2022 FSAWWA Fall Conference: Aging Well—Protecting Our Infrastructure

Peggy Guingona

The Florida Section of the American Water Works Association (FSAWWA) celebrated its 96th year of commitment and dedication to the world’s most important resource by hosting its 28th Fall Conference, with the theme, “Aging Well—Protecting our Infrastructure,” from November 27 to November 30 at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Orlando.

The yearly event attracted 2030 attendees that included operators, water utility executives and managers, engineers, educators, manufacturers, consultants, students, and others from the water profession. A total of 170 exhibit booths were sold.

There were lots of opportunities to meet old colleagues and make new friends at the continental breakfasts, lunches, meet-and-greet receptions, committee meetings, Poker Night and Happy Hour, TopGolf event, and annual BBQ

Challenge and reception to welcome FSAWWA’s incoming chair for 2023, Greg Taylor.

Opening General Session

The Opening General Session (OGS) on Monday afternoon is one of the conference’s must-attend events and has been a part of the conference since 2013. Emilie Moore, FSAWWA chair, welcomed the attendees to the OGS and introduced Randy Moore, AWWA vice president and visiting officer. Moore presented an update on association events and priorities.

Opening General Session Topic: Florida’s Response to Hurricanes

Emilie Moore introduced the panelists who made a grand entrance as “masked water heroes.” The 2022 panel of speakers included:

Moderator

S Kevin Carter, Broward County Water & Wastewater Services

Opening Session

Panelists

S Jennifer Carpenter, acting director, Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) South District Office

S Andrew Campbell, director, University of Florida Office of Professional and Workforce Development

S Alicia Keeter, South Walton Utility Co.

S Lisa Wilson-Davis, City of Boca Raton

The panelists focused on Hurricane Ian’s havoc on Florida, which landed in the state last year on September 28. As has been reported, “Hurricane Ian was the third-costliest weather disaster in the world on record and the deadliest hurricane to strike the state since the 1935 Labor Day hurricane.”

Other presentations were from the following agencies:

S Florida Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (FlaWARN)

S Florida’s WATER Tracker – Water Assistance Tracking and Emergency Response

BBQ Challenge and Incoming Chair’s Reception

On Monday evening, the conference held the ninth BBQ Challenge, which was open to all attendees. It was also an opportunity to introduce and welcome the incoming FSAWWA chair, Greg Taylor (for more information, see page 52).

Technical Program

Each year, through the dedicated efforts of Dr. Fred Bloetscher, an excellent technical program is presented. In 2022, specialty workshops were offered on Mondays, as they have been in the past. The nine workshops were:

S Engineering Laws and Rules

S Navigating the State and National Regulatory Landscape: Get Your Research On

S Cybersecurity Insights, Resources, and Best Practices

S Growth and New Development Considerations

S Utility Systems Symposium: The Intelligence of Water

S Source Water Protection (Farm Bill 2018)

S Emergency Preparedness and Response Resources for Utilities

S Automation and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)

S Geographic Information Systems (GIS)/ Asset Management

Tuesday and Wednesday technical sessions focused on the conference’s theme. The sessions included:

S Potable Reuse

S Management of Pipelines

S Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Treatment

S Water Treatment: Membrane Applications

S Managing Your Finances

S Reclaimed Water Solutions

S Emerging Contaminants

S Where are the Workers: The New Normal for Organizations

S Contractors Council: Adapting to Changing Market Conditions

S Lead and Copper Rule Compliance

S Less Conventional Water Treatment

S Hydraulic Modeling of Piping Systems

S Water Conservation Symposium: From Forty Thousand Feet to the Weeds

Exhibits

The exhibit hall, which had 140 booth spaces and 30 tabletops, gave attendees another chance to network and learn about the latest and most innovative products and services in the water industry. Company representatives were available daily to help attendees solve their problems and meet future challenges.

Meetings

2021-2022 FSAWWA Board of Directors

The FSAWWA Executive Committee held its meeting on Sunday morning, followed by the board of governors meeting in the afternoon, with 33 board members present and other active volunteers attending. This is where the real work of the section is planned for the following year.

Two special guests from AWWA were present:

S Randy Moore, AWWA vice president

S Michelle Hektor, senior manager of