September 10-13, 2023 | Tacoma, WA

Registration

Please contact PNCWA with questions or for group registration.

Rates: 

  • Complete Package: Member - $650 | Non-Member - $800 (registration closed)

  • Technical Package: Member - $$500 | Non-Member - $650 (Does not include meals.)

  • Single Day: Member - $300 | Non-Member - $400 (Does not include meals.)

Register Today

Sunday Event Registration: 

Register for the Water for People Run for Water 5K and the Stormwater Service Event.


Agenda

View the full technical program here.

Schedule at a Glance

Sunday, September 10

 

Water For People 5K, Point Defiance Park

11:00 AM-12:00 PM

Service Project, Point Defiance Park

1:30-3:30 PM

First Time and New Member Meet and Greet

4:00-5:00 PM

All Attendee Meet and Greet

5:00-7:00 PM

Students and Young Professionals Meet and Greet

8:00-10:00 PM

Monday, September 11

 

Opening General Session

8:30-10:15 AM

Technical Sessions

10:30 AM-12:00 PM

Networking Lunch

12:00-12:30 PM

Facility Tour- LOTT Clean Water Alliance Reclaimed Water Facility (hosted by WateReuse)

12:30-4:00 PM

Facility Tour- Lakewood Water District

1:00-3:45 PM

Technical Sessions

1:15-5:00 PM

Women’s Networking Event

4:00-5:00 PM

Exhibit Hall Opening Reception

5:00- 7:00 PM

Monday Networking Social

6:30-8:30 PM

Tuesday, September 12

 

Operators Breakfast

7:00-8:00 AM

Exhibit Hall Open

8:00 AM-7:00 PM

Technical Sessions

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

PNCWA Business Lunch

11:45 AM- 1:00 PM

Technical Sessions

1:00-4:30 PM

Facility Tour- Tacoma Central Wastewater Treatment Plant

1:00-3:45 PM

Exhibit Hall Closing Reception

5:00-6:00 PM

Awards Banquet

6:30-8:00 PM

Wednesday, September 13

 

Technical Sessions

8:00 AM -12:00 PM

Facility Tour- Chambers Creek

8:00-10:30 AM

Hotels

Our hotel blocks are currently full! Please fill out this form to be notified of any room availability.


Facility Tours

All facility tours are first come, first served- no additional fee or pre-registration required. Buses will load outside of Convention Center Lobby on 15th Street 15 minutes prior to the start time listed below. Closed-toed shoes are required.

Monday, Sept. 11

LOTT Clean Water Alliance Reclaimed Water Facility | 12:30-4:30 PM

Hosted by our partner, WateReuse Association

Join us as we tour the LOTT Clean Water Alliance’s award-winning reclaimed water facilities. Attendees will learn about their reclaimed water program and how reclaimed water creates many community benefits. The tour will include a tour of their treatment plants and their innovative water reuse use locations including the Hawks Prairie Recharge Basins, the Reclaimed Water Storage Tank (that also is a community park), and East Bay Public Plaza (a water-themed public park hosting a public wading pool supplied with Class A reclaimed water).

Lakewood Water District | 1:00-3:45 PM

The Lakewood Water District was formed in 1943 and currently serves the City of Lakewood and the Town of Steilacoom as well as several local water companies. The District currently serves more than 60,000 retail customers in Lakewood, WA as well as 55,000 wholesale customers, for a total population of 115,000. The District’s system features over 275 miles of distribution piping, 13 water tanks, and 29 active wells sites.

The District has been voluntarily testing their wells for PFAS for many years and through the testing, they found increasing levels of PFOS and PFOA at two sites. The District installed a granular activated carbon system to replace an aging air stripping treatment process which removed chemicals commonly used in dry-cleaning fluid. The system is designed to remove PFOS and PFOA to levels below detection and far below health advisory levels.

The facility tour will include visits to both well sites to view and discuss the site specific treatment, operations and maintenance experience, as well as an overview of the PFAS removal design and construction projects. 

Tuesday, Sept. 12

Tacoma Central Wastewater Treatment Plant | 1:00-3:45 PM

The Central Wastewater Treatment Plant features one of the most technologically advanced treatment processes in the country. It serves Tacoma and about 20,000 customers in Fife, Fircrest and unincorporated Pierce County.

The plant has many innovative features including a dual digestion process that produces Class A exceptional quality biosolids and a peak flow treatment facility that can speed up treatment during heavy storms and reduce the risk of sewage overflows. During large storm events, the plant receives and treats more than 130 million gallons of wastewater a day. The Central Wastewater Treatment Plant has played a role in Tacoma's development and was upgraded in 2008. Every bit of the biosolids material processed at the plant is recycled and turned into TAGRO gardening products - Mix and Potting Soil. These award-winning soil products will help your garden grow. Additionally, the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant recently added biogas improvements. The new biogas treatment system treats biogas produced from anaerobic digesters to create RNG. The RNG is injected into Puget Sound Energy’s (PSE’s) pipeline distribution system to be used by the surrounding community.

Wednesday, Sept. 13

Chambers Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, 8:00-10:30 AM

The Chambers Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) uses a combination of physical and biological treatment processes to treat residential and commercial wastewater and sewage and is rated for 45.3 MGD. The plant discharges to Puget Sound and is covered under the new Nutrient General Permit. The facility’s liquid stream treatment includes one of the nation’s largest Anammox side stream treatment processes. Additionally, the Chambers Creek Plant manufactures SoundGRO, which is a pelletized fertilizer product made from the solids removed from the treatment process. SoundGRO is a licensed commercial fertilizer and is classified as a Class A “Exceptional Quality” product.

Message from the President 

I am very excited to invite you to PNCWA2023. We’ll convene in Tacoma, Washington, September 10-13 this year. Tacoma is located on the I-5 corridor along Puget Sound, with breathtaking views of Mt. Rainier. The city is home to a vibrant and creative community and is alive with activity in the downtown area of our conference. This should be the largest conference in our nearly 90-year history, with over 155 abstracts accepted for our technical and exhibitor tracks and more than 120 exhibitors. As part of its mission to educate and connect members to promote a healthy water environment in the Pacific Northwest, PNCWA’s annual conference brings together water professionals from across the three-state region for several days of technical education and professional networking.

This year, our conference focus is “Catalyzing a Sound Future for Water,” inspiring our vibrant water community to spark change and accelerate actions that sustain healthy watersheds for future generations. Many presentations highlight efforts to integrate these concepts into clean water policies, programs, and projects. The opening session will include thought-provoking speakers from around the Northwest to kick off the discussions on collaboration, partnership, and long-lasting impacts for future generations.  

PNCWA2023 will continue to offer superb technical sessions on regional topics. The conference committee, led by Andrew Matsumoto and Kristi Steiner, developed a high-quality educational program. There is a host of technical presentations over two and a half days covering a wide range of topics, including PFAS, innovative treatment technologies, workforce development, collaborative delivery, and watershed management. This year includes presentations on community resilience, including creative ideas for optimization, data security, and safety. In addition, our Exhibitor Technology Showcase is new this year, offering a PNCWA technical track specific to Exhibit Hall presentations. 

As always, the number of CEUs attendees can earn makes this conference a one-stop event for continuing education for professional licenses and certifications. We hope that your time in Tacoma exposes you to innovative approaches to solving problems, expands your connections with other clean water professionals, and inspires you to tackle the pressing water challenges facing our communities.   

I look forward to seeing you at PNCWA2023 in Tacoma, Washington, September 10 -13. 

Lara Kammereck 

PNCWA President


Venue: Greater Tacoma Convention Center

1500 Commerce Street

Tacoma, WA 98402

Learn more about the Convention Center, including ADA accessibility, parking, directions, and more.