Over 950 drinking water professionals gathered in Atlantic City last month for the New Jersey Section American Water Works Association’s 79th Annual Conference. The conference offered three full days of educational sessions on topics including water treatment, regulations, management and pipeline recovery. It also provided a valuable opportunity for attendees to network with their peers in a structured yet informal setting.

The New Jersey Section is one of 43 sections of the American Water Works Association (AWWA,) the largest organization of drinking water professionals in the world. AWWA works to make advances in public health, safety and welfare by uniting the efforts of the full spectrum of drinking water professionals. The theme of this year’s conference was, “Delivering Water Efficiency Through Innovation.”

In addition to the sessions, participants were invited to attend activities throughout the conference. Eight organizations submitted samples for a public water taste test. Attendees were invited to try all of the submissions and vote for their favorite, with the Township of Livingston taking first place. Early bird risers participated in a 3K Fun Run/Walk and technical participants tested their knowledge in an Operators Bowl. Students from several New Jersey colleges submitted posters for judging and competed in a brand new Student Bowl.

This year’s award recipients received a myriad of honors for their contributions in engineering, leadership, years of distinguished service, new eager professionals, and volunteerism. The recipients were as follows:

The George Warren Fuller Award, which recognizes distinguished service in the water supply field, was bestowed upon G. Christian Andreasen of Middlesex Water Company. The Fuller Award – one of the most prestigious awards AWWA bestows -- is given to an individual for their sound engineering skill and constructive leadership, qualities exemplified by George Warren Fuller, one of America’s most eminent engineers.

The Harold V. Florence, Jr. Meritorious Operator Award for distinguished service in water operations was awarded to Frank Marascia for his work with the City of New Brunswick.

The Next Generation Award was bestowed upon Michael J. Piemontesi of Buck, Seifert & Jost, Inc. This award is given to a member who is a young professional (under the age of 35) and who is actively participating in the Association's activities and programs. This award has been developed to encourage young professionals to become active in AWWA New Jersey Section and to encourage employers to allow their young professionals to participate.

The Fresh Ideas Award was given to Leo Dougherty of Flowserve. In conjunction with AWWA’s Fresh Ideas initiative, the AWWA NJ Section selects the best paper by a young professional based on originality, topical interest, content, speaker’s knowledge of topic, use of audio-visual elements, and overall presentation

During the Conference, the AWWA NJ Section announced its officers the coming year (2014-2015):

Section Chair, Carol Walczyk (Hatch Mott MacDonald)

Vice Chair, David Tanzi (CDM Smith Inc.)

Past Chair, Dennis Ciemniecki (Strategic Performance Consulting, LLC)

Director, Mark Tompeck (Hatch Mott MacDonal)

Trustee, Trustee, Brian Carr (Middlesex Water Company)

Trustee, Andy Clauhs, (Mueller Company)

Trustee, Nicole Wiley (New Jersey American Water)

Secretary-Treasurer, Dave Scheibner (Ridgewood Water)

Assistant-Secretary Treasurer, Juan Donoso (New Jersey American Water)

For more information about the AWWA NJ Section, please visit our website: www.njawwa.org or call Mona Cavalcoli, Section Manager, at (866) 436-1120.