People/Awards

The Village of Roberts received the Wastewater System of the Year award from the Wisconsin Rural Water Association.

The City of Eustis Wastewater Treatment Plant received the 2015 Earle B. Phelps First Place Award (advanced facilities less than 5 mgd category) from the Florida Water Environment Association for outstanding performance and professionalism.

Michael Finoia was named the new wastewater treatment superintendent for the plant in Southington, Connecticut. He replaces John DeGioia, who retired after 37 years. Finoia had been the wastewater treatment superintendent in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Bhavani M. Rathi was named project manager for the Wastewater Practice Group of Wright-Pierce, a water, wastewater and infrastructure engineering firm serving the Northeast.

Caitlyn S. Butler, an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts, received a $500,000 five-year grant from the National Science Foundation to conduct research on algae and bacteria and ways to improve wastewater treatment. The grant funds her work on algal-sludge granules, which can produce oxygen during wastewater treatment, reducing electricity use while also cleaning the wastewater.

Brett Morgan was named the head of the wastewater treatment plants at Hazel Hurst and Lantz Corners, Pennsylvania.

Jim Schreiber retired as director of the Hudson (Wisconsin) Wastewater Utility after serving there for nearly 40 years.

Johnny Brean, water operations superintendent for the Ramona Municipal Water District in Southern California, retired after nearly 30 years with the district.

The Florida Section of AWWA named Collier County as the winner in its annual Best Tasting Drinking Water Contest in southwest Florida.

Nels Halgren of Devils Lake received the Outstanding Water Works Employee award from the North Dakota Rural Water Systems Association.

The City of Wichita Falls, Texas, received the Alan Plummer Environmental Sustainability Award for its water reuse project.

The Pace Water System in Florida received the Excellence Award from Water Company of America for billing accuracy and high standards of excellence in ratepayer equity and resource management.

Powdersville Water in South Carolina received the Directors Award in the Partnership for Safe Water’s Distribution System Optimization Program.

The Environmental Utilities Department of the City of Roseville received the California Municipal Utilities Association Resource Efficiency Award for its water-use efficiency program in partnership with WaterSmart software.

The Wisconsin Rural Water Association (WRWA) honored Dan Mulhern of the Arlington Water Utility as 2015 District Operator of the Year.

Fred Partin retired in June after 33 years as executive director of Bonita Springs Utilities (formerly Bonita Springs Water System) in Florida.

Gerald Plank, wastewater supervisor in Fort Smith, Arkansas, earned the Water Environment Federation’s William D. Hatfield Award.

Van Buren Municipal Utilities received the Arkansas Water Environment Association Safety Award for cities with a population greater than 20,000.

Buddy Burns, water and wastewater superintendent for the City of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, retired in May after 38 years with the city.

Allen Schreiber was elected 2015-16 president of the Texas Water Utilities Association. He is supervisor of field services for Fort Bend County, Texas.

Richard Kruse, water treatment supervisor with the Taupo District Council in Australia, received the Water Industry Operations Group Operator of the Year award. He supervises the district’s 20 water treatment plants.
 
TPO welcomes your contributions to this listing. To recognize members of your team, please send notices of new hires, promotions, service milestones, certifications or achievements to editor@tpomag.com.

Education

AWWA

The American Water Works Association is offering these webinars:

• Aug. 5 – Optimizing Collection Systems Data for Capital Investment Planning and Prioritized Cleaning
• Aug. 12 – Treatment Tips and Tricks: Filtration
• Aug. 19 – What We Know of Cyanotoxins: Research and Advisories
• Aug. 26 – Optimizing Filters: Assess Conditions, Rehabilitation and Management

Visit www.awwa.org/store/webinars.aspx.

Arkansas

The Arkansas Environmental Training Academy is offering these courses:

• Aug. 4-5 – AETA Train-The-Trainer, Camden
• Aug. 17-21 – Backflow Assembly Tester, Fayetteville
• Aug. 18 – Backflow Assembly Tester Recertification, Fayetteville
• Aug. 18-20 – Advanced Water Treatment, Lowell
• Aug. 25-27 ­– Basic Water Treatment, North Little Rock

Visit www.sautech.edu/aeta/.

The Arkansas Rural Water Association is offering these courses:

• Aug. 4-6 – Intermediate Water Treatment, Midway
• Aug. 11 – Basic Math, Springdale
• Aug. 12 – ADH Compliance, Springdale
• Aug. 13 – Applied Math, Springdale
• Aug. 13-14 – Plumbing Inspectors School, Lonoke
• Aug. 18-20 – Backflow Repair, Lonoke

Visit www.arkansasruralwater.org.

California

The California-Nevada of Section of AWWA is offering these courses:

• Aug. 3 – Groundwater Workshop, West Sacramento
• Aug. 4 – Customer Service Workshop, West Sacramento
• Aug. 7 – Backflow Refresher, West Sacramento
• Aug. 8 – Exam BF, Fresno
• Aug. 8 – Exam BF, West Sacramento
• Aug. 14 – Exam BF, Pleasanton
• Aug. 14 – Sustainability 101 Workshop, Rancho Cucamonga
• Aug. 17 – Introduction to Water Treatment, Rancho Cucamonga
• Aug. 17 – Water Quality Workshop, West Sacramento
• Aug. 18 – Regulations Workshop, West Sacramento
• Aug. 22 – Exam BF, Carson City, Nevada
• Aug. 22 – Exam BF, Sunnyvale
• Aug. 24 – Backflow Tester Course, Rancho Cucamonga
• Aug. 25 – Water Use Efficiency Grade 2 Workshop, West Sacramento
• Aug. 29 – Exam BF, Rancho Cucamonga

Visit www.ca-nv-awwa.org.

Florida

The Florida AWWA is offering an ISA Water/Wastewater and Automatic Controls Symposium Aug. 4 in Orlando. Visit www.fsawwa.org.

Illinois

The Illinois AWWA is offering these courses:

• Aug. 11 – Water Main Rehabilitation Alternatives, Decisions and Design, Westmont
• Aug. 13 – Water Operator Exam Refresher for Class C and D, Elgin
• Aug. 20 – Distribution System O&M – Hydrants, Valves, Water Service Lines, Morris
• Aug. 25 – Pumps and Pump Maintenance, Benton
• Aug. 25 – Chemical Properties, Safety and Security, Macomb

Visit www.isawwa.org.

New Jersey

The New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Office of Continuing Professional Education is offering these courses:

• Aug. 11 – Study and Exam Skills for Licensing and Professional Certification Testing, North Brunswick
• Aug. 18-19 – Fundamentals of Generators and Transformers, New Brunswick
• Aug. 19 – Water Sampling and Laboratory Procedures, Dover
• Aug. 25 – O&M of Water Treatment Filters, North Brunswick

Visit www.cpe.rutgers.edu.

New York

The New York Section of AWWA is offering a Distribution System O&M course Aug. 5 in Melville. Visit www.nysawwa.org.

North Carolina

The North Carolina Section of AWWA-WEA is offering these courses:

• Aug. 3-5 – Advanced Management and Supervisory Leadership Training, Greensboro
• Aug. 24-28 ­– Eastern Biological Wastewater Operators School, Raleigh
• Aug. 25-28 – 2015 Physical/Chemical Wastewater Operators School, Raleigh
• Aug. 27 – NCWTFOCB Exams, Morganton, Snow Hill and Raleigh

Visit www.ncsafewater.org.

Ohio

The Ohio Water Environment Association is offering a One Water Utility Management Workshop Aug. 18 in Lewis Center. Visit www.ohiowea.org.

Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Environmental Training Center in Midwest City is offering these courses:

• Aug 3-4 – C Water Operator
• Aug. 5-6 – C Wastewater Operator
• Aug. 17 – Trenching and Shoring
• Aug. 17-20 – A/B Wastewater Operator
• Aug. 19 – Confined Space Entry
• Aug. 24-28 – OSHA 40-Hour HAZWOPER Class
• Aug. 31-Sept. 4 – Operator Bootcamp

Visit www.rose.edu.
 
Accurate Environmental in Oklahoma is offering these courses:

• Aug. 4-6 – D Water & Wastewater Operator, Stillwater
• Aug. 7 – Open Exam Session, Tulsa
• Aug. 12 – General Refresher for Water Operators, Tulsa
• Aug. 12-13 – C Water Operator, Tulsa
• Aug. 14 – Open Exam Session, Stillwater
• Aug. 18-20 – D Water & Wastewater Operator, Tulsa

Visit www.accuratelabs.com/classschedule.php.
 
Texas

The Water Environment Association of Texas is offering a Biosolids and Odor and Corrosion Conference Aug. 5-6 in San Marcos. Visit www.weat.org.

The Texas Water Utilities Association is offering these courses:

• Aug. 3 – Activated Sludge, Corpus Christi
• Aug. 5 – Utilities Safety, Terrell
• Aug. 18 – Utilities Safety, Victoria
• Aug. 18 – CSI/CCC, Gatesville
• Aug. 18 – Basic Water, online

Visit www.twua.org.
 
Utah/Colorado

The Intermountain Section of AWWA is offering an Administrative Professionals Training – Women in Industry seminar Aug. 13 in West Jordan, Utah. Visit www.ims-awwa.org.

Wisconsin

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Engineering Professional Development is offering a Purchasing and Inventory Control course Aug. 26 in Madison. Visit www.epdweb.engr.wisc.edu.

The Wisconsin Rural Water Association is offering these courses:

• Aug. 6 – Cross Connection Hazards and Your Water System, Kaukauna
• Aug. 6 – Emergency Response Plan/Waiver Assessments, Kaukauna
• Aug. 13 – Cross Connection Hazards and Your Water System,
• Mount Horeb
• Aug. 13 – Emergency Response Plan/Waiver Assessments, Mount Horeb

Visit www.wrwa.org.
 
The Wisconsin Section of the Central States Water Environment Association is offering a Pretreatment Seminar Aug. 11, location to be determined. Visit www.cswea.org.  

TPO invites your national, state or local association to post notices and news items in this column. Send contributions to editor@tpomag.com.