Thanks for the Opportunities and the Memories

By Rebecca West, 2008-2009 WEF President

Well I’m getting close to the end of my term, and I've got to say that it’s been an awesome ride! Like probably every other WEF President, I’m hoping to leave the Federation just a little bit further down the road in terms of providing the world’s best technical knowledge and training in water. To that end, I’m happy to report that Stormwater and Nutrients are two areas the Federation has targeted for resource development. And hot topics like these will be considered as a part of WEF’s latest efforts to “globalize” programming and products for a broader appeal to our members seeking a global perspective on water issues.

As I look back over the last year, it’s also been good to see other priorities take shape, like initiatives to strengthen the relationship between WEF and our outstanding MAs and a fresh look at communications.
That includes a redesigned WEF website for much better access and delivery of products and services – btw, check out our new website - what do you think? – and our focused discussions on water infrastructure in the media through the launch of the Liquid Assets program.

Cruising into next year as immediate past president, I’ll look forward to continued work with AWWA and EPA on our efforts to develop a clearinghouse for water sector education and related communications for water sector workforce issues. In addition, I look forward to supporting WEF’s continued efforts that further our mission of water as a global citizen – specifically in bringing access to clean and safe drinking water and sanitation to others in developing communities through our relationships with Water for People, the Peace Corps, and others. The strengthening of support for these efforts during this past year has been personally exciting to see take shape and further defines the critical connection between water and global health.

Perhaps most important, I’d like to leave with a big thank you to all of the wonderful volunteers, members and hard-working WEF staff who have made this year such a memorable and rewarding experience. It has been a privilege and honor to work with you all – now let’s have some fun at WEFTEC in a few weeks!

Nutrient Removal: Everywhere, All the Time?

By Jeanette Brown, 2008-2009 Vice-President of the Water Environment Federation

As water quality experts know, many treatment plants throughout the United States are required to remove nitrogen, phosphorus or both. And if you manage or work at a utility like mine, in a region where nutrient removal is required, you know there are significant related costs, both capital and operating, as well as increased process monitoring requirements. As stewards of the environment, we take great pride not only meeting permit requirements but also in trying to achieve much greater removal of pollutants. Now we must all address a fundamental question as to whether or not every water body would benefit from nutrient removal. It’s complicated, because while we strive for the cleanest water possible, we understand this objective must be balanced against most effective use of environmental resources and diverse considerations that impact water quality at the regional and local levels.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has petitioned EPA to issue generally applicable nitrogen and phosphorus removal requirements for wastewater treatment plants. They contend that total phosphorous limits of 1.0 mg/L and total nitrogen limits of 8.0 mg/L are consistently attainable on an annual average basis using current secondary treatment technology. They also contend that many treatment plants are currently doing this with either a slight increase in cost or in some cases reduction of costs.

Many of us who currently operating nutrient removal plants have some concerns about this proposal because we understand how cold temperatures, wet weather and changing influent characteristics can impact nutrient removal efficiencies. In order to evaluate this petition, which will certainly be a hot topic at the upcoming Nutrient 2009 meeting, members of WEF and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) developed a questionnaire which has now been completed by many plants throughout the country. The results give us an understanding of the processes used at plants, whether or not they are doing nutrient removal, effluent quality, and costs. The goal is to provide EPA with expert advice as they continue to address nutrient criteria and issues.

Additionally WEF has convened a nutrient issues workgroup. This workgroup is assessing base line performance of conventional secondary treatment plants that evaluate how much nitrogen and phosphorus can be removed by the process. They are also evaluating state-of-the-art processes for nutrient removal, including cost and performance.

It is vitally important that we continue to thoroughly address this question of universal benefits of nutrient removal before any final decision is made to mandate generally applicable nutrient removal requirements. As stewards of clean water, we all have a stake in the answer, and I’d appreciate your thoughts.

P.S. You may want to check out the Nutrient Removal Knowledge Center on WEF's website for more information.

Share the Joy of Access to Water

By Rebecca West
President of the Water Environment Federation

Hello WEF members and other waterbloggers! I just got back from a trip to Kenya (traveling for personal business, not as a WEF representative), where every day was a reminder that although access to water is an absolute necessity, it’s not a given in many places. For example, due to the lack of or intermittent rainfall, many people and communities had to locate the closest available water and go get it for daily living. In fact, this picture
shows villagers pulling water from a neighboring rainwater collection tank to provide access to water in their area.

I’d go even further and say access to water is a right to which every person on this planet is entitled. And we as water quality professionals understand the challenges to providing clean water worldwide complicated by factors like population growth and climate change. At the Water Environment Federation, we embrace a technical commitment to clean water, and it can be put to good use through special partnerships that offer WEF members opportunities to apply their expertise in ways that make a difference. Engineers Without Borders and Water for People, a WEF charity of choice, are just two organizations of many that would put your own time or financial contributions to further ensure people across our blue planet can gain access to water and sanitation.

So this holiday season, I ask you to support an organization that works to provide global access to water and sanitation and share the joy of access to water and protection of their health through access to sanitation with those less fortunate. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate the abundance we have and underscore the importance of extending this very basic right to those less fortunate. Meanwhile, thanks for all you do to protect public health and the environment every day and very best wishes for peace and happiness in the coming year.