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Watch/Listen Now – Challenge Accepted: The Operations Challenge Forum

Challenge Accepted: The OC Forum is a new podcast from the Water Environment Federation’s Words on Water, dedicated to all things Operations Challenge. Hosted by Operations Challenge legends Steve Motley and Donnie Cagle, the show features conversations with the people who shape the competition – past, present, and future. Watch on Youtube. WEF’s Words on …

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Download the Free WEF Operator Recruitment Toolkit

The Operator Recruitment Toolkit is a practical, ready-to-use resource library for HR professionals, recruiters, and hiring managers in the water sector. It compiles outreach strategies, targeted messaging for diverse candidate groups, licensing and training guides, career pathway visuals, and customizable marketing materials. The toolkit provides utilities with the information and tools needed to understand operator …

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Small, But Mighty: Lessons on growing talent, sustaining infrastructure, and staying ahead of the curve at small utilities

Small wastewater systems in rural and semi-rural areas face many of the same challenges as larger water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs), yet their issues often are exacerbated by smaller budgets and remote locations. This can make problem-solving difficult for those who are simply trying to keep the water flowing. Read the full article in the …

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Operator Essentials Reader Survey

Operator Essentials is a regular column in Water Environment & Technology (WE&T) magazine that covers “What Every Operator Needs to Know” about hot topics in the industry. Articles are peer reviewed by a Focus Group of experts prior to publication. Read Operator Essentials in the latest issue of WE&T or browse the archive of articles on AccessWater. Whether this is your …

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Water Environment Federation Operator Scholarship Applications Now Open

The Water Environment Federation offers scholarships annually to individuals looking to enter or advance in the field of water/wastewater operations. The scholarship applications are open January 15-March 31, 2026. Find out more and apply at www.wef.org/OpScholarship.

Rocky Mountain Division I Sweep at Operations Challenge 2025

Operations Challenge is the water sectors premier skills competition, which culminates every year at WEFTEC. WEFTEC 2025 saw a unprecedented Division I sweep by teams from the Rocky Mountain Water Environment Association. Read the coverage of the 2025 WEFTEC competition in the December 2025 issue of Water Environment & Technology.

Career Zone: Building leadership durability in changing times

In an era defined by constant disruption, leadership durability has emerged as the defining pillar of successful public and private organizations. Whether you are advancing complex policies or building infrastructure, everything in water takes time — sometimes decades. Learn more by clicking here.

Water 2050: A vision for one water governance

Central Iowa Water Works, established last year, demonstrates the potential of one water governance — an approach that unites regional utilities toward common goals of sustainability, water quality, and conservation for the benefit of consumers and supply. The water authority is responsible for water system planning, drinking water treatment and wholesale delivery of drinking water …

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Engaging Young Professionals in the Water Industry

The water sector urgently needs more people. Listen to a conversation with Chief Development Officer, Erin Grenz, with AQUALIS, a nationwide premier provider of sustainable water engineering and management for stormwater, wastewater and water quality testing, on how the company is recruiting young professionals to the water sector. Listen to the Words on Water episode.

Champlain marks 25 years of excellence in water treatment

Champlain Water District, the largest water utility in Vermont, has long been a leader in the sector, and its 25 years of recognition through AWWA’s Partnership for Safe Water program reinforces that reputation. As the first utility to receive the Excellence in Water Treatment Award — the Partnership’s highest possible achievement — in 1999, Champlain …

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