As I write this, we’re less than a month away from our conference. We have around 500 people registered, including many folks who weren’t able to attend last year and a number of new attendees. It’s going to be awesome!

But I also write this with some sadness, as this marks the last official President’s message before my term ends. I’m grateful to our membership who entrusted me with the incredible honor and tremendous responsibility of serving as Board President. I’m so incredibly proud of our Association, our board, our committee chairs and volunteers, our regions and sections. There is so much great work going on, more than any single person could possibly fathom.

Hello! I am thrilled and honored to join PNCWA as Managing Director. I will be taking on day-to-day operations of the organization with the support of Association Management Inc. (AMI), so that PNCWA leadership can focus on strategic priorities.

Water has always been a fascination of mine, as I’m sure it’s been for you. I have a bachelor's degree in environmental science and a master's degree in water resources, both from University of Idaho. Over the last decade, I worked for the University of Idaho in the Coeur d’Alene Community Water Resource Center providing water outreach throughout north Idaho. I am excited to shift my attention to a broader audience throughout Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. I bring extensive experience in community education, collaborative partnerships, and project management to this position, and I am eager to work with all of you in PNCWA’s commitment to sustain healthy watersheds for future generations.

PFAS, Biosolids, and Drinking Water
As the waste industry awaits new federal guidance, states are developing regulations and laws on how to manage PFAS in everything from packaging to clothing to biosolids. Learn more.

State governments have adopted new PFAS regulations, increasingly targeting contamination of biosolids and wastewater. Learn more.

Exhibit Hall tours are a great way to learn about solution providers featured at the conference this year. The tours will place during the Exhibit Hall breaks on Tuesday morning (9:30 to 10:15 a.m.) and afternoon (2:45 to 3:30 p.m.). Check the technical program at the conference for the final schedule, meeting location, and CEU eligibility. A preliminary list of vendors is provided on our website, and the Emerging Technologies Committee extends our gratitude to all the exhibitors who showed interest in participating. See the list of participating companies below.

Preliminary Exhibit Hall Tours

Tour Category	Technology	Manufacturer
Pumping Systems	ABS Contrablock Plus	Sulzer
	Barnes Envie3 Chopper Pump	Barnes
	Hidrostal Screw Centrifugal and Prerostal	Hidrostal
	Hydromatic Grinder pumps	Hydromatic
	Pump Monitoring Tools	Fluke
Collection Systems	CIPM (cured-in-place manhole) fiberglass/PVC liners	CIP Construction Technologies
	SL-RAT: Sewer Line Rapid Assessment Tool	InfoSense
	Triton+ Flow Monitor and ECHO level monitor	ADS Environmental
	Magnesium Hydroxide (ALKA-Mag+)	IER
	Sherwin-Williams Linings/Coatings	Sherwin-Williams
Stormwater Management	StormSensor	StormSensor
	stormBLOX™ SiC Rapid Storm Treatment Technology	Ovivo
	ADS Triton+ Flow Monitor and ADS ECHO level monitor	ADS Environmental
	KSB KRT and Amarex product line	KSB
	Storm King	Hydro International
Treatment	Duron UV Technology	Wedeco/Xylem
	Packaged Treatment Systems	AWC Solutions
	GritCleanse™ fluidized bed grit washer	Hydro International
	ABS HST Turbocompressor Technology	Sulzer
	Blue Wale Micro Bar Screen	Or-Tec
Solids Management	Omnivore High Solids Digestion	Anaergia
	Electro-osmosis dewatering	ELODE
	Biosolids Treatment Technologies	Ovivo
	Fournier Rotary Press	Fournier
	Prestressed Concrete Modified Egg Digesters	DN Tanks
Emerging Technologies	Ozzy Cup™ Screen	Ovivo
	Cloud SCADA Platform	XiO
	Bioforcetech	Bioforcetech
	Anaergia PyroSys	Anaergia
	PIPEMINDER	Syrinix

Currently, water utilities face challenges in recruiting, training, and retaining employees — exacerbated by the fact that roughly one-third of the water sector workforce is eligible to retire in the next 10 years. Additionally, as the technologies used become more advanced, there is a growing need to train and employ water protection specialists with specialized technical skills. “America’s Water Sector Workforce Initiative” reflects a commitment by EPA and their federal partners to work with all water sector stakeholders to ensure that the workforce is strong, diverse, and resilient, and attracts talented individuals from many different backgrounds. This initiative serves as a catalyst for developing a robust, highly skilled, and sustainable water workforce for the 21st century. Check out the resources EPA has available for the water sector.

Historic Flooding in Yellowstone National Park
By: Shannon Kronz, EIT, Brown, and Caldwell

The beginning of the 2022 water year led to drought conditions throughout the Pacific Northwest region. In April, southwest Montana and surrounding areas experienced higher than average precipitation, which led to increased snowpack in the Yellowstone River watershed. A few months later, between June 10 and13, an atmospheric river brought 0.8-5 inches of rain to the Absaroka and Beartooth mountain ranges, located northeast of Yellowstone. The significant amount of rain from the atmospheric river also caused the snowpack to melt, which, combined, was equivalent to 4-9 inches of rain. The large quantity of precipitation caused historic flooding downstream on the Yellowstone River [1].

Discharge Monitoring Report – Quality Assurance Study Program:
Major and selected minor permittees under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program are required to participate in the annual Discharge Monitoring Report – Quality Assurance (DMR-QA) study program. DMR-QA evaluates the analytical ability of the laboratories that perform self-monitoring analyses required by their NPDES permit.

If you’re required to participate in DMR-QA, you must report results for the analytes listed in your permit, provided that they are also included in the DMR-QA study analyte list. Not all of the analytes listed on your NPDES permit may be included in an individual DMR-QA study, and you may voluntarily report additional study analytes not listed in your permit.

Join the Stormwater Committee and Racial & Social Justice Subcommittee (RSJ) learning hour on Thursday, August 25 at 12 p.m. Pacific/1 p.m. Mountain. Jule Schultz from the Spokane Riverkeeper will discuss their efforts as a nonprofit to advocate for the Spokane River while working hand-in-hand with the local tribes.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84351479994
Passcode: Stormwater

Conference Service Event
Make sure you register for the upcoming PNCWA Annual Conference and sign up for the service event on September 11. Join fellow professionals and the Riverkeeper in downtown Spokane to clean up the Spokane River.

Lunch from local food trucks: 12-1 p.m.
River cleanup: 1:30-3:30 p.m.

PNCWA is hosting the next Women of Water Summit in person at Seattle University’s Campion Hall on Thursday, October 6. Hear from women leaders in our industry speak to their passion for water and interest in protecting our environment, which led them to pursue fulfilling careers in the water industry. Open to all, the summit is a networking event including lunch and dynamic speakers. Look for more information in about one month.

The Board of Directors conducted a thorough search, and we are pleased to welcome Association Management Inc (AMI) and specifically Marie Schmidt as PNCWA’s new managing director.

Marie earned a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and a master’s degree in Water Resources, both from the University of Idaho. She previously worked as the Outreach Specialist for the Community Water Resource Center at the University of Idaho in Coeur d'Alene for 10 years. Marie has extensive experience organizing community outreach programs, developing K-12 watershed curricula, facilitating lake management stakeholder meetings, managing volunteer water quality monitoring, fostering collaborative partnerships, and instructing stormwater and erosion control workshops. Marie lives in Spokane, WA with her husband, two children and golden retriever, and she’s happiest with her feet in a river. Please join us in welcoming Marie and AMI to our PNCWA family, and feel free to drop them a line at [email protected].

Our mission is to be the premier association in the Pacific Northwest dedicated to educating and connecting members. As we head into our next annual conference in September in Spokane, I’m excited to report that PNCWA is in great shape to accomplish that mission.

As a volunteer-led organization, we’ve had to make some difficult decisions over the last few years (huge shout-out again to Adam McClymont and Haley Falconer for your leadership!). Those decisions have led us to where we are today. PNCWA is currently in one of the strongest financial positions of its existence, and that has enabled us to bring on staff to help manage the day-to-day operations of the organization. We believe PNCWA will be better able to fulfill its mission by shifting operational responsibilities away from volunteer leaders and enabling volunteers to focus on strategic leadership and thinking. It’s a huge step for the organization and for all who are involved in PNCWA. See more below for an introduction to Marie and AMI.

Washington State Legislature gave Ecology’s Water Quality Program one-time funding in the 2022 legislative session to investigate and recommend an alternative for a nutrient trading structure. Ecology will manage the contracting process and is currently recruiting and selecting a consulting firm to do this work.

Proviso language: $350,000 of the general fund — state appropriation for fiscal year 2023 is provided solely for the department to recommend one or more draft structures for nutrient credit trading that could be used to efficiently and quickly achieve nutrient discharge reductions for point source dischargers covered under the Puget Sound nutrient general permit. By June 30, 2023, the department must submit a report to the appropriate committees of the legislature consistent with RCW 43.01.036 that summarizes the draft structure or structures and describes a tribal consultation and a stakeholder engagement process to solicit feedback on the draft structure or structures and any necessary statutory changes and funding.

Pacific Northwest, summer is upon us! After one of the wettest springs on record, I’m excited for what summer brings — time off with family and loved ones, baseball games, barbecues, and longer days. Summer also brings one of the busiest times in our industry, with construction projects humming along and the consistent need for planning and design improvements and upgrades to our vital infrastructure.

PNCWA is an organization founded on volunteers from within — folks who live and breathe the issues facing our wastewater industry on a daily basis. Each and every board member, committee chair, section leader, and volunteer represents not only us, but you and all of our membership. And that ensures that the education, programming, networking, and advocacy coming from PNCWA meets those challenges we all face head-on.

Register Now!

If it’s been awhile since you’ve stopped by our annual conference site, make sure you do soon! Thanks to our Planning Committee and volunteers, we have several updates to share.