The Virginia Section of the AWWA and the Virginia Water Environment Association are pleased to announce the Fourth Joint Annual Meeting (JAM) scheduled for September 7-11, 2008 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia. We are excited to provide this opportunity for Virginia's water and wastewater professionals to exchange information and ideas, and to benefit from an exceptional technical program.

The Virginia Beach Convention Center has been officially completed since our last visit and is now “Virginia Green” Certified. This certification marks the Convention Center as the first convention center in the state of Virginia to meet the Virginia Green program’s ‘‘Core Activities’’ for Convention Centers, which include recycling, minimized use of styrofoam/disposables, water efficiency, energy efficiency and supporting green conferences and events.

There is a little bit for everyone at Virginia Beach including shopping, outdoor activities ranging from just lying on the beach to hiking and biking the over 18,000 acres of parks and refuges, historically significant sites and landmarks, and numerous festivals and events. We invite you to take the opportunity to explore the many nuances of Virginia Beach and hope that you plan on arriving early or staying longer.

Your JAM 2008 Committee has been hard at work to put together not only exceptional technical sessions but to also create many opportunities for networking and socializing. We hope you will join us once again for what promises to be an informative, successful and memorable Water JAM 2008.

Click here to register online. For more information, download the JAM 2008 Conference Planner or Exhibitor Information: Prospectus, Technical Program, and Hall Layout.

The Public Information Committee announces Drinking Water Week May 4-10 2008.

For more than 30 years, local water providers and their communities have celebrated Drinking Water Week. It is a time to recognize the vital role water plays in our daily lives, to inform citizens about safe drinking water practices, and to provide tips on water conservation and safety.

For more information on how to celebrate Drinking Water Week in your community, visit the Utility Resources page.

The Plant Opertions Committee would like to remind you that the Operator of the Year Award nominations are due to Cathy LaRue no later than April 1. Qualification requirements and the form can be found on our website at http://www.vaawwa.org/awards_VAAWWA.html.

Please share this information with co-workers, and if you have any questions, please contact John Ramsey, committee chair, at john.ramsey@lynchburgva.gov.

The VA AWWA/VWEA Laboratory Practices Committee is seeking abstracts for its 2008 Good Laboratory Practices Conference, to be held August 5-6 2008. For more information, visit the Conferences & Seminars page.

The VA AWWA Distribution Systems Committee proudly announces the 19th Annual Water Distribution Seminar and Utility Rodeo to be held May 5-7, 2008 in Newport News, Virginia. For more information, visit the Conferences & Seminars page.

AWWA announces Compensation Strategies to Strengthen Workforce Recruitment, Retention, and Motivation Seminar to be held March 6-7, 2008, Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit the AWWA Seminars page.

The abstract submittal deadline for our 2008 Annual Meeting, which will be a Joint Annual Meeting (JAM) with VWEA in Virginia Beach on Sept. 7-11, 2008, has been extended to February 15, 2008. For more information and a link to the abstract submittal site, go to the Conferences & Seminars page.

Abstracts are being accepted now through February 1, 2008 for our 2008 Annual Meeting, which will be a Joint Annual Meeting (JAM) with VWEA in Virginia Beach on Sept. 7-11, 2008. For more information and a link to the abstract submittal site, go to the Conferences & Seminars page.

The AWWA Young Professionals Committee is looking for submittal of abstracts for the Young Professionals Technical Session, entitled "Young Professionals: Water Operations and Advances" at the 2008 AWWA Annual Conference, June 8-12 in Atlanta , Georgia . The committee is looking for a wide variety of topics ranging from engineering to utility operations to public involvement. Any topic involving new work in the water industry is welcome! This is an excellent opportunity to present innovative projects or approaches to solve the complex problems facing the water industry today to a group of industry leaders and peers. Past years sessions have been highly attended with standing-room only. The conference is AWWA's largest, with an average of approximately 12,000 attendees from all over the world. Each abstract should be no more than 750 words, and include the following information:

•  Paper Title (128 Characters Max)
•  Corresponding Author (one only)- including position, company, address, phone, fax, and email
•  Author member #
•  Co-author(s)
•  If the abstract is associated with a project please indicate the date the project was/will be completed
•  Has or will the work be published or presented by June 2008? If so, where and when?
•  Has the abstract been submitted to AWWA under the general call for papers for ACE08, and if so, which topic?

Abstracts are welcome from all young professionals (categorized by AWWA as any member under the age of 35) and from YPs who may have submitted abstracts to the general call but have not been notified of their status. The committee would like to have any abstracts submitted for review by Monday, December 10, 2007. This is a great opportunity to present your work in front of both national and international conference attendees!

All abstracts should be submitted via email or fax to: Lenore Horton, YP Committee Vice Chair, HDR Engineering, Inc., 2202 N West Shore Blvd. , Suite 250, Tampa , FL 33607, Fax: (813) 282-2440, Email: Lenore.Horton@hdrinc.com.

Share the Gift of Water...the Gift of Life this holiday season with your tax-deductible gift to Water For People. UNICEF estimates that 1.1 billion people worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water. Water For People helps people in developing countries improve their quality of life by supporting the development of locally sustainable drinking water resources, sanitation facilities and health and hygiene education programs. WFP received the highest rating of four stars from Charity Navigator for the last four years running. For more information or to make a donation online, visit waterforpeople.org.

Don't forget that VA AWWA is offering several learning opportunities for water supply professionals this this summer and early fall, including:

•  The Safety Seminar, which will be held on July 18 in August County.
•  The Good Laboratory Practices Conference, to be held July 30-31 in Charlottesville.
•  The Customer Service Workshop, which will be held Sept. 11-14 in Portsmouth.

The Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE) Department at Virginia Tech will be having a memorial to honor the lives of the 8 CEE students and one CEE faculty member who lost their lives during the tragic events of April 16, 2007 in Norris Hall.  The department would very much like VT CEE Alumni to join them at 3 pm, this Friday April 27, 2007 in Burruss Hall auditorium to share in this memorial event.  The presence of alumni friends will go a long way toward helping the department through this tragedy.

For further information on the department, please see: www.cee.vt.edu . For information on parking on campus, please see:  http://www.vt.edu/where_we_are/campus_guide/directions.php

Dr. G.V. Loganathan

Today has been declared a statewide day of mourning in honor of the victims of the terrible shootings which took place at Virginia Tech on Monday, April 16, 2007. Among those killed were VA AWWA member G.V. Loganathan, a Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE), along with nine students in his Advanced Hydrology class. Dr. Loganathan was an award-winning teacher whom many of us remember from hydraulics and hydrology courses taught during his 15-year tenure at Virginia Tech. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the victims, and to all the students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Virginia Tech who are grieving over this horrific tragedy.

Virginia Tech has set up a website where condolences may be posted, and arrangements for memorial funds are being made. Please refer to the Virginia Tech website and the CEE homepage for further details.

We're gearing up for a year of top-quality seminars and training opportunities! Online registration is now open for the following:

•  The Drinking Water Quality Seminar, which will be held on March 13 in Richmond.
•  The AWWA Teleconference on Pipeline Repair, which will be held March 8 at sites throughut the commonwealth.

In addition, save the date for the following, coming in late March:

•  The VA AWWA Water Resources & Environment Committee will be hosting a seminar on Virginia's New Water Supply Planning Regulation, to be held on March 28 in Richmond.

Operators take note - the annual Plant Operations Conference is moving to a new time of year! The 2007 conference will be held May 16–18, 2007 in Virginia Beach. For more information, contact Committee Chair Oakley Johnston (visit the Plant Operations Committee page for contact information).

Nominations for the Edward H. Ruehl Operator of the Year Award are being accepted through April 1, 2007. For details or to download a nomination form, go to the VA AWWA Awards page.

The VA AWWA/VWEA Annual Meeting Committee is seeking abstracts for its 2007 Joint Annual Meeting to be held September 16–20, 2007. For more information, visit the Conferences & Seminars page.

AWWA will be bringing one of its national specialty seminars to Virginia Beach this spring. Attend this seminar, to be held February 2, 2007, to learn how to prepare your utility for compliance with the Initial Distribution System Evaluation (IDSE) component of the final Stage 2 Disinfection By-Product Rule. For more information, visit AWWA's seminar page.

The VA AWWA/VWEA Laboratory Practices Committee is seeking abstracts for its 2007 Good Laboratory Practices Conference, to be held July 30-31, 2007. For more information, visit the Conferences & Seminars page.

The Accident Prevention & Safety Committee and the Security Committee will sponsor their first-ever joint Safety and Security Conference on November 9, 2006 at the Jepson Alumni Center, Richmond, VA. Attendees may earn up to 2.5 CPEs. For more information and online registration, visit the Conferences & Seminars page.

Distribution Operators: Register now for the AWWA teleconference to be held November 2, 2006 on a useful and sometimes-overlooked topic - Fire Hydrant Operations and Maintenance. The teleconference may be viewed at any one of seven locations around the state. Go to the Teleconferences & Webcasts page for more details and online registration.

The 2006 Customer Service Workshop September 12-15, put on by the Customer Service Activities Committee, drew 110 representatives from water utilities in Virginia, Kentucky, and the District of Columbia. Attendees were able to learn new skills and refine their existing customer service skills through sessions lead by experts in the field. In addition, lively interactive discussion sessions helped everyone learn from their peers about better ways to meet the challenges faced by all employees working in the water utility customer service arena. Vendors of utility products and services also participated by attending and providing information about the latest opportunities for providing the most efficient service available.

Click here to download a zip file (2 MB) containing photographs from the workshop. If you have any questions about the photos or the workshop, please contact committee member Lisa J. Smith, p. 703-771-2762.

Today is the last day to register online for the VA AWWA Annual Meeting, October 10-13 in Williamsburg, Virginia. Go to the Conferences & Seminars page to register today, or you can also register on site during the meeting.

Committee chairs: a new form has been developed for annual committee reports. Download the form here and send your completed form to your Council Trustee (for trustee contact info, view the Trustee & Staff Contacts Page). You may either send an electronic copy prior to the Leadership Retreat, which is scheduled for Sept. 7, 2006 at the Marriott Richmond West, or provide a hard copy at the retreat.

The VA AWWA Plant Operations Conference will be held Sept. 20-22, 2006 in Williamsburg. Online registration is now open on the the Conferences & Seminars page.

In addition, now is the time to enter your team in this year's Top Ops competition. Download the entry form on the Events Page. The entry deadline is Sept. 11, 2006.

From information technology to customer service to LT2 and the Stage 2 DBP Rule, our September seminar line-up has something for you. Online registration is now open for the following seminars:

•  The Research Committee Seminar will be held on Sept. 11 in Richmond.
•  The Customer Service Workshop is set for Sept. 12-15 in Virginia Beach.
•  The IT Seminar will be held on Sept. 13 in Richmond.

For more information and online registration for workshops and seminars, visit the Conferences & Seminars page.

Pre-registration and exhibitor registration packages are now available for this year's Annual Meeting, to be held October 10-13 in Williamsburg, Virginia. View the Conferences & Seminars page to find all the latest information and downloadable forms, and make your plans to join us in Williamsburg!

The top competitors from the Virginia Section Distribution Seminar and Rodeo had great success at the national competitions held at AWWA ACE in June. In the national Rapid Tappin' competition, the team from Spotsylvania County placed second. In Meter Madness, Michael Dunavant finished second, Mike White third, and Christopher Whorley fourth. See photos from the national competitions on the Events Page.

Congratulations to VA AWWA member Trina Mastran, who was elected one of the national AWWA Directors-at-Large at the winter board meeting this past weekend. She just finished a two-year term as a Trustee for Virginia Section, and is the Director of Public Works for the Town of Clifton Forge, VA.

EPA published two long-anticipated new regulations, the Stage 2 DBP Rule and the LT2ESWTR, on January 4 and 5, 2006, respectively. For links to resources to help you understand the new rules, visit the Legislative & Regulatory Updates page.

The Section Administrator transition is now complete, with Cathy LaRue assuming full-time administrative duties, and Lee Higgins officially retired. Cathy is now your main contact for any questions you may have regarding VA AWWA. Her contact information may be found on the Trustee & Staff Contacts page.

Cathy LaRue, incoming Section Administrator

The Virginia Section Board is pleased to announce that Cathy LaRue will join the VA AWWA as Section Administrator beginning mid-July. Our long time friend, colleague, and mentor, Lee Higgins, currently holds that position and will be resigning her full-time responsibilities in October.

Cathy and her husband Larry reside in Virginia Beach. She comes to us from the City of Virginia Beach, Department of Public Utilities with over sixteen years of professional and administrative experience. While employed there, Cathy participated in a number of VA AWWA related activities, including attending seminars, workshops, and annual meetings, assisting in coordinating workshop and annual meeting registrations, serving on local arrangement committees, and developing reports for the Section.

Upon her employment in July, Cathy will work with Lee to become familiar with the Section's business operations, assist in finalizing the JAM 2005 registration activities, and attend the AWWA Summer Workshop. She is also scheduled to attend the VA AWWA Annual Leadership Retreat that will be held on August 25, in Richmond. Hopefully all Committee Chairs will be there to meet her!

Like Lee, Cathy will establish the VA AWWA business office in her home. The transition of these offices is expected to take several weeks and will be complete no later than the end of October. During this transition, if you or your Committees have any questions regarding Section or Committee activities, please contact Lee Higgins.

Again, we want to welcome Cathy and look forwardto her participation in the Virginia Section.

In response to the conclusions of the national AWWA's most recent Strategic Plan, an ad-hoc committee has been working to develop revisions to the organization's structure and governance. The committee has prepared a report outlining their ideas for changes and would like your input. To view the report and other information, go to the topic entitled "Feedback Requested on AWWA Governance and Structure" on the General Forum, in the forums area of vaawwa.org. Provide your feedback in the forum or to Section Director Clarence Warnstaff.

Governor Mark Warner officially declared May 1-7, 2005 as Virginia Drinking Water Week. The proclamation comes as a result of the VA AWWA Board of Trustees' efforts to increase awareness of the importance of safe drinking water. View the proclamation here.

Think you might be interested in a committee but not sure? The best way to find out is to attend a meeting. Committee meetings are listed on the calendar (access the calendar from any page on the website using the link in the upper right corner of each page) and on each committee's individual page (find these pages by clicking the link for the committee of interest on the standing committees page).

The newly redesigned VA AWWA web site now offers web-based discussion forums, which are among the most effective solutions enabling people to trade ideas at a distance. Forums build communities of people with whom you share a common technical interest and want to exchange ideas, or people who use similar products or techniques.

For example, let's say you are using a certain piece of laboratory equipment or a new treatment process. You have a question about that piece of equipment or process…who better to ask than your fellow AWWA members in Virginia ? You log on to the www.vaawwa.org forums and post your question on the appropriate forum. Your fellow VA AWWA members will see the question and post a follow-up answer. Or, you happen to see a question from a poster regarding a subject or item you are familiar with. You jump on the opportunity to show your “stuff” and reply to the post with a dazzling answer. It is as simple as that—no phone calls to make, web sites to search, or lengthy manuals to read.

Registering and using the forum feature is simple. All you need to do is provide your name and e-mail address and a unique user name and password. You may provide a link to your employer's web site or other types of data if you wish, but you are not required to do so. Your information and VA AWWA membership status will be verified by the Section's Administrative Secretary, and then you will be granted access to the forums. You may pick as many forums as interest you and join those “groups”. You may then post questions, comments, or responses within each forum.

So, surf on over to the Forums page, click on Register, and start building our community, one post at a time.