Successful 2017 Spring Meeting Held on Cape Cod

Sea Crest Beach Hotel

Spring Meeting Held at Sea Crest Hotel on Cape Cod

Although the sunshine didn’t spend much time at the 2017 Spring Meeting in N. Falmouth, MA, nearly 250 attendees enjoyed the opportunity to learn something new at our technical sessions, track sharks with our keynote speaker, take in the Operations Challenge competition, or played a round of golf. This year’s Spring Meeting was held at the beautiful waterfront Sea Crest Beach Hotel and was a great success.

Did you know that you are 20 times more likely to be bitten by another person in New York City than bitten by a shark? While most of our impression of sharks comes from movies like Jaws and sensationalized media, keynote speaker Cynthia Wigren from the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy taught attendees that sharks are in far more danger from humans than the dangers we face from sharks. We also learned how important they are to a healthy oceanic ecosystem. Try out the Sharktivity app at http://www.atlanticwhiteshark.org/sharktivity-map/ and track hundreds of tagged sharks as they navigate the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Despite the weather, over 50 golfers hit the course on Monday, June 5th at the Cape Cod Country Club for the annual NEWEA Golf Outing. Golfers enjoyed the championship style course with its layout of undulating fairways and subtly-sloped greens.

Opening Session

Opening Session at 2017 Spring Meeting

For the first time in several years, the New England Operations Challenge had four teams: Force Maine, Seacoast Sewer Snakes, Ocean State Alliance and Franken Foggers. The competition was well attended as the participants worked hard to perform laboratory tests, operate and maintain equipment, confined space entry, and take a written exam. While everyone did a fantastic job, the big winners this year was the Rhode Island team: Ocean State Alliance.

For those interested in a little history and oceanic research, the tour of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) on Tuesday afternoon provided just that. WHOI scientists and engineers perform some of the world’s top oceanic research, including sending both manned and unmanned vessels into the deep ocean to explore the many facets of that ecosystem. In addition to viewing some of the equipment used to conduct these missions, the WHOI Exhibit Center allows visitors to experience the first moments of discovery of the Titanic and view replicas of the sunken ship on the ocean floor.

With 8 technical sessions, there were plenty of opportunities to learn about the latest technologies and approaches to wastewater and stormwater treatment, sustainability and energy efficiency, watershed planning, coastal resilience, collection systems management, and public outreach and education. Attendees of Session 4 learned about the Value of Water Coalition’s new toolkit, to help industry professionals with outreach to the public at large. Check it out at www.thevalueofwater.org.

Charlie Tyler

Charlie Tyler

Lastly, if you missed the first ever NEWEA Bandstand performance, organized by NEWEA President Jim Barsanti on Sunday evening, you may not know about the other talents of many of our NEWEA members. Participants included Virgil Lloyd, Ed McCormick and wife Deb, Scott Lander, Elena Proakis Ellis, and Nicole Letendre, among others. In a rare performance, Charlie Tyler was caught with a guitar around his neck rather than a camera! Who knew he did such a mean Leonard Cohen?!

Thank you to our sponsors, our exhibitors, all participants in the Operations Challenge, and everyone who attended this year’s Spring Meeting. Also, congratulations to our new inductees into the Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovelers.

Did you miss the conference?  Check out photos >>

Next year’s Spring Meeting will be held in lovely Newport, Rhode Island from June 3 to 6, 2018. Mark your calendars now!

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