Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association (PNCWA) invites you to join us for the 88th Annual PNCWA Conference in Spokane, Washington, September 11-14, 2022. After a hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID 19 Pandemic, the conference returned in 2021 with both an in-person conference in Boise Idaho, as well as a virtual conference for those not able to travel. This year we intend to build upon that success with continued opportunities for in-person learning and networking, combined with virtual content as a means of reaching the broadest possible audience as we strive to bring you the region's largest water quality educational event of its kind.
For 2022, we plan to “Be Like Water: Adapting with Purpose”, moving fluidly and flexibly past obstacle and adapting with purpose to the world around us. One thing we’ve all learned over the last several years I how to be more flexible, to take challenges and make them opportunities, so we look for your help this year and in the years to come as we make this a reality for our clean water industry.
We are currently seeking abstracts for the technical programs, and while we have specific categories for submission, we encourage all topics, even those that do not fit cleanly into one of the current categories below. Our industry is always changing, always evolving, and capturing new ideas and new technologies is at the core of our mission, so please submit an abstract, regardless of the topic. Topics below with a asterisk represent topics that are new or returning topics that were not available in 2021.
Please also note that the intent is to have all of our speakers be in person for 2022. This means that by submitting an abstract you are committing to in person attendance at this year’s Conference in Spokane, WA.
Categories for 2022:
- Collection and Conveyance – New pipelines and pump stations, collection system rehabilitation, condition assessment tools; use of trenchless technologies; infiltration and inflow strategies and successes; integrated planning.
- Construction and Alternative Delivery – Lessons learned from contractors to improve design documents; typical design gaps that cause changes in construction; improvements to interdisciplinary gaps (coatings/concrete, etc.); different alternative delivery contract structures – pros and cons; COVID related modifications.
- Facility Operations and Maintenance - Strategies for operating during a major upgrade/emergency; wet weather flow management; struvite management; process optimization; new technologies to improve O&M; energy/chemical optimization; biosolids management; programming challenges and lessons learned.
- Industrial Pretreatment –Industrial pretreatment in the Northwest; nutrient limits and the provision of carbon sources for municipal BNR; seasonal industry impact; accidental discharge slug control plans; industrial stormwater permitting; private-public partnerships between industries and municipalities to meet renewable energy goals; vulnerabilities of a small municipality to industrial changes when industry represents high loading.
- Innovative Stakeholder Involvement* – Communication strategies and techniques; building trust with the community; relationship building; tools to inform and educate; successful outreach campaigns; public-private partnerships.
- Infrastructure Funding Programs and Opportunities* - Local, state, and federal dollars for wastewater and stormwater projects; considerations for a stronger funding applications.
- Integrated Water Management* - Working towards a water-energy-food nexus; sustainable development approaches for growing populations; the importance of a circular water economy; One Water.
- Leadership, Social Equity, Workforce Development – Diversity, equity and inclusion; managing our response to stress; skills needed for career and organizational success; leadership; communication; conflict; mentorship; networking; negotiation; delegation; communication/presentation skills; project management; investment in continuing education, the generational hand-off.
- Planning, Resiliency, Climate Science – Strategic planning for climate change – mitigation, resiliency, and adaption; building a climate-resilient community; lessons from integrated and long-term strategic planning.
- Regulatory Challenges - Prioritizing emerging constituents; TMDL implementation; variances; compliance; metals; wet weather; direct conveyance; pressing regulatory drivers we anticipate in 10 and 20 years.
- Risk Assessments and Emergency Response - Risk assessment tools and considerations for development of an emergency response plan; COVID response and emergency preparations; natural disaster response; digital tools for information sharing.
- Stormwater - Green streets; wet weather challenges; stormwater quality; integrated planning; maintenance strategies
- Treatment Innovation and the Future - Innovative materials and processes; research; pilot and demonstration testing results; advanced nutrient and emerging constituents removal.
- Utility and Asset Management - Optimization tools; CMMS; SCADA; regional collaboration; capital program development and prioritization; smart water; data management and analytics, predictive maintenance, building a competent and efficient organization.
- Wastewater 101 - Refresher track covering current technology for pump stations; pipeline design; headworks; clarification; disinfection; aeration; solids thickening and dewatering; digestion; polymer optimization; digester gas storage and treatment.
- Wastewater Treatment Process – EBNR; advanced treatment; process modeling; high-strength wastewater; side-stream treatment; solids handling.
- Water Reuse and Resource Recovery - Water reuse and reclamation; nutrients; biosolids; gas and energy.
Submission Guidelines
Please consider the following requests when submitting your abstracts for consideration:
- Limit abstracts to 350 words and be concise in the title (75-character title is the max).
- Include a brief resume of all presenters (not all authors).
- Use normal formatting. Do not use all caps, etc.
- Notification of selections will occur in April 2022
- Selected speakers are required to develop the abstract into 30-minute presentations and expect 10 minutes of Q&A.
- Electronic copies of accepted presentations will be collected at the conference.
- Presenters are expected to register for the conference and pay all applicable registration and preparation fees.
- Due to the high number of quality abstracts, fewer than 2/3 of the submitted abstracts are normally selected for the program.
We look forward to receiving and considering your abstract. If you have any questions, please contact MeetGreen at [email protected] or Jeff Schmidt at [email protected]
Jeff Schmidt, PE, PMP
Jacobs Engineering Group
PNCWA 2022 Technical Program Chair
