water" wetlands project wereall excellent examples of the beneficial public amenitiesassociated with the triple bottom line approach tosustainable projects. Jeff DuVal capped off the morningsession by familiarizing attendees with ASA’scomprehensive decision making model which wasdeveloped to integrate sustainability into businessdecisions.
The group broke for a networking lunch and then beganthe afternoon session which concentrated on topics related
Sustainable Utilities Committee Workshopto increased energy efficiency at wastewater treatmentplants (WWTPs). Steve Tarallo of Black and Veatchbegan with an overview of sustainability and energy andhow energy management is critical to meetingsustainability objectives. Amit Pramanik of the WaterEnvironment Research Foundation (WERF) followedwith a look at the preliminary results of WERF’s currentresearch on the balance between nutrient removal andsustainability. Jay Bernas of the Hampton RoadsSanitation District (HRSD) presented on his practicalexperience with some of the exciting resource recoverypilot projects that have recently been initiated at HRSD.
The workshop wrapped up with two unique perspectiveson ESCO experience. Rob Taylor of the WashingtonSuburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) gave us theGood the Bad and the Ugly on working with an ESCO.Rob’s experience with a fully executed ESCO project atWSSC offered valuable insight and recommendations forutility companies considering this type of venture. BrianOwsenek of the Upper Occoquan Service Authority(UOSA) was the final presenter for the day and delivereda presentation concentrating on the economics ofsustainability and UOSA’s consideration of partneringwith an ESCO.
The Sustainable Utilities Committee and Bio-Energy Sub-Committee held a regular meeting after the workshop andall agreed that it was a very worthwhile and successfulevent. The Committee is recruiting new members andcurrently looking for ideas on how to reach out to moreutility companies for participation. For more informationcontact Nina Andgren at (703) 227-0259([email protected]) or Lori Stone at (703) 554-5048 ([email protected]).
by Will SchaferVWEA Sustainable Utilities Committee
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Industrial Waste and Pretreatment CommitteeGearing Up For 2011
The Industrial Waste and Pretreatment Committee is now scheduling the program for the 27th AnnualIndustrial Waste and Pretreatment Seminar. The Seminar will be held in Charlottesville at the Omni
March 1st and 2nd, 2011.
The IW&P Committee is busy preparing for the workshops, opening session, and the technical session.This year’s theme will be The Chesapeake Bay Nutrient Blues. Anyone with an interest in this topic andwilling to share his or her knowledge and experiences, please contact the committee. We are also askingfor a Call for Papers for the Opening Session and Technical Session. The deadline for papers was the endof October, but email me immediately if you have something to submit.
If there is anyone who would be interested in joining our committee, please feel free to contact me. Weare always looking for fresh ideas, so do not be shy, step up, and be a part of the Industrial Waste andPretreatment Committee.
Contact Information:Linda NewmanVWEA Industrial Waste & Pretreatment [email protected](804)541-2214 ext. 246
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Fall 2010Communications Committee
Sonia Oton, ChairKevin Wood, Vice Chair
Mail correspondence to:Sonia Oton
Hazen and Sawyer4035 Ridge Top Road, Suite 400
Fairfax, VA 22030
(703) 218-2034 FAX (703) 218-2040email: [email protected]
The Conduit is published by the Virginia Water Environment Association, Inc.(VWEA) as a service to its members. The VWEA expressly disclaims anyresponsibility arising from the selection of topics on presentation of information,materials or opinions contained within The Conduit. Each reader of TheConduit shall be solely responsible for determining the adequacy, accuracyand reliability of any information, materials and opinions presented. Theinformation, materials and opinions presented in The Conduit represent theknowledge and views on selected topics by the particular individuals and donot necessarily reflect the position of the VWEA.
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2010 NVRAC Golf Classic Recap
It was a beautiful day for this year's Northern VirginiaRegional Activities Committee (NVRAC) Golf Classic
held on October 13th at the South Riding Country Club inChantilly, Virginia. The sun was shining all day as nearly40 golfers enjoyed 18 holes of outstanding golf with friendsand associates. The tournament format was a captain’schoice scramble and no team could best the 8 Under Parscore of Dan Gilroy, Glenn Pearson and Pete Rynkiewicz.They made a late charge to the top of the leader board withfour birdies on the last five holes. Well done on yourwinning effort, gents!
Other awards for the day went to Dick Bedard (Men’sClosest to the Pin), Kevin Ritchie (Men’s Longest Drive),Beth Maloney (Lady’s Closest to the Pin), and Beate Wright(Lady’s Longest Drive). Congratulations and thanks to allthose who participated and made the day a success.
The South Riding Golf Course was in fantastic conditionand the staff at South Riding did a great job at making theday enjoyable for all. Of course, the tournament would not
NVRAC Winning Golf Team, L to R, Pete Rynkiewicz, Dan Gilroy and Glenn Pearson.
be possible without the contributions of our generoussponsors. Many thanks go out to CDM, ConEdisonSolutions, Envirep, Flomec, Hazen and Sawyer, Parsons,Sherwood-Logan and Assoc. and Wetland Studies andSolutions.
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NoVA Young Professionals Committee presenting at WorldWater Monitoring Day
On September 16, Northern Virginia YoungProfessionals (NoVA YP) Committee represented
Virginia Water Environment Association (VWEA) at theWorld Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) event at HainsPoint, Washington, D.C. The World Water Monitoringprogram is an international public awareness programcoordinated by the Water Environment Federation and theInternational Water Association and is meant to boostawareness of water quality issues by getting communitygroups out to their local water bodies to measure theirhealth by checking four of the key water qualityindicators: dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH andturbidity.
About 300 students participated in the event. SonaliAmbre (CDM), Stephen Clark (CDM) and Subodh Dalvi(AECOM) had put together a hands-on display showingthe importance and steps to conserve water. The studentswere asked if they knew the percent of water on earth. Asmall prototype of world’s water was created to bringforth the point that there is very little quantity of freshwater available to use for our regular needs. This
NOVA YPs at World Water Monitoring Dayprototype consisted of a large jar filled with water(representing the total water on earth), and smaller jarswith comparativequantity of watershowing thepercentage of watertrapped in variousforms on earth. Thestudents wereamazed to knowthat nearly 1% ofthe total water onearth was availableto produce drinking(tap) water, and thatnot everyone isblessed with it.
The students wereasked to provideinformation on theirdaily activities suchas daily showerduration, number oftoilet flushes, hand washes, tooth-brushings, drinkingwater quantity and daily activities that require water. Thequantity of water required per activity was calculatedusing the information on number of times the activityoccurred, activity length, and amount of water utilized bythe activity. The students were then informed about theirdaily water use being higher, moderate or lower. Theirconsumption in gallons per day was equated to the numberof one gallon milk bottles. This exercise was an eyeopener for some kids, especially when it was compared tothe quantity of fresh water available to create the tap waterthey used. After they understood the scarcity of water andtheir need for it, the students concluded the necessity toconserve water. They also knew that they have to pay forevery drop of water used, and learned that conservingwater will help them save money. They learned of variousways they can conserve water, which include householdtips of taking 5 minutes shower instead of a bath, storingrainwater in rainwater barrels and using that for gardening,making sure that there are no leaking faucets in the home,and monitoring settings on the washer and dryer.
In general, the YPs provided information on relatedtechnical and scientific topics such as details on residentialwater use, tips for not wasting water, monetary savings byconserving it, nature’s hydrologic cycle, and energy savinghousehold water conservation tips (fixing leaks, using rainbarrels for irrigation). The students realized that water is aprecious commodity, which needs to be used wisely.
by Sonali Ambre and Subodh Dalvi NoVA Young Professionals Committee
Young people learn about water conservation at the VWEA booth
Stephen Clark , Sonali Ambre, and Subodh Dalvi guideeager participants through their presentation at WorldWater Monitoring Day.
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