Events
Recent Luncheon Presentations and Other Events
2012-2013
Theme: “Three R’s of Water Infrastructure: Recovery, Resiliency, Renewal”
- 03/21/2013 - Luncheon at the
Channel Inn with a
program entitled “Exploring the Use of Low-Impact Development as
a Way to Reduce Costs, Protect the Environment and Provide a
Sustainable Infrastructure. Speakers were Chris Kloss from EPA
and Maureen Holman from DC Water. See a copy of the
flyer
,
Chris’s presentation
, and Maureen’s presentation
.
- 02/28/2013 - Luncheon at the
Channel Inn with a
program entitled “Three R’s of Water Infrastructure - Recovery,
Resiliency, Renewal: Response and Recovery from Hurricane
Sandy.” The luncheon offered an insider's look at the federal
government's response to Hurricane Sandy and the recovery
efforts of the local utilities in restoring their water and
wastewater facilities.
Speakers Rich Weisman and David Goldbloom-Helzner of the EPA Office of Water made a presentation on the hurricane response (PPT) and shared some of the successes and challenges posed during and after the storm, including:- The success of WARN (the Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network), a voluntary support network of utilities in which utilities that were not affected by the storm came to the assistance of those that were, providing generators and other types of assistance.
- The use of the recently developed Fed FUND (Federal Funding for Utilities in National Disasters), a web-based tool providing information, tips and example applications for utilities to apply for federal disaster funding.
- The difficulties faced in determining how to allocate the $600 million in State Revolving Funds allocated to the storm relief. The funds are intended to target projects that will build resiliency and/or reduce flood risk, but it has been a challenge to define "resiliency."
- The challenge of balancing the desire of some communities to return to normal operations as quickly as possible vs. the desire to take the time and planning needed to create effective, long-term solutions.
Pictured, left to right: Rich Weisman and David Goldbloom-Helzner answer audience questions.



- 11/29/2012 - Luncheon with speaker Claudia Copeland, Congressional Research Service, “Environmental Issues: What’s Ahead in the 113th Congress?”

FWQA members and guests attended the FWQA kick-off luncheon on November 29, 2012, featuring an interesting presentation by Claudia Copeland of the Congressional Research Service. Copeland offered her outlook on the 113th Congress and its potential effects on the water and wastewater industry. She reviewed expected changes in leadership to committees of interest to the industry, including the potential implications of the installation of Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA) as the new chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. She also discussed possible development regarding the Water Resources Development Act and the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act.
2011-2012
Theme: “Exploring the Value of Clean Water”
- 06/11/2012 - Keynote Address
by Karen Pallansch at 2012 Scholarship Luncheon - 04/12/2012 - Luncheon meeting with speakers John Hasse and Issa Bitang Tiati, from World Vision, talk entitled “Exploring the Value of Water: Can We Make Adequate Sanitation for Everyone a Reality?”
- 12/15/2011 – Luncheon meeting
, Thursday December 15 at DuPont Hotel, 1500 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington
2010-2011
Theme: “Protecting Our Global Water Resources”
- 05/12/2011 – Luncheon with Wendy Larson, LimnoTech
Senior Scientist and Business Leader for water sustainability
and water footprinting issues (flyer
,
presentation
) - 03/24/2011 – Luncheon with John Sauer, Assistant
Director of Thought Leadership for Water for People (presentation
) - 02/10/2011 – Luncheon with speaker Ben Grumbles,
President, Clean Water America Alliance (flyer
) - 12/01/2010 – Joint luncheon event with USAIDIS, the U.S. chapter of the Inter-American Association of Sanitary and Environmental Engineers
- 09/30/2010 - Luncheon with speaker Gilberto Irizarry, EPA
Office of Emergency Management (flyer
)
2009-2010
Theme: “The Next Generation of Water…Challenges & Opportunities”
- 04/29/2010 – Luncheon hosted by the Canadian Embassy, Washington, DC. Speaker – Kevin O’Shea, Minister for Political Affairs

Kevin O’Shea, Minister for Political Affairs
- 03/24/2010 – Luncheon with Joe Romm, Editor of Climate
Progress and a Senior Fellow at the Center for New American
Progress (flyer
)

Joe Romm, Editor of Climate Progress
- 02/24/2010 – Luncheon with speaker Jeff Lape, Director of
the Chesapeake Bay Program (flyer
,
FAQ
) - 01/29/2010 – Luncheon with Cliff Randall and Rich Batiuk,
co-hosted with the American Academy of Environmental Engineers (flyer
)
2008-2009
Theme: “Evolving Perspectives on Water Resources Management”
- 12/04/2008 – Claudia Copeland, Congressional Research Service,
“Perspectives on the 111th Congress” (presentation
) - 02/20/2009 – Paul Freedman, WEF President-Elect, “21st Century
Challenges for the Water Professional” (presentation
) (pictures
from event) - 03/26/2009 – Patricia Sincropi, NACWA Director of Legislative
Affairs, “Meeting Clean Water Needs with American Recover y and
Investment Act” (presentation
) - 04/23/2009 – Jeff Corbin, Virginia Assistant Secretary of
Natural Resources, “3 Down…1 To Go: 2009 – Governor Kaine’s Year
of the Environment and Energy” (presentation
)

Tracy Mehan addressing FWQA
2007-2008
Theme: “Building Sustainable Communities”
- 11/29/2007 – Rick Thoesen, Deputy General Manager of Loudoun County’s Sanitation Authority, “Water and Sewer Sustainability in a Competitive Economic Corridor: Loudoun County’s Challenge for the Future.”
- 01/17/2008 – Jerry Johnson, General Manager, DC WASA, “The
District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority's Comprehensive
Wet Weather Management Initiatives” (presentation
) - 02/14/2008 – Tracy Mehan, The Cadmus Group, “Energy, Climate Change, and Sustainable Water Management”
- 03/20/2008 – Uwe Brandes Managing Director of Initiatives at the Urban Land Institute, and Paul Kibel, lecturer in Water Policy at the University of California at Berkeley “American’s Urban River Restoration”
- 04/17/2008 – Suzanne Adams, Sustainability Project Leader, Weston Solutions, “The Race for Green”

Tracy Mehan receiving award
2006-2007
Theme: “Evolving Perspectives on Water Resources Management”
- 11/14/2006 – Peter Gleick, Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security “The Business of Water: New Opportunities and New Challenges”
- 02/15/2007 – Claudia Copeland, Congressional Research Service “A Look at the New Congress”
- 04/26/2007 – Jim Sullivan, General Counsel, the Water Environment Federation “Building a Culture of Water Security”
2005-2006
- 09/29/2005 – Greg R. Masson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “Partnerships between DOI/FWS and EPA and Other Agencies”
- 11/17/2005 – Jim Wheeler, U.S. EPA and Tim Schmitt, LimnoTech, “Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in New Orleans: A Primer on the Environmental Handling of Billions and Billions of Gallons of Floodwater”
- 02/23/2006 – Linda Kelly, Managing Director for Public Education, the Water Environment Federation, “WEF Outreach Strategy”
- 03/30/2006 – Jeff Corbin, Virginia Assistant Secretary of Natural Resources, “The Next 4 Years – A Focused Approach to Improving the Health of Virginia’s Waters”
- 04/27/2006 – Nancy Stoner, Natural Resources Defense Council, and “EPA's Blending Policy: A Product of Partnership”
Other Events
- 10/02/2008 – Tour of EPA Green Infrastructure, led by Anne Weinberg, Communications Coordinator, EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds
- 09/18/2006 – Tour of Green Roof at Casey Trees
- 10/07/2005 – "Community Responses to Water Quality in New Zealand" at the Embassy of New Zealand
Annual Events
- Science Fair Judging – annually in the Spring
- Awards Luncheon – annually in May
- Golf tournament to benefit scholarships – annually in the Fall






