NEWEA's November Update

Thanksgiving is only 24 days away, winter begins in 50 days, and there are just 61 days until the end of the year. Where did 2021 go?

As the end of the year quickly approaches, a variety of NEWEA programs have upcoming deadlines. Innovators interested in exhibiting at the 2022 Innovation Pavilion must apply by November 19; 2022 Sponsorship/Advertising enrollment must be done by December 1; all student scholarship applications are due by December 3; and student abstracts must be submitted by December 28. Links to all forms and applications can be found below.

With 2022 just a couple months away, NEWEA's Office and Meeting Management Council are diligently planning the 2022 Annual Conference & Exhibit. This Conference is scheduled to take place in person at the Boston Marriott Copley Place January 23-26, 2022. Virtual components will also be available. Exhibit registration is now available to all companies and the Sponsorship/Advertising Programs have been released. The Preliminary Program and attendee registration will be released later this month.

Later this month, we will also be releasing the Health and Safety Guidelines for attending NEWEA's Annual Conference & Exhibit. Our Health and Safety page on our website provides our current guidelines for attending NEWEA events, but detailed guidelines specifically for attending the 2022 Annual Conference will be released with the Preliminary Program.

Check out the rest of the newsletter for more on committee news and details on upcoming events. Until next newsletter, we hope everyone has a great month and stays healthy.

As always, we invite you to contact Jordan Gosselin at jgosselin@newea.org with committee news and updates you would like to share in future editions.

Poo and Brew #29 is Happening this Thursday

Due to weather conditions and for attendee safety, NEWEA's Poo & Brew #29 was postponed until this Thursday, November 4 at 3:00 PM. Registration remains open for this event. Join us to take a tour of MASSTC and enjoy a reception at Bad Martha Brewery. Registration fee is $25 per person. Students can register for $15 with a valid student ID.

Join us for Infiltration and Inflow Coast to Coast: Tools and Technology Webinar

NEWEA and the Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association (PNCWA) will be hosting a joint online webinar on Tuesday, November 9 from 8:30 AM PST (11:30 AM EST) till 11:30 AM PST (2:30 EST). This special event focuses on Infiltration and Inflow (I&I) impacts, comparing and contrasting how this problem affects communities in both regions, and sharing lessons learned.

Reserve your spot.

Now Accepting Innovation Pavilion Exhibit Applications

NEWEA's Innovation Council is currently looking for early and growth stage companies with innovative solutions for the water industry to join us for a unique opportunity to share your vision, network, and identify potential pilot sites at the 2022 Innovation Pavilion. We will select up to 12 emerging water businesses to showcase their innovations at the fourth annual Innovation Pavilion, taking place January 25 as part of NEWEA's 2022 Annual Conference.

Submit an application by November 19.

Reserve an Annual Conference Exhibit Booth

Exhibit Registration is now open for NEWEA’s 2022 Annual Conference, taking place January 23-26, 2022 in Boston, MA! Our premier water quality conference offers a two-floor exhibit hall, providing access to cutting-edge technologies and peer-to-peer networking and business opportunities for 200+ exhibitors in the water quality industry.

View the Exhibit Prospectus and reserve your Exhibit space by November 13 to get the pre-registration discount.

2022 Sponsor & Advertiser Programs Now Enrolling

All enrollment applications are now available for our 2022 Sponsorship/Advertising Program! With several levels of participation available in each program, there are a variety of opportunities to connect with water professionals, build brand recognition, and invest in water quality. The Sponsor program has also been updated to provide companies with representation at both our virtual and in person events.

Download the programs packet.

New Opportunity Available to Annual Conference Exhibitors

NEWEA understands that established exhibiting companies are innovators too, and we want to provide you with the opportunity to get the word out to our members about your innovations. If you are interested in having a new product, technology or idea highlighted at NEWEA’s Annual Conference, provide this information at the link below for us to share with attendees. Only one (1) submission is allowed per exhibiting company. Must have an exhibit booth at the 2022 NEWEA Annual Conference to participate.

Complete the informational form.

Apply for a NEWEA Scholarship

NEWEA's Scholarship Committee is pleased to offer scholarships for both environmental field majors and non-environmental related majors, and for the first time this year, NEWEA will be awarding the Kate Biedron Memorial Scholarship. All applications must be submitted online by 3:00 PM on Friday, December 3, 2021.

Learn more and apply.

Now Accepting Student Abstracts

Undergraduate and graduate students participating in research or a class project on water pollution control, water quality, hazardous waste, or other environmental engineering topics are invited to submit an abstract for NEWEA's 2022 Student Poster Competition and Shark Tank. All submissions are due by December 28, 2021.

Submit an abstract.

NEWEA's Certification Program is Now Online

Following a year and a half of diligent work by NEWEA's Certification Committee, we are proud to announce NEWEA’s partnership with PROV, allowing us to now conduct exams online for all grades of the NEWEA Collection Systems and Lab Analyst Certification Program.

Individuals will now complete online exam applications for review by NEWEA’s Certification Committee, who will confirm applicants meet education and work experience requirements. Once reviewed, applicants will be notified on the status of their application and how to register online for the exam.

In-person exams will also be available at prescribed locations at a later date due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will be listed on the NEWEA site.

Learn more and submit an application.

New England Teams Compete in WEFTEC Ops Challenge

Three New England Ops Challenge teams, Mass Chaos, Force Maine, and RI-CONN, traveled to Chicago to represent NEWEA and compete in the WEFTEC Ops Challenge on October 18 and 19.

Force Maine finished in the 18th spot and RI-CONN took second place in the Division 2 competition. In addition to their overall second place finish, RI-CONN also captured first place in the Lab and Process Control events. Mass Chaos competed in the Division 3 competition, finishing in 7th place.

Congratulations to all teams and their members!

View photos of the competition.

WEFTEC Student Design Competition Final Results

NEWEA wishes to extend our congratulations to the Northeastern University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) teams for representing NEWEA at the WEFTEC Student Design Competition finals! The teams initially competed in NEWEA's regional Student Design Competition, which took place virtually in May, and then advanced to WEF's national competition.

The Northeastern team, comprised of Aidan Travers, Emily Eastman, Jeffrey Ling, and Taylor Labbe and led by Faculty Advisor Annalisa Onnis-Hayden, PE, PhD and Professional Mentor Anna Mehrotra, earned second place in the Wastewater category for their project "Water Resource Recovery Facility Design for

a Vermont Creamery".

The WPI team, including Emma Burleson, Annemarie Eastwood, Lauren Mitchell, and Molly Youngs and led by Faculty Advisors John Bergendahl and Carrick Eggleston, competed in the Water Environment category, presenting their project "Acid Leachate Active Treatment Pilot System for Cooledge Brook, MA".

Congratulations once again to these teams, and thank you to our Student Activities Committee for organizing a successful regional competition and supporting our teams!

Check out the teams' project abstracts to learn more.

10-Digit Dialing Requirement

The U.S. government will be implementing a 988 hotline for suicide prevention next summer, similar to the 911 system. As a result, anyone with a telephone number in certain areas codes (including Vermont, New Hampshire, and parts of New York) must switch to 10- or 11-digit dialing.

Starting October 24, 2021, phone calls will be required to dial 10 digits (802-xxx-xxxx) rather than 7 digits.

If your utility uses an automatic dialer for alarms, you will need to reprogram it in order to get alarm calls out.

10-digit dialing is already standard for cell phones. Landlines will need to use 11 digits (1-802-xxx-xxxx). New alarm systems likely use 10-digit dialing, but old systems may be using 7-digit dialing.

Please check your alarm system in advance of this change.

View the Fact Sheet to learn more.

NEWEA's third annual Online Holiday Auction is now open for bidding!

This auction, which will be live for the entire month of November, features a variety of gift cards and passes to hotels, restaurants, and entertainment around New England. This auction aims to raise funds for continued and expanded programming to support New England water professionals and protect our region's water environment.

NEWEA members and non-members are invited to bid on any and all items. Bids will be recorded throughout November, and winning bids will be determined when the auction closes at 11:59 pm on November 30. Each item will be sold to the highest bidder, and winning bidders will receive their purchased item(s) via mail or email during the month of December.

Check out our auction site to start bidding!

New England Water Environment Association newea.org