As the end of the year approaches, now is a fantastic time to support the PNCWA Scholarship Program! Donations are tax deductible, and you would be supporting a great program.

Clean Water Services is putting up a challenge to raise $12,000 for the PNCWA Scholarship Fund. CWS will donate $1,500 if five additional utilities, consultants, or manufacturers match that amount, adding $9,000 to the fund. Clean Water Services will also match individual member donations up to $1,500 — another potential $3,000 for the fund.

The PNCWA Scholarship Committee, which supports students pursuing a professional career in the water quality field by awarding scholarships on an annual basis, would like to thank Clean Water Services for kicking off this challenge and for their generous donation. Award recipients receive complimentary one-year PNCWA and WEF memberships and are invited to attend the PNCWA Annual Conference, held each fall, the year the scholarship is awarded. Thanks in advance to all of those who can join!

Please send donations to: CWS PNCWA Scholarship Challenge, C/O Jennifer Byrn, PO Box 13158, Portland, OR 97213.

PNCWA 2019 SYP WEFTEC Scholarship application is online

Eligibility: Applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered:
1. Be a Student or Young Professional member of PNCWA at the time of application.
2. Reside and work within WA, OR, or ID.
3. Cannot be a previous recipient of a SYPC WEFTEC Scholarship.
Instructions: Please complete the SurveyMonkey form no later than Aug 9, 2019, at 5:00PM Pacific Time. To ensure an unbiased evaluation process, please do not include any identifying information (your name, the name of your employer, etc.) in your application responses...we will track your application by your WEF member number! Scholarship application is at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SYPC2019WEFTEC.

From WEF: (Alexandria, VA) - Scholarships are available for utility personnel to visit other utilities with innovations of interest. The exchange, supported by WRF, WEF, and NACWA, provides an effective way for utilities to learn about, gain confidence in, and adopt new technologies and approaches more quickly.

As water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) are transforming themselves into utilities of the future and becoming drivers of resource recovery, economic growth, and improved environmental performance, the implementation of innovative technologies, processes, and approaches is essential. These scholarships enable staff to visit and see innovations in action at peer facilities.

PNCWA’s ability to support promising students in the water environment fields has received a huge boost thanks to the generosity of the Daniel Keil family. The gift of $21,000, to establish the Daniel Keil Service for Water Legacy Scholarship, was made on behalf of Daniel Keil and his estate, by sons David and John Keil.The scholarship will be awarded to a full-time college student in pursuit of a career in a water environment field who combines academic promise with a demonstrated commitment to service.

David and John said, “This scholarship is especially dear to us considering our father’s nearly 40 years of service in water professional organizations, including the National Rural Water Association and Montana Rural Water Systems, his founding roles in the Tiber County Water District and the North Central Montana Regional Water Authority, and his time as a volunteer in Sierra Leone in the Peace Corps’ first year.”

As you plan for your end of the year charitable giving please consider the Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association’s Scholarship Fund. PNCWA is investing in the future of our industry by providing scholarships to students and operators that are pursuing a professional career in the water quality field.

It is projected, by the EPA, that 31 to 37 percent of the water and wastewater professionals will be retiring in the next 10 years. All of us in this industry need to do our part to ensure that there is a pool of qualified water professionals to meet the current and future needs of our communities.