Christmas. Hanukkah. Kwanzaa. Rohatsu. All of these holidays celebrate the strength of the human spirit in the midst of trials and tribulations. They remind us of the hope that is possible for the future and that, by joining with others, there can be something greater than our own individual lives. This is the time of year to pause, reflect, and celebrate.

For those of us in the water industry here in the Pacific Northwest, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate. We have made tremendous progress in creating awareness of the importance and interconnectivity of our water resources, more funding is headed our way to inject much-needed investment into our aging infrastructure, and the past year has brought a greater understanding of the impact that infrastructure has on social justice and equity.

There is also cause for hope, especially as we join together to keep moving forward in the face of so many challenges. Just this past month, PNCWA collaborated with New England Water Environment Association to host a webinar on I/I issues, spurred on by PNCWA’s Collection Systems Committee. The 2022 Conference Committee, led by our amazing chairs, Vicky Hollingsworth and Jeff Schmidt, made a site visit to the Spokane Convention Center to kick off planning for next September’s conference. Oregon held an in-person operators conference, providing essential education for our front-line workers, and the Government Affairs Committee is planning a webinar for late January 2022 on Watershed-Based Water Quality — save the date!

It’s definitely been an eventful 2021. I look forward to what PNCWA will bring to our communities in 2022, all because of the efforts of so many of you who have given much of your time and energy. Happy holidays!

Rob Lee
PNCWA President
[email protected]

Photo Caption: Spokane conference site visit with 2022 Conference Chair, Vicky Hollingsworth, and 2022 Technical Program Chair, Jeff Schmidt.