Presidents Comments

By Bob Van Moer

Hello Everyone,

Spring is approaching fast. With the large amount of snow on the ground and the wet fall we had last year, it is a good time to review your flood and wet weather procedures so you will be prepared in the event of a fast melt or a wet spring.

We have had a busy year so far with tight budgets and a poor economy. The work still needs to done. This creates a challenge for all of us.

I’m sorry to report that we lost some long time MWOA members this past year. Our condolences go out to the families of Craig Anderson of SEH, and Del Senst of New Ulm. They both strongly believed in, and supported our organization. They will be missed.

Planning is well under way for the MWOA Annual Conference to be held in Grand  Rapids on July 27^th – 30^th, 2010. It looks like another excellent training conference with the opportunity to network and socialize with fellow operators and vendors in our business

We will be offering 16 contact hours for the conference and you can receive your 9 Type IV contact hours if you attend the Biosolids Sessions. An exam study hall will be offered for those wishing to test for their MPCA certificates. Collection Systems, New Plants, O&M, and Maintenance are some of the other topics to be covered.

On Tuesday prior to the conference there will be a Golf outing, Trap shoot, 4-Wheeler Ride, and Family Picnic.

Register early and get your rooms reserved. You will find the flyer in this magazine or on- line at MWOA.net.

Thanks, have a great spring!

Previous Presidents Comments

Hello Everyone,

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the MWOA members who elected me to office. I’m proud to have the opportunity to serve as president of this organization. I have been a member for over 30 years and feel this is a great organization that has a lot to offer its members.

Be sure to take advantage of all the training opportunities available through the MWOA such as Section Meetings, Collection System Conferences, Innovative Approaches Conference, Lab Training Conference, the TIC Library, and the July Annual MWOA Conference. Check out the Web Site for current news and training opportunities.

I believe networking with other operators and wastewater professionals is one of the best learning opportunities for both current issues and operator experiences.

We are seeing a large trend of older operators that will be retiring in the next 5–10 years. I believe a strong recruitment program will be needed to keep the wastewater industry and the MWOA organization strong.

The wastewater industry is constantly seeing new challenges with tighter regulations, upcoming contaminant issues, more TMDL’s and tighter budgets. Now, more then ever it is important to belong to an organization like MWOA to keep up with emerging issues and get the necessary training.

We have a tremendous membership with a wealth of knowledge. Get involved and share your knowledge by contributing in training sessions, hosting meetings, and writing articles for the Wastewatcher magazine. We are always looking for good topics that will benefit our members.

I am always open to listening to new ideas and suggestions to improve the organization. Remember this is your organization, get involved and stay active.

Thanks again for giving me the chance to serve.