A day-long Nitrogen Symposium was a highlight of the 2008 NOWRA Annual Technical Education Conference and Exposition, held April 7-10 in Memphis, Tenn.
Some 450 attendees selected from more than 50 training sessions, from the popular A to Z basic education series, to case studies exploring entrepreneurial and government programs, to primers on advanced technologies. They also visited 63 exhibits of the latest in onsite technologies.
Nutrient news
The Nitrogen Symposium, held April 7, was designed for all attendees — regulators, academics, field practitioners and vendors.
Among attendees was Bob Guthrie, P.E., a consulting engineer with Guthrie & Associates Inc. of Birmingham, Ala. His firm has designed a variety of systems from large municipal treatment works to small individual systems.
“The nitrogen topic grabbed my attention and prompted my participation,” he says. “The symposium was a great way to invest a day focused on the different processes that directly affect nitrogen removal. Next year, I’d like to see the session expanded to include a practitioner’s round table discussion.”
His son Jeff, a hydrogeologist, said the session served two purposes. “First, it validated many of the practices that we have been implementing,” he observes. “Second, it gave us some new methods and processes to explore for future projects.”
Tim Smith, sales manager for Onsite Solutions of Virginia Inc. in Warrenton, Va., says his company finds the commercial market holding steady and the residential market contracting. “This session will help us shift to that new opportunity,” he says.
“The knowledge I gained brings a new comfort with the calculations and processes needed to achieve nitrification, then denitrification of the wastewater. Also, I got a better handle on how alkalinity fits into the process. The knowledge I gained I was able to put to use the day I got back.”
New directions
The conference site is also where NOWRA committees conduct business, focusing on topics such as education, model codes, membership, and affiliate relations.
The board of directors, responding to committee input, is refocusing on the needs of affiliate groups based in numerous states and Canadian provinces. The addition of member benefits and general support to affiliates is already off the drawing board and into early implementation stages.
Hilary Moore, past president of the Delaware On-Site Wastewater Recycling Association, chairs the local affiliate leaders’ committee, charged with defining the needs for affiliate support. Mark Hooks of the Florida Onsite Wastewater Association chairs the government affairs committee, which tracks federal legislation and regulatory proposals, and educates members of initiatives worthy of members’ action.
The organization’s leadership changes at the late fall installer training event in Las Vegas. In preparation for that election, nominations are being sought and a ballot will be distributed to all members in early fall.
