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WERF 2010 Web Seminar Series

WERF's web seminar series features scientific experts who discuss research topics and answer your questions. No special equipment or software is needed to participate -- just a web browser and phone.

Seminars are free for WERF subscribers!

Professional Development Hours (PDH)
WERF will offer verification of program attendance for web seminar attendees to use toward Professional Development Hours (PDHs). While WERF calculates educational credits following a standardized method that is widely accepted by many certification and licensing agencies, many states differ in the types and/or numbers of credits they will approve for specific educational events. Because of this, participants are responsible for exploring their state requirements and for ensuring that WERF web seminar participation credits are accepted. To find out about PDH requirements or licensure and/or certification, contact your state/territory licensure board.

Upcoming Web Seminars

September: Decentralized Systems: New Opportunities for Managing Wastewater: Lessons Learned
February 2011: Pathogens: Recreational Water Quality Criteria

January: Strategic Asset Management

Public Communications Perceptions & Early Communication Tools:
How to Engage the Public on the Issue of Infrastructure Sustainability

Recording Not Available

This web seminar discusses the initial results of WERF's SAM research program to understand elected and appointed officials' perspectives on asset management and infrastructure sustainability. The authors use results of a survey, focus groups, interviews, and case studies to understand how public support for infrastructure sustainability can be attained. Relevant and readily usable tools that focus on the infrastructure sustainability issue are identified. The research identifies messages that elected, appointed, and salaried public officials can use to “tell their story" to stakeholders: That is, how the directed use of scarce resources leads to improved value per dollar and that their service is delivered in a competent, if not excellent, manner.

Speaker
Linda Blankenship, EMA, Inc.

March: Climate Change

The Sustainable Path for a Climate-Ready Utility

View Presentation (Recorded Wednesday, March 31, 2010)

Utilities can learn how to integrate climate change considerations in planning for the future. This web seminar will help managers learn how to follow basic climatic, hydrologic, and ecologic principles to analyze climate change and the potential impacts on their facilities and operations. John Cromwell from Stratus Consulting will use a risk identification process modified for the climate change field, referred to as “vulnerability and adaptation analysis” to illustrate the steps on a sustainable path that will help utilities become climate ready. Paul Fleming from Seattle Public Utilities will showcase one public utility and how it is following the path to become climate ready.

Speakers
John Cromwell, Stratus Consulting
Paul Fleming, Seattle Public Utilities

April: Nutrients

Sustainable Limits of Nutrient Removal Technology

Recording available to WERF Subscribers from the Nutrients Knowledge Area web page.

Two research teams working under WERF's Nutrients Challenge come together with one common goal -- to share the findings from their extensive studies over the past two years and determine what's working -- and what's not. One team completed a study of the real-world performance of 23 full-scale wastewater treatment facilities operating for more than three years to remove nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) down to very low levels (3 mg N/L or 0.5 mg P/L). The other team looked at the key nutrient management and criteria issues that confront point source wastewater dischargers nationwide. This web seminar will provide a better understanding of the challenges that utilities and regulators face setting and meeting low nutrient effluent limits, help expand understanding of the practical capabilities of treatment technology, and present solutions to better protect water quality.

Speakers
Dave Clark, P.E., HDR Engineering, Inc.
Charles Bott, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE, Hampton Roads Sanitation District, VA

April: Strategic Asset Management

Assessing Current Asset Management Practices Using SAM GAP

View Presentation (Recorded Wednesday, April 21, 2010)

It is said that good management comes from asking the right questions. But when it comes to strategic asset management, knowing which questions to ask isn't always easy. WERF research has developed a web-based asset management gap analysis tool – SAM GAP – that not only asks the right questions, but provides guidance when your first question is, "Where do I start?" 

SAM GAP can assist asset management practitioners of every level of expertise determine where their asset management practices are relative to the best run organizations, their peers, and most importantly, what is reasonable and relevant for their utility. This web seminar features a discussion of the SAM GAP tool and how you can benefit by using it to raise your level of asset management practice.

Speakers
Duncan Rose, GHD, Inc.

May: Trace Organics

How to Prioritize Trace Organic Compounds in Aquatic Populations

View Presentation (Recorded Wednesday, May 19, 2010)

With thousands of trace organic compounds (TOrC) in use in deodorizers, fragrances, flame retardants, industrial chemicals, natural hormones/steroids, personal care products, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and surfactants, it's important to know which are considered high priority for research? Dr. Jerry Diamond and his investigative team will provide a prioritization scheme for TOrC research based on the likelihood of contributing to effects on aquatic populations. This prioritization scheme will be used to identify case studies and candidate TOrCs for field study. Information presented will identify under what site conditions the presence of TOrCs pose a risk to aquatic populations. The research team will also discuss whether TOrCs measured or predicted in either effluent or surface water pose a risk as well. This information will help water quality managers learn about what can and should be monitored to protect environment health.

Speakers
Jerry Diamond, Tetra Tech
Jeff White, Tetra Tech

June: Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology – A Friend or Foe for Wastewater Treatment?

View Presentation (Recorded Wednesday, June 23, 2010)

Nanotechnology can be applied in the efficient use of energy resources and increasing agricultural productivity as well as to numerous medical uses.  Nanomaterials are also likely to end up in our wastewater. The impacts of nanomaterials on wastewater treatment processes are still largely unknown.  This web seminar will highlight recent WERF-funded research activities geared to provide answers to important questions related to nanomaterials in wastewater systems and will provide an overview of EPA’s nanotechnology activities related to wastewater and water quality.  The research includes studies that look at the effective management of nanomaterials entering treatment plants as part of the waste stream, as well as finding ways to use nanotechnology to improve the efficacy of treatment processes. 

Speakers
Dr. Paul Westerhoff, Arizona State University
Dr. Barbara Karn, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Dr.  Zhiqiang Hu, University of Missouri
Dr. Ganesh Rajagopalan, Kennedy Jenks Consultants

One Plant’s Journey to Sustainable, Energy-Neutral Performance and How You Can Benefit 

View Presentation (Recorded Wednesday, August 25, 2010)

Over the course of decade, plant managers at the Strass Wastewater Treatment Plant near Innsbruck, Austria made steady gains in the amount of electricity produced and in overall energy efficiency of the treatment process. By 2005, the plant was producing more energy than it required for treatment. WERF developed a conceptual tool to optimize carbon, heat, and energy pathways in wastewater treatment based on Strass’ experience. WERF’s researchers will demonstrate this tool which allows plants to benchmark their individual processes against those of the global leaders in wastewater treatment. The tool highlights areas in the plant where the largest potential gains in energy efficiency, energy production, and sustainability can be made.

Speakers
George Crawford, CH2M HILL
Tom Johnson, CH2M HILL
Dimitri Katehis, CH2M HILL

September: Decentralized Systems

New Opportunities for Managing Wastewater: Lessons Learned from Decentralized Research

WERF’s substantial research program on decentralized systems offers new lessons and opportunities to assist communities to integrate decentralized solutions into their toolboxes and save money over the long term. This two-part seminar is not just for small utilities. Large centralized facilities will also benefit by examining how new distributed systems approaches can help meet wastewater capacity needs, cut costs, and extend water resources. Each seminar stands alone, so participate in one or both.

Part 1
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
4:00-5:00 pm ET

Register Now!

This session features a new toolkit that provides guidance on when to consider distributed systems in an urban and suburban context. The toolkit includes a decision model, as well as case studies from across America, from onsite green building reuse systems to innovative decentralized approaches employed by traditional municipalities.

This session also features guidance for successfully establishing and running organizations that manage decentralized wastewater systems – Responsible Management Entities or “RMEs.”

Speakers    
Vic D’Amato, Tetra Tech (Distributed Systems in an Urban and Suburban Context)
Cynthia Mitchell, University of Technology, Sydney (Guidance for Establishing RMEs)

Part 2
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
2:00-3:00 pm ET

Register Now!

If your community is wrestling with options for managing its wastewater, good performance and cost information is critical. This seminar highlights a new series of fact sheets and cost tools to assist local decision makers and others in identifying and selecting appropriate wastewater management approaches.

WERF and its partners have conducted over 70 decentralized research products. This seminar highlights a series of new outreach products to help you navigate and find the decentralized information you need, including an FAQ guide, video, as well as a brochure for centralized agencies.

Speakers       
John Buchanan, University of Tennessee (Performance and Costs for Decentralized Unit Processes)
Vic D’Amato, Tetra Tech (Decentralized Research Outreach)

WERF 2011 Web Seminar Series

February: Pathogens

Recreational Water Quality Criteria:
Pathogen and Indicator Sources, Methods, and Risk Assessment Research for Beach Act Revision

Coming Soon!

U.S. EPA is in the process of revising its water quality pathogens criteria and WERF’s new research will help inform its decisions – change is coming and managers need to be prepared. Participants will learn about EPA’s plans, as well as WERF research projects that address the needs of utilities and inform the development of EPA’s new criteria. The discussion will include new rapid methods for monitoring pathogen indicators, risk assessment models of human health impacts to support management decisions, and other key research.