western canada section american water works …

Presented at the Annual General Meeting, Thursday, September 22, 2011 Saskatoon Saskatchewan

WESTERN CANADA SECTION AMERICAN WATER WORKS ASSOCIATION Annual Report 2010 – 2011

2011 WCS AWWA Annual Report

WCS AWWA 2010 – 2011 Annual Report Contents

2011 Annual Business Meeting Agenda ________________________________________ 3

Minutes from 2010 Annual Meeting ____________________________________________ 4

WCS AWWA Board of Directors _______________________________________________ 5

WCS AWWA Members Active on AWWA Committees _____________________________ 6

WCS AWWA Awards ________________________________________________________ 7

WCS AWWA Chair Report ___________________________________________________ 8

AWWA Directors Report _____________________________________________________ 8

Alberta Trustee Report ______________________________________________________ 9

Saskatchewan Trustee Report _______________________________________________ 10

Education Committee Report ________________________________________________ 11

Communications Committee Report __________________________________________ 11

Cross Connection Control Committee Report __________________________________ 12

Membership Committee Report ______________________________________________ 14

Water for People Committee Report __________________________________________ 15

Young Professionals Committee Report _______________________________________ 16

Financial Report __________________________________________________________ 18

Appendix A: Membership Survey Highlights _________________________________ 19


2011 ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING AGENDA

WESTERN CANADA SECTION

AMERICAN WATER WORKS ASSOCIATION

Annual Business Meeting

Thursday September 22, 2011 Blair Nelson Room, TCU Place Saskatoon SK

I. Call to Order

II. 2010 – 2011 Annual Report

III. Appointment of Auditor for 2011

IV. Board Appointments and Election Results

a. Vice Chair

b. Alberta Trustee

V. Questions

VI. Adjournment


MINUTES FROM 2010 ANNUAL MEETING

WESTERN CANADA SECTION AMERICAN WATER WORKS ASSOCIATION

Annual Business Meeting

Friday September 24. 2010 Hyatt Regency Calgary

Calgary Alberta

I. Call to Order

Paul Wobma called the meeting to order at 1:17 PM. There was quorum for the meeting.

II. 2009-2010 Annual Report

The 2009-2010 Annual Report was made available on the WCS AWWA website and copies were available for members present. Motion Rodger McDonald moved to accept the 2009-2010 Annual Report. Kevin Syrnick

seconded. Motion carried.

III. Appointment of Auditor for 2010

Motion Susan Dobrowney moved to appoint Lo Porter Hetu as auditor for 2010, Edith Phillips seconded. Motion carried.

IV. Election Results

a. Vice Chair – Ryan Roberts

b. AWWA Director – Simon Thomas

c. Manitoba Trustee – Ken Anderson

d. Alberta Trustee – Gyn Gyn Lee (appointment to finish Ryan Roberts term)

Motion Don Poon moved that the ballots be destroyed. Don Burgess seconded. Motion carried.

V. Questions from the Floor

There were no comments or questions from the floor.

VI. Adjournment

Meeting was adjourned at 1:19 PM.


WCS AWWA BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2010/2011 Board of Directors Chair Scott Miller Chair Elect Barry Williamson Vice Chair Ryan Roberts Past Chair Paul Wobma AWWA Director Simon Thomas Treasurer Jason Sinclair Alberta Trustee Gyn Gyn Lee Manitoba Trustee Ken Anderson Saskatchewan Trustee Kevin Syrnick Executive Director Audrey Arisman Committee Chairs CCC Chair Mike Zilinski Education Chair Dawn Dierker Government Affairs Chair Jeff O'Driscoll Communications Committee Chair Fran Parolin Membership Chair Kyla Kirk WFP Chair Paul Klassen YP Committee Chair Ben Lichtenwald WFP Canada Representative Thomas Reinders

WCS AWWA Organization Chart

American Water Works Association

Western Canada Section AWWA

Canadian Affairs Committee (CAC) 2 reps from @ section

Western Canada Water & Wastew ater

Association

Provincial Councils

Conference Planning

WCW Editorial

Board of Directors

Education Membership

Government Affairs

Cross Connection

Control

Awards Nominations

Young Professionals

Water for People Finance

Strategic Planning

Current Section information and Strategic Plan are available online at www.wcsawwa.net.


WCS AWWA MEMBERS ACTIVE ON AWWA COMMITTEES Name Committee Name

Baptist, Gary Regulating Valves Bilevicius, Raymond Canadian Affairs Committee Finance Committee Pension Committee Bontus, George Cured-In-Place Pipe Rehabilitation Sliplining Water Main Rehabilitation Geer, Moira Management & Leadership Division Rates & Charges Gorczyca, Beata Particulate Contaminants Research Griffin, Duane Electronic Revenue Meters Water Meters Hambley, David Ion Exchange Huston, Chris Water Loss Control Kellsey, Brian Fire Hydrants Kirk, Kyla Western Canada Section Kjartanson, Kelly Conference Management Committee Neumann, Norman Microbiological Contaminants Research Pernitsky, David 2120 Color Coagulation & Filtration Standard Methods Ballot 10,000 Standard Methods Ballot 2000 Standard Methods Ballot 3000 Standard Methods Ballot 4000 Standard Methods Ballot 5000 Standard Methods Committee Poole, Stephen PVC Pressure Pipe And Fittings Rempel, Roger Climate Change Water Resources Planning & Management Ruecker, Norma Organisms In Water Samuel, Gerald Administrative & Policy Council TEC Educational Resources Committee Technical & Educational Council Seargeant, Douglas C502 - Dry Barrel Fire Hydrants Suan, Hwei Slide Gates Thomas, Simon Canadian Affairs Committee Turkopp, Richard C950 - FRP Pipe Thermosetting FRP Pipe Wilner, Deon Membrane Processes Treatment Plant Operations & Maintenance Wobma, Paul Engineering & Construction Division Wright, Ian Engineering & Construction Division Water Treatment Facilities Design & Constru.

To get involved on councils, divisions and committees visit www.awwa.org: Home > Membership and Sections > Get Involved / Volunteer


WCS AWWA AWARDS Kenneth J. Miller Founders' Award Kenneth J. Miller Founders' Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service to Water for People was established in 2001 to recognize volunteers for their outstanding service and leadership in the advancement of the Water For People mission

2001 Kathy Abramowski 2002 Doug Seargeant 2003 Lisbeth Liebgott 2004 Brian Pfeifer

2007 Doug Thorson 2008 Randy Bracewell 2010 Douglas Campbell

George Warren Fuller Award The George Warren Fuller Award is presented annually by the AWWA to the sections' respective selected members for their distinguished service to the water supply field in commemoration of the sound engineering skill, the brilliant diplomatic talent, and the constructive leadership, which characterized the life of George Warren Fuller.

1971 Patrick Bouthillier 1972 R.C. Sommerville 1973 Ozzie Mang 1974 Donald R Graham 1976 F Gordon Denson 1978 William McKay 1979 George Balacko 1982 Eric Davis 1983 Ian B Henderson 1984 David Shillabeer 1985 Gerald Samuel 1986 Gene Dzugan 1987 Rodger McDonald 1988 Arthur Sparling 1989 David Spink

1990 Al Schwinghamer 1991 Peter Lawson 1993 Les Gammie 1995 Allan Davies 1996 Erika Hargesheimer 1997 Tom Pearson 1999 Dan Hogan 2000 Bill Brant 2002 Gordon Finch 2003 Kelly Kjartanson 2005 Don Poon 2006 Terry Kjartanson 2007 Dan Limacher 2008 Bert Munro 2010 Ray Bilevicius

Dave Walker Award The Dave Walker Award was established in 1993 by the Western Canada Section AWWA, Cross Connection Control Committee to recognize those whose careers in this program exemplifies vision, constructive leadership, excellent professional performance and accomplishments characteristic of the late David Walker’s productive career.

1993 Dave Walker 1994 Roland Tomuschat 1994 Ron Stecky 1995 Robert Sneddon 1996 Russell Briscoe 1997 Jim Green

1998 Robert Hartman 2002 Doug Snider 2005 Reg Hammer 2007 Gary Coons 2010 Michael Haslam


WCS AWWA CHAIR REPORT At our Spring meeting this past May our Board discussed financials, succession planning, awards, and the preliminary report from our independent communications review. Following the review of the preliminary findings, our consultant CK Communications, has provided a final report. We will now begin implementing their recommendations which include clearer branding, and an updated more useful web-site for our members. Our Section will also be working with the WCW Public Awareness to communicate and raise the profile of our industry to the public. The Spring meeting was the last Board meeting for Ray Bilevicius under his term as AWWA Director. We thank Ray very much for his dedicated participation and guidance, and look forward to his continued involvement with the organization. We are pleased to welcome incoming Director Simon Thomas. With respect to education events, our Section recently took part in sponsoring a well attended seminar in conjunction with the WCW Saskatchewan Provincial Council, titled “Disinfection By-Products”. The seminar took place this May in Saskatoon, and addressed this water treatment topic from an operations and design perspective. The Provincial Council in Saskatchewan has recently become more active in co-ordinating these types of events, with thanks to WCW President Mark Keller for pulling the constituent organizations together on this front. Our Young Professionals and Membership Committee have been active this year in organizing some very good networking events including a recent dinner and baseball night in Winnipeg MB, an upcoming hiking trip to Kananaskis AB, and the YP Pub Night to be held at Winston’s Pub during the WCW Conference in Saskatoon. On a larger scale of events, this June I had the opportunity to attend the ACE conference in Washington D.C. Sustainability and climate change topics made up a large component in the technical program reflecting the direction of the industry. The ACE Canadian Water Forum was fittingly held at the Canadian Embassy, and it was an opportunity to get together with some new and some familiar faces. This summer and fall, our Board is busy taking part in summer training courses at AWWA headquarters in Denver, and then the Regional Meeting of Section Officers (RMSO). Directly following the RMSO we look forward to the WCW Conference from September 20 - 23. AWWA Vice President Wayne Stiver will be attending our conference and speaking at the opening ceremonies and WCS AWWA luncheon. Our AGM will take place at 1:30 pm on Thursday September 22, and we welcome our members to attend. To conclude, my term as Chair of the WCS AWWA has been a great experience, and it has also gone by very quickly. I have enjoyed this position and thank the Board and Membership for giving me the opportunity to serve as Chair. Respectfully submitted, Scott Miller Chair, Western Canada Section American Water Works Association

AWWA DIRECTORS REPORT This is my first annual report as the new three year Director for the Western Canada Section of AWWA. On behalf of the AWWA and the Section I’d like to thank Ray Bilevicius for his three years of service as Director. It will be a challenge to match the diligence and involvement he provided at all levels. Fortunately Ray will continue to be involved on the Canadian Affairs Committee for one more year and will be serving another term on the AWWA Finance Committee. Canadian Affairs Committee (CAC) The CAC is the group made up of the five Canadian AWWA Sections (with the Director and a representative from each), a liaison from the Water Utility Council, an AWWA Vice-President, a non-voting member from the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA) and an AWWA staff member. It was confirmed that this committee will now report to the Executive Committee and will have an AWWA Vice-President as a liaison and member. At the Annual Conference and Exhibition (ACE) in June, the CAC ran a very enjoyable and well attended Water Forum at the Canadian Embassy that raised over $3,500 for Water for People. There was also a successful Technical Session hosted by the CAC that included five very good presentations. Other key activities of the CAC included confirming that future ACE’s will be coming back to Toronto in 2023 and 2029. It had previously been approved that only specific cities in the U.S. would hold this prestigious conference. Lastly the CAC has been working with the Sections and the Cross Connection Control Committee to finalize the terms of reference and memorandum of understanding. AWWA Board of Directors As the incoming Director at the AWWA Board meeting in June, I was able to sit in on the meetings. Key decisions made


included: Canadian Affairs Committee changes described above were approved; approved 16 standards (15 revisions and 1 new); modified the Affiliation Agreements with details on the process and procedures if a breach has occurred; approved changes to Life Members including changes to eligibility for new Life Members; and supported plan to grow the use of AWWA to publish more Section Newsletters with the intent of making it profitable. ACE took place in Washing DC from June 12-16. With its large attendance (over 10,000), massive Exhibit Hall (476 companies) and extensive Technical Sessions (at times with 16 talks being given at the same time) it provides one of the best spots to interact and learn from other water professionals. The next ACE with take place in Dallas, Texas from June 10-14, 2012. WCS AWWA Section Activities To get up to speed on the Section activities I attended as a guest in the Planning and Spring Board meetings held in Calgary earlier this year (in February and May). Key items for discussion were the communications audit report and committee development / succession planning. On behalf of the Board, Jeff O’Driscoll and myself attended a CWWA Once Voice Worksop in Montreal in April and provided an update to the WCS AWWA Board. The workshop was an opportunity for the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA) to interact with AWWA and WEF members from across Canada. There were a lot of common interests including easier access to Canadian specific knowledge in the water and wastewater industry. However a lack of a coordinating body, different mandates and structures amongst the various groups are obstacles that will have to be overcome. There was interest in further discussion. Respectfully Submitted Simon Thomas, M.Sc., P.Eng. AWWA Director, Western Canada Section AWWA

ALBERTA TRUSTEE REPORT Alberta Trustee Role

Ryan Roberts transitioned to the role of Chair Elect Gyn-Gyn Lee in the role of acting Alberta Trustee

Communications Audit Support proceeding with the communications audit and acceptance of the proposal from CK Communications

WCW – Alberta Provincial Council Participation has been maintained in the Provincial Council activities. Alberta Provincial Council meetings attended:

March 2011 – Banff; May 2011 – Cochrane Upcoming meeting – September 2011 – Edmonton

The main activities associated with these meetings have been: APC provided funding (5000) to purchase online event registration module for new database. New membership

database conversion and upcoming online registration Workforce DVD for career attraction Projects / Seminars (Past, Upcoming and Future) as outlined below. Completed Activities in 2010 The main activities undertaken in 2010 are as follows:

Membrane Seminar – Calgary, April 2010 On-Generation Hypochlorite Seminar – Red Deer, June 2010

Completed and Upcoming Activities in 2011 The following seminars are currently planned for the 2011:

Problem Solving – Edmonton, April 2011 Lab Compliance – Red Deer, November 2011


Stormwater – Calgary, October 2011 Pump Operations & Maintenance AWWA Web Workshop – Various Locations and Dates

Future Activities The following topics are being considered for Future Seminar Topics:

New Legislation Changes – Water Withdrawal & Discharge Water Re-Use GIS Grit Risk Assessment Water and Water Distribution CCC Seminar Onsite Power Generation Risk Communication and Public Relations

Cross Connection Control Committee Attended annual CCC meeting in Canmore, May 26-28, 2011 Ron Wardner and Dean Wigmore to represent WCS on the National Nomination for Ron Wardner for National Steering Committee Chair

Networking Events Attended two networking events in Calgary – February and May 2011 Supported coordination and attended YP Networking event in Edmonton – June 2011

Respectfully submitted, Gyn-Gyn Lee, P.Eng. Alberta Trustee

SASKATCHEWAN TRUSTEE REPORT Summer/Fall 2011 Activities

Attended AWWA Summer Training Workshop in Denver, CO on July 27-28, 2011. Attended and presented paper at WCW Annual Conference and Trade Show in Saskatoon. Attended fall 2011 WCS-AWWA Board Meeting and Annual General Meeting in Saskatoon. Followed up with new, late and dropped members as required.

Planned 2011/2012 Activities Continued participation on WCS-AWWA board and committees. Attendance at WCW Annual Conference and Trade Show in Winnipeg. Renew attendance at Saskatchewan Provincial Council meetings. Assist with planning networking event and webinars. Continue to follow up with new, late and dropped members as required.

General Most late and dropped memberships due to retirements or budget cutbacks. Attendance at Regina networking events could be better. Working with local YP representatives to improve. Attracting webinar facilitators continues to be an issue. May need to consider offering an honourarium to cover travel costs, lost wages, etc. Respectfully submitted, Kevin Syrnick, P.Eng. Saskatchewan Trustee


EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORT 2011 has started out to be a busy year for the Education Committee. There was a joint venture between the Saskatchewan Provincial Council and the WCS AWWA to create a Disinfection By-Product Seminar that was held in Saskatoon at the Hilton Garden Hotel on May, 18. The Committee would like to send a special thanks to Kelly Franks from the WCW Saskatchewan Provincial Council for his help in contacting presenters. Spring also brought webinars in several Saskatchewan cities. The topic was pump maintenance and it was presented in Saskatoon, Regina, Prince Albert and North Battleford. Susan Dobrowney deserves recognition as the “volunteer of the year” as she was the facilitator for Regina, Prince Albert and North Battleford. A special thanks goes to Russ Munro and Aaron Fichtner of the Saskatoon Water Treatment plant for filling in on short notice for the Saskatoon webinar. Dates for the fall of 2011 are being chosen to present the Pump Maintenance Webinar in Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg. Saskatoon is planning on presenting another seminar in late fall and one in the spring of 2012. Cheryl Southam from the Water Treatment Branch at the City of Saskatoon will be taking over as Education Chair. Cheryl has a strong laboratory background both in water and wastewater treatment. She is also a Certified Level 3 Operator in both Water and Wastewater Treatment. Please join me in welcoming Cheryl to the team. Before I leave the Education Chair position I will finish the “manual” that I set out to create 3 years ago when I took over the position. It will be a tool to help the chair position to perform their duties and to make the transition easier from one member to another. I thank the Board for the opportunity to be the Education Chair for the Western Canada Section. It has been a pleasure and I have created many lasting friendships. Respectfully submitted, Dawn Dierker Education Committee Chair

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE REPORT March 22, 2011 commenced a Communications Audit with the hiring of CK Communications to conduct an audit for Western Canada Section of the WCS AWWA. To recap, the goals and objectives of the audit were to:

A. Provide an objective review of the WCS AWWA’s communication strategies B. Identification of stakeholders and priority audiences C. Gain an understanding of stakeholder opinions, perceptions and service expectations based on WCS AWWA’s

current brand and historical underpinnings as an organization. D. Evaluate the clarity, credibility, consistency and effectiveness of the WCS AWWA’s messages E. Identify any gaps and/or untapped opportunities F. Identify opportunities to improve on future communications.

The audit to date has consisted of the completion of the following phases: Phase 1- Scoping and Collateral Review Phase 2- Research and Best Practices, Analysis, Recommendations and Presentation to the Board of findings (May 5/6, 2011) Currently, CK Communications is working on Phase 3 of the audit which consists of building and implementing selected communication tools recommended in the audit. A conference call took place on August 22nd, 2011 to the Board in which an update was provided lead by CK Communications. The conversation focussed on two specific areas:

Highlights of the findings/recommendations from the survey results and An update on the priority recommendations in progress (website, brand/benefit messaging).

Both were identified as the greatest impact to our members. It was agreed upon that CK Communications would proceed as noted in the Phase 3 proposal and complete the following:

The web site refreshed with a new look and new headings Preparation of a brand, positioning and benefits messaging


A new design concept for email news alerts and Creation of 4 section pages.

CK Communications will work with key individuals as designated by the Board. This will consist of editing content for 4 section pages. In addition it was agreed that CK Communications would provide support to the Executive Director to help create visuals to unveil the branding and design refresh at the WCW Annual Conference September 20th – 23rd, 2011 in Saskatoon. Completion/delivery date of Phase 3 is projected for September 30th, 2011. As well during the August 22nd, 2011 conference call, the Board motioned and approved an additional $2000 budget amount to engage the support of a Webmaster to begin the website redesign process. It is recommended by the current and outgoing Communications Committee Chair (Fran Parolin) that the Board discussions around future directions of this Communications portfolio at the fall annual Board meeting being held on September 22nd, 2011 consist of the following:

A. Executive Director to inquire cost of implementing new content editor (in progress) B. Resourcing (Communications role at the Board level or continue with a Chair position, and/or commitment of

part time resources for nine months of the year (this to be possibly shared with WCW). This would consist of a professional Communications specialist to support on-going tactics such as blogs, email alerts, projects etc. CK Communications projected estimated costs could range from $500- $700/month.

C. Social media D. Integrate messaging (brand) and design approach into member communications, visuals, remaining web

information. See Appendix A for Highlights from the membership survey. Prepared in consultation with CK Communications and presented by: Fran Parolin, Communications Committee Chair, August, 2011.

CROSS CONNECTION CONTROL COMMITTEE REPORT WCS AWWA CCC chair Doug Peters handed gavel over to the new chair Mike Zilinski

Ron Wardner agreed to accept the position as chair of the National CCC steering committee as approved by the CAC.

WCS AWWA CCC will be running a booth at the WCW conference in Saskatoon in September. Mike Zilinski will be doing a power point presentation at the Saskatoon conference on cross connections

experienced in the City of Winnipeg.

WCS AWWA CCC to produce a letter to send to health ministers to ensure the managing of reclaimed water sources is consistent with CCC programs.

There was discussion on ensuring resources were available on the web.

The process for backflow testers will be changed to a five year registration, with registration fee increased to reflect current administration costs, pending board approval.

On line training was discussed. A guest from another province indicated their pilot project did not attract enough participants and the continual updating of computer systems made the programming an ongoing issue.

The Dave Walker award was presented to Danny Wilson from Medicine Hat College. Respectfully submitted, Mike Zilinski WCS-AWWA, Cross Connection Control Committee, Chair Senior Inspector Cross Connection & Backflow Prevention City of Winnipeg - Water and Waste Environmental Standards Division Ph: 204-986-2212 Fax: 204-986-4809 Cell: 795-7852


[email protected]

Schools Accredited by WCS AWWA Cross Connection Control Training Institute Inc, Calgary, AB Medicine Hat College, Medicine Hat, AB NAIT, Edmonton, AB Red Deer College, Red Deer, AB Red River College, Winnipeg, MB Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Calgary, AB Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology, Saskatoon, SK Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology, Region, SK VorTeq Cal-Ed, Winnipeg, MB

WCS AWWA Cross Connection Control Committee Members Chair Michael Zilinski Past Chair Doug Peters Vice Chair Dean Wigmore

Education SubCommittee Chair Lorne Mireau

Educator Employer City Regulator Employer City Darrell Brown SIAST Regina Rynette Moore-Guillaume SaskWater Moose Jaw Daniel Larson Red River College Winnipeg Roland Tomuschat AB Municipal Affairs Edmonton Lorne Mireau SIAST Saskatoon Purveyor Employer City Doug Peters NAIT Edmonton Randy Fogen City of Saskatoon Saskatoon Walter Petik VorTeq Cal-Ed Winnipeg Dylan Gerlack EPCOR Edmonton Gary Wagner SAIT Calgary Jim Green City of Calgary Calgary Dean Wigmore Red Deer College Red Deer Kevin Lang City of Regina Regina Danny Wilson Medicine Hat College Medicine Hat John Marple EPCOR Edmonton Ron Wardner City of Red Deer Red Deer Michael Zilinski City of Winnipeg Winnipeg Associate Employer City Robert Baumbach Red Deer College Red Deer William Evans BCIT Burnaby Jeff Cooper Conbraco Industries Concord Joe Scavarelli CCC Training Inst Calgary Robert Caudron NAIT St Albert Ken Whamond City of Fredericton Fredericton Doug Dyer Zurn/Wilkins Mississauga Wayne Wilson Watts Industries Inc Burlington

WCS AWWA Certifications 2011* 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 Backflow Tester Certifications 186 235 220 255 231 237 528 463 411 401 380 321 Backflow Tester Re-Certifications 95 187 101 73 51 67 57 45 157 161 39 21 Total Certificates issued 281 422 321 328 282 304 585 508 568 562 419 342

*2011 to date, WCS processed certifications for OWWA until 2006 CCC Manual Sales 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 January 219 382 203 67 111 36 80 38 53 85 18 47 February 211 316 252 49 42 48 41 66 49 68 129 49 March 200 183 238 47 101 75 85 93 54 47 10 77 April 149 66 441 55 48 118 58 47 53 84 56 31 May 141 124 102 13 58 1 71 48 37 10 28 21 June 93 131 225 90 3 34 30 40 26 12 24 53 July 0 58 61 10 0 0 5 1 0 26 15 0 August 279 122 412 21 0 33 73 65 38 66 37 3 September 96 83 272 292 212 41 56 68 29 10 54 October 329 271 117 51 48 64 97 70 82 64 45 November 216 128 80 138 76 140 36 50 21 34 54 December 97 133 455 -19 12 27 17 7 52 7 12 Total for Year 1292 2110 2549 1276 825 693 715 604 505 582 488 446

National CCC Manual introduced in 2008

0


MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT Membership in AWWA enhances your career and organization by allowing you to:

Get Connected

Your section hosts at least one networking event per year in your region! These events provide you with the opportunity interact with fellow members and colleagues on an informal basis.

Stay Informed

As an AWWA member, you receive discounts on items at the AWWA bookstore and free issues of AWWA periodicals including Opflow and the Journal!

Be part of the Community

Your section has numerous opportunities for one time or continuous volunteer service. Visit our webpage to learn how you can get involved!

Advance your Career

AWWA provides many opportunities to obtain CEUs and PDHs through on-line education. ACE and our section conference provide opportunities to discover or present emerging issues and technological advances in our field!

Membership in the Western Canada Section (WCS) is at its second highest over the past decade – a testament to the value that AWWA membership provides. The chart below shows that our current total is 718, 32 of which are service provider and utility members.

Our priority remains to retain, recruit and engage members, and our committee plans to lead this charge. Over the past year, we have been developing a plan to engage our new members, and creating a survey that allows all our members to let us know how we are doing and how we can better serve your needs. Expect us to roll out these initiatives in the first half of the upcoming fiscal year.


Be sure to visit our website, www.wcsawwa.net, for information on the benefits of joining AWWA and how to become a volunteer. Links to application forms for all membership types are also available on our website, including a $99 Young Professionals membership special! Regardless of whether you register as an individual active member, young professional, operations/administrative member, student, utility or service provider, AWWA has something for you and you are guaranteed to benefit from your membership experience.

Respectfully submitted,

Kyla L. Kirk, P.Eng. Membership Committee Chair

WATER FOR PEOPLE COMMITTEE REPORT Water for People (WFP, is an international humanitarian organization that helps people in developing countries improve quality of life by supporting the development of locally sustainable drinking water resources, sanitation facilities, and hygiene education programs

The Western Canada Water for People (WFP) committee consists of volunteers from WCS AWWA, WCWEA, AWWOA, MWWA, SWWA, MSSA, and NTWWA. The committee’s major activities focus on fundraising and awareness events in conjunction with the member association annual conferences and networking events, as well as separate fundraising events. All funds raised by the committee are directed to fund water and sanitation projects. For the past year we have directed funds towards WFP programs in Bolivia. 2010-11 WCS AWWA Fundraising Events Typical fundraising activities for the committee include silent auctions or raffles at all of the networking events as well as silent auctions, raffles, and merchandise sales at the major conferences. The following is a summary of the fundraising events that have taken place this year:

NTWWA Conference – November 2010 SWWA Conference – November 2010 AWWOA Annual Conference – March 2011 MWWA Annual Conference – March 2011 WCW Annual Conference – September 2011 WCS Networking Events in several communities

In addition, some of our corporate sponsors have held their own fundraising events for staff and have donated proceeds to WFP. WFP at the WCW Conference Water for People fundraising and events at this year’s conference in Saskatoon have been led by Dawn Dierker. This year will be the third Water for People Breakfast at the Western Canada Water annual conference. It is a particularly special event because the speaker will be Ned Breslin, the CEO of Water for People. Ned has over 20 years’ experience in the water and sanitation sector throughout Africa, and has brought fresh insight and ideas during his time as the leader of WFP. He has observed firsthand what works and what does not, and is convinced that new, sustainable and scalable approaches are needed. His morning talk is not something you want to miss! 2011 WCS AWWA WFP Regional Selection In Western Canada, WFP began to focus fundraising efforts on Bolivia in 2011. Bolivia is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Latin America, and limited access to clean drinking water and sanitation is one contributing factor of poverty, especially in rural areas, where access to safe drinking water is as low as 50% and sanitation coverage as low as 15%. WFP began working in Bolivia in 1997, and has forged partnerships with key local players such as the local private sector, local governments and NGOs, to better support community water supply and sanitation development. Together with local partners, WFP Bolivia is also implementing water, sanitation and hygiene education programs throughout five regions. A video about WFP work in Bolivia can be found at http://www.waterforpeople.org/media-center/videos/ Water for People Training in Denver In July 2011 our committee vice chair Anne Bridgman attended a WFP training session at the headquarters in Denver,


CO. She brought back some great news and fundraising ideas, such as the following: The “Everyone” $2 million campaign begins in September. The message is for Everyone—every clinic, every

school, every NGO—to work together for universal access to clean, safe water; to keep water flowing and latrines useful; and to identify and maintain new, sustainable solutions.

In the US you can use your phone to text donations to WFP—we are hoping this will be set up in Canada soon. In Minnesota they are about to abandon their annual golf tournament, as their Skeet shooting tournament is

such a huge success. Many areas do a wine tasting event which can be very successful. In Ontario they have had a lot of fun organizing a curling bonspiel, with the first hour a lesson in how to play

curling. One section organized for people to donate $1000k to rappel down the side of a large building One section sold stickers so that participants would NOT have to sing karaoke songs.

There were some great ideas that our committee may have a chance to try out over the next year! World Water Corp. The World Water Corp. is the international volunteering arm of Water for People. Volunteers assist WFP programs through monitoring of existing projects, collecting baseline data, or providing specialized technical training. A World Water Corp. team was sent to Bolivia (our focus area) in August 2011 to conduct FLOW mapping, which will assist Water for People as we expand our programs there. This year we hope to have a volunteer from Western Canada participate in the World Water Corp. Most positions are a two-week commitment. For more information on Water for People Canada, contact Paul Klassen, Chair of the WCS-AWWA Water For People Committee, at [email protected]. To know more about WFP, visit www.waterforpeople.org. ‘till next time… Paul Klassen Western Canada Section Water for People Committee

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS COMMITTEE REPORT This has been another year of good progress for the Young Professional (YP) Committee. The contributions of many YP members is encouraging for the future of AWWA and our section. Just by looking at the relatively young faces of many of the committee chairs and Board members of WCS, many of whom were past YP members, shows that the YP Committee has been successful in the past of including the future leaders of AWWA. Our goal is to continue this success story and to continually improve and update. Restructuring of Committee Leadership The YP committee restructured in early 2011. Now there will be one committee member assigned to represent each of the 5 main cities (Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Regina, and Saskatoon). The Chair, Outgoing Chair, and Future Chair positions remain. Also the committee has several members at large. The eight assigned positions are currently held by: Chair Ben Lichtenwald Future Chair Brent Houle Future Future Chair Esther Van Herk YP Rep Calgary Max Wong

YP Rep Edmonton Esther Van Herk YP Rep Winnipeg Brent Houle YP Rep Regina Ben Lichtenwald YP Rep Saskatoon Russ Munro

Networking Events Winnipeg held a a baseball networking event showcasing 4 student projects while enjoying a baseball game and dinner. Calgary YPs had a speed networking event in May which went very well. The table topics kept everyone talking to each other. Calgary is also looking forward to the hiking day in the Kananaskis, probably, in the middle of September. Edmonton had a YP pool tournament night. There was a good turnout; everyone seemed to like being forced into a team with someone they didn't know. Regina held a pub and billiards night in March. Turnout was similar to the year previous but new faces this time. Saskatoon is holding the WCW Conference this year and all YPs are pumped up for the annual YP Pub Night which will definitely be going ahead many thanks to Russ Munro. YP Summits AWWA was in Louisville, KY this year. Ben and Max attended in April. This event is great for networking with all the


other YP Committees in other AWWA Sections. Canada held its first annual in Vancouver. Brent and Esther attended in May. They were 20 something delegates (not a pun on age!). Good luck to this event proceeded again next year! Conference Workshop Due to popular request a Project Management workshop was planned by the YP Committee for the WCW Conference on September 20. Speakers include Mr. Don Poon, SAL Engineering, Ms. Kari MacDonald, City of Calgary, and Mr. Eric Quail, City of Saskatoon. Many thanks for the opportunity to be Chair. I continue to meet great people at WCS-AWWA. Respectfully submitted, Benjamin Lichtenwald Chair, Young Professionals Committee


FINANCIAL REPORT 2010 Revenues

2010 Expenses

2010 Budget Actual % Revenues

Education & Training 50,200 21,213 42% Cross Connection Control 144,000 133,290 93% Networking Events 10,700 5,581 52% AWWA Membership & Allotments 71,300 67,414 95% Operational Revenue 13,000 17,839 137%

Total Revenue 289,200 245,338 85% Expenses

Education & Training 30,100 6,568 22% Cross Connection Control 102,000 100,760 99% Networking Events 21,500 13,001 60% Officers & Directors 53,500 36,402 68% Committee Expenses 25,200 14,812 59% Awards 7,000 1,482 21% Membership Expenses 13,800 17,040 123% Operational Expenses 53,800 71,169 132%

Total Expenses -306,900 -261,232 85%

Revenue Less Expense -17,700 -15,895 90%


APPENDIX A: MEMBERSHIP SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS For the most part, WCS AWWA members are aware of and use WCS and AWWA communication vehicles. The WCS Facebook page had low awareness and low interest in use. AWWA resources received high ratings overall and are highlighted in gray. WCS AWWA Not aware of it Aware but have

not used it Aware & used it Total responses

WCS AWWA website 12 (7%) 39 (23%) 118 (70%) 169 WCS AWWA’s Facebook page 92 (55%) 66 (39%) 11 (7%) 169 Water news emails from WCS AWWA 8 (5%) 34 (20%) 127 (75%) 169 WCS’s Annual General Meeting (held at the WCW annual conference)

13 (8%) 97 (57%) 59 (35%) 169

Networking events 7 (4%) 69 (41%) 93 (55%) 169 AWWA Not aware of it Aware but have

not used it Aware & used it Total responses

AWWA website 0 (0%) 16 (10%) 149 (90%) 165 AWWA Journal 3 (2%) 15 (9%) 147 (89%) 165 Opflow – AWWA monthly magazine with operator focus

3 (2%) 18 (11%) 144 (87%) 165

Streamlines – bimonthly e-newsletter for AWWA Chapters

25 (15%) 42 (25%) 99 (60%) 166

AWWA Annual Conference and Exhibition (ACE) 5 (3%) 85 (52%) 75 (45%) 165 AWWA or Water Research Foundation Webcasts 10 (6%) 67 (41%) 88 (53%) 165 AWWA bookstore 2 (1%) 43 (26%) 121 (73%) 166

Usefulness ratings (very useful and useful categories combined and highlighted in gray) indicate there is an opportunity to improve the relevance of WCS’s website, water news emails and events. AWWA’s resources received higher usefulness ratings overall. Very

useful Useful Somewha

t useful Not useful

Not at all useful

Unsure Total responses

WCS AWWA website 20(12%) 87 (51%) 36 (21%) 4 (2%) 2 (1%) 23 (14%) 172 WCS AWWA’s Facebook page 3 (2%) 7 (4%) 19 (11%) 20 (12%) 22 (13%) 99 (59%) 170 Water news emails from WCS AWWA 12 (7%) 92 (54%) 47 (28%) 6 (4%) 1 (1%) 12 (7%) 170 WCS’s Annual General Meeting (held at the WCW annual conference)

4 (2%) 46 (27%) 47 (28%) 17 (10%) 5 (3%) 52 (31%) 171

Networking events 24 (14%) 48 (28%) 49 (29%) 4 (2%) 7 (4%) 39 (23%) 171 AWWA website 46 (28%) 85 (52%) 28 (17%) 2 (1%) 0 (0%) 5 (3%) 166 AWWA journal 50 (30%) 69 (42%) 35 (21%) 6 (4%) 0 (0%) 6 (4%) 166 Opflow – AWWA monthly magazine with operator focus

41 (25%) 82 (50%) 31 (19%) 5 (3%) 0 (0%) 7 (4%) 166

Streamlines – bimonthly e-newsletter for AWWA Chapters

10 (6%) 59 (36%) 51 (31%) 10 (6%) 3 (2%) 33 (20%) 166

AWWA Annual Conference and Exhibition (ACE)

31 (19%) 53 (32%) 26 (16%) 6 (4%) 2 (1%) 47 (28%) 165

AWWA or Water Research Foundation Webcasts

35 (21%) 60 (36%) 27 (16%) 10 (6%) 2 (1%) 32 (19%) 166

AWWA bookstore 50 (30%) 71 (43%) 22 (13%) 6 (4%) 1 (1%) 16 (10%) 166


Relevance How relevant are the following two e-newsletters to you as a member of the water profession? Very

relevant Relevant Neutral Not

relevant Not at all relevant

Don't know

Total

Streamlines the AWWA e-newsletter for chapters such as Western Canada Section

12 (7%) 77 (48%) 53 (33%) 6 (4%) 0 (0%) 13 (8%) 161

Western Canada Water e-newsletter for the members of the seven associations that are collaborating

19 (12%) 73 (46%) 50 (31%) 4 (2%) 2 (1%) 12 (8%) 160

What, if anything, would make it more relevant to you? The 11 verbatim response(s) to this question can be found in the Survey Report appendix. Following is a summary of the suggestions and ideas expressed:

Monthly tips on optimizing a water treatment plant. Focused, concise content with links to more information. More information on:

o Storm water o Canadian content (for Streamlines) o Systems and operators and plants/systems o Links to water industry articles from Canada o Engineering, water and wastewater newest technologies, design, lessons learned, etc o Best practices (including asset management and public education) and on proposed regulatory changes and

potential impact for utilities. Print version – “If we received it in print it would sit on the staff room table and it might get read.” Make it relevant – “I receive so much e-junk mail, If it does not have immediate relevance to my job it goes into a folder

and is deleted about a month later, usually never gets read.” Reasons for not reading the publications include:

Didn’t receive them Thought they had to pay extra for the publications Lack of time WCW newsletter seen as typically only announcing upcoming events, member would prefer some links to water industry

articles from Canada. What else members would find useful What other information would you find useful to receive as part of a Western Canada Section American Water Works Association e-newsletter or e-alert? Very useful Useful Neutral Not useful Not at all

useful Don't know Total

Technical updates 51 (32%) 93 (58%) 12 (8%) 2 (1%) 0 (0%) 1 (1%) 159 Training opportunities 51 (32%) 85 (53%) 20 (13%) 1 (1%) 1 (1%) 1 (1%) 159 News stories 36 (23%) 99 (62%) 22 (14%) 1 (1%) 0 (0%) 1 (1%) 159 Water professionals in the news

17 (11%) 78 (49%) 55 (35%) 5 (3%) 2 (1%) 2 (1%) 159

Conference update 27 (17%) 89 (56%) 39 (25%) 3 (2%) 0 (0%) 1 (1%) 159 News from other organizations

15 (9%) 84 (53%) 53 (33%) 6 (4%) 0 (0%) 1 (1%) 159

Resources 31 (19%) 95 (60%) 30 (19%) 1 (1%) 0 (0%) 2 (1%) 159


What type of information would you access/use on the Western Canada Section American Water Works Association website?

Response Chart Percentage Count

Information about upcoming professional development sessions 78% 124 Information on new resources 65% 104 Current events stories related to water 77% 123 News of networking events 57% 91 Charity projects 26% 42 News on regulations related to water 82% 131 New water products or programs 74% 118 Job opportunities 48% 77 Don't know 3% 4 Total Responses 159

What would make the website more useful to you? The 68 verbatim response(s) to this question can be found in the Survey Report appendix. Following is a summary of the suggestions and ideas grouped by category:

Structure o Make it more user friendly o Key / new information should be on the home page with links o Need well organized categories o More interactive content o More use of headlines

Appearance: o Consider bold graphics, updated design, professional appearance and ability to increase photos

western canada section american water works …

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