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The Call for Abstracts is open!

The deadline to submit abstracts is February 15, 2021. View the submission as a pdf.

  Submit Your Abstract

Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association (PNCWA) cordially invites you to join us for the Annual PNCWA Conference in Boise, Idaho, September 12-15, 2021. Although the global environment could affect how the conference is delivered, the conference committee is dedicated to delivering a quality program provided in a safe and healthy environment for our members. We are excited to begin accepting abstracts for PNCWA2021’s technical sessions.

The PNCWA2021 conference theme is: Ripples of Change: Creating our Future

Our program committee is interested in abstracts that include elevating our practice due to disruption and shaping the future of our industry. More specifically, we are seeking abstracts for the categories listed below. Included are relevant topics that fall into each of these categories; however, these lists are not all inclusive. If you have an interesting subject that does not readily fit into the program topics, please submit it anyway. We don’t want to miss out on hearing about an exciting opportunity to learn!

Categories for 2021

  • Collection and Conveyance - Condition assessment tools; use of trenchless technologies; infiltration and inflow strategies and successes; integrated planning; standby power options (mobile pump, generator, dual feed).
  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Recycled Water and Resource Recovery - Water reuse and reclamation; nutrients; biosolids; gas and energy.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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.
  • 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; funding strategies; regional collaboration; capital program development and prioritization; contracting methods; smart water; 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; sidestream treatment; solids handling

Submission Guidelines 

Please consider the following requests when submitting your abstracts for consideration:

  • Limit abstracts to 300 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 and expected conference format (e.g., in-person, virtual, etc) will occur in mid-April 2021
  • Selected speakers are required to develop the abstract into 30-minute presentations and expect 10 minutes of Q&A. Format may vary dependent on conference format.
  • 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 me at [email protected]

Allison Hornak, HDR, PNCWA 2021 Technical Program Chair

Never had an abstract accepted at PNCWA? This could make the difference in an abstract being accepted or not! Watch an 8 minute presentation on best practices for submitting an abstract: 

Abstract Best Practices