CH2M is participating in the 90th Annual Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC 2017) in Chicago, Illinois, at McCormick Place, being held September 30-October 4. The Water Environment Federation (WEF) is anticipating participation of more than 22,000 attendees from more than 70 countries, which means ample opportunities to network, share best practices and new industry knowledge, as well as learn from one another. Numerous CH2Mers will be presenting in workshops and technical sessions.

Saludos! Many of the water industry’s greatest minds are once again making their way to Chicago for this year’s WEFTEC to exchange ideas and discuss the latest and greatest technologies being used. Chicago is known for its cultural institutions, historical sites, museums, good food and live music. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, water has always played an integral role to the city’s development, economy and recreation, and today, CH2M is working on several projects for the city, including providing program management services for the city’s complex water and wastewater system to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the Capital Improvement Program delivery.

CH2M is proud to be a longtime sponsor of WEFTEC. Over the years, we’ve watched this event transform from a small gathering of approximately 500 water professionals talking about local projects and solutions to one of the biggest water events of the year, attracting participation from around the world and more than 20,000 attendees. In 1941, the then-known Annual Conference featured just 5 sessions and 13 technical appears. By the 1970s, attendance was up to 9,000 and 37 sessions, with 146 technical papers. In the last four decades, WEFTEC has continued to grow, and this event has been one we look forward to every year. Our staff have built lasting relationships through our participation at this global event, and we’ve proudly showcased many of the phenomenal projects our people are working on alongside our clients.

We are eager to re-connect with colleagues and clients this week and participate in the workshops, facility tours and many of the 140+ technical sessions featured. Our experts in the water and wastewater industry will be speaking on a variety of topics, including nutrient removal and recovery; advanced wastewater treatment; resource and energy recovery; potable reuse; wet weather and stormwater solutions; resilient water infrastructure; water resource management; collection systems and so much more!

I am pleased to share that two CH2Mers, Steve Stire and Doug Nielsen, are being recognized as WEF Water Heroes for their efforts in helping with last year’s wildfires that broke out near the Suncor Firebag facility in Alberta, Canada. In May 2016 when the fire roared through the community, 2,400 homes and buildings were destroyed. With more than 90,000 people impacted by the wildfire, it is expected to be Canada’s costliest natural disaster. The Suncor Firebag facility opened its doors to fire refugees. Before having to shut down itself, the facility temporarily housed an estimated 16,000 evacuees. As the fire bore down on the Suncor facility, it was eventually evacuated of refugees and staff with the exception of Steve and Doug, two of our operators, who remained behind to operate the water and wastewater utilities at the facility. These men devised a plan to keep the plant operating and compliant while in shut down mode, maintaining critical process functions while other operations ceased. Remarkably, they managed the site 24 hours per day for 20 days during this life-threatening situation. We are extremely proud of how Steve and Doug handled this crisis situation and feel honored to see them recognized for performing duties above and beyond the usual call of duty to protect the public and the environment.

Additionally, CH2M will accept a WEF Project Excellence Award for our role as designer for the Alexandria Renew Enterprises State-of-the-Art Nitrogen Upgrade Program (SANUP), a $160-million Program to limit the amount of nutrients water resource recovery facilities can release into the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The project includes improvements to AlexRenew’s facility that handles more than 54 million gallons of water per day for 320,000 people in Alexandria and parts of Fairfax whom AlexRenew serves. SANUP includes an 18-million-gallon underground Nutrient Management Facility (NMF) that is topped with a multi-purpose public athletic field. An integrated sustainability component was incorporated from start to finish, improving the health of local waterways while engaging the community with beneficial green space.

These awards are a testament to the latest innovative projects and solutions being developed with our clients to address some of today’s most complex water challenges. See our full list of WEFTEC 2017 presentations and technical papers, here.

Nos vemos en Chicago!

Julian will be presenting, “Insane in the Membrane: Innovations in Lowering MBR Operational Costs,” on Tuesday, October 2. Join Julian for a lesson on wet-weather proofing MBRs for nutrient removal applications.