PNCWA September Digest

PNCWA Digest

September 2026

IN THIS ISSUE:

President's Message

Conference Events

PNCWA Board Slate of Nominees

S&YP Recs for PNCWA Annual Conference

WFP Quest for Water

POMC Organizing A Day at PNCWA

PNCWA Scholarship Awardees

PNW Jobs

Upcoming Events

President's Message

We are now less than one week away from our PNCWA Annual Conference in Spokane Washington (Sept 13 – 16). As long-time members know, this is our organization’s premier event, and something that has taken countless hours to pull off. If you’ve been on the fence about attending, I would encourage you to give it a try. To get the most out of the event, I’d recommend the full experience from Sunday night through Wednesday morning, but even if you can only make it for one day, the conference is chock full of technical content, new technologies, and networking opportunities to make it worth your while.

I’m almost hesitant to start listing all the events, as I’m sure I’ll miss something, but wanted to point out a few highlights. We’ll have three days of multi-track presentations covering a very wide array of topics, including new technologies, lessons learned, leadership, project delivery, and a series of “101” sessions for those new to the industry or looking to expand their base knowledge. Special thanks to our friends from WateReuse Pacific Northwest and Northwest Biosolids for their continued collaboration this year throughout the conference. We’ll also be offering five unique tours in the Spokane area, and once again we’ve sold out the exhibit hall with cool new technologies from our industry equipment vendors. And it wouldn’t be the Annual Conference without our Operator’s Challenge teams battling it out for operational dominance!

Something new and exciting for this year is that we’ll be showing the documentary “Unless Something Goes Terribly Wrong”, a “wastewater buddy comedy”, on Sunday night and again on Monday night in the Conference Theater. We’re also welcoming Rebecca Stern, producer of the film, as our keynote speaker during the Opening General Session on Monday to hear her perspective on why she and her collaborators decided to make a film about wastewater treatment.

We’re also offering multiple networking opportunities, such as the Sunday Night Meet and Greet events, several socials after hours, and the Water For People Scavenger Hunt throughout conference. Then on Tuesday, we have the ever-popular Women of Water Networking Event, and then we wrap up Tuesday night with the PNCWA Block Party, “PNCWA After Dark” for some live music, festive food and games, and some additional PNCWA awards!

And finally, on a more somber note, we’re all painfully aware of the recent fires throughout the northwest, and specifically the devastating fires in Spokane. Please note that all systems are “go” for the conference as we continue to look for ways to support our colleagues whose lives have been impacted by the fires. Be on the lookout during the conference for ways to support the people of Spokane, and please check in with coworkers, friends, and family to see how you can help.

So, are you excited for PNCWA2026? If you haven’t signed up yet, you’ve still got time to join the fun, and we hope to see you in Spokane this September!

Jeff Schmidt

PNCWA President

Conference Events

The PNCWA Annual Conference is right around the corner! We can't wait to welcome you to Spokane!

PNCWA2026 Leadership Team:

Conference Chair Andrew Staples, PNCWA President Jeff Schmidt, & Technical Chair Kathleen Mannion

PNCWA2026 Registration

Technical Schedule

Conference Website

PNCWA Board of Directors Slate of Nominees

The PNCWA Board has five positions open this fall, and elections will take place during the Business Lunch on Tuesday, September 15 at the Annual Conference. All members in attendance are encouraged to participate and cast their vote!

We are proud to present this year's slate of nominees:

PNCWA Vice President - Hannah Thomascall

Hannah is a Water Reclamation Project Manager for Spokane County. She previously served on the Board from 2022-2024 as the YP Representative, served as Conference Chair last year, and has been actively involved in nearly every PNCWA committee over the past five years.

Secretary - Andrew Matsumoto

Andrew is an Associate with Hazen and Sawyer in Portland, Oregon. He served as YP Representative on the Board from 2020-2022 and as Conference Chair in 2023. He is seeking to re-election as Secretary, a position he has held since 2024.

Treasurer-Elect - Adam Crafts

Adam is a Principal Engineer at Consor North America in Portland, Oregon. He has attended PNCWA conferences for the past 10 years and has volunteered as an abstract reviewer for the past several years. He currently serves as Chair of the PNCWA Collections Systems Committee. Treasurer-Elect is a one-year position that provides an opportunity to shadow the current Treasurer before assuming the role the following year.

WEF Delegate - Roy Bradley

Roy is the Water Reclamation Facility Operations Supervisor for the City of Bend, Oregon. He is actively involved in Operations Challenge, serving as the Captain of the City of Bend team since 2022 and Co-Chair of the Committee since 2023. He regularly attends Section and Region events, as well as PNCWA Conferences and WEFTEC.

YP Representative - Geneva Bernsten

Geneva is a Water/Wastewater EIT with HDR in Gig Harbor, WA. She began attending PNCWA conferences in 2022 and has attended (and participated!) in every one since. She has worked with the Water For People, Conference, and S&YP Committees, most recently serving as Chair of the S&YP Committee.

Learn more about the PNCWA Board of Directors and the nominations process!

We hope to see you at the PNCWA Business Lunch on Tuesday. Your vote helps shape the future of PNCWA!

Water For People Quest For Clean Water

The Water For People Committee is making waves again with the return of the PNCWA Conference Scavenger Hunt! Get ready for some friendly competition, team bonding, and a chance to explore the conference in a whole new way. All tasks are tracked through the Goosechase app and can be completed anytime before the PNCWA Block Party.

Complete creative challenges, solve clues, and race to the finish — all while supporting a great cause. Whether you're questing solo, or forming a team of up to five, there's a place for everyone in the hunt!

Scavenger Hunt Sign-Up

S&YPs Recs for the PNCWA Annual Conference

Check out the S&YP committee's recommendations for Students & Young Professionals at the annual conference!

POMC Organizing a Day at PNCWA

The Plant Operations and Maintenance Committee (POMC) is passionate about workforce development. We've been attending multiple career fairs over the last few years to spread the word about the wonders of a career in O&M.

As part of our efforts, we will be hosting a group of high school students from Spokane School District to attend the PNCWA conference this year. We call it "A Day At PNCWA", and this year it will take place on Tuesday September 15th. POMC hosted A Day at PNCWA last year at the Portland conference, and it was a great success. The students learned a lot, enjoyed their time, and their teacher chaperones were thrilled with the opportunity.

Please give a warm welcome to our student visitors if you see us walking around in Spokane! And if you're interested in volunteering for this and/or future workforce development events, please reach out to Pamela Randolph.

PNCWA Scholarship Awardees

The PNCWA Scholarship Program provides annual scholarships to operators and students pursuing careers in the water quality profession. Join us in recognizing this year's awardees!