Texas H2O Pre-Con

We're excited to invite you to Houston for Texas WaterTM 2023! Texas Water will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center April 11-14, 2023. Visit www.txwater.org for more information and to register!

Dedicated volunteers from the Texas Section AWWA and the Water Environment Association of Texas have worked countless hours to make Texas WaterTM 2023, the groups' annual joint conference, a seamless event that will bring home the knowledge to advance the water and wastewater industry.

Don't miss out on the sold-out Exhibit Hall featuring

more than 650 booths, the informative technical sessions and the networking opportunities with thousands of representatives of the Texas water/ wastewater industry! We hope to see you there!

Here are some conference highlights:

TUESDAY, APRIL 11

The day begins at 7 a.m. as players gather at the Memorial Golf Course for the annual Texas Water Golf Tournament. The tournament raises money for scholarships for TAWWA and WEAT.

Texas Section

American Water Works Association

P.O. Box 80150

Austin, Texas 78708

www.tawwa.org

Drew Molly, Chair 361-826-1853

Amy Middleton, Chair-Elect 210-510-0888

Karen Menard, Vice-Chair 214-670-5887

Melissa Bryant, Imm. Past Chair 210-302-3611

Mike Howe

Executive Director/Secretary-Treasurer

512-238-9292 Fax: 512-238-0496 mikehowe@tawwa.org

This publication is distributed bi-monthly to the more than 3,500 members and friends of the Texas Section – American Water Works Association.

Contributing writers can contact the editor:

Elizabeth Rose GCP Association Services, LLC PO Box 676 Pflugerville, TX 78691

512-251-8101 Fax: 512-251-8152 TXh20@tawwa.org

The publication name, TexasH2O: © 1996-2023 Texas Section – American Water Works Association, Inc.

© 2023 Texas Section – American Water Works Association, Inc.

Onward, Upward and Without Hesitation!

BY DREW MOLLY texas section chair

That’s right, without hesitation, Texas Water is right around the corner—April 11 to be exact.

DREW MOLLY

361-826-1853

drewm@cctexas.com

And, given the incredible turnout of over 300 attendees at the Southeast Chapter TAWWA/ WEAT Half-day Seminar recently held in Houston on February 23, I think we are in a good place to see a stellar turnout for Texas Water. For those of you not familiar with the SE Chapter, it covers 22 counties including the Houston metro area, and ranges from Beaumont in the east to nearly Victoria in the south. The Chapter holds a joint seminar with WEAT every year in the Houston area and it has grown each year. The team that assembles this program is top-notch, with this year’s leaders including Nabeel Khan, Larry Sims, Jonathan Howard, and Lizanne Douglas. My hat is off to these fine individuals for their hard work and dedication.

As you might imagine with such a large crowd, much of the draw is due to the quality of topics and speakers. One in particular was a presentation given by John Pippins, a utility design manager for the City of Beaumont. He did a great job providing the history of Beaumont’s water system, and then pivoted to Hurricane Harvey—a monumental flood event where 50 plus inches of rain fell in five days—completely inundating the Beaumont water system. His system historically uses both groundwater and surface water, which provides resiliency, reliability, and redundancy; however, it can be challenging to minimize the risk of nitrification, especially in the summer when chloramine chemistry needs to be perfectly optimized.

The interesting take away was that while Hurricane Harvey was devastating, and no one would ever want to go through something like that again, Beaumont realized that its water system could actually run on only surface water and that blending was not necessarily a requirement to meet system demands. Anyone who utilizes two different water supplies —such as Houston—understands that combining these waters can present significant challenges. This interesting discovery allowed Beaumont to optimize their system by minimizing blending in the short-

It's Not Only About the SWAG...

BY MIKE HOWE tawwa executive director

There is always lots of discussion about whether it is a good value to attend conferences. Questions always come up about whether the training is valuable, is it cost effective, is there travel money available, who will do the work while you are gone, and more. These are, in fact, legitimate questions that you and your employer should ask. And if the conference is in a really nice location, everyone wonders if it is really work or play.

OK, I am going to clear up the last question first. It’s not play. It is work, and I can attest to that fact because I see the same hundreds of faces on the last day of the conference that I saw the first day of the conference and in between—at the conference, in training, in meetings. That doesn’t mean it is all work and no play. It just means the play comes after hours.

But, even during the after-hours events, one key element that continues is the face-to-face contact with colleagues. You know, that "networking thing," and it can be the most important reason to attend. How many solutions are found with a fifteen-minute conversation with a colleague from another part of the state?

And, when you combine the networking with the quality training, and the exhibits, and everything else that is packed into two and one-half days, then you understand why, as we celebrate our 27th year, the Texas Water™ Conference has grown to be the largest regional water conference in the country.

Conferences are intellectual smorgasbords, providing opportunities to get quick overviews of new ideas and trends, review the latest products, and to develop professional networks. There is nothing like a great conference for value for the training dollar. But it is up to you to get all of the value out of Texas Water™ 2023.

Do some preplanning to make the best use of your time. Before attending, look at the technical sessions and the conference schedule. You can access both at

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Texas Water Keynote: Mayor Sylvester Turner

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner will provide the keynote address at Texas WaterTM 2023 during the Opening Session at 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 12.

Elected in December 2015 and overwhelmingly re-elected in December 2019, Mayor Turner is serving his second four-year term. He is Houston’s 62nd mayor.

Operating within the city’s fiscal constraints, Mayor Turner has passed five balanced budgets. He also oversaw Houston’s remarkable rebound from Hurricane Harvey, championed historic pension reform, and cheered on the World Series Houston Astros. He also launched Houston’s first Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, meet the Paris Agreement goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, and

lead the global energy transition.

In February 2022, Mayor Turner released his One Safe Houston initiative to combat the increase in violence resulting from the pandemic, domestic violence, mental illness and the proliferation of guns on the street.

As the chief executive of the world’s energy capital, Mayor Turner brings a performance-driven approach to the job, creating a more responsive, streamlined, and efficient delivery of city services while shoring up Houston’s financial future. Thanks to his leadership, the Texas Legislature, and local voters approved the

CONTINUED PAGE 34 |

Texas Water: Women of Water Breakfast

Each year at the Texas WaterTM conference, we host the Women of Water Breakfast. At this event, attendees will hear from women leaders in the water industry who will share their career stories, leadership successes and challenges, their thoughts on work-life integration, mentorship and much more!

This year, Liz Fazio Hale, General Manager for Gulf Coast Authority, will moderate a panel of women leaders that include Jenna Covington, General Manager for North Texas Municipal Water District; Carol Haddock, Director for Houston Public Works; Tina Petersen, Executive Director for Harris County Flood Control District; and Irazema Rojas, Chief of Technical Services at El Paso Water.

We look forward to having you join us for breakfast as these women showcase the difference women can

make in our water community, while also providing a forum for future leaders to network with seasoned professionals. One ticket is included with Full Registration; additional tickets are available for $60.

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Texas Water: Conference Night Out

The Texas WaterTM 2023 conference mixer and night out will take place just a few minutes walk away from the convention center at Pitch 25 (2120 Walker St, Houston, TX 77003). Located in East Downtown (EaDo), practically in the shadow of the George R. Brown Convention Center, Pitch 25 is the creation of former Houston Dynamos superstar, Brian Ching. With over 45 screens, multiple bars, patio games, hammocks, and even a miniature indoor soccer field (or pitch), there really is nowhere else like it.

The hallmark of any good sports bar starts with a strong selection of drinks and Pitch 25 definitely does

CONTINUED PAGE 24 | night out

Texas Water: Gloyna Breakfast

Rhonda Harris will be the featured speaker at the Gloyna Breakfast at 7 a.m. on Friday, April 14. Harris has more than 45 years of experience in managing and administering a variety of facilities and programs in the water environment sector. Her experience includes developing and implementing training programs for public and private sector personnel, developing regulations for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, knowledge management and management consulting, condition assessments, business practice evaluations, asset management and life cycle costing, engineering design, construction and O&M renewals, and operations for facilities and systems.

Harris is a certified Texas Water and Wastewater

Operator and approved Operations Trainer, as well as a licensed Wastewater Operator in Ontario, Canada. She is also a registered Professional Engineer in Texas, a P. Eng, in Ontario, Canada, a BoardCertified Environmental Engineer (BCEE) from the American Association of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES), a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP), a Diploma-Certified Member of the Institute of Asset Management (MIAM), an Elected Fellow of the Water Environment Federation (F.WEF)

CONTINUED PAGE 20 | gloyna breakfast

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CAC TAWWA Volunteers as Science Festival Judges

The Austin Energy Regional Science Festival is one of Texas’ largest regional science fairs with almost 3,000 students from 3rd through 12th grade. It encourages and rewards innovative student research and provides scientists, engineers, and other professionals a chance to volunteer in the community.

Fourteen CAC TAWWA volunteers reviewed over 50 abstracts and posters in preparation for the science festival on Feb. 23, 2023. On the morning of Feb. 23, eight CAC TAWWA volunteers interviewed and judged the senior-

CONTINUED PAGE 25 | science festival Senior Level Judges

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Cheer on our Competitors at Texas Water!

TAWWA competitions take place on Wednesday, April 12 and Thursday, April 13 at Texas Water so be sure to stop by the Exhibit Hall to cheer on your fellow members!

Hydrant Hysteria

Wednesday, April 12, 9:30 am-4 pm, Exhibit Hall

Thursday, April 13, 9:30 am-4 pm, Exhibit Hall

Hydrant Hysteria is a fast-paced competition where two member teams assemble a specified hydrant as quickly as they can. The Section winners will compete at AWWA ACE23 in Toronto in June.

Junior Meter Challenge Contest

Wednesday, April 12, 1 pm-2:30 pm, Exhibit Hall

The Junior Meter Challenge Contest matches students

from high school environmental programs for a test of their meter-assembling skills and dexterity. Please support these future water professionals by attending on Wednesday.

Meter Challenge

Wednesday, April 12, 2:30 pm-4:30 pm, Exhibit Hall

Contestants race to assemble a 5/8-inch meter from loose parts and test for leaks. The winner represents Texas at AWWA ACE23 in Toronto in June.

Top Ops

Thursday, April 13, 9:30 am-1:30 pm, Exhibit Hall

Water operations personnel can impress their coworkers and dazzle their bosses with their technical

CONTINUED PAGE 34 | competitions

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 | gloyna breakfast

and an Honorary Member of AWWA. Harris is a leader in operations management, O&M Issues and asset management, working for change, improvement and enhancement in the global water environment. She served as the 1996-1997 President of the Water Environment Association of Texas and the 1998-1999 President of the Water Environment Federation.

The breakfast honors the long and distinguished career of Dr. Earnest F. Gloyna, Emeritus Professor of Environmental and Water Resources Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Gloyna’s teaching, research and professional practice have touched an unusually large number of students, educators,

engineers and the public leadership not only in Texas but throughout the world. Tickets for the Gloyna Breakfast are $50 and are sold separately.

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 | texas water 2023

At 1 p.m., the Texas Section's Board of Trustees will hold its annual meeting at the Convention Center in Room 360. All members of TAWWA are welcome to attend the Board meeting.

After the exhibitors have put their booths in order, the Texas Water Exhibit Hall will open at 4:30 p.m. for a Meet-and-Greet reception for attendees. Texas WaterTM 2023 has officially begun.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12

The morning kicks off with the Dodson Drive Fun Run, which benefits the Dodson Drive and raises funds to support TAWWA/WEAT Young Professional activities around Texas.

At 9 a.m. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner will address the opening session. Read more about Turner on page 9.

The Awards Lunch (ticket required to attend) at 11:30 a.m. spotlights TAWWA members who have made special contributions to the industry.

Technical sessions begin their three-day run that afternoon, with more than 180 presentations to choose from throughout the conference. And be sure to check out the poster presentations displayed in the Exhibit Hall. Wednesday is also the first day for competitions in the Exhibit Hall, with Hydrant Hysteria, Meter Challenge and Junior Meter Challenge. Come cheer on these competitors!

THURSDAY, APRIL 13

The morning starts with the Women of Water breakfast (doors open at 7:15 am – ticket required; read more about the event on page 10).

Competitions—including the quiz-show style Top Ops, Pipe Tapping, the Best-Tasting Drinking Water Contest and Hydrant Hysteria—put a fun spin on the day. The Awards Celebration (ticket required for a box lunch) will be held in the Exhibit Hall during lunch.

After the Exhibit Hall closes at 4 p.m., it's time to get ready for the night out at Pitch 25 (ticket required). The Gavel Passing starts at 6:15 pm and the mixer begins at 6:30 pm. Read more about the conference night out

event on page 13. Don’t miss out!

FRIDAY, APRIL 14

Friday kicks off with the Gloyna Breakfast at 7 am, featuring Rhonda Harris (ticket required; read more about the Gloyna Breakfast on page 14). Facility tours depart from the Convention Center Friday morning. Back at the conference, the morning is spent in the last of the technical sessions, with the conference adjourning at noon.

For more information and to register for the conference, visit www.txwater.org

Tuesday, April 11 1-4 pm

George R. Brown Convention Center

1001 Avenida De Las Americas

Houston, TX 77010

Room 360

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 | night out

not disappoint. With nearly 100 beers, ciders, and even wines on tap and a 25,000 square-foot venue, you are sure to find the perfect refreshment while visiting with your comrades in the water industry. A drink ticket will be included, followed by a cash/credit bar for those that wish to continue. To keep you satisfied, there will be several amazing food options throughout the event. Vegetarian options will be available as well.

Guests can make the 10-minute walk to the venue or use the free shuttle service. Shuttle transportation will be provided at the south entrance of the Conference hotel, right across the street from the Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen located in the George R. Brown Convention Center.

The Gavel Passing will be held on stage at 6:15 p.m. and the mixer starts at 6:30 p.m. with plenty of food and drinks and a chance to network, mingle, and even jump on the pitch for a game of cornhole.

Signage and volunteers will be stationed near the hotel and conference exits to provide guidance to the shuttle bus pick-up location. The event concludes at 8:30 p.m., and shuttle rides back to the hotel will be provided until that time. A Conference Night Out ticket is included with Full Registration or with the Guest Badge. A limited number of tickets are available for purchase for $110.

level, water-specific projects at the science festival. They were joined by three additional CAC TAWWA volunteers in the afternoon to interview and judge and the junior-level, water-specific projects. All project images courtesy of the students cited.

The Austin Awards for Outstanding Water Research – Senior Level

CAC TAWWA awarded three high school projects with the "TAWWA/WEAT Water Excellence Award". The winners of this award presented projects that targeted an important challenge in the water environment. The projects each had a proposed solution that had been tested with results and recommendations directly applicable to solving the problem. The students were also judged on creativity, abstract quality, presentation poster, and interview skills.

Senior level winners were also awarded the Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP). The SJWP awards young scientists pursuing water-related science projects at the high school level. Regional science fair winners of the SJWP are encouraged to submit their projects for the state-level SJWP competition where they can win an all-expense paid trip to the US SJWP competition.

Congratulations to the three Austin Regional Science Fair Senior Level Water Excellence Winners!

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 | science festival

Junior Level Judges

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 | science festival

1st Place: A Novel Device to Detect and Identify Multiple Contaminants in Water using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy and a Multilayer Perception –Akhil Samavedam and Harsha Samavedam (Austin, TX)

3rd Place: A Novel Device to Remove Microplastics from Water using Electrophoresis Powered by a Triboelectric Nanogenerator that Harvest Wave Energy – Sujith Alluru, Sridhanush Mittapalli, and Aashrith Attelli (Cedar Park, TX)

The Austin Awards for Outstanding Water Research – Junior Level CAC TAWWA awarded three middle school projects with the "TAWWA/WEAT Water Excellence Award". The winners of this award presented projects that targeted an important challenge in the water environment. The projects each had a proposed solution that had been tested with results and recommendations directly applicable to solving the problem. The students were also judged on creativity, abstract quality, presentation poster, and interview skills.

Congratulations to the three Austin Regional Science Fair Junior Level Water Excellence Winners!

2nd Place: A Comprehensive and Practical Approach to Household Greywater Recycling – Ridhima Gupta (Cedar Park, TX)

1st Place: Effects of Acid Rain on Aquatic Life – Noor Ali (Austin, TX)

2nd Place: Aquifer Safe Mycorrhizae Fertilizing System –Luca Zesati (Austin, TX)

3rd Place: Crystal Clear Water (Desalination Project) –Aishah Ahmed (Austin, TX)

To see a complete list of winners: https://sciencefest. org/sec-special-awards

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SILENT AUCTION

AUCTION DONATIONS NEEDED!!

TYPICAL DONATION ITEMS INCLUDE GIFT BASKETS, GADGETS, EXPERIENCES, EVENT TICKETS, ARTWORK, DECORATIVE ITEMS, COLLECTIBLES, GIFT CARDS, ETC.

COMMIT TO DONATING AT: WWW.TXWATER.ORG/WFP_AUCTION_ SUBMISSION_2023.CFM

ALL PROCEEDS WILL BENEFIT WATER FOR PEOPLE , A GLOBAL NON-PROFIT BRINGING WATER AND SANITATION TO EVERY FAMILY, EVERY SCHOOL, AND EVERY CLINIC IN WHICH IT WORKS, FOREVER!

VISIT US AT THE AUCTION BOOTH IN THE EXHIBIT HALL, OR USE HANDBID TO VIEW AND PLACE BIDS!

BIDDING ENDS

1:15 PM

THURSDAY, APRIL 13

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 | executive director report

our website at www.txwater.org. Also, review the list of vendors who will be present in the exhibit hall to identify those "must see" booths ahead of time. And, as soon as it goes live, use our Texas Water™ app to plan your days.

Plus, look for "birds-of-a-feather" special meetings that will allow you to connect with those who have similar interests. You will find any number of TAWWA Division and Committee meetings that are bound to be of interest. All of our meetings are open to anyone, and I invite you to visit one or many to see where you can get involved. While at the conference, keep in mind how the information you are gathering may or may not apply to your work.

Are you registered? Why not? "Water You Waiting For?" (Ask me about the origin of this silliness!)

You can register online or onsite at the George R.

Brown Convention Center. I would register now at www.txwater.org to avoid the lines at the conference. And if you are a full registrant (still an incredible value, by the way) you will also receive some great stuff that includes, yes, SWAG! But I promise—it’s not about the SWAG.

Come find me in Houston. I’m the old guy who has done this for 27 years.

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TAWWA Welcomes New Members Joining February 1–28, 2023

Azzah Alkurdi Austin, TX

Robert Archer III Denton, TX

Ana Arriola

Houston, TX

Romulus Atanasiu

Pflugerville, TX

Ross Baugess

Euless, TX

John Bennett Arlington, TX

Ravi Bhardwaj Bryan, TX

Isabella Boddicker Dallas, TX

Brett Byers Euless, TX

Roberto Cano San Juan, TX

Cirildo Cantu Corpus Christi, TX

Gabriel Cantu Schertz, TX

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

MARCH

The American Water Works Association celebrates Women’s History Month

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 | competitions

knowledge by competing in this quiz show-style event. The winning team advances to the National Top Ops Competition in June at AWWA ACE23 in Toronto.

Pipe Tapping Contest

Thursday, April 13, 9:30 am-4 pm, Exhibit Hall

Four-person teams from across the state compete to determine who will represent Texas at the National Pipe Tapping Competition at AWWA ACE23 in Toronto.

Best Tasting Drinking Water Contest

Thursday, April 13, 1:30 pm-3 pm, Exhibit Hall

The Best Tasting Drinking Water Contest brings together entries representing utilities across Texas. A panel of celebrity judges will grade the samples. Along with Texas bragging rights, the winning entrant competes at AWWA ACE23 in Toronto in June.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 | keynote

pension reform package that reduced the city’s liability by billions of dollars and provided a "fix" that had eluded the city for 17 years.

Before serving as Houston’s mayor, Turner served for 27 years as the Representative for Texas House District 139. He worked on the House Appropriations Committee for 21 years and served as Speaker Pro Tem for three terms. He was appointed to several Budget Conference Committees to balance the state’s budget and serve on the Legislative Budget Board.

What’s Happening Across Texas

TEXASh2o

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