The Waterlink is a quarterly email publication published by the Newsletter Committee.
Member Profile : Jessica Cajigas, NEWEA Program Chair
Jessica Cajigas snowboarding at The Canyons, Park City, Utah
Jessica Cajigas has been a member of NEWEA for three years serving on the Program Committee. As the Chair of this key NEWEA committee, Jessica enjoys the challenge of overseeing our many programs, coordinating activities with NEWEA staff and colleagues, and keeping the multiple events of our Annual Conference and Spring Meeting on track. Read More >
Do you know a member that should be showcased here? Send it to Geri Ciardelli, Newsletter Chair
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What’s New : Thanks-A-NEWEA
Do you know a NEWEA committee member or chair that you would like to recognize for outstanding service? Give them the thanks they deserve!
The Committee Member Appreciation Committee has created a program called “Thanks-A-NEWEA”. Say “thank you” to fellow committee members and chairs for going above and beyond the call of duty. Often, the best recognition for doing a good job is receiving a thank you and knowing that your work and effort is appreciated. Those nominated will be entered into a random drawing to win gift certificates.
Nominations due July 2. Learn More >>
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Upcoming Event : Northeast Residuals & Biosolids Symposium
This year, NEWEA and NEBRA are joining with BioCycle for an organics recycling event! The Northeast Residuals & Biosolids Symposium will be held on Monday, Oct. 19 in Danvers, MA and will focus on biosolids in the region. The event will continue with BioCycle’s REFOR15 conference on Tuesday and Wednesday followed by a full day of organics recycling tours on Thursday.
Abstracts are now being accepted for the Symposium. Deadline is July 15.
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Committee Spotlight : Stockholm Jr. Water Prize Winners Announced
Winner Perry Alagappan, Texas, and runner’s up Jack Andraka, Maryland, Bluye DeMessie, Ohio and Natalie Bush, Louisana at the national competition.
The 2015 Stockholm Junior Water Prize national competition was completed over Father’s Day weekend. The competition was a huge success; all of the students had a great time and forged many friendships. The winner was Perry Alagappan from Houston, Texas with his project, Novel Renewable Filter for Heavy Metal Removal A Practical Application of Functionalized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes.
Unfortunately, none of our New England students placed this year, but hopefully they all had a fun time and it increased their interest in pursuing a career in water! Read More >>
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Personal News:
Christopher N. Pierce
NEWEA Member Christopher N. Pierce, PE, a Senior Project Manager in the company’s Wastewater Group, was appointed to the Board of Directors at Wright-Pierce’s annual board meeting held in April. Mr. Pierce has more than 25 years of experience in the evaluation, design and construction of wastewater engineering projects throughout the Northeast. He has led project teams working with municipalities, utilities and state agencies to evaluate and upgrade wastewater treatment facilities to comply with regulatory mandates for nitrogen and phosphorus removal to protect marine and freshwater resources. Read More >>
Edward Nazaretian
Earlier this month, long-time NEWEA 5S member Edward Nazaretian passed away. Ed had been a member of NEWEA for 40 years and was a WEF Life Member. He began his career in civil engineering with the City of Waltham after graduating from Northeastern University. From there he went to work for Hayden-Wegman (formerly Hayden Harding & Buchanan) and later joined CDM Smith, retiring in 2008. Ed served on many NEWEA committees including Registration, Bylaws and Website, and became NEWEA President in 1987. He also served as a WEF Federation Director and an Executive Committee member. He will be missed by all.
Paul Pomerleau and Peter Goodwin
Congratulations to Peter Goodwin on his new job with Ted Berry Company as Client Services Manager. Peter Goodwin has over 30 years of Municipal Infrastructure Engineering experience with projects of varying size and complexity throughout New England. He received engineering degrees from the University of Maine at Orono and Northeastern University. Peter is the current President of the New Hampshire Water Pollution Control Association (NHWPCA) and the NEWEA Maine State Director.
Framingham Firebirds: State Champions!
Congratulation to NEWEA’s Vice President Jim Barsanti, for his soccer team, the Framingham Firebirds on their win for BAYS Girls U16 Division 2 title and then subsequently the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions (MTOC) held in Lancaster MA!
MS Bike Ride
Congratulations to NEWEA Members Jim DeLuca and Rob Musci for competing in the MS Bike Ride Challenge that took place last weekend. Ride was from Boston, to Cape Cod.
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Outreach: NEWEA Goes to Washington
A delegation of NEWEA members, led by our Government Affairs Committee Chair Peter Grose, traveled to Washington, DC in mid-April to make a pitch to our Senators and Congressmen for support of clean water in New England and our nation.
This event was sponsored by WEF, NACWA, WERF and WateReuse which brought in visitors from across the country to engage Congress with activities similar to our own. Read More >>
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Young Professionals: 1st Poo & Brew A Success!
1st Annual Poo & Brew YP Networking Event
NEWEA’s Young Professionals (YP) Committee organized and held an uniquely named event – Poo & Brew that included a tour of a wastewater treatment plant followed by a brewery on Friday, May 8.
The “poo” event began with a classroom history lesson of the Deer Island WWTP – the second largest treatment plant in the United States. After the introduction, the group of YPs received a wonderful and informative tour of the Deer Island Treatment Facility. The “brew” part of the event took place at the local Mystic Brewery in Chelsea, MA. Attendees were treated to pizza and given a tour of the brewery’s facilities. Mystic Brewery graciously hosted the group and fun was had by all.
The 1st Poo and Brew was certainly a success, and the NEWEA YP Committee is beginning to plan the 2nd edition of this event! Overall it provided technical information, networking opportunities, and much fun for everyone involved!
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Event Wrap-Up: Spring Meeting Held at Mt. Washington Resort
A little rain couldn’t dampen NEWEA’s 2015 Spring Meeting & Exhibit held at the Omni Mount Washington in Bretton Woods, NH, June 7-10, 2015. Jessica Cajigas, Program Chair, did a fantastic job putting together an action packed program that combined fun and education for the 200+ people attending the event.
Tom Burack, Commissioner of the NH Dept. of Environmental Services, was the featured speaker at the Opening Session to start the Spring Meeting. Peter Grose, Chair of the Government Affairs Committee, then gave a very informative talk about the important work this committee is doing to promote a better understanding of regional water quality issues among the New England Congressional delegation and individual state legislators.
In addition to the technical sessions which were all well attended, attendees had the opportunity to see four teams compete in Operator’s Challenge, play some golf, take the Cog Railway to the top of Mt. Washington, talk to the exhibitors, and network with other wastewater professionals in one of New England’s most beautiful locations. Proceedings are available online
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Outreach: Teaching Water Quality to Local Students
NEWEA Past President Mike Bonomo discussed water quality with students.
The President’s Challenge was established by Mike Bonomo (2014) called on membership to visit schools and teach students about water quality.
Mike Bonomo, NEWEA Past President, ADS Environmental Services recently participated in his own challenge in April when he met with St. Jude’s 6th grade class and their teacher, Mrs. Debra Shea, to talk about the value of water. “We did a field trip to Great Hollow Lake, Monroe, CT and used the World Water Monitoring Day Test Kits (thank you Meg Tabacsko!) to test the inlet and outlet to the lake. The kids were terrific, asked questions about the tea colored water (high iron) and other water quality concerns. I enjoyed doing this as much (probably more!) than they did. Beautiful weather and all in all a terrific experience. I encourage others to get into a school and talk about the value of water and keep the President’s Challenge going. Thank you to all who helped pull together our water education programs! Contact NEWEA’s office for more information on our school toolkits! Learn More >>
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On the Safe Side… : Safety Survey Winners and Logo Contest
Wastewater Facility Safety Survey raffle winners!
Thank you for those that participated in the Wastewater Facility Safety Survey. Three facilities were drawn at random to win a $100 gift card for participating: Smithfield WWTP, Bellow Falls Wastewater Plant and Town of Barnstable WPCD.
The NEWEA Safety Committee is looking for a new logo!
Submit your safety logo ideas by October 16 and you could win a one-night stay at the 2016 NEWEA Annual Conference, lunch with the Safety Committee, attendance at the Awards Luncheon and a T-shirt with your logo on it! Learn More >>
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