“If it’s about water, it will be at WEFTEC,” according to the 2008 event website. WEFTEC.08, to be held Oct. 18 to 22 at Chicago’s McCormick Place, is expected to draw more than 20,000 international water professionals. The largest conference of its kind in North America, WEFTEC promises to offer industry-wide networking, information and solutions.
Storm Water Savvy
The WEFTEC.08 education track—comprised of 115 technical sessions, 31 workshops and 10 facility tours—includes various opportunities for storm water professionals. A few options to consider:
Green Infrastructure: The Windy City and Beyond. Morning presentations, afternoon site visits and a wrap-up Q&A session on Oct. 18 will provide participants the ideas and know-how needed to implement their own environmentally friendly infrastructure.
The Next Phase of the Clean Water Act: Getting Ready for NPDES Phase II Repermitting. This Oct. 19 half-day workshop will cover new regulatory requirements, analyze different community approaches and address cost/needs methodologies.
Watershed Management Approaches. Learn how diverse storm water professionals and groups are addressing storm water management on a local level—from U.S. drainage system retrofits to radar precipitation gauge systems in Tokyo. This session will be held the afternoon of Oct. 21.
Planning Ahead
Make the most of your time and money at WEFTEC.08 by taking advantage of the event’s new online schedule planner, which allows users to search the master calendar by time, keyword, speaker or event type. Personalized agendas may be printed, downloaded or saved online. Some offerings to keep in mind:
Bicycle Ride Along Lake Michigan. Pedal along downtown Chicago’s lakefront to benefit the nonprofit organization Water for People. The Oct. 19 special event features skill level-specific courses of up to 18 miles.
Opening General Session. Prof. John Anthony Allan, the 2008 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate, will deliver the WEFTEC.08 keynote address the evening of Oct. 19.
23rd Annual U.S. EPA National Clean Water Act Recognition Awards Program. On Oct. 20, join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and industry peers in honoring municipalities, programs, facilities and individuals for their outstanding commitment to protecting and improving U.S. water quality.
Collection Systems Luncheon. Enjoy a meal, hear a keynote speaker and network with collection system professionals the afternoon of Oct. 21.
Finally, be sure to make time for exploring the WEFTEC.08 exhibit hall, which will showcase the water industry’s newest and most refined technologies. More than 1,000 companies exhibited at the 2007 event. This year’s exhibition hours run from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 19 and 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Oct. 20 to 22.
Editor’s note: Orlando, Fla., will host WEFTEC.09 at the Orange County Convention Center, Oct. 10 to 14, 2009.
For more event information and to register, visit www.weftec.org.
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