Drinking Water Professionals Gathered for Annual Conference “Shaping Our Water Future”
April 06 2015 - 4:08PM
Business Wire
Over 970 drinking water professionals gathered in Atlantic City
last week for the New Jersey Section American Water Works
Association’s (AWWA) 80th Annual Conference. The conference offered
almost three full days of educational sessions on topics including
water treatment, regulations, management and pipeline recovery. It
also provided a valuable opportunity for attendees to network with
their peers in a structured yet informal setting.
The New Jersey Section is one of 43 sections of the American
Water Works Association, which is the largest organization of
drinking water professionals in the world. AWWA works to make
advances in public health, safety and welfare by uniting the
efforts of the full spectrum of drinking water professionals. The
theme of this year’s conference was “Shaping Our Water Future.”
In addition to the sessions, participants were invited to attend
activities throughout the conference. Seven organizations submitted
samples for a public water taste test. Attendees were invited to
try all the submissions and vote for their favorite, with
Merchantville-Pennsauken Water Commission taking first place.
Technical participants tested their knowledge in an Operators Bowl.
Students from several New Jersey colleges submitted posters for
judging and competed in the Student Bowl.
Attendees were invited to participate in Water For People’s Drop
in the Bucket Auction. Through the hard work of its volunteer
committee, the Section donated almost $100,000 to Water for People,
an international charity focused on ensuring everyone has access to
safe continuous water.
This year’s award recipients received a myriad of honors for
their contributions in engineering, leadership, years of
distinguished service, new eager professionals, and volunteerism.
The recipients were as follows:
The George Warren Fuller Award, which recognizes
distinguished service in the water supply field, was bestowed upon
Carol T. Storms of Aqua New Jersey. The Fuller Award – one of the
most prestigious awards AWWA bestows -- is given to an individual
for their sound engineering skill and constructive leadership,
qualities exemplified by George Warren Fuller, one of America’s
most eminent engineers.
The Harold V. Florence, Jr. Meritorious Operator Award
for distinguished service in water operations was awarded to Keith
Smith for his work at the Borough of Butler Water Department.
The Dedication Award was presented to Michael Opaleski
for his demonstration of outstanding services and dedication to the
AWWA NJ Section through his leadership and active participation in
AWWA NJ programs.
The Next Generation Award was bestowed upon Sophia Heng
of Southeast Morris County MUA. This award is given to a member who
is a young professional (under the age of 35) and who is actively
participating in the Association's activities and programs. This
award has been developed to encourage young professionals to become
active in AWWA New Jersey Section and to encourage employers to
allow their young professionals to participate.
The Kenneth J. Miller Award was given to Nicholas
DeVecchis of New Jersey American Water for his volunteer work with
Water for People. Water for People, a nonprofit organization, is
dedicated to helping people in developing countries improve their
quality of life by supporting the development of locally
sustainable drinking water resources, sanitation facilities and
health and hygiene education programs.
The Fresh Ideas Award was given to DiAsia Brooks of
Trenton Water Works and Perisa Azhir of Middlesex Water Company. In
conjunction with AWWA’s Fresh Ideas initiative, the AWWA NJ Section
selects the best paper by a young professional based on
originality, topical interest, content, speaker’s knowledge of
topic, use of audio-visual elements, and overall presentation.
Their presentation was “Managing a Municipally Owned Water Utility:
Then and Now.”
During the Conference, the AWWA NJ Section announced its
officers the coming year (2015-2016):
Section Chair: David J. Tanzi (CDM Smith)Vice
Chair: Michael Furrey (Agra Environmental Laboratory
Services)Past Chair: Carol T. Walczyk (Hatch Mott
MacDonald)Director: Mark Tompeck (Hatch Mott
MacDonald)Trustee: Andrew Clauhs (Mueller
Co.)Trustee: Brian Carr (Middlesex Water
Company)Trustee: Nicole Wiley (American
Water)Trustee: David G. Ern (Gordon's Corner Water
Company)Secretary-Treasurer: David Scheibner (Ridgewood
Water)Assistant Secretary-Treasurer: Andrea McElroy (Passaic
Valley Water Commission)
For more information about the AWWA NJ Section, please visit our
website: www.njawwa.org or call Mona Cavalcoli, Section Manager, at
(866) 436-1120.
AWWA NJ Section Public Information CommitteeChelsea Simkins,
856-782-2340Chelsea.Simkins@amwater.com
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