WEAT will be having a membership meeting for all WEAT members and those interested in joining WEAT.
Interested in enhancing your network? Join WEAT!

Interested in broadening your knowledge? Join WEAT!

Interested in being a Leader? Join WEAT!

Interested in access to education and training? Join WEAT!

Interested in updates on innovations and new developments? Join WEAT!

Wednesday, March 24, 202112:15 pm - 12:45 pm

Register Here

Online registration is now open at txwater.org. Contact the WEAT office for your WEAT/WEF Member number.

MONDAY, MARCH 29, 11 AM TO 12 PM

Hear from Melissa Elliot, President of AWWA and
Jackie Jarrell, Past President of WEF as well as elected
officials discuss the Texas and national water horizon.

Tune in and cheer on your favorite Ops Challenge team in this year's VIRTUAL competition. Teams will compete via a live Zoom meeting link that will be broadcasted on WEAT's Facebook page. This year, even more than years past, sector operators have proven that they are essential frontline workers protecting human health and the environment. Show your appreciation and watch some of Texas' best water professionals compete in the Collections Event simulating real-life operations challenges. More information (including log-in information) to come!

Sponsors, complete and send in the sponsorship form by March 19, 2021.

Each year, WEAT invites friends and colleagues to our President’s Reception — an evening of celebration, networking, and accolades as we honor WEAT’s President and raise money for our work at one of the best events of the year. Seats are limited. RSVP today!

REGISTER HERE

Sponsorship Opportunity

Sponsorship includes your name and logo acknowledgment at the virtual reception, on the WEAT website, in Texas WET, and logo with thanks on WEAT social media pages.

$500 Gold Sponsor
Title Sponsor - 10 reserved spots
$300 Silver Sponsor
5 reserved spots

Sponsorship Deadline: March 19th

WEAT Swag Sale spotlight:

- Miir camp mugs

- Kavu fanny packs

- Socks

-Texas Water Mystery Grab Bag: featuring an assortment of WEAT swag from Texas Water conferences of the past...

- Bandanas

- Stickers

Purchase Here!

AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND

The WEAT Student Design Competition gives students the opportunity to design and present a project based on a real-world wastewater treatment plant design problem. Students will be competing to represent WEAT at the WEFTEC Student Design Competition at WEFTEC 2021. The prompt this year is focused around the City of Houston’s Intercontinental Airport Wastewater Treatment Plant in Houston, TX. Students shall propose design alternatives to construct new facilities required for expanded capacity, rehabilitate existing facilities, convert the plant from a conventional activated sludge facility to a biological nutrient removal facility, and design of proposed solids processing facilities. Come on out and support your alma mater or see some prospective future leaders in the industry!

This year, teams from the University of Houston, Lamar University, Southern Methodist University, Texas Tech University, and SMACC will compete.

AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND

Each year for the annual Texas Water™ Conference, we host the Women In Water Forum. This event focuses on the specific efforts, successful techniques, and achievements of a variety of women in the water community who are willing to share their experiences to empower others to be successful in their careers. This year, participants will also discuss the impacts of the pandemic on their work and life experiences.

Join Melissa Bryant, Chair of the Texas Section AWWA, along with Sally Wright, of Dallas Water Utilities, Yvonne Forrest of Houston Water, Shay Roalson with Austin Water, Heather Cooke also with Austin Water, Theresa Pedrazas with TetraTech, Liz Fazio Hale with Gulf Coast Authority, and Allison Blake with Freese and Nichols.

You won’t want to miss the Women in Water Forum, available on-demand for your convenience.

Please join Austin Water for a virtual tour of its South Austin Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant. Built in 1984, South Austin Regional (SAR) is one of three wastewater treatment facilities in the City of Austin and has the capacity to treat up to 75 MGDs. Other large wastewater facilities include the Walnut Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant. Austin Water has invested over 45 million dollars over the last four years on improvements to update the air distribution system and convert aging sand filter galleries into a state-of-the-art cloth disk filter complex.

Staff will walk you through the plant virtually, giving you a behind the scenes look at the facility and operations. This walkthrough will highlight new equipment, technologies, recent upgrades, as well as some of the future challenges for the plant. After the virtual tour, staff will be on hand to answer questions and facilitate an exciting discussion about the operations and maintenance of the SAR Wastewater Treatment Plant.

VIRTUAL RACE - THURSDAY, MARCH 25 THROUGH TUESDAY, MARCH 30

The Dodson’s Drive was created in the spring in 2011 to honor the life and work of Kenneth Dodson. Kenny D worked in the wastewater industry for 20 years and was a tireless supporter of YP education and growth. The net proceeds from the registration fees in this event benefit our young professionals by providing contributions for scholarships and assisting them to attend the annual Young Professionals summit. All timed-donation participants will receive an official event tech shirt and access to our virtual timing portal with eligibility for team and single participant awards! Runners are also welcome to join us as untimed participants and participate in our virtual social media contests. Donations can be made on the Dodson Drive 5k registration page, any amount is appreciated.

The 2021 Dodson’s Drive Fun Run will be completely virtual. All the event information will available, and updated regularly on our online platforms. Participants can run at their convenience anytime during the week of Texas Water starting on Thursday, March 25^th. The 5k will also feature a pre-run stretch-out and warm-up, which will be posted on our online platforms. We will provide several sample routes for various cities across Texas. Try them out or make your own! Runners will be able to print a finisher certificate and be able to post photos for a social media photo contest!

Tech shirts for Timed/Team participants will be mailed. Awards will be during the YP Recognition Event, as always! Be sure to follow our social media page for other event updates. Finally, thank you so much to our generous sponsors for their support of this year’s YP Dodson Drive 5k!

Click here to register for the Dodson's Drive Virtual Fun Run.

Click here to explore the YP Dodson's Drive Fun Run Facebook page!

InFLOW stands for Introducing Future Leaders to Opportunities in Water and was conceived by the Water Environment Federation (WEF) in an effort to introduce promising students from underrepresented groups to professional careers in the water industry. InFLOW aims to enhance diversity and inclusion in the water workforce.

Learn more about InFLOW by visiting WEF's InFLOW page!

The InFLOW program is intended to showcase and inform students of the many rewarding careers in the water sector; as well as facilitate networking and mentoring opportunities for successful careers in the water sector.

MONDAY, MARCH 25, 12:00 PM

Join your incredible colleagues, WEAT Board members, and friends and family in celebrating and recognizing WEAT award winners at the Texas Water 2021 WEAT Awards ceremony. We will celebrate our members' work and service in an engaging and safe platform.

Register Here!

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 12:00 - 1:00 PM

Join us in celebrating your incredible colleagues and their contributions to our industry! Texas Water will honor TAWWA and WEAT friends and colleagues who have demonstrated their
commitment to the water and wastewater profession. Seating is limited in this live Zoom event. You will need to preregister the week of March 29 at www.txwater.org; only available to those registered for the conference.

Click here to watch last year's virtual Awards Ceremony!

Please join us in supporting Austin musicians at this year's Texas Water Conference Night Out Virtual Happy Hour starting at 5:10 pm! Local nonprofit Black Fret will bring together three artists to share some Texas bluegrass with us as we celebrate another great conference!

Help raise funds for scholarships to assist students with families in the water and wastewater industry. All profits from the Virtual Texas Water Golf Tournament go toward the scholarship programs. This year our mission is to keep all players safe by following safety precautions but still enjoy a round of golf and continue our mission to assist students with scholarships. We are changing our format this year to accommodate every golfer playing as a single, a group of two, three or foursome. Your golf event will be held at a golf course in your community. Your group will complete the registration form and independently pick a course and submit your scorecard and picture of yourself or group to Texas Water before the March 15th deadline to be displayed vertically on the Texas Water virtual site during the conference. Since we cannot be together to enjoy the game of golf, we are still offering opportunities to assist with fundraising by offering four levels of Scholarship Sponsorships. In addition, there are mulligans for purchase and the forward tee to be used at the team’s discretion on any Par 5. Your generosity is sincerely appreciated by all and let’s enjoy our golfing event.

Now, more than ever, access to clean water is
critical. That is why Texas Water™ is committed to
continuing to raise funds to support the important
work that Water for People is doing across the globe
to provide access to safe, reliable water services.
The 2021 Water for People Silent Auction will be hosted
online using HANDBID, a mobile silent auction platform
that allows you to bid from your smartphone. (If you’ve
attended our in-person conferences before, this is the
same platform we have used to support the Water for
People Silent Auction in 2018, 2019, and 2020.)

To make a monetary or item donation, please fill out the online submission form.

Stop by the Virtual Exhibit Hall at www.txwater.org to connect with our Texas Water Virtual exhibitors. You can also take part in our virtual game to win some amazing prizes!

MONDAY, MARCH 29, 4:30 PM

Join us for a virtual professional development event specially geared towards students and young professionals! A panel of seasoned professionals will share their experiences and guidance for success in the water industry and answer questions from attendees.

TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 4:30 PM

Come out and join the YPs and seasoned professionals for a virtual event recognizing our competition winners and discussing the Mentoring Program. Networking break out sessions will follow the awards and announcements!

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 12:00 - 1:15 PM

The Texas Water Engineer’s Ethics Seminar is an interactive and thought-provoking session led by Bob Pence and Gina Smith from Freese and Nichols, Inc. While earning one Professional Development Hour and satisfying the annual ethics requirement, you will learn to recognize ethical situations faced by engineers, analyze the issues of ethical situations, and discuss how to resolve ethical situations in a creative and professional manner. There is no additional fee for this training, but you will need to preregister the week of March 29 at www.txwater.org; seating is limited; only available to those registered for the conference.

MONDAY, MARCH 29, 8:15 AM

The Curtis Smalley Environmental Event honors the legacy of Curtis Smalley. His contribution, leadership, mentorship, dedication to service, and passion for the water industry left a significant impact. He was a driving force to include the environmental event as part of Texas Water to provide fellowship for colleagues and an opportunity to give back to the community in a fun and engaging manner. We can’t plant seeds together or jump into kayaks to clean up a waterway this year, but we look forward to sharing ideas and opportunities for environmental conservation efforts in a panel discussion about stewardship and conservation featuring water utilities from across the state.