PACIFIC NORTHWEST SECTION - AWWA E-NEWSLETTER 
April 2020                                                          Issue #117
IN THIS ISSUE
Spokane Conference Cancelled
COVID-19 Resources
2020 Section Education Award
ACE20 - Orlando, FL
2020 Leadership Symposium
Walk For Water
Training Opportunities
Job Postings
Mark Your Calendars


Section Conference  
Boise, ID
May 5-7, 2021
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SECTION CONFERENCE IN SPOKANE -Cancelled

Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 pandemic our annual Section Conference in Spokane has been cancelled. While we will not be rescheduling this year, we are already working on next years conference in Boise, Idaho May 5-7, 2021. 

We want to thank the City of Spokane and the Local Arrangements Committee for all the hard work that they put into planning for this conference. We look forward to returning to Spokane for conferences in the future. 

All conference registration refunds have now been processed. If you did not receive your refund please contact the Section Office.   

Next month we will have a special edition of the e-newsletter highlighting our volunteer award winners. 
COVID-19 UPDATES

Given the tremendous need for COVID-19 information & guidance, AWWA is now offering its upcoming COVID-19 webinars free of charge to both members and non-members. 

  • Utility Actions To Sustain Operations During COVID-19
    Free Webinar Recording
  • AWWA COVID-19 Page

    •
    Additionally each of our three states has information available on their websites: 
    PNWS WINS 2020 SECTION EDUCATION AWARD - For the Second Year in a Row

    For the second year in a row the PNWS has won AWWA's Section Education Award! The award was given this year to the Chlorine Residual Testing and Lab Skills Workshop, a partnership between PNWS and Washington DOH. 

    The workshop is a hands-on 3 1/2 hour training that teaches the operator how to use their portable chlorine residual test kit to obtain accurate and consistent readings of free and total chlorine, AND provides the students insights to answer 2 questions: How do I know my instrument is working properly? How do I know my results are accurate?

    The training was developed by the Office of Drinking Water (ODW) of the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). DOH was limited in funding for developing new teaching kits (which require primary & secondary standards, reagent, pipettes, flasks, etc.) to allow the program to reach more operators at a faster pace. They also struggled with limited staff time needed to set up workshops, not having ready access to operator contact information, a registration system, the ability to charge registration fees to recover the cost of consumables and other workshop logistics.

    The Pacific Northwest Section through the Northwest Washington Subsection (NWWA) worked with DOH to develop a model for much greater distribution of the training to operators. A model that has the subsections responsible for all logistics; securing a room, advertising, registration, fee collection and reimbursement. The PNWS also front funded development of more teaching kits and purchases all consumable supplies for the kits. The DOH responsibility remains in the program development and updating, and providing 2 - 3 instructors.

    The partnerships has allowed both parties to concentrate on what they do best while providing quality, relevant and much needed training to a wider operator audience on a much faster time line.

    Subsections interested in bringing this training to your members should reach out to Jeff Lundt or Loren Searl with the Training Coordination Committee.  

     
















    AWWA TO DECIDE APRIL 16 IF ACE20 WILL CONTINUE AS PLANNED - Stay Tuned
    2nd ANNUAL LEADERSHIP SYMPOSIUM - Salem, OR

    Mark your calendars for our second annual Leadership Symposium, September 15 in Salem, OR. 

    Whether you are an experienced manager or wanting to move into a  management position you will benefit greatly from our symposium. 

    Topics include:
    • Leading Imperfectly: The Value of Being Authentic
    • Radical Candor and the Framework for Giving and Receiving Feedback
    • Workplace Respect 
    • It's Not About Where You Come From....it's About Where You Want To Go
    • Are Your Strengths Being Used To the Best - Planning For What's Next

    Check out our website for more information. Registration goes live in June. 
    PNWS WALK FOR WATER - Support the Water Equation by Staying Healthy During this Pandemic

    WE Walk in the PNWS rain or shine to support our fearless operators and young professionals of the water industry while staying healthy during this pandemic!

    The WE Walk Fundraising Team PNWS Walk for Water  are the members and supporters of the PNWS Section staying connected while #SocialDistancing and raising funds for Water Equation supporting scholarships, operators and young professionals.

    Here are the rules:

    1. Please join our team! Donations of any amounts are appreciated and all walking participation is welcome! Swag will be sent to you for every 20 miles and $20 you donate!

    2. We start on Monday, March 30! We will stay connected for 8 weeks by sharing our mileage from walking, running, and biking on the PNWS Walk For Water page through commenting on the wall.

    3. Post a comment whenever you get your walk/run/elliptical/bike session in! We will keep track of these comments and total the mileages to keep some competition going... will keep everyone posted weekly. Just to be fair, bike miles will be divided by 3 in the total.

    You can track your miles on your favorite walking or running app, or you can use the spreadsheet we have created to log your miles. 

    4. Comments regarding animal or nature encounters on your miles are highly encouraged.


    Happy Walking!  


    CEU's and More CEU's!
    JOB POSTINGS
    • Facility Operator
    • Field Technician Lead
    • Design Engineer
    • Engineer II - Capital Projects
    • Water Utility Worker
    • Wastewater Operations Treatment Plant Operators
    • Water Service Technician III
    • Water System Operator
    • Asset Management Consultant
    • Water Treatment Plant Operator II
    • Water & Wastewater Technician
    • Utility Worker III
    • Water Engineering Technician
    • Water Engineering Director
    • Hydrologist/Engineer/Project Manager
    • Water System Manager
    See the Jobs Listing Page on our website  for more information or how to apply for any of the above listed jobs. 
    That's it for this month! Please send your news or information for inclusion in the June edition to the  Section office.  


    Sincerely, 
    Kyle Kihs
    Executive Director