By now summer has passed and some leaves may have fallen, but I hope there are plenty of enjoyable days left before winter is upon us. As I write this, I am amazed to realize the new school year will be starting in just over a week. In retrospect, it turned out to be another interesting summer in Minnesota that included the State Government shutdown, the repair of the Metrodome roof, and a heat wave with the highest dew point on record. All the while the young, old, and regulars of CSWEA and the Minnesota Section kept working hard on conference plans and committee activities that will make this another enjoyable and eventful fall and winter. Here is a brief recap of some of the major MN Section summer events along with some notes about upcoming fall and winter events.
In July, the 2011 MWOA Annual Conference was held again in Grand Rapids, MN. The event brought over 100 engineers, operators, and vendors to the great north. Linda Mullen became the new MWOA President and Chris Kleist became the new Vice President. As part of the conference MWOA and the MN Section of CSWEA jointly sponsored and awarded 4 scholarships to worthy St. Cloud and Vermillion Technical College students.
Also in July, I had opportunity to attend the annual CSWEA CSX&YPX 2011 event at the Kalahari Resort in the Wisconsin Dells with Rob O’Connell, Doug Henrichsen, Patti Craddock, and Jim Miller from Minnesota along with more than ten other Wisconsin and Illinois officers and representatives. The CSX exchange was a valuable event to share ideas and information and to develop stronger connections with our neighboring state section counterparts. I was impressed to learn how involved some of the current officers have been over the years with CSWEA and the State Sections. Please check out the meeting minutes for more details.
The plans for the 26th Annual Conference on the Environment (COE) to be held on November 9th are set. COE is a comprehensive one-day conference covering air, water, and waste issues affecting MN and the country. Ted Field and Greg Archer have done a great job co-chairing the COE planning committee. One of the sessions will discuss the somewhat unique topic of Minnesota regulations related to sulfate discharges. Northern Minnesota is known for wild rice and mining and it turns out new research is planned to revisit how sulfate discharges in wastewater impact receiving waters that include wild rice stands. Please see the COE announcement in this issue and visit the www.CSWEA.org/Minnesota events page to register for the conference and find more conference details and information.
Please mark your calendars for Wednesday, February 15, 2012 for the 29th Annual Innovative Approaches to Wastewater Operational Problems Seminar to be held again in St. Cloud. Tim Korby has done a great job as the new Operations Committee Chair and deserves many thanks along with the rest of the planning committee.
In addition to the annual conferences, the Student and Young Professionals (S&YP) committee had another outing to a St. Paul Saints baseball game in August. The S&YP committee continues to plan events about every quarter. Please spread the word to younger professionals that there are more opportunities and events forthcoming and encourage their involvement. It should also be noted that the Liquid Assets documentary will likely be completed this year. Updates will be provided at the COE and Innovative Conferences. Please check out the Liquid Assets website and blog, www.blueprintMN.com, to read more about the documentary production.
Fortunately the MN section and CSWEA committees are all chaired by very talented people and the "regulars" of the section. These regulars are essential and provide the consistency and continuity that keep the organization running. But like any team, new players are always needed to build a stronger bench and give the team a better chance for growth and continued success. I would like to encourage each MN Section member to please consider joining one committee of interest. If possible try to encourage a coworker or friend to get involved at the same time. Everyone has skills that can benefit the organization and I hope in return the experience will benefit the member personally and professionally. Please contact any of the committee chairs directly or myself if you are interested in becoming involved.
If additional committee involvement is not your interest, or the timing is not right this year, please consider submitting a nomination for a CSWEA and/or WEF award. There are several awards that WEF and CSWEA have to recognize the many accomplishments of the people in our industry. Please note award nominations and submittals need to be made by December 1st. Thanks again for your interest and hopefully we’ll see you soon at an upcoming conference or committee activity.
