Look for these additional events in 2022. More details will be available soon!
Drinking Water Quality and Research Spring Seminar
Richmond, VA
April 19, 2022
Plant Operations Conference
Virginia Beach, VA
May 4-6, 2022
Water for People Golf Tournaments - Williamsburg, May 2, 2022
NoVA, May 10, 2022
Good Lab Practices Conference
Charlottesville, VA
July 25 and 26, 2022
Did You Know?
Membership in Virginia Section AWWA provides you with great training opportunities. Not only do we offer member-exclusive rates for webinars and conferences, but along with AWWA, we offer complimentary training. There is no better way to complete your required CEUs or PDHs than through our training!
Have you heard about the newest program from VA AWWA? Get rewarded in three different ways for taking advantage of your many membership benefits! Check out all the details, including how to turn your activities into points and then those points into prizes and rewards!
Don't forget to Submit your Abstract for WaterJAM! The deadline is January 7, 2022. Click here to review submission guidelines and submit your abstract. Need pointers on submitting a great abstract? Check out the abstract tips and tricks page on the JAM website.
VA AWWA has newly formed a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. Our purpose is to lead and empower diversity and inclusion in our community by creating opportunity and cultivating belonging so all can thrive; acting in a way that is equitable, sustainable, and intentional.
We need YOUR energy, drive, and participation to bring our purpose, vision, mission, and commitments to life! This is a phenomenal opportunity for YOU to get in on the ground floor for something important, and make a real difference. We hope that you will join the movement with us. Make a Splash!
We have an exciting lineup of activities planned which is intended to increase member, industry, and community engagement while advancing mentorship and allyship. We need YOUR energy, drive, and participation to bring our purpose, vision, mission, and commitments to life!
Click the image to learn more about what Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion means to VA AWWA by viewing a personal message from the Board and DEI Committee leadership.
The Laboratory Practices Committee hereby invites the submission of abstracts for papers and workshops for the 28th Annual Good Laboratory Practices Conference, to be held in Charlottesville, Virginia on July 25 and 26, 2022 at the Omni Charlottesville Hotel. We encourage you to submit an abstract and participate in discussions that are important to the advancement of our laboratory professionals. For further information contact: Alicia Connelly at Alicia.a.connelly@hii-nns.com or Kerri Williams at kwilliams@hrsd.com. The deadline for submissions is January 12, 2022.
Over the past two years, the worldwide pandemic has affected and impacted everybody in one way or another and has brought to light the fragility of supply chains in each industry. Throughout the water industry, everybody has dealt with these supply chain issues and many have begun evolving with the times by optimizing their risk management practices and system-wide resiliency to withstand further, unanticipated impacts from the rapidly changing world.
To help address industry concerns and questions, the Drinking Water Quality & Research Committee will be hosting their annual seminar in early 2022 with industry experts to discuss major regulatory changes that will impact all public water systems including presentations on system resilience, emergency response, supply chain risk management and preparedness, and upcoming funding opportunities.
The seminar will be held at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Henrico, VA on April 19, 2022. Seminar registration will be available soon under Training and Events: https://vaawwa.org/events/cards
For more than 40 years the American Water Works Association and its members have celebrated Drinking Water Week – a unique opportunity for both water professionals and the communities they serve to recognize the vital role water plays in our daily lives. For the 2021 celebration, the VA AWWA Water Awareness and Outreach Committee created a toolkit for Virginia utilities. The toolkit included logos and banners, social media posts with graphics, press release templates, children’s activities, and ideas for employee appreciation and celebration.
Drinking Water Week will take place May 1-7, 2022! Mark your calendars now and start planning for a great week of celebrations, community engagement, and employee appreciation! The VA AWWA Water Awareness and Outreach Committee will be updating the toolkit with fresh resources for Virginia utilities to use. Stay tuned for updates soon!
Great news for Water Utilities came over the weekend when Governor Ralph Northam intervened and reversed a decision by the health commissioner to lay off all six Field Directors, along with 8 other key office personnel.
In the last two weeks, it was announced that the Office of Drinking Water would be laying off 14 personnel from each regional office effective January 9th, 2022. This decision would have had a profound impact on drinking water utilities around the state for systems of all sizes. ODW provides technical support and oversight to Virginia's public water systems and this action would have impacted this critical function at a critical time with not only more regulations (newly approved Lead and Copper Rule) but also an infusion of federal funding for infrastructure repair and replacement.
Gov. Ralph Northam’s press secretary said Saturday that the governor is reversing a decision by his health commissioner to lay off 14 people who monitor drinking water in Virginia. “The Governor has directed the Department of Health and the Department of Planning and Budget to fix the Office of Drinking Water’s budget shortfall now so that no one will lose their positions — this office and these individuals are too important to do otherwise,” said Alena Yarmosky, the governor’s press secretary, in an email. “The individuals affected are being notified now and we will work with the Office of Drinking Water to ensure their budget practices do not put them in this unfortunate situation again.”
Thank you to everyone that reached out to their local delegates, and the Office of Drinking Water directly, to voice their objection to the layoffs.
WASHINGTON (Dec. 16, 2021) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan announced that the agency will begin developing a new regulation to better protect communities from exposure to lead in drinking water. EPA is committed to using every tool available—statutory authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act, technical assistance, funding, and more—to protect all Americans from lead in drinking water. The agency will collaboratively work with local, state, and federal partners, to make rapid progress on President Biden’s goal to remove 100% of lead service lines, with a focus on prioritizing communities disproportionately impacted by lead contamination.
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Dave Gill at david@kelman.ca
Career Center
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The webpage contains a summary of current job postings... but check back periodically for new positions as they become available.