NEWEA's September Update

The official first day of fall is still more than a week away, but with Labor Day behind us and progressively shorter days, it is certainly feeling like fall.

Also contributing to that fall feeling was the start of our fall specialty conferences last week. The Collection Systems Conference & Exhibit was the first specialty conference of the fall, as well as NEWEA's first all-virtual conference. We greatly appreciate our sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees for making it such a successful event. We will be sharing information in the coming month about how to access the recordings from that conference.

Coming later this fall, we have the Northeast Residuals and Biosolids Conference, Plant Operations Facility Tour and Technical Session, and the Resiliency Conference & Exhibit. Registration, sponsorship, and exhibit information for these events will be coming soon.

Another very important event happening this fall is the US General Election. Due to concern over COVID-19, most states are allowing residents to vote via absentee ballot. Check out Vote.org, a nonpartisan nonprofit site, to learn about the absentee ballot rules for each state and request your ballot.

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.

NEWEA Launches its Clean Water Study Series

Join NEWEA and Weston & Sampson on Wednesday, September 16 for An Innovative Approach to Brewery Wastewater Treatment, the first webinar in NEWEA's Clean Water Study Series! This presentation will highlight how Weston & Sampson developed an innovative approach to managing discharge of high-strength wastewater from breweries. TCHs will be awarded for participating states (1.0 MA/ME/NH/RI/VT).

The third installment in the Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC) webinar series, Addressing CECs with Innovation, will take place Thursday, September 24 from noon -1:00PM. All six New England states will award 1.0 TCH per webinar.

Join us for NEWEA's 2020 Golf Classic

Come join us for the NEWEA 2020 Golf Classic on Tuesday, October 13, 2020! We will be teeing off at 8:30 am at the beautiful Sagamore-Hampton Golf Course in North Hampton, NH. We know that you will enjoy this picturesque and challenging Seacoast golf course while you share fellowship with your professional colleagues and friends. Please be advised that due to the ongoing pandemic, this event is limited to 92 participants and is subject to modifications and/or changes to accommodate state and local health guidelines.

NEWEA's Wastewater Epidemiology Survey

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, experts are hard at work conducting research to learn more about this novel disease. A wealth of valuable information about COVID-19 exists at our wastewater/clean water facilities, and wastewater epidemiology could be pivotal to uncovering this data, revealing concentrations of COVID-19 in communities and assisting in tracking the spread of the disease.

NEWEA's Collection Systems Committee is looking for feedback about awareness of and participation in wastewater epidemiology studies from Wastewater/Clean Water Utilities in New England.

Complete the survey.

WEF Panel Finds Low Risk of Coronavirus for Wastewater Workers, Updates Guidelines for Safety

A blue-ribbon panel of experts convened by the Water Environment Federation to evaluate safety of wastewater workers during the coronavirus pandemic concluded that occupational risk of infection is low, standard wastewater treatment processes inactivate the virus, and additional research should be conducted to further increase understanding of hazards and protections for personnel.

The panel also updated the guidelines for protection of wastewater personnel from potential pathways of exposure to biological hazards, including coronavirus.

Free PFAS Lab Analyses Program and Upcoming PFAS Regulations

To address emerging concerns about health impacts associated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) in January 2020 revised its Office of Research and Standards Guideline (ORSG). In addition, the MassDEP Drinking Water Program proposed a drinking water standard, or a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for the same six PFAS - with the intention to promulgate final regulations in 2020. For more information about the establishment of an MCL, please visit Mass.gov.

To assist public water suppliers (PWS) in preparing for the new PFAS MCL, the Baker-Polito Administration provided funding to MassDEP in the FY 2020 Supplemental Budget for testing for PFAS. All Public Water Suppliers (PWS) are encouraged to take full advantage of the Commonwealth’s Free PFAS Lab Analyses Program and to conduct sampling and analyses for PFAS in your public water system now, before the regulations are finalized and while there is funding available for analysis.

More than 100 public water suppliers have already signed up to take advantage of the Free PFAS Lab Analyses Program. Public water suppliers of all sizes, including smaller community systems; Non-Transient, Non-Community systems; and Transient Non-Community systems are encouraged to sign up for free PFAS lab analyses as early as possible to ensure that they receive testing before the end of the Free PFAS Lab Analyses Program on June 30th, 2021. For specific information on what happens when you test and receive laboratory results, please see the Frequently Asked Questions on this Free PFAS Lab Analyses Program.

For a PWS to indicate interest in free PFAS laboratory analyses and available funding for design and

treatment, please complete a brief survey.

NERPCA Annual Workshop

The New England Regional Pretreatment Coordinators Association (NERPCA) and EPA New England will be remotely hosting the 22nd Annual New England Industrial Pretreatment Coordinators Workshop. The virtual sessions will be conducted via GoTo Webinar platform. Given our current situation and challenging times, the planning committee has decided to host this training FREE of charge but registration is still required.

View event agenda and registration information.

NEWEA's Charitable Giving Task Force is looking for your feedback!

This Task Force, which was created at the 2020 Annual Conference, works on initiatives related to raising funds to support NEWEA's mission. This includes direct donations online, making a Qualified Charitable Distribution, and leaving a legacy fund.

At this time, the Task Force is looking to hear stories from NEWEA members about how the organization has positively affected your education, career, and/or community. Did you receive a NEWEA-sponsored scholarship that helped to support the completion of your degree in engineering or environmental studies? Have you been mentored by an experienced professional who provided valuable advice about navigating your career? Did networking at a NEWEA event lead to a new job? We want to hear about it!

Please fill out this short survey to share your story.

You can also support NEWEA and Charitable Giving Task Force initiatives by making an online donation!

Donations support a variety of established and new programs and initiatives, including student scholarships, our Veterans Workforce Development program, and public outreach and education. As a 100% independently funded nonprofit, our continued success comes in part from supporters like you.

Click the button to donate today!

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