Executive Director's Message: Welcome Spring!

Patricia Cerro-Reehil, Executive Director, <cfoutput>New York Water Environment Association, Inc.</cfoutput>

Patricia Cerro-Reehil, Executive Director, New York Water Environment Association, Inc.

As the melting snows from our particularly snowy winter begin the annual swelling of New York’s streams and rivers, I give recognition to those of you who work daily to keep nature in check, battling the flow problems that the spring thaw brings. Although winter is drawing to an end, there is a flurry of activity taking place at the New York Water Environment Association.

Professional Engineer Certification

As of January 1, 2004, professional engineers practicing in New York State will now be required to complete 36 hours of continuing education every three years. NYWEA leaders are making a determination on becoming a sponsoring organization through the New York State Education Department (pending Board approval) to offer continuing education (CECs) to the professional engineers who attend NYWEA meetings. Meeting this requirement may sound ambitious; however, it is not only attendance at a session that can get you credit. Making a presentation or publishing an article in a peer-reviewed journal (through WEF) will give you additional credits for meeting the CEC requirement.

For 10 years now, NYWEA has maintained the recertification database for wastewater operators, providing that same service; training and credits for professional engineers will be a complimentary and important future service of our organization.

Business Plan

President-elect John Amend is the champion for NYWEA’s business plan. Many of the initiatives will be included in the 2005 budget. This undertaking is one of the most important responsibilities for the organization, as it weaves the program elements and financial framework together for NYWEA’s immediate and foreseeable future.

Other Initiatives

Other important activities also underway include offering the second round of tests for voluntary collection systems certification personnel, as well as the following:

Interfacing with elected officials – The Rural Water Association, the Division of Water personnel at NYSDEC, and the NYWEA are working in conjunction with the Maxwell School at Syracuse University to develop a program to educate elected officials on wastewater issues.
NYSDEC/NYWEA poster contest – This contest features an invitation to all middle and high school students in New York State to participate. The winners will be announced at the NYWEA Spring Meeting in June.
Expanded scholarship program – A new goal has been established: one million dollars in 2010.
Publication of the NYWEA/NYSAWWA joint directory on a CD-ROM – Scheduled for publication in September, the directory will feature searchable membership information, easy reference to regulatory agencies, listings of major water and wastewater facilities, and more!

76th Annual Meeting

Despite the scare and delays of a hotel fire, the 76th Annual Meeting (February 2–4, 2004, in New York City), will go down in history as one of the association’s largest. We had record attendance with 1,144 environmental professionals at the event, helping us to retain our status as the premiere event in the industry in New York State. Many thanks to all of the volunteers who continue to contribute to its success.

NYWEA.org

Your best way to stay in touch with NYWEA happenings is through our website. I encourage you to make it one of your favorite bookmarks and visit the site frequently. We are continually trying to improve the usability and efficiency of the website, and have recently added a feature on the homepage where you can update or provide us with your e-mail address easily. As always, we welcome any input or suggestion you may have.

Recent Board Action Items

2003-21	Establishment of Polytechnic University Student Chapter
2004-1	Approval of USEPA’s Proposed Guidance on Blending
2004-2	Grand Island Holiday Inn Spring Meeting Location in 2005
2004-3	Revised Operations Challenge Travel Policy

Tribute to N.G. Kaul

You’ll note that we have memorialized N.G. in this issue, who passed away suddenly on February 25. N.G. served as the NYSDEC liaison on the NYWEA Board of Directors from 1997 to 2001. N.G. contributed much to the NYWEA during his tenure on the board. He had the “gift of leadership” and was fascinating to listen to, as he could take a very complicated subject (e.g., PCBs in the Hudson) and boil it down to its simplest form so that everyone could understand. More importantly, he nurtured relationships with NYWEA members who turned into friends. He will indeed be missed.

—Patricia Cerro-Reehil