WEAT W. Walter Chiang Lifetime Achievement Award

W. WALTER CHIANG LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

...recognizes a current or past WEAT member who has demonstrated continual and tireless contributions toward the improvement of the water environment throughout a long, distinguished career in the wastewater treatment industry and in WEAT/WEF.

Patricia Cleveland

For more than 45 years, Patricia (Patty) Cleveland has served as a steward of the water environment in many roles for Trinity River Authority of Texas. Currently, she is responsible for managing TRA’s six regional operating projects in the upper Trinity River Basin and five non-operating projects that serve more than 1.3 million people in over 40 North Texas cities.

Patty has been responsible for directing the operation, maintenance, and expansion of TRA’s regional water and wastewater systems and developing new projects. She has been instrumental in TRA meeting wastewater discharge standards that have resulted in improvements in water quality in the upper Trinity River and its tributaries. She has directed the planning, design, and procurement of funding for water and wastewater treatment plants and conveyance systems. Patty advocates for creating partnerships among regional customer cities based on trust and cooperation and guides the development of regulatory requirements to meet water quality requirements. Patty has published numerous technical papers, co-chaired management planning for the National Water Sector, and has participated in various technical conferences and committees. She serves as a board member of the WaterISAC, a member of the Water Environment Federation, and represents TRA with the National Association of Clean Water Agencies. She has served as Chair of the National Water Sector Security Coordinating Council and on the NACWA Board and various committees. Patty has also fulfilled many leadership roles in WEAT and WEF during her 45-year career. Patty served as president of WEAT and the Texas Association of Clean Water Agencies, among the many leadership positions. Patty’s unending support of WEAT and WEF and their joint mission has resulted in TRA and its employees supporting WEAT in numerous ways for many years. Specifically, Patty’s support of operations teams in the WEAT and WEF Operations Challenge programs has yielded the development of TRA teams that routinely reach the national ranks at WEF.

Those same TRA teams Patty supported and offered time to help develop their skills and knowledge continue to pay it forward. TRA teams have regularly provided support and guidance to other Utilities, Authorities, and Districts on how to develop their own teams. Patty’s emphasis on placing the operator role at the forefront has been essential to WEAT and WEF, and highlighting the critical role which operators play in every utility organization has helped shape both the WEAT and WEF organizations. While Patty’s previous and current work in support of the WEAT mission is visible in multiple ways, it is her unending dedication to the WEAT mission of clean water for all, her role in mentoring, and her dedication to the WEAT organization and the water industry that makes her so deserving of the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award.