Features

WEF Web Site Transformed

Those surfing the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) Web site may have noticed a new look. The Federation has been actively revamping its Web site since this summer.

“We have received a lot of helpful feedback over the past couple of years from staff and WEF members about our Web site,” said WEF Web Manager Julie Fuller. “We knew we needed to prioritize two big changes on the Web site: improving navigation and adding more technical content.”

Phase 1 of these improvements was completed on Oct. 10. The current changes include more information and access points on the home page, a new daily feature section, an event calendar, a revamped “News Center” section, a new “Access Water Knowledge” section, and a series of changing photos on the home page.

A snapshot of the "Access Water Knowledge" section. Click for larger image.

The new, longer home page allows space for more information and for the page to be more dynamic, Fuller explained. A new banner added at the top of the page features rotating images. These images portray the different aspects of the water and wastewater treatment field, including utility management, public health, science, plant operators, and the environment. 

The new home page will highlight items such as the new “Water Blog” and “Water Heroes” features and will be updated every 2 to 3 days so readers will regularly get new information. The “News Center” stories are updated daily, and are listed so readers can identify the newest information available. Also on the home page, the “Event Calendar” lists the upcoming WEF events including webcasts, conferences, seminars, international events, and Member Association events.

The left-hand navigation bar highlights the most frequently used resources from the original Web site. Featured prominently is the new “Access Water Knowledge” section, the gateway to a variety of technical content, grouped in the following categories:

• Biosolids
• Collection Systems
• Infrastructure
• Membranes
• Microconstituents 
• Nutrient Removal
• Stormwater and Green Infrastructure
• Sustainability and Energy
• Sustainability and Climate Change
• Utility Management
• Wastewater Treatment — Design
• Wastewater Treatment — Operations
• Industrial Wastewater Treatment
• Water Reuse
• Water Security and Emergency Response
• Watershed Management
• Wet Weather

Each of these 17 “Knowledge Centers” includes technical resources, education and training opportunities, and networking information.

Phase 1 of this project is meant to provide a temporary measure of improvement while WEF gathers feedback to build a better Web site during Phase 2. While Phase 1 changes were constrained by WEF’s current content management system, in the next phase, WEF will be switching to a new content management system that will help create more dynamic pages, improve the search engine, provide higher resolution and wider pages, and allow utilization of new colors.

“[For Phase 2] essentially anything goes,” Fuller said. “We will get to design from scratch.” The primary goals are to make the information more accessible to readers and make the site easy to navigate. Phase 2 is scheduled to be completed within the next year.

All members are encouraged to submit their opinions on the current Web site and the elements they would like to see on the new Web site. Send your feedback to Julie Fuller at jfuller@wef.org.

— Jennifer Fulcher, Highlights

Click for larger image.

As I begin my year as president, I would like to thank each of you for the privilege and honor of allowing me to serve as the president of our Federation. I look forward to the opportunities and fun ahead as we work to together to preserve and enhance the global water environment. Communicating the Value of Water Today, as we look at the world around us and try to understand how we will navigate and manage through the financial, infrastructure, and water challenges ahead, we realize that now more than ever, we must define and communicate the value of water. The value of water must be translated into clear and tangible

We are aware that water is essential for life, and access to safe sanitation and clean water are preconditions for civilized communities. Our members spend their lives ensuring that the best water science, technology, knowledge, and polices are developed and applied to provide safe sanitation and clean water in communities across the globe. This is truly a noble service that enables others to live their lives free of waterborne diseases, free from worries about where the next drop of clean water will come from, and free to spend quality times with their families and to pursue a quality of life they desire. I believe that this type of communication about water — defining it in a personal way so that individuals can clearly see how it relates to their well-being and the values that define their lifestyle — will result in a better understanding of the value of water.

Our solutions to global water challenges will include the development and refinement of tools to enable safe sanitation and clean water and the understanding and implementation of strategies to overcome the technical, economic, social, and political barriers to effective water policies. These obstacles must be addressed collectively and holistically.

Goals for the Upcoming Year
My goal is that during the upcoming year the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) will continue to develop and leverage our resources to further our mission of preserving and enhancing our global water environment. Specifically, we will work toward the following goals.

• Better connecting the role of the water profession to public health and the quality of life for communities in a way that furthers the understanding of the value of water, further defines the contributions of water professionals to public health, and attracts new professionals (to include young professionals, new professionals to the water industry, and seasoned professionals).
• Promoting water stewardship by advancing and advocating sustainable watershed approaches for the management of water resources, further defining the public’s role and engagement in watershed protection, and promoting water reuse and the public dialogue that reused water is an essential component of all communities and water supply.
• Ensuring integrity and credibility in all of the products and services that WEF provides so that as the technical, economic, social, and political barriers to water challenges are addressed, and WEF products and services are trusted and seen as credible enablers to global water solutions.
• Defining and implementing technology that enables the present and future business needs for the Federation in a way that improves the WEF Web site experience and enhances product and service delivery to WEF members and customers through technology improvements.

The collective steps that we take this year toward meeting these goals will support our members as we engage in the daunting task of the water challenges of today and for our future. WEF members have the capacity and have been blessed with the skills and talents to enable water solutions that are holistic in approach and recognized as sustainable and equitable. This is our future because of who we are, because of the others we work with today and in the future, and because of the values we hold. I am excited to have the opportunity to work alongside you to achieve our desired water future.

— Rebecca West, 2008–2009 WEF President

WEFTEC.08, held in Chicago from Oct. 18 to 22, was an event of record-breaking proportions. This year the largest annual water and wastewater exhibition had approximately 21,950 registrants and 1111 exhibiting companies. The conference offered 115 technical sessions, 31 workshops, 10 facility tours, and a net of more than 26,941 m² (290,000 ft²) of floor space.

This year’s attendees were introduced to a new president, new members of the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) Board of Trustees (2008–2009), and new chairs and vice chairs of WEF’s Committees.

Board of Trustees 2008-2009
The WEF Board of Trustees is the governing body of the Federation and is comprised of six officers and twelve trustees. 
 

Back row, from left: Sandra Ralston, Leslie Samel, Chris Schmit, Carl Janson, Ron Moeller, Jay Witherspoon, Bjorn von Euler, Ed McCormick, Deborah Houdeshell, and Cordell Samuels. Front row, from left: Betty Jordan, Treasurer Chuck Weir, President-Elect Paul Freedman, President Rebecca West, Past President Adam Zabinski, Vice President Jeanette Brown, and Judy Jones. Not pictured: Secretary William Bertera Photo by Oscar Einzig Photography. Click for larger image.

Officers
President Rebecca F. West, Spartanburg (S.C.) Water
President-Elect Paul Freedman, Limno Tech (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Vice President Jeanette Brown, Stamford (Conn.) Water Pollution Control Authority
Past President Adam J. Zabinski, self-employed (Newberg, Ore.)
Treasurer Chuck Weir, Oakley Water Strategies (Oakland, Calif.)
Secretary William Bertera, WEF (Alexandria, Va.)

Trustees

New trustees
Deborah Houdeshell, County of Summit Department of Environmental Services (Copley, Ohio)
Carl Janson, Riordan Materials Corp. (Blue Bell, Pa.)
Betty Jordan, Alan Plummer Associates Inc. (Dallas)
Ed McCormick, East Bay Municipal Utility District (Oakland, Calif.)
Sandra Ralston, Malcom Pirnie (White Plains, N.Y.)

Continuing trustees
Judy Jones, Cobb County (Ga.) Water System
Ron Moeller, Kennedy/Jenks Consultants (San Francisco)
Leslie Samel, CDM (Cambridge, Mass.)
Cordell Samuels, Regional Municipality of Durham (Ontario)
Chris Schmit, South Dakota State University (Brookings)
Bjorn von Euler, ITT Corp. (White Plains, N.Y.)
Jay Witherspoon, CH2M Hill (Englewood, Colo.)

Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs
The members of WEF’s technical committees provide the expertise to create a strong force aimed at improving water quality management. The committees help develop WEF policy positions, write and peer review books and training materials, and plan and deliver workshops and conferences. Currently WEF has 49 committees, each focusing on a different aspect of water and wastewater management. Committee chairs and vice chairs serve for 3 years. At WEFTEC.08 the following new chairs and vice chairs were introduced:

Academic Committee:  Chair – Bruce Logan, Penn State University (University Park)

Automation & Information Technology Committee:  Chair – Andrew R. Shaw, Black and Veatch (Kansas City, Mo.); and Vice Chair – Tom DeLaura, Westin Engineering of Michigan PLLC (Detroit)

Collection Systems Committee:  Chair – Joan B. Hawley, Superior Engineering LLC (Hammond, Ind.); and Vice Chair – Rob Villee, Plainfield Area Regional Sewerage Authority (Middlesex, N.J.)

Government Affairs Committee: Chair – Robert Matthews, CDM (Cambridge, Mass.); and Vice Chair – John Salo, Brown and Caldwell (Walnut Creek, Calif.)

Laboratory Practices Committee: Chair – Akin Babatola, City of Santa Cruz (Calif.); and Vice Chair – Devon Morgan, Clark County Water Reclamation District (Las Vegas)

Membership Committee:  Chair – Howard W. Kimbrell, Jordan Jones, and Goulding (Norcross, Ga.) 

Nominating Committee: Chair – Lynn Orphan, Clean Water Coalition (Henderson, Nev.); and Vice Chair – Michael Read, Oak Lodge Sanitary District (Oak Grove, Ore.)

Plant Operations & Maintenance Committee:  Chair – Kim R. Riddell, City of Delphos (Ohio); and Vice Chair – Paula Zeller, Orange County (Calif.) Sanitation District

Public Communications & Outreach Committee:  Chair – Bjorn von Euler, ITT Corp. (White Plains, N.Y.)

Publications Committee:  Chair – Mary G. Johnson, Rock River Water Reclamation District (Rockford, Ill.); and Vice Chair – Lanaya Voelz, CDM (Cambridge, Mass.)

Small Community Committee:  Chair – James C. Pyne, Hampton Roads Sanitation District (Virginia Beach, Va.); and Co-Vice Chairs – Joyce E. Hudson, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Washington, D.C.), and Todd Danielson, Loudoun County (Va.) Sanitation Authority

Specialty Conference Committee:  Chair – Lynne H. Moss, CDM (Cambridge, Mass.)

Stockholm Junior Water Prize Committee:  Chair – Erin Mosley, CH2M Hill (Englewood, Colo.); and Co-Vice Chairs – David Wagoner, HDR Inc. (Omaha, Neb.), and Charles Wolf, Malcolm Pirnie Inc. (White Plains, N.Y.)

Students and Young Professionals Committee:  Chair – Bob Wimmer, Johnson Mirmiran & Thompson (Sparks, Md.); and Vice Chair – Eric Dodds, Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services Inc. (Grand Forks, N.D.)

Technical Practice Committee:  Chair – Rudy B. Fernandez, Parsons Brinkerhoff Inc. (New York); and Vice Chair – Jeanette Brown, City of Stamford (Conn.)

Utility Management Committee:  Chair – Brian L. Wheeler, Toho Water Authority (Kissimmee, Fla.); and Co-Vice Chairs – Michael W. Sweeney, Woolpert Inc. (Dayton, Ohio), and Raynetta C. Grant, City of Titusville (Fla.) Water Resources

Each year, the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) presents a variety of awards that recognize excellence and achievement in the water environment profession. Awards are presented in the categories of Individual Service and Contribution, Education, Organization and Association Recognition, Operational and Design Excellence, and Published Papers. Below is a summary of the award recipients. To view photos of the recipients click here.

INDIVIDUAL SERVICE AND CONTRIBUTION

Thomas R. Camp Medal
Commemorating Thomas R. Camp, an outstanding educator, consultant, and writer whose contributions to applied research guided design criteria in many aspects of water quality, this award recognizes a WEF member who demonstrates a unique application of basic research or fundamental principles through the design or development of a wastewater collection or treatment system.

This year’s recipient, Orris E. Albertson of Enviro-Enterprises (LaBarge, Wyo.), was recognized for his original developmental research and application of combined staged anoxic bioselector designs for nitrification–denitrification biological nitrogen removal. This technology reduces the required volume of the aeration reactor by 30% to 40% while achieving significant benefits to activated sludge settleability and dewaterability, and has been applied successfully at many of the largest wastewater treatment facilities providing nitrogen removal.

Emerson Distinguished Service Medal
Commemorating the service of the first WEF president, Charles Alvin Emerson, this award recognizes an individual member of WEF for outstanding contributions to the water environment profession.

This year’s recipient, Billy Gerald Turner, is a leading spokesperson in the water quality industry, testifying before Congress on several occasions and at numerous society meetings to promote the industry and WEF interests, and continues to advocate for collaboration of industry organization. A past president of WEF, Turner has served on a number of water industry boards, advocates advancing new concepts and technologies, and under his direction the Columbus (Ga.) Water Works has been awarded many regional and national U.S. EPA recognitions.

Engelbrecht International Achievement Award
This award commemorates past WEF President Richard S. Engelbrecht, and  recognizes sustained and significant contributions to the furtherance and improvement of the activities of WEF in the international field.

This year’s recipient, Daniel A. Nolasco, is president of Nolasco & Associates Inc. (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Nolasco is a member of the WEF Board of Trustees, the WEF House of Delegates, the International Coordination Committee, and the International Program and Industrial Program Committees, and he serves as president of the WEF Liaison Committee in the Inter-American Association of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering (AIDIS; Sao Paolo, Brazil). As part of the International Program Committee, Nolasco organized the first climate change sessions at WEFTEC®. He also helped organize the first WEF–AIDIS Operations Challenge in Buenos Aires in 2003. Since then, the Olimpiadas Sanitarias has been held each year, with the winning team traveling to the United States to compete at WEFTEC.

Outstanding Young Professional
The Outstanding Young Professional Award recognizes the significant contributions of young water environment professionals to the Water Environment Federation and to the wastewater collection and treatment industry.

This year’s recipient, Charles Bott (Virginia Military Institute; Lexington, Va.), has been active in WEF, the Water Environment Research Foundation, and local member associations and their activities. He is a well-published author and has received many awards. Bott also has been appointed by the governor of Virginia to a state-level technical advisory committee and the state board for water and wastewater operators.

Public Officials Award
The Public Officials Award is presented to an elected or appointed public official who has made a documented, significant contribution in the areas of clean water legislation, public policy, government service, or another area of public prominence that resulted in improvements to the water environment. This year the award was presented to two individuals.

During more than 25 years of public service including four terms as mayor of Boston, Thomas M. Menino has demonstrated his commitment to Boston’s environment through supporting investments in the city’s water and wastewater infrastructure; establishing Groundwater Conservation Zones; implementing the green initiatives, including Grow Boston Greener, Climate Protection orders, and Green Building Zoning; and proposing that Boston Harbor be a no-discharge area for boats.

As president of the Board of Commissioners for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, Terrence J. O’Brien has led the district in obtaining funding for projects including the completion of the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan and sidestream elevated pool aeration stations. He has worked to maintain costs while balancing the need to employ top research, engineering, operations, and management talent to run the operation that serves more than 120 communities. He also has brought the responsibility for stormwater management in Cook County under the district through legislative authority.

EDUCATION

Canham Graduate Studies Scholarship
This scholarship, honoring the former Water Environment Federation executive director, Robert Canham, provides $25,000 for a post-baccalaureate student in the water environment field.

This year’s recipient, Jason J. Flowers, is a WEF member and Ph.D. candidate in environmental engineering at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, where he currently serves as research assistant in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His doctoral studies and research focus on biological treatment of wastewater, investigating the metabolic mechanism by which Accumulibacter phosphatis uptakes phosphorus using metaproteomic analysis. Flowers is a registered Professional Engineer in Illinois and has a B.S. cum laude in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Tennessee (Knoxville).

Gordon Maskew Fair Medal
The Fair Medal recognizes accomplishments in the education and development of future engineers, and honors Gordon Maskew Fair, a professor of sanitary engineering at Harvard University. This year, the award was presented to two individuals.

Daniel Zitomer of Marquette University (Milwaukee), was recognized for bringing engineering students who will be working in a global economy the concepts the ability to grasp the frailty of life, the will, and the determination of less fortunate people, as well as to have a impact on others through even the simplest of engineering projects.

James H. Johnson Jr. of Howard University (Washington, D.C.) was recognized for his research efforts within the hazardous materials and water environment arena. Johnson’s work has centered on guiding graduate students through complex research efforts in more esoteric areas of water engineering such as the use of nanotechnology for remediation, and he has developed environmental curricula and strategies to increase the number of under-represented groups in those disciplines that fuel and drive the water environment professions.

Public Education Awards
The Public Education Awards recognize WEF members for significant accomplishments in promoting awareness and understanding of water environment issues among the general public, through the development of and implementation of public education programs. This year, three awards were given.

Isabel S. Tourkantonis of CDM (Cambridge, Mass.) has led the New England Water Environment Association Public Education Committee to develop a number of public education programs, including development of six-state career opportunities guide, interface with Big Brother/Big Sister programs, kick-starting the Stockholm Junior Water Prize involvement in New England, and developing and delivering sessions at the National Science Teachers Association Conference.

The Florida Water Environment Association Public Outreach and Communication Committee implemented many successful programs, including hosting the national 2008 Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition, planning to host WEFTeach™ 2009 in Orlando, implementing a biosolids outreach program, presenting three public education awards, holding public education workshops, participating in World Water Monitoring Day™, including a “Tip Sheets” section in the association’s journal.

The Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County (Whittier, Calif.) Clearwater Program is a multi-pronged, bilingual outreach program that covers numerous aspects of the districts’ major upgrade efforts, with emphasis on disseminating information on projects such as the county’s proposed Joint Outfall System, its water recycling program, and its green energy initiatives.

ORGANIZATION AND ASSOCIATION RECOGNITION

Member Association Achievement
The Member Association Achievement Award recognizes Member Associations that excel in one of the following areas: membership retention, financial strength, new memberships, scholarship programs, student achievement and support, technology transfers, and/or award programs. This year, the award was presented to two associations.

Michigan Water Environment Association was recognized for its quarterly publication MWEA Matters, which has evolved from a four- to eight-page newsletter to a professional, saddle-stitched publication. The publication is used as marketing tool when discussing MWEA with other groups and individuals and has raised the level of professionalism of the organization.

Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association was recognized for its Silent Heroes program, which honors the work done by water quality professionals to protect public health and preserve water quality in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

Outstanding Member Association
The Outstanding Member Association Award recognizes a Member Association that excels in multiple areas: membership retention, financial strength, new memberships, scholarship programs, student achievement and support, technology transfers, and/or award programs.

This year’s recipient, the North Carolina Water Environment Association, was recognized for providing leadership on water issues through the work of its committees and numerous events, including working with seven schools as well as hosting two conferences and 50 seminars per year.

Member Association Safety Award
Nominees for the Member Association Safety Award are evaluated in more than 20 categories, including cooperation with other organizations to promote safety; publicity for the safety program; use of safety materials; and experience.

This year’s winner, the New England Water Environment Association, responded to 17 of 22 categories. In addition, the New England WEA makes safety fun by promoting a periodic safety logo contest. The association represents more than 18 public and private committees, and companies in committee-sponsored programs.

OPERATIONAL AND DESIGN EXCELLENCE

Collection Systems Award
The Collection Systems Award recognizes individuals for contributions to the advancement of the state of the art of wastewater collection. This year’s winner, George LeRoy Martin, assistant manager of the Greenwood (S.C.) Metropolitan District, has served in a number of leadership positions to promote the goals of WEF and has received many awards for his work in collection systems. Specifically, Martin has been instrumental in developing training programs to promote professionalism for collection system operators. Martin and others created the South Carolina’s Wastewater Collection Systems School, which serves as a model for other WEF member associations. Martin also has implemented major O&M programs that have made his wastewater utility first in class among its peers.

Industrial Water Quality Achievement Award
The Industrial Water Quality Achievement Award recognizes a corporation and, if applicable, its engineering firm that best demonstrates significant, lasting, and measurable excellence in water quality improvement or in the prevention of water quality degradation as demonstrated by innovative design and operation of an industrial wastewater, pretreatment or source prevention program.

This year’s recipient, The U.S. Department of Energy/Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies (Kansas City, Mo.) has been able to recycle 30% of the industrial wastewater generated at its plant by incorporating a reverse osmosis (RO) unit in its industrial wastewater pretreatment facility. The RO permeate is used for cooling tower make-up, thereby also reducing the amount of potable water used in the plant, and the RO concentrate is treated with other industrial waste streams in the pretreatment facility. Less treatment chemicals are used, and less solids are generated. The result was a 45% decrease in hazardous waste generated at the plant.

Innovative Technology Awards
These awards recognize WEF Associate Members that have introduced innovative products or services related to the construction, operation, or maintenance of treatment facilities.

ADS Environmental Services (Huntsville, Ala.) won in the collection systems category for its Spider technology. The Spider acts as an alarm dialer without a telephone line by using cellular services, and alerts the operator directly without the use of an interposing Web service.
Accusonic Technologies (West Wareham, Mass.) won in the instrumentation category for its Accusonic 7510+. The 7510+ uses Doppler technology with multiple sensors that provide a significant flowmetering capability across a large range of pipes, as well as cross-sectional temperature data.

AquaAerobic Systems Inc. (Rockford, Ill.) won in the proccess equipment category for its Aquadiamond Filter, which provides wastewater treatment plants an option for retrofitting or upgrading their traveling bridge sand filters. The filter can be used in plants where there is very little head space available.

Penn Valley Pump Co. (Warrington, Pa.) won in the solids handling–disposal category for its Double Disc Pump. The newly redesigned pump is designed to be more efficient, easier to work on, and capable of handling a much larger volume of solids at a lower RPM. It also works with existing pump frames when they are upgraded to the new design.

PUBLISHED PAPERS

Eddy Wastewater Principles or Processes Medal
Recognizing Harrison Prescott Eddy, a prominent engineer and a pioneer in the field of wastewater treatment, this award is given for research that makes a vital contribution to the existing knowledge of the fundamental principles or process of wastewater treatment, as comprehensively described and published in a WEF periodical.

Glen T. Daigger, Craig D. Adams, and Holley Kaempfer Steller won for their article, “Diffusion of Oxygen Through Activated Sludge Flocs: Experimental Measurement, Modeling, and Implications for Simultaneous Nitrification and Denitrification,” which was published in the April 2007 issue of Water Environment Research. Their research introduces a significant step toward understanding the nitrification and denitrification process in the presence of flocs. Denitrification in large activated sludge flocs could impact their settleability. The authors used a unique combination of methods, models, and apparatus to obtain dissolved oxygen concentrations within flocs and obtain the various study results.

George Bradley Gascoigne Award
The Gascoigne Medal honors George Bradley Gascoigne, a prominent consultant who exhibited a great deal of interest in the operation of wastewater treatment plants, and recognizes the author(s) of an article that presents the solution of an important and complicated operational problem within a full-scale, operating wastewater treatment plant.

Kenneth Sedmak, Michael Gerbitz, Thomas Asmus, Larry Reinke, and Timothy Stockman won for their article, “Best From the Inside Out,” which was published in the February/March 2007 issue of Industrial Wastewater. Their article describes how the engineering team for the Jennie-O Turkey Store slaughterhouse treatment plant in Barron, Wis., solved a sludge-settling problem that resulted from plant modifications made to meet stricter effluent criteria. By applying a common-sense approach and thinking outside the box, the Jennie-O Turkey team developed a workable solution to their problem that was impressive, didn’t involve significant capital investment, and proved easy to implement. Their problem-solving approach clearly shows that operating problems can be corrected without huge investments in either capital equipment or manpower. Further, the techniques described in the article could effectively be used by almost all other facilities to develop plant-specific, cost-effective solutions to plant operating problems.

McKee Groundwater Protection, Restoration, or Sustainable Use Medal
Named in honor of Jack McKee, this award recognizes significant contributions to groundwater science or engineering research published in a WEF or WEF Member Association periodical. Shane W. Rogers, Say Kee Ong, Greg A. Stenback, Johanshir Golchin, and Bruce H. Kjartanson won for their article, “Assessment of Intrinsic Bioremediation of a Coal-Tar-Affected Aquifer Using Two-Dimensional Reactive Transport and Biogeochemical Mass Balance Approaches,” which was published in the January 2007 issue of Water Environment Research.

The article describes a systematic approach to utilizing expedited site characterization to provide evidence of biological activity typical of biodegradation processes. It demonstrates that a simple two-dimensional analytical model and a biochemical mass balance with geochemical data from expedited site characterization can be useful for rapid estimation of masstransformation rates. It presents significant concepts related to remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at manufactured gas plants and similar sites, which may have wide application in assessing bioremediation applicability and success. The demonstrated approach provides a viable method to estimate first-order biodegradation coefficients of multiple organic pollutants, which are important in justifying the use of monitored natural attenuation as a remediation approach. This work also adds to an emerging body of research suggesting that anoxic–anaerobic transformation processes may be important at PAH-contaminated sites.

Rudolfs Industrial Waste Management Medal
Commemorating Willem Rudolfs, an active WEF member and primary force in industrial waste research, this award recognizes noteworthy accomplishments in any aspect of industrial waste management research published in a WEF or WEF Member Association periodical. Ines D. Henriques, Richard T. Kelly II, Jennifer L. Dauphinais, and Nancy G. Love won for their article, “Activated Sludge Inhibition by Chemical Stressors — A Comprehensive Study,” which was published in the September 2007 issue of Water Environment Research.

This article considered the effects of shock loads of several organic and inorganic industrial chemicals, which could disrupt the operation and performance of biological treatment systems if discharged in shock pulse patterns. The results were presented in a chemical source-process effect matrix to aid in the development of methods that will prevent and/or attenuate the effects of such shock loads on activated sludge systems. The results described in this paper constitute progress in understanding the effects of inhibitory and toxic shocks to biological systems and describing the shock profile and process effects in a way that has broad applicability to the successful handling of industrial chemicals in biological wastewater treatment systems.

©2008 Water Environment Federation. All rights reserved.