Managing milk-plant odors by NJ Pinto PE, RA Straut PE, and EA Pond PE

O&M with UV disinfection by R Hill, PE and J Succow

Mitigating sewer odor and corrosion by RJ Pope, PE and N Ettele

Odor dispersion: models and methods by RJ Pope, PE and P Diosey, Ph.D., QEP

First step to effective odor control by RJ Pope, PE

Implementing a P2 program by BM Veith, PE

Featured facility: Kodak's King's Landing Plant by D Beecher, C Popen, D Taylor, D Wolf, R Regelsberger

People and places

NYSDEC notes

President's message by AJ Zabinski, PE

Executive Director's report: Leadership, what can it do for you? by P Cerro-Reehil

NYWEA scholarship fund by R Hennigan

Advertisers

Summer 2000 — Vol. 30, No. 2

by Adam J. Zabinski, PE

In the last issue I talked about the history of wastewater treatment and offered some thoughts on the future. Pollution prevention and waste minimization seem the logical next stages in environmental protection, but we must never forget the need to keep our infrastructure and the hard won gains of the past in good working condition. How does NYWEA fit into the picture?

We are an environmental organization dedicated to the protection of the water resources of New York State. Our primary method for accomplishing this is through education and providing information and expertise to the public and elected policy makers. In this millennium year it is useful to reflect on how we accomplish our goals today and what needs to be done in the future. The traditional networking approach utilized technical seminars, conferences, and publications with people getting together or discussing issues on the telephone. These approaches are time-tested and likely to remain a major part of our efforts. Many of us grew up and are comfortable with these avenues of communication. Our younger members have grown up with two additional tools that greatly enhance NYWEA's potential to reach out to the world - computers and the Internet. How we combine the techniques of the past with the tools of the future will determine our effectiveness in protecting our water resources.

We have sent letters to our State legislators offering ourselves as a source of information before entering legislation, evaluating other legislation or assessing potential regulation impacts. We are developing a letter to local elected officials based on the Construction Grants Task Force recommendation that the State's revolving loan fund could support a greater subsidy to local communities than currently available without damaging the fund. We have developed a Utility Membership category that provides municipalities with increased access to our resources. We have an active scholarship program with $118,000 in pledges and provide four scholarships each year. We network with other member associations in WEF and now meet annually with our counterparts in the Northeast to discuss issues of mutual interest. We do a lot and are doing more, but is it enough?

The future is in the Internet. It is fast, easy, and readily available to all. Nearly every home and business has access to computers, and all new people coming into our profession are as familiar with it as the previous generation was with television. Information and service have always been critical elements in success, and today the ability to provide both is essential to survival in a time of proliferating organizations.

Our web site is undergoing evolution. Currently, it provides basic information such as upcoming events, NYWEA calendar, registration forms, employment opportunities, and links to chapters and other sites. We are looking at ways to make it more user-friendly, provide more services, and make it the central information source for our association. CLEARWATERS is now available on the site. We are looking to ways of making the site be a principal means of communication with our members and potential members.

I close this message with a plea to our more computer-oriented members for assistance. The association needs input from people who use the Internet as almost second nature so we can optimize our web site and communications. We flourish only to the extent our members are active, and active members get more satisfaction from the organization. Here is a wonderful opportunity for you to help us help you. This is a new area and you can have a significant effect in shaping NYWEA's future.