March 2007
March 28th, 2007
There are new courses and seminars coming to the BCWWA calendar – be sure to check them out. For your consideration are seminars dealing with Boil Water Advisories – what they mean, how they need to be handled, what the public wants to hear. Look for one coming at the beginning of June in the lower mainland, and another in the interior in early fall. Also new, for us at least, is a session dealing with Asset Management. As our systems age and our population increases the demands on our infrastructure, and the funding that supports it, grows. This session will look at how various municipalities can and have dealt with these challenges. As always, planning in advance can make a huge difference and provision of the information necessary for this planning is crucial. Speaking of planning – that’s what is underway for a session specifically about the challenges that our aging population is facing. What are Gen Xers? Or Gen Yers? What matters to them? And why does it matter to our water systems?
We are in the process of investigating the needs of our members and our industry and many things are underway as a result of what we are finding. BCWWA is a responsive organization so the challenge that I pass along is ‘Let us know what you want to see.’
March 21st, 2007
BCWWA’s biggest annual event is our conference – this year in Penticton at the end of April. Every year we are proud to present a first class event with knowledgeable speakers, informative sessions, good networking and some great fun. I have mentioned this before, but it is worth noting again. We can present all of these wonderful things but if you aren’t there you won’t get any of the benefit. Did you know that there are CEUs awarded for the technical sessions? Did you know that the Top Ops competitions demonstrate what is needed to make our various systems work, and how lucky we are to have such competent and talented people doing that? Did you know that as we fill up Penticton with water and wastewater people you have a tremendous opportunity to find people with either similar concerns or answers to your questions? Did you know that the trade show is the largest, all in one place, collection of industry suppliers, manufacturers and consultants that you will find anywhere in BC? I encourage everyone to consider, seriously, putting this event on the To Do list.
March 14th, 2007
What is up with our water? In some places our rainfall is up, and so are the water levels in our rivers. In some places there just is not enough water to go around – maybe because there are more people and businesses placing demands on our limited systems. Some of our infrastructure is reaching the end of its life (and in some cases it has been a very long and positive life) and some areas are growing so fast that the necessary infrastructure can’t be built fast enough to meet the demand. The processes that worked before don’t always work now and some of the processes we used previously are now found to be problematic. How can anyone deal with these issues? BCWWA has a long history of monitoring what is happening with our water and wastewater systems. We also have a long history of reviewing what could happen next and how we might deal with the various challenges that confront us. This happens partly through our publications, partly through our Annual Conference and most importantly through the multitude of courses, seminars and workshops that we present each year. The involvement of members, who are both our audience and our resident experts, means that BCWWA meets both the needs of those who are part of the organization and the public that we all serve. BCWWA wants to know what is up with the water – don’t you?
March 7th, 2007
Water is not a new resource. But recognition of its value is pretty new. Not to those of us in the water and wastewater industry, but certainly to the many publics who are the beneficiaries of the work we do – the residents, the businesses, the governments. Along with a recognition of the value of our water and wastewater systems is a growing understanding of the need for qualified and knowledgeable operators to manage and maintain these systems. BCWWA has been involved, since the organization started over thirty years ago, with the training and education that helps to develop qualified operators. Now, with the new requirements for ongoing upgrading and training for these operators the knowledge exchange that BCWWA offers is even more important. We look forward to continuing to present both the ‘old’ and necessary courses that help make the many systems in BC work properly and some ‘new’ and innovative training opportunities to meet the ongoing CEU (continuing education unit) requirements. Watch for new courses, new seminars and new workshops that will be coming from BCWWA.
