Highlights From the 2023 Florida Water Resources Conference

Mish Clark

Thank you to all the attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, and volunteers for a great 2023 Florida Water Resources Conference (FWRC)! Supported by Florida Section American Water Works Association (FSAWWA), Florida Water Environment Federation (FWEA), and Florida Water and Pollution

Control Operators Association (FWPCOA), the conference was held May 31- June 3 at the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee. I hope everyone found the conference successful and that you were able to exceed your goals and make new connections.

2023 FWRC by the Numbers

Here are some statistics from the conference:

S 2,775 attendees

S 386 exhibitor booths

S 73 sponsors

S Six paid secondary events

S 1,253 app downloads

S Numerous networking opportunities

S 113 technical sessions and workshops

S 685 continuing education unit (CEU) or professional development hour (PDH) certificates awarded

A Multifaceted Conference

The conference technical program, including workshops and special-interest presentations, was exceptional and the quality educational papers that were presented once again demonstrate why FWRC is so highly regarded as a premier event in the water/wastewater business.

Networking events brought to life the many ways that water professionals are growing and thriving in their careers. With the various opportunities and challenges they face on a daily basis, the broad array of technical presentations, roundtables, and symposiums provided many answers for them.

The exhibit hall in the Gaylord Palms hosted 386 exhibitor booths. There truly was a reason to visit every corner and space in between. In the center of the exhibit hall, all could enjoy watching the various Operations Challenge competitions, where teams of four members competed in this statewide contest.

Each year we try to include activities to make this event as interesting and informative as possible.

Facility Tour: Hamlin Water Reclamation Facility

A tour of Hamlin Water Reclamation Facility was held on Wednesday and was very engaging and informative. The facility’s operating permit represents the first of three construction phases, and initial treatment of flows began in October 2022.

Operators Showcase

The Operators Showcase, presented by FWPCOA, was an opportunity for operators of all levels to review and discuss the impact of changes in Florida regulations. This year, Dr. Chris Owen, associate vice president and director of water and reuse innovations with Hazen and Sawyer, spoke on the effects of perand polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on the water utility industry. Dr. Carlyn J. Higgins, an engineer with Hazen and Sawyer, presented the City of Plant City’s direct/indirect potable reuse water pilot project, including data collection, operator training, and operator certification. In addition, an overview of direct potable reuse was delivered by John O’Brien, a licensed operator working for Seacoast Utility Authority.

Women of Water Forum

It was standing room only at this sixth forum, facilitated by Randy Brown, utilities director from Pompano Beach, and

Marjorie Craig, P.E., utilities director at Village of Tequesta. Both women and men participated in this dynamic conversation with leaders from across the state of Florida. Thank you to this year’s panelists: Marisela Aranguiz-Cueto, deputy director, Miami Dade Water and Sewer Department; Nancy Gallinaro, utilities director, City of North Port; Tara Lamoureux, utilities director, City of Casselberry; Raynetta Curry Marshall, chief operating officer, Jacksonville Electric Authority; Megan Ross, utilities director, Pinellas County; and Ifetayo Venner, wastewater practice leader, Arcadis.

FSAWWA Water Utility Council and FWEA Water Resources, Reuse, and Resiliency Committee Committee Meeting

At this meeting, attendees continued their conversations around drinking water and wastewater challenges and opportunities. The FSAWWA Water Utility Council (WUC) mission is to develop action programs to initiate, evaluate, respond, and comment on legislative, regulatory, and other matters directly affecting water utilities in Florida. The FWEA Water Resources, Reuse, and Resiliency (WR3) Committee grew out of the One Water concept when the Water Reuse and Integrated Water Resources committees merged to meet current industry trends.

FWEA, FSAWWA, FWPCOA Showcase

A new event this year, the three supporting membershipbased organizations showcased their associations, including various committees and volunteer opportunities.

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Florida Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovelers Breakfast and New Member Induction

The Florida Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovelers (FSSSSS) annual members breakfast and new member induction ceremony was held at this year’s conference. The newest shovelers were Suzanne Mechler, Jason Hopp, and Chuck Nichols, Sr.

Other Secondary Events

In addition to events previously mentioned, several additional events were available to all.

The FWEA sponsored the “What’s Your Water Story?” experience throughout the conference, filming attendees’ stories about how they got into the industry.

The WEF bookstore at this year’s conference, also sponsored by FWEA, had more than 20,000 pieces of technical content.

The new Scavenger Hunt experience was enjoyed by attendees as clues were available at 16 different locations throughout the conference site.

Students and Young Professionals: The Future of the Industry

Emphasis was placed on young professionals and university students as we ramped up new activities to maintain their interest and involvement.

Students and Young Professionals Reception

The social, which was an evening event, provided an opportunity for young professionals and others to meet, network, and learn more about the industry.

Student Design Competition

The competition brings the brightest young minds and their wastewater and environmental designs to the conference. Each team presented its real-world findings to an assigned problem or task in both environmental and wastewater interests. This competition is intended for both undergraduate and graduate students, typically completing a capstone project.

Teams representing Florida universities were:

Wastewater Category

S University of Florida was the firstplace winner in this category! Students included Daniela Montoya, Adele Howard, Olta Tarko, and Fabricio Escobar.

Environmental Category

S The first-place winner in this category was University of South Florida! The student representative was Hayden McCandless.

The winning teams will move on to the national contest at the 2023 Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC) in Chicago in the fall.

Resume Writing Workshop

As an added bonus, a resume writing workshop was held to assist the students in preparing a sharp resume for future employment consideration.

Student Poster Contest

The poster contest was in full swing Friday afternoon in the rear area of the exhibit hall. Thydaleaph Koeut and David Yin from University of North Florida won first place in the poster competition.

New This Year: Young Professionals Workshop

A joint endeavor by FWEA and FSAWWA young professionals, this workshop brought together young professionals in the water and wastewater industry to learn from industry leaders, grow professionally, and network with peers from across Florida.

Technical Sessions and Workshops: Peers Share Their Expertise

The technical program, loaded with valuable content, was coordinated by Nicole McConnell, P.E., with Kimley-Horn. She serves as conference vice president, and her Technical Review Committee, which is composed of industry experts from a variety of government and privately owned facilities and agencies, developed the program. The committee members read and graded the submitted abstracts by subject, and the top five in each group were selected for presentation.

For the first time this year, “green sheets” were not needed to track credits. Each attendee had their personal QR code scanned upon entry into each session. A total of 685 certificates have already been emailed to attendees.

Workshops

The eight workshop presentations were:

S Using Wastewater Treatment Modeling for Improved Operations

S Septic System Conversions/Onsite Treatment

S Contractors Council

S Drinking Water and Wastewater Utilities Potpourri 2: The Conversations

Continue

S State of the Economy: How it Impacts Utilities

S Evolution of Water Reuse in Central Florida: The Story of Potable Reuse

S Resiliency During Hurricane Ian

S Grant Funding

Technical Sessions

Two days of solid technical content included five (and sometimes more) concurrent sessions that substantially covered important and timely issues on the following topics:

S Utility Management

S Water Quality/Water Supply

S Reclamation and Reuse

S Collection Systems

S Biosolids/Resource Recovery

S Potable Water Treatment

S Facilities Operation and Maintenance

S Distribution Systems/Modeling/ Geographic Information Systems (GIS)/ Computer Apps

S Wastewater Treatment

S Sustainability

S Nutrient Removal

S Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

S Stormwater and Green Infrastructure

Thanks to Our Sponsors

The conference sponsors help to enrich the experience at FWRC. We appreciate their interest in the conference’s vision and are grateful for their support. We encourage all conference attendees to give these sponsors the opportunity to earn their business throughout the year.

Title Sponsor

S Merrell Bros.

Platinum Plus Sponsors

S Ardurra

S Cha Consulting Inc.

S Freese and Nichols

Platinum Sponsors

S AECOM

S CS3 Waterworks

S PCL Construction

S Vogel Bros. Building Co.

S Wade Trim

Gold Sponsors

S Barge Design Solutions

S Baxter & Woodman Consulting Engineers

S Flender

S FJ Nugent & Associates Inc.

S Grundfos

S Hazen

S HDR

S Hydra Service Inc

S Kimley Horn

S Mott Macdonald

S Tetra Tech

S Wright-Pierce

S Xylem

Silver Sponsors

S Arcadis

S Black & Veatch

S DXP/C&V

S Custom Controls Technology Inc.

S Dewberry

S Franzenburg Centrifuge

S Halff

S Haskell

S McKim & Creed

S Nexom

S Synagro

S Weston & Sampson

Bronze Sponsors

S Brown and Caldwell

S Carollo

S CDM Smith

S Custom Pump & Controls

S Flovac Vacuum Sewerage Systems

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S General Control Systems

S Jacobs

S JonesEdmunds

S Mead & Hunt

S Moss Kelley Inc.

S Tom Evans Environmental

S U.S. Water Services Corporation

S Vaughan

S VTScada, by Trihedral

S Woolpert

Supporting Sponsors

S Classic Controls Inc.

S Florida Aquastore

S Fortiline Waterworks

S Gerber Pumps

S Kiewit

We thank you for attending the 2023 Florida Water Resources Conference in Kissimmee. I hope you had a memorable FWRC and the events were up to your expectations. We hope you and your company or your utility benefitted from the technical sessions, exhibits, field trip, and networking opportunities.

The conference was a great success and set a record in several areas. We hope to see you in April 2024 in Kissimmee as we return to the beautiful Gaylord Palms.

We always appreciate your feedback. We started the planning for FWRC 2024 based on your comments.

If we can be of help in any way with your participation next year, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Tim Madhanagopal, P.E., F.WEF, F. NSPE president, Florida Water Resources Conference Inc.

S Stantec

S Sundt

Individual Technical Session Sponsors

S Haskell

S Atkins

S Synagro

S Volition Controls Corp.

Scavenger Hunt Sponsors

S AWC

S Carollo

S Engineered Spray Solutions

S Fortiline Waterworks

S Hartzell Air Movement

S Odyssey Manufacturing Co.

S RK&K

S Source Technologies

S Vega

S U.S. Submergent

Networking and Annual Events: Information Sharing and Industry Recognition

Many other activities went on at FWRC in addition to the educational forums, technical sessions, and committee meetings.

President’s Reception

To kick off the 2023 FWRC, a president’s reception was held in the exhibit hall. As everyone networked and reconnected, buffets and open bars were enjoyed by all. In addition, a violist and harpist helped to set the mood.

Awards Luncheons

Hundreds of attendees and exhibitors attended the FWRC awards luncheon on Thursday. Tim Madhanagopal, FWRC president, hosted the proceedings; the board members of FSAWWA, FWEA, FWPCOA, and FWRC were in attendance; and several awards were given. Also in attendance was Corey Williams, a member of the WEF board of trustees.

Patrick “Murf” Murphy hosted the Florida Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovelers (FSSSSS) inductions at the lunch. This exclusive award honors the recipients based on merit for their “outstanding and meritorious service above and beyond the call of duty to the water industry.”

Friday’s FWEA annual meeting and awards luncheon was hosted by Corey Williams, the WEF officer in attendance, and included review of the organization’s annual report, election of officers, and passing of the gavel to the new FWEA president, Suzanne Mechler, P.E., who gave her incoming remarks.

Operations Challenge

The Operations Challenge included teams of four people that competed in five separate events: operations, maintenance, laboratory, safety, and collection systems. Teams competed at a regional level to earn the right to represent Florida at the national competition at the 2023 WEFTEC.

The results of the Operations Challenge were as follows:

S Polk County Wizards - First Place

S St. Pete Dirty Birds - Second Place

S JEA The Fecal Matter - Third Place

Volunteers: The Backbone of the Conference

The FWRC has many moving parts and I would especially like to thank all of our talented speakers who truly are experts in their fields; staff members of FSAWWA, FWPCOA, and FWEA; all of the many people who volunteered their time at registration, as part of the Technical Review Committee, and as workshop coordinators; attendees at educational events and committee meetings; and all the other people behind the scenes who make this event so successful.

You are all good stewards of Florida’s clean water environment with your commitment to FWRC.

Save the Date

Let’s get ready for more fun and sun at the 2024 Florida Water Resources Conference, which is scheduled for April 2-4 at Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee. The FWRC strives to be your prevailing source for technical and educational information and we look forward to another great conference next year!

Mish Clark is executive director of the Florida Water Resources Conference. S