The Water Environment Federation (WEF) announced that it will help address the current and future needs of modern utilities at WEFTEC 2016—WEF’s 89th Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference—Sept. 24 to 28 at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
Emerging water quality issues, stringent regulatory requirements and shrinking resources require an increasingly diverse set of skills from today’s utility managers. While budget management, retention of staff knowledge, and personnel management still remain important tasks, modern utility managers also must simultaneously manage communications with external stakeholders, such as boards and governments, ratepayers, media and the public. As the largest water quality conference in the world, WEFTEC is a valuable resource for utility leaders seeking the latest information for effective utility management.
Designed to reinforce the Five Keys of Effective Utility Management—leadership, strategic business planning, organizational approaches, measurement and continual improvement—2016 programming will feature seven workshops and more than 20 technical sessions.
The key topics include:
- Financial viability;
- Infrastructure stability;
- Customer satisfaction;
- Operational resiliency;
- Employee and leadership development;
- Community sustainability;
- Operational optimization;
- Water resource adequacy;
- Product quality; and
- Stakeholder understanding and support.
Attendees can share information and problem-solve with other leaders and managers at the Utility Leaders Morning, sponsored by WEF and the National Assn. of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) Tuesday, Sept. 27, at 8:30 a.m. in Great Hall A. The breakfast discussion will feature a dialogue with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), including opening remarks by Joel Beauvais, EPA deputy assistant administrator for water. The panel discussion will be moderated by Rudolph Chow, director of the Baltimore City Department of Public Works.
The morning will also include recognition of the 61 inaugural Utilities of Future Today recipients. The Utilities of the Future Today program is a partnership of WEF, NACWA, the Water Environment and Reuse Foundation and the WateReuse Assn., with input from EPA. It recognizes utilities that have shown progress and exceptional performance while embracing the Utility of the Future business model.
Later in the day, the Utility Manager’s Toolbox session will offer discussions that address leadership, enhancing capabilities and technology. The session is designed to equip leaders with tools for a more efficient and effective utility.
To learn more about WEFTEC’s programming, visit www.weftec.org.
Source: Water Environment Federation
