Will we see you at the 2016 Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport (WWETT) Show next month? If you’ve already made plans to head to Indianapolis Feb. 17-20, you’re among the thousands of wastewater industry professionals who know the tremendous value the WWETT Show offers.

You may be coming to shop around for a new piece of equipment in the vast Indiana Convention Center exhibit space. If a product is manufactured for the onsite industry, you’ll see it in the nearly 600,000 square feet of exhibit space. WWETT Show regulars know they will see a variety of new onsite technologies that offer great business-building opportunities for the coming year.

In fact, I’ve had installers tell me, “Shhhh! Don’t tell my competitors back home about the edge I gain by attending the show and learning about the latest innovations.

Unless they’ve been here, they have no idea about the technologies hitting the market.” Well, I don’t want to play favorites in the onsite industry. So just know that if you skip the show, another contractor is going to use the WWETT Show to get a leg up on you.

Or maybe the WWETT Show is your opportunity to network with your suppliers and fellow installers. Regulars meet with their vendors and talk about new products, special purchase deals and build the personal relationships that can make a big difference to small-business owners. They’ll also meet up and swap stories with other contractors they’ve met over the years.

NETWORK FOR SUCCESS

And there’s a new way to network at the WWETT Show this year.

The Industry Appreciation Party is a popular staple at the WWETT Show, where attendees will gather Friday, Feb. 19, for 25-cent tap beers and an intimate concert with country star Jerrod Niemann.

New this year, by request of attendees, is two nights of the WWETT Show Kickoff Party, 5-8 p.m., Feb. 17 and 18, on the field inside Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. The popular COLE Pub truck – with its huge wooden barrel – will be parked at the 50-yard-line, and exhibitors will host their own areas on the field to mingle with visitors. This will be a great chance to get to know others in the industry away from the hubbub of the show floor.

And I don’t want you to forget about the many education opportunities at the WWETT Show. For three days, including Feb. 17 Education Day, industry educators and vendors will provide more than 100 seminars – which may qualify for required continuing education credits back home.

Many attendees envision shiny new equipment when they think about the WWETT Show, and rightly so. But if you don’t map out some seminars to attend, you’re missing an important element to your Indy experience. I took a look at the slate of talks aimed at installers and have a few to recommend for your visit:

Making Infiltration Decisions – Understanding Soil Surface Design (11 a.m. Wednesday)

Speaker Sara Heger, Ph.D., an engineer, researcher and instructor in the Onsite Sewage Treatment Program in the Water Resources Center at the University of Minnesota, will talk about the role of soil in treating wastewater. A leading wastewater educator, Heger will explain how onsite system designers can maximize the treatment potential of soil on any site. This certainly becomes more important as the best sites for onsite treatment are developed and property with more challenging site characteristics is earmarked for development.

An Exercise in Septic System Troubleshooting (1:30 p.m. Wednesday)

Session presenters Bob Wright, an onsite wastewater trainer for the National Association of Wastewater Technicians, and Kim Seipp, NAWT’s education coordinator, will teach a systematic approach to onsite system troubleshooting. They will explain what installers need to know about system analysis and thinking outside the box to help uncover treatment issues. The speakers will share insights gained from generations of experience in the wastewater industry. Wright has been a system designer beginning in Alaska in 1979. Seipp owns Colorado’s High Plains Sanitation Service with her husband, Jeff.

The Onsite Wastewater Industry and Our Carbon Footprint (11 a.m. Thursday)

Jessica Kautz, of Infiltrator Water Technologies, will delve into the benefits of onsite wastewater treatment over centralized municipal treatment. The presentation will cover the dynamic history of decentralized wastewater treatment and explore trends including sustainable development and green building. Kautz brings a broad perspective to the topic of wastewater, earning a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and conducting research on wastewater recycling in India.

Fact vs. Fiction: The Top 10 Septic Myths (8 a.m. Friday)

Who in the industry hasn’t heard the old wives’ tales over and over again, such as advising dumping a chicken carcass into the septic tank to promote bacteria growth? Speaker Dennis Hallahan, P.E., of Infiltrator Water Technologies, will explore many myths surrounding onsite wastewater treatment that continue to live on despite the best efforts of industry educators. Hallahan speaks nationally and has written several articles on the science and fundamentals of onsite wastewater treatment.

Inspecting Concrete Sewage Tanks (11 a.m. Wednesday)

Claude Goguen, P.E., of the National Precast Concrete Association, will explain a step-by-step approach to effectively inspect precast concrete structures, such as tanks, pump chambers, aeration chambers and distribution boxes. He will explain what to look for when new tanks arrive on the work site for installation and when performing maintenance.

Excavation Safety (9:30 a.m. Wednesday)

Gary Hooks, of Safety Corporation of America, has a tall order in demystifying terminology and field expectations of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Having conducted 600 competent-person training courses to 10,000 people, Hooks is up to the task. He will share potentially lifesaving information about predictable hazards, proper use and installation of protective systems, and options of shields, benching, sloping and shoring for installers.

COLE Publishing’s Onsite Installer Course (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday)

Our own industry experts, Basic Training column writers Jim Anderson, Ph.D., and David Gustafson, P.E., once again give a comprehensive all-day program introducing proper practices for sustainable use of onsite treatment systems. This is a convenient opportunity for newer installer crew members to get valuable training from these well-known national instructors and experience the WWETT Show in one trip.

SO MUCH TO SEE

For WWETT Show regulars, I hope this column gives you a few ideas for how you’ll spend your time in Indianapolis. For those still on the fence about attending the show, I hope this pushes you over the top. And I hope to see you all in Indy.

Turn inside this issue to learn more about the WWETT Show, including more ways to take advantage of learning opportunities, enjoy great entertainment and gather with industry friends.