An Eventful First Half for RMWEA
It’s summertime, and I hope you have set aside moments to enjoy the beautiful Rocky Mountain outdoors with hiking in the mountains, fishing by the river, boating at the lake, or relaxing poolside! Water professionals in our region are keenly aware that we are facing dire drought conditions this year. We can all be mindful of our personal water consumption and be proud that each of us makes a positive impact on water resources in our communities just by virtue of our careers in water. Hats off, fellow water professionals!
This month’s issue focuses on the regulatory landscape of the water industry. As I write this article far past the deadline (much to the chagrin of the editor!), I am treading water with long days fueled by coffee and rapid response engineering to help a community navigate emergency water quality issues and challenges to meet regulatory requirements. As a former regulator at the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment, I know that developing regulations and creating a fair and impactful regulatory environment is challenging and requires consideration of public health, protecting the environment, cost challenges, navigating emerging contaminants, technology capabilities, deregulation considerations, and understanding when to enforce and when to assist. It is not an easy balance, but conversations with regulators, community engagement, and industry participation in government affairs keep communication channels open and inches the regulatory needle along in the right direction. I would be curious what regulations you want to see implemented or improved and which ones are challenging your utilities and clients the most. How do these regulations and future regulations drive technological innovation and technology adoption?
RMWEA had an eventful first half of the year with Fundamentals and Intermediate/Advanced Operator Training Schools, Innovative Water Technology Seminar, DC Water Fly In, 27th Annual Operations Challenge Golf Tournament, Collections Conference, Colorado Analytical Laboratory PFAS Tour, Greeley and Grand Junction PWO Seminars, and Biosolids Agronomy Workshop, just to name a few. We also had representatives attend WEFMAX (Water Environment Federation Membership Exchange) events in Montreal, Pittsburgh, and Bend where we exchanged ideas with other member associations across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Our Students and Young Professionals Committee (SYPC) planned and hosted the Student Design Competition where the University of Colorado Boulder “Bio Buffs” team (Jenna Blatchford, Elyse Panagakos, Colin Yeh, Julia Dykstra, Molly Monroe) took first place and will represent RMWEA at WEFTEC in New Orleans. SYPC also hosted the Student Conference at the University of New Mexico where Hugh McCurren from Colorado State University won 1st place in the Fresh Ideas Poster Competition and Ashley Bradshaw from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology won 1st place in the Oral Presentation Competition.
Most recently our RMWEA Operations Challenge Teams competed at IFAT, the world's largest trade show for environmental technologies held in Munich, Germany, where they secured 2nd place!
RMWEA will mark our 90th anniversary with a celebration at the Denver Botanic Gardens on August 13, 2026. Stay tuned for more information – we hope to see many of you there!
You may have noticed our Communications committee and Denver Film Company out and about filming our Value of Water Documentary. The committee has traveled to Green River, Wyoming, Navajo Nation in New Mexico, and utilities in Denver and southern Colorado. We are excited to share these water stories and more with the Rocky Mountain Region and beyond!
Looking forward to the Rocky Mountain Water Conference in Keystone August 30 to September 2, we have a fantastic technical line up anticipated and a full suite of vendors scheduled at the exhibition hall. The Is Your Toilet Running 5K, Shark Tank Competition, Toilet Bowl Trivia, and Operations Challenge exhibition are some of my favorite events at the conference. RMWEA welcomes you to join our RMWEA Luncheon where we will report on our yearly activities, transition leadership, and announce award winners. As you plan your conference schedule, I challenge you to be inquisitive – learn about a new topic and meeting someone new. While the world may be shifting to robots and virtual interactions, this conference is all about the humanity of the water industry and leaning into our shared passion for water! See you in Keystone!