For Immediate Release Contact

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Juan Oquendo
813.251.6838
[email protected]
Florida Water Festival Planned for Tampa Bay Area
TAMPA, Fla. (February 10, 2014) – The Florida Water Environment Association
(FWEA) is proud to announce the Florida Water Festival to be held on March 22, 2014,
at Spa Beach Park in St. Petersburg from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Designed to educate the public
about the importance of protecting our water resources, this event offers fun and
educational events for the entire family. There is no cost to attend! For more information
visit www.fwea.org/water_festival.php and like the Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/FloridaWaterFestival
Event Details
What:
Where:
FWEA Florida Water Festival
Spa Beach Park, 615 2nd Ave. NE., St. Petersburg, FL, 33701
When:
Saturday, March 22, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Why:
A fun day to learn about water from experts
The day’s activities include:
•
The one-mile Walk for Water: See what it’s like to have to carry water for a
distance, as many in the world still must do; you will learn facts about water
around the world as you walk
•
Live music
•
Interactive demonstrations on water quality sampling and testing
•
Demonstrations on how water reclamation systems work
•
Poster contest for children, which includes a $50 gift card for the winner
•
Water animal face painting
•
Caricature artists
•
Water filtration test design competition for students in Grades 1 through 8
•
Exhibits from bay-area companies and agencies
•
Prize drawings throughout the day.
Florida Water Environment Association
The Florida Water Environment Association (FWEA) is a Member Association of the Water
Environment Federation which is comprised of over 36,000 water professional around the
world. The Member Association is a 501(c)(3) organization that began its existence in 1941
under the name Florida Sewerage and Industrial Waste Association. Subsequent name
changes over the years are reflective of the evolution of public attitudes about wastewater
management and the environment. Membership has grown over the years and today our
membership exceeds 1,300 clean water professionals. Our local chapters, student chapters,
committees and Utility Council help to unite Florida’s clean water professionals responsible for
protecting the environment through education programs, professional development and
promotion of sound public policy.
Resources:
www.fwea.org/water_festival.php
www.facebook.com/FloridaWaterFestival
Florida Water Festival
STUDENT DESIGN COMPETITION: WATER FILTRATION
WHO: Competition is open to teams of students from public and private schools around St.
Petersburg, Florida, grades 1 through 8. It will be split into three grade level categories: 1-3rd,
4-5th, and 6-8th. Teams may consist of multiple students within the same grade level
category, but students can only be on one team. Each team must have a designated teacher
sponsor.
WHAT: Use your imagination to design a water filtration system that can filter out dirt and
small pieces of paper and plastic. Although the possibilities may seem endless, please make
sure your system will be able to be transported to and from the site on the day of the
competition. (Examples of materials to use may include, but are not limited to, the following: 2
liter bottles, buckets, soil, sand, gravel, marbles, cotton balls, metal scrap, woodchips, packing
peanuts, coffee filters, and vegetation.) On the day of the competition, 500 milliliters (ml) of
“polluted” water will be given to each team to pour through their filtration system. The filtered
water leaving the system will be collected in containers provided on-site. The judges will score
each team based on 1.) the turbidity of the filtered water and 2.) the volume of water filtered in
10 minutes.
WHEN: The competition will be held on Saturday, March 22, 2014. All teams must have
at least one representative present with the filtration system by 9:30 am. All teams must be
registered by March 15, 2014 by emailing Laurel Rowse at [email protected]. Please
include the school name, grade level, name and contact information of the teacher sponsor,
and names of the participating students. More information including a festival sitemap will be
available closer to the competition.
WHERE:
Spa Beach Park
615 2nd Ave. NE.
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701
WHY: The goal of the competition is to promote student participation and i n cr e as e
understanding of what it takes to filter water and the importance of water quality. Most
importantly it is to make learning fun!
PRIZES!
1st place winners in each of the
three categories will be
featured in the Florida Water
Resources Journal and receive one
(1) $50 gift card!
2nd and 3rd place winners will be
featured on the Florida Water
Festival website.
QUESTIONS?
Website:
http://www.fwea.org/water_festival.php
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FloridaWaterFestival
Contact Person: Laurel Rowse
Florida Water Festival Committee
[email protected]
813-675-6525
Backgrounder
Florida Water Environment Association
Contact
Greg Chomic
President
Florida Water Environment Association
407.628.1880 office
407.948.0332
[email protected]
The Florida Water Environment Association (FWEA) is the
Florida Member Association of the international Water
Environment Federation WEF. WEF is a not-for-profit educational
and technical organization of 40,000 water quality experts
worldwide. Committed to the preservation and enhancement of the
global water environment, WEF has Member Associations located
in many countries throughout the world.
Structure
FWEA's Board of Directors is made up of twelve positions. The six Directors-At-Large act as Board
liaison for thirty-nine seven local and eight student chapters and 32 committees covering technical,
education, administration functions of the Association. These committees address the educational and
professional development goals of the Association. The Utility Council has a separate membership and
committee structure and is focused on achievement of the Association's public policy goals.
Local Chapters
FWEA has 8 local chapters throughout the state who host meetings on topics of local interest and
provide members with excellent educational and networking opportunities throughout the year.
Utility Council
In an effort to promote sound public policy, the Board of FWEA established the Utility Council. The
Council is made up of wastewater utilities in the state and exists for the purpose of addressing legislative
and regulatory issues concerning the wastewater industry. The Council retains a consultant in
Tallahassee to monitor legislation and educate public policymakers in the interest of Utility Council
members.
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Annual Conference
The annual conference is the site of the FWEA Annual Meeting, design competition, and awards
presentations. The conference is a joint technical conference with Florida Section of the American
Water Works Association (FSAWWA) and the Florida Water Pollution Control Operators Association
(FWPCOA). The conference provides technical water programs, equipment exhibits, and a forum for
Association meetings and business.
Operations Challenge
Operator participation in FWEA is very important to the organization. Operations Challenge provides a
competition for the professional operators from utilities across the state. The winners at the state
competition are sponsored by FWEA to participate in the national competition. This exciting event is
held at WEFTEC each year.
Awards
FWEA recognizes members and utilities through an award program. Awards are presented at the annual
conference. Recognition by your peers is the most sincere and meaningful recognition that can be given.
In addition to awards given at the state level, Florida members, utilities, and programs are nominated for
national WEF awards.
Public Education
The FWEA serves to educate the general public about wastewater and other water quality issues, with a
focus on reaching elementary, middle school, and high school students and public and private school
science teachers. It also serves a resource for FWEA member public education efforts, providing
support through the development and implementation of programs and materials that members can
utilize to enhance their public education efforts.
Student Chapters
FWEA sponsors student chapters at seven Florida universities.
1. Florida International University
2. University of Central Florida
3. University of Florida
4. University of Miami
5. University of South Florida
6. Florida Atlantic University
7. University of North Florida
8. University of North Florida
Student chapter activities include meetings featuring speakers from the water industry, career fairs, and a
design competition that enables student teams to receive course credit and compete for prizes the $2,000
Norm Casey scholarship, a $500 cash prize, and memberships in FWEA. This competition has been
praised by students as an opportunity to work on 'real world' problems and has also resulted in job
opportunities being made available to team members. ###
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Backgrounder
Water Environment Federation
Contact
John A. Giachino
WEF Delegate
Florida Water Environment Association
407.574.4567 office direct
407.473.3628
[email protected]
Improving Water Quality for Over 75 Years
Formed in 1928, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization more than
34,000 individual members and 81 affiliated Member Associations representing an additional 50,000 water quality
professionals throughout the world. WEF and its member associations proudly work to achieve our mission of preserving and
enhancing the global water environment.
About WEF
WEF’s vision to “preserve and enhance the global water environment” is the basis for all WEF programs and activities. WEF is
governed by an18-member Board of Trustees acting on behalf of its membership to advance its mission of providing
information, education, and resources to water quality professionals and the public.
WEF and its Members:
•
•
•
•
research and publish the latest information on wastewater treatment and water quality protection;
provide technical expertise and training on issues including non-point source pollution, hazardous waste, residuals
management, and groundwater;
sponsor conferences and other special events around the world;
review, testify, and comment on environmental regulations and legislation.
WEF History
WEF has guided technological development in water quality since 1928. Previously called the Federation of Sewage Works
Associations (1928), the Federation of Sewage and Industrial Wastes Associations (1950), and the Water Pollution Control
Federation (1960); the name was changed to the Water Environment Federation in 1991 to reflect an expanded focus of nonpoint and point sources of pollution.
WEF Member Associations
WEF’s global network of Member Associations (MAs) provides water quality professionals around the world with education,
training, and business opportunities.
WEF Committees
WEF provides opportunities for its members to participate in committees to develop consensus positions for WEF on key
technical and public policy issues; write Manuals of Practice and other technical publications; and develop education and
training programs.
Technical Training and Education
WEF offers Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for successful completion of training programs and seminars. Members can
choose from self-paced and classroom courses for entry and advanced-level training; interactive CD-ROM-based training
courses for operators; and a variety of self-study training materials in print and electronic format.
1
Technical Publications
WEF publishes more than 190 technical publications. These include peer-reviewed Manuals of Practice (MOPs) covering a
range of water quality topics on design, operation, and management issues as well as Technical Practice Updates (TPUs).
Developed under the auspices of WEF’s Technical Practice Committee by diverse and balanced task forces using WEF’s
established consensus procedures, TPUs have the goal of providing timely and accurate information on emerging technical
topics such as biosolids, collection systems, and microconstituents.
Magazines and Journals
• Water Environment & Technology (WE&T)
• Water Environment Research (WER)
• Water Practice
• World Water & Environmental Engineering
Newsletters
• Water Environment Laboratory Solutions
• Biosolids Technical Bulletin
• Industrial Wastewater Technical Bulletin
• WEF Highlights
• Utility Executive
• Water Environment Regulation Watch
WEFTEC® - The Water Quality Event
WEFTEC (WEF’s annual technical exhibition and conference) is North America’s largest exhibition and
conference on water quality and wastewater treatment technology and the largest annual water quality exhibition
in the world. WEFTEC annually hosts more than 18,000 water quality experts from around the world and
features more than 600 technical presentations and 1,000 exhibiting companies.
Specialty Conferences
WEF’s specialty conferences are held throughout the year and feature key water quality topics including collection systems,
biosolids management, and odors/air emissions. WEF also addresses timely issues such as sustainability, membrane
technology, nutrients, infrastructure security, asset management, pretreatment, NPDES permitting, and fats, oil and greases
through seminars and special webcasts. Conference papers are available year-round on CD or in WEF’s online Market Place.
Public Education
As a leading source of water quality information, WEF develops programs and materials to help its members communicate
with their target audiences about key water quality issues. Its goal is to increase an understanding of the direct role water and
wastewater services have in the protection of public health, the economy, and the environment.
Stockholm Junior Water Prize
The Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) is the most prestigious international youth award for a high school water science
research project. In the United States, WEF and its MAs organize the national, state, and local competitions with support from
ITT Corporation, The Coca-Cola Company, and Delta Air Lines.
Water Is Life, and Infrastructure Makes It Happen™
Water Is Life, and Infrastructure Makes It Happen is a public education program designed to inform and motivate the public,
ratepayers, and elected officials to invest in water and wastewater infrastructure.
World Water Monitoring Day™
World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) is an international outreach program that builds public awareness and
involvement in protecting water resources around the world. Adopted by WEF in 2006, the program engages
communities in monitoring the condition of local rivers, streams, estuaries, and other water bodies.
2
Public Information
As a leading source of water quality information, WEF informs public officials and the media about relevant and timely water
quality issues through press conferences, news releases, congressional testimony, newsletters, article placement, and formal
comments on regulatory and legislative matters.
Government Affairs
Under the leadership of the Legislative Subcommittee of WEF’s Government Affairs Committee, WEF tracks, monitors, and
actively comments on legislation impacting clean water issues. WEF works closely with its membership to educate Congress
on clean water issues impacting their districts and states.
Under the leadership of the Regulatory Subcommittee of WEF’s Government Affairs Committee, WEF tracks, monitors, and
actively comments on regulatory and compliance issues related to clean water. Regulations and guidance from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal agencies often impact WEF members’ activities and how
environmental goals are met. The WEF Regulatory Program has two primary functions: to allow WEF members to have input
in the federal regulation-setting process and to inform WEF members of new regulations and actions needed to comply with
existing regulations.
National Clean Water Policy Forum
The National Clean Water Policy Forum is a joint effort between WEF and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies
(NACWA). Held each spring in Washington, DC, the event brings together elected and appointed U.S. officials, government
employees, and water quality experts to discuss recent trends in U.S. environmental policy, legislation, and regulation.
National Biosolids Partnership
The National Biosolids Partnership assists in the planning and implementation of environmentally sound management
programs to promote environmental stewardship and public participation in local biosolids program decisions. The
Partnership is composed of WEF, NACWA, and EPA.
WEF on the Web
WEF has a number of Web sites designed to provide its members and the public with the latest water quality news and
information; program and educational resources; annual and special events; and networking opportunities:
• www.wef.org – WEF homepage
• www.weftec.org – WEFTEC homepage
• www.waterislife.net – Water Is Life, and Infrastructure Makes it
Happen
• www.worldwatermonitoringday.org - World Water Monitoring Day
• www.worldwater.biz - World Water & Environmental Engineering
• www.biosolids.org – National Biosolids Partnership
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