NEBRASKA’S WATER FUTURE IS ON THE TABLE IN KEARNEY, NOVEMBER 8th AND 9th

Over 400 of Nebraska’s top water professionals will meet in Kearney on November 8th and 9th to discuss the condition of the state’s drinking water supplies and make plans to improve and preserve those resources for generations to come. The 2012 Fall Conference of the Nebraska Section – American Water Works Association (AWWA) will be held November 8th and 9th at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney. AWWA is the premiere organization in the state dedicated to the delivery of safe drinking water to every community in Nebraska.

Conference attendees will be invited to participate in 25 different presentations, including uranium treatment solutions in Bridgeport and Grand Island; Auburn’s new water treatment plant; MUD’s Omaha infrastructure replacement program; guidance on hosting water plant tours for schoolchildren; and lessons learned in the deadly Joplin, Missouri tornado. More than 40 vendors will also be on display, sharing the latest in equipment and methods to help protect the most precious resource on the planet.

Again this year, public water systems are invited to bring a sample of drinking water from their municipal supply to be judged in the water-tasting contest. The contest begins at 5:30 pm on Thursday November 8th, where a panel of judges will choose a winner that will be nominated to compete in the water-tasting competition at the National AWWA conference and exposition in June 2013 in Denver. Last year’s state winner, the City of Fremont, went on to win the National Taste Test contest and they will be back in the state competition again this year. The state’s young water professionals and college students will also be represented at the statewide conference, helping to place their mark today on the water issues they will be responsible for managing tomorrow.

The Fall Conference is a joint event which also includes the Nebraska Water Environment Association and the Nebraska Chapter of the American Public Works Association. These three organizations together represent more than 1,000 members working across business, industry, and the public sector to help ensure the quality and safety of the state’s natural resources.

The Fall Conference is open to the public. To register or to obtain further details, please visit www.awwaneb.org.