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Newsletter #425 - February 4, 2026 |
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Apply for the WEF Operator Scholarship! |
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The WEF Operator Scholarship provides funding up to $5,000 dollars for individuals who are seeking water sector operator education, training, or certification to enter the industry or to advance their knowledge, skills, abilities or license.
Application Requirements and Criteria:
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Individuals seeking an entry-level operator’s license
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Or, an entry or experienced operator seeking professional development in the following areas:
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Completed online application including a brief essay on your experience and career goals.
Applications are open until March 31, 2026, and will close at 11:59 PM ET |
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Undecided? More Questions? Attend the Webinar!
WEF Operator Scholarship 101 Webcast
February 5, 2026 | 12:00 PM ET
Water Environment Federation
Join WEF for a free webinar to learn more about this opportunity! This webinar will highlight key points and updates to the Operator Scholarship Application for 2026. It will be helpful for anyone considering applying to the scholarship as it will provide several examples of how to fill out the application based on your needs for specific categories like travel, books, classes, exams/licenses.
Additionally, this webinar will provide the most common mistakes people make when filling out the application as well as a live Q&A!
A recording will be posted for those unable to attend live. |
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Register for our upcoming webinar! |
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Workforce Development & Succession Planning for Wastewater Utilities
February 24, 2026 | 10:00 AM Central
This webinar will provide an overview of workforce development and best practices for building a stronger workforce, including recruitment, training, and retention. It will include a review of publicly available resources to navigate current workforce challenges and demonstration of our search tools at WaterOperator.org to find additional free resources and training events.
This webinar series from WaterOperator.org covers topics relevant to wastewater operators, including funding, asset management, compliance, and water quality.
Certificates of attendance will be delivered upon request. Check with your certification body for acceptance criteria. |
| Register Now! |
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Tap Talk |
Build Trust Before a Crisis: Communication Basics for Water Systems (Pt. 2)
In this episode, we finish Tap Talk Season 6 with the second part of our conversation with Mike McGill of WaterPIO! Jennifer, Steve, and Mike discuss the importance of reliable and updated websites for water utilities, the similarities and differences in communicating about lead versus PFAS contamination, how small utilities can best communicate on these subjects, and more.
We hope you’ve enjoyed Season 6, and we’ll see you back for Season 7 soon!
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National State Revolving Fund (SRF) Infrastructure Financing and Training Workshop |
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The goal of this workshop is to provide a forum for EPA, state SRF programs, technical assistance providers, and other interested stakeholders such as communities to collaborate and educate each other by:
- Sharing innovative approaches and best management practices to finance water and wastewater infrastructure through training and technical assistance, particularly for our smaller systems.
- Increasing awareness of initiatives and new developments in the SRFs that focus on topics such as co-funding projects, accessing planning costs, eligible projects that improve both public and environmental health (e.g. infrastructure resiliency, stormwater management, green infrastructure, and estuary improvements).
- Providing opportunities to connect through peer-to-peer development and networking with our partner organizations.
The call for abstracts is officially open! RCAP will accept abstracts until February 25, 2026. |
| Learn More |
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Featured Video |
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Industrial Water Reuse Is On The Rise: What's Driving The Change
waterloop
"Wastewater treatment plants rely on nonstop mechanical power to keep water moving, oxygen flowing, and critical equipment turning—and the systems behind that power are the focus of this episode.
Dave Zimmerman of Dodge Industrial breaks down how gearboxes, bearings, motors, and couplings form the “powertrain” that drives nearly every major process in a treatment plant. Zimmerman explains how these components support pumps, aeration basins, clarifiers, bar screens, screw conveyors, and oxidation ditches—operating 24/7 under punishing conditions of moisture, grit, vibration, and load. He highlights how smart mechanical design can cut energy consumption by 7–10 percent, a major opportunity for utilities facing some of the highest electricity bills in municipal government.
As the water workforce shrinks, Zimmerman outlines how pre-engineered, easy-to-install components reduce maintenance complexity and keep equipment online longer. Lessons from heavy industries like mining and aggregates—where shock loads and extreme stress are the norm—are shaping tougher, more durable systems for wastewater plants.
The conversation also explores emerging technologies such as sensors, real-time monitoring, and predictive maintenance tools that help operators understand equipment health and prevent catastrophic failures before they happen."
The link we have included in this newsletter starts at the 2:14 minute mark which is right at the beginning of the interview. The first 2:13 minutes contain a sponsorship message from Dodge Industrial. Though we do not promote any products at WaterOperator.org, the information provided in this interview with Dave Zimmerman is very informative and we wanted to include it with a disclaimer that we cannot endorse any of the products mentioned in this video.
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Improving Wastewater Compliance through Asset Management Practices
February 12, 2026 | 1:00 PM ET
Rural Community Assistance Partnership
This free webinar will describe how to use the process of asset management to prioritize capital projects and identify appropriate funding sources. The webinar will also explain how to discuss the results of asset management with governing bodies to inspire them to action.
Wastewater utilities must stay in compliance in order to protect human health and the environment, and they need functioning infrastructure to achieve compliance. Across the country, many utilities are facing failing infrastructure, and most have inadequate budgets for capital improvements. To remain in compliance, it is important that utilities put their limited money towards the highest priority projects. The best way to identify the most vital assets for replacement is through asset management. |
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Water Sector Threat Briefing
February 26, 2026 | 2:00 PM ET
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Water Emergency Response and Cybersecurity (OWERC), in partnership with the Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is offering a threat briefing that will be held virtually on February 26, 2026.
This free briefing will be unclassified, meaning that no clearance is required and it will provide an overview of information on the following topics related to drinking water and wastewater security threats and preparedness:
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Potential threats to critical infrastructure (cyber and physical)
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What to do in the event of a cyber or physical intrusion
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Water security and preparedness products and services
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Recent Blog Posts at WaterOperator.org |
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Essential Safety Resources for Wastewater Operators
Read Here » |
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Preparing for LCRI Compliance: Key Insights from NRWA
Read Here » |
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Community Engagement Resources for Wastewater Utilities
Read Here » |
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Groundwater & Well Care for Public Water Systems is a free online course from WaterOperator.org. Certificates are provided and the course is currently pre-approved for 2 hours continuing education credit in a number of states.
Click here to learn more. |
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WaterOperator.org is a free service, grant-funded to support small community water and wastewater operators with comprehensive resources and information in one easy-to-use place. We also serve the 800+ training, primacy, and technical service organizations, by helping operators get to their information. We aren't selling or advertising anything. Call us at 1-866-522-2681 for assistance. |
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