2017 brought the 90th WEFTEC. The conference’s roots stretch back to an October 1926 meeting in Chicago where 11 people adopted a constitution and bylaws, elected officers, and appointed committees.
They soon issued the first edition of the Sewage Works Journal to 273 paid subscribers.
From then till now, a lot has happened. The WEFTEC@90 facts you’ll see spread throughout this section give some highlights. In total, the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) will offer up 90 of these facts – one each day for the 90 days leading up to WEFTEC. See the full list online at www.weftec.org/WEFTECat90.
Now, 90 years later, it’s fair to say the event has grown. More than 20,000 people will gather in Chicago to attend more than 100 technical sessions, explore about 300,000 ft2 of exhibition space, and participate in all sorts of additional events.
During WEFTEC’s long tenure, these additional events also have racked up impressive numbers. This year, several will celebrate their own noteworthy milestones.
5 years — LIFT
The Leaders Innovation Forum for Technology (LIFT) is celebrating 5 years of helping to bring innovation into practice. This joint initiative between two dedicated organizations, WEF and the Water Environment & Reuse Foundation (WE&RF), has helped more than 100 companies deploy their technologies and facilitated collaboration among water resource recovery facilities.
With all those figures on-hand, the program counts off its notable accomplishments in a LIFT by the Numbers infographic. Achievements include
- 800 technology reviews to provide feedback and insight,
- $5.5 million raised to fund innovation and pilots, and
- 150 utilities surveyed to better understand industry priorities and interests.
Download the full WE&RF infographic online at bit.ly/werf-by-the-numbers.
10 years – WEF Community Service Project
This year also marks the 10th WEF Community Service Project. Spearheaded by the WEF Students and Young Professionals Committee, the project takes place the Saturday before each WEFTEC. Over the past 10 years, projects have included building bioswales, rain gardens, and green classrooms. More than 100 students and professionals work together to construct a project that leaves a lasting mark on the water environment of WEFTEC’s host community.
To celebrate the 10th Service Project planners also tallied up the numbers in an infographic to share their successes. These include
- a total of 914 volunteers,
- 10 projects in four cities, and
- 37,700 m2 (406,000 ft2) of improved space.
Download the full WEF Community Service Project infographic at bit.ly/WEF- service-project.
Chicago’s Manierre Elementary School will host this year’s project. The school’s impermeable playground area currently suffers from poor drainage and periodic flooding. Project volunteers will build a permeable outdoor classroom area that includes a bioswale, featuring native plant species, and a gathering space for students. This will help to capture and filter stormwater runoff, alleviate flooding, and improve water quality.
This project will be integrated in design with a concurrent project being delivered by a local nonprofit, Green City Market (Chicago). The organization has plans to build urban raised gardens where students will be able to learn about agriculture concepts. Students also will learn to cook using the food grown.
Sweet 16th — WEF Student Design Competition
The WEF Student Design Competition celebrates its Sweet 16th at WEFTEC this year. This milestone is especially sweet for the competition because it will host the greatest number of teams in its history. This year, 17 schools from 16 different Member Associations will be represented from across the U.S. and Canada.
Joining this competition for the first time will be the University of Kansas (Lawrence, Kan.), University of Tennessee–Knoxville, Manhattan College (Bronx, N.Y.), George Mason University (Fairfax, Va.), and Florida A&M University– Florida State University (Tallahassee, Fla.). This also will be the first time that events — Process Control, Laboratory, Safety, both the Kansas and Kentucky-Tennessee Water Environment Associations will send teams to WEFTEC.
The competition goes down Sunday, Oct. 1, in Rooms S105ABC at McCormick Place.
30 years — Operations Challenge
The 30th annual Operations Challenge is expected to draw more than 160 competitors that’s more than 40 teams of four members each. The competitors will battle through five Collection Systems, and Godwin Maintenance to make their team, sponsors, supporters, employers, and Member Associations proud.
Over the years, thousands of competitors and volunteers have worked to make Operations Challenge a can’t-miss event at WEFTEC.
The Leaders Innovation Forum for Technology (LIFT) is celebrating 5 years of helping to bring innovation into practice. This joint initiative between two dedicated organizations, WEF and the Water Environment & Reuse Foundation (WE&RF), has helped more than 100 companies deploy their technologies and facilitated collaboration among water resource recovery facilities.
More than 20,000 people gathered in Chicago in October 2017 to attend more than 100 technical sessions, explore about 300,000 ft2 of exhibition space, and participate in all sorts of additional events.
Chicago’s Manierre Elementary School hosted the 2017 service project. The school’s impermeable playground area suffered from poor drainage and periodic flooding. Project volunteers built a permeable outdoor classroom area that included a bioswale, featuring native plant species, and a gathering space for students.
