Words on Water

Join Operations Challenge Community Chair, Kim Furry and WEF Staff Member, Jessica Rozek, as they break down everything you need to know about Operations Challenge at WEFTEC 2026. Learn how the competition works, get a preview of this year's schedule, hear about new initiatives and events, and find out which teams to keep an eye on as they compete for top honors.

The Rocky Mountain Rivalry brought together 12 elite Operations Challenge teams from across the country for one of the toughest qualifying competitions of the year. In this episode, competitors and volunteers share their experiences, challenges, and highlights from the 2026 event in Brighton, Colorado, as teams prepare for WEFTEC.

In this episode, we head to IFAT Munich, the world’s largest environmental trade fair, where World Water Skills brings operators from around the globe together for an international skills competition inspired by WEF’s Operations Challenge. Since 2016, teams representing WEF and the Operations Challenge community have competed on this global stage. We’ll explore how World Water Skills compares to Operations Challenge, what it takes for two-person teams to prepare, the professional benefits of competing, and how the WEF teams finished in the standings. 

RSP Engineers is improving how to manage and operate infrastructure—everything from water and wastewater systems to utilities and public sector projects. Listen to Rudolfo Sucre, President of RSP Engineers and RSP AI Technologies, discuss an AI platform called Atlas, which brings together data from maps, regulations, engineering systems, and operations into one place.

The 2nd Annual WEF/WateReuse Industrial Water Solutions Conference kicks off June 8-10th in Chicago. Business and utility leaders will come together to collaborate on the latest in the Circular Water Economy. Listen to our discussion with Heather Cheslek, Associate Vice President and Global Industrial Water Solution Leader at Black & Veatch, and Nyima Dansira, Senior Project Manager, specializing in industrial water systems.  

Business and utility leaders come together June 8–10 in Chicago for the 2nd Annual Industrial Water Solutions Conference. Courtney Tripp, Director of Sustainability and Strategy, shares why Grundfos is backing the event—and how water is powering the next economy.

Environmental Engineer and Director of the Southwest Environmental Finance Center at UNM, Heather Himmelberger, discusses her new book on how utilities can develop and implement a robust asset management program without feeling overwhelmed. 

The 2026 Operations Challenge qualifying season officially kicked off at the South Carolina Environmental Conference (SCEC), co-hosted by the Water Environment Association of South Carolina and the South Carolina Section of the American Water Works Association. Held in March, the competition brought together 15 Operations Challenge teams from nine states and the District of Columbia—making it the largest South Carolina Operations Challenge in history. From the debut of the new safety event to the high-energy pipe cut relay, this episode features firsthand insights from the competing teams, along with SCEC Operations Challenge Event Coordinator Seth Duncan, as they reflect on the challenges, highlights, and overall success of the event.

Operations Challenge at WEFTEC 2025 wrapped up with a historic Division I sweep by teams from the Rocky Mountain Water Environment Association (RMWEA). In this episode of Challenge Accepted: The OC Forum, members of RMWEA’s Elevated Ops, Sewerside Squad, and Double Duty—joined by former competitor and mentor Orren West—reflect on the competition. They dive into how they prepared, what defines a winner’s mindset, and how collaboration across teams and utilities helps elevate performance throughout the wastewater profession.

What's the best way to avoid stormwater compliance violations? Instead of relying on traditional hard-copy binders, Aqualis offers an electronic system to keep organized, well-maintained records. Listen to our conversation with Lisa Cratty, Director of Compliance with Aqualis, on the challenges and solutions for keeping up with regulatory requirements

Krishna Pagilla is the Chair of the David Jenkins Operator Scholarship. A former student and a Jenkins family friend, Dr. Pagilla talks about the life of Dr. Jenkins and why this $10,000 Operator Scholarship Award is a legacy of love.

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. Today, we dive into the new Safety Event debuting at WEFTEC 2026!

How can utilities access the funding they need? That's the central question WEF aims to help answer at the upcoming Summit on Financing the Future of the Water Sector. Listen as we talk to Justin Mattingly, WEF's Senior Advisor for Resource Recovery, about the conference and how strategies for securing water infrastructure development will take center stage.

WEF is launching a new webcast series focused on recruiting more people to the water sector. Senior Director of Workforce Development, Laura Herman, gives us a preview of the first episode, "Leveraging Technology & AI in Workforce Operations".

New at WEFTEC 2025 is WEF's Circular Water Economy Theater. Presentations will highlight initiatives that treat water as a renewable asset through the 3Rs (reduce, recover, regenerate). Listen to WEF's Senior Director of Circular Water talk about what attendees have in store.

As AI data centers expand, finding ways to save water is becoming increasingly crucial. Listen to our conversation with Rodolfo Sucre, Principal of RSP Engineers, about how balancing AI growth with sustainable practices is the key to managing the challenge. 

We are counting down the days to WEFTEC 2025! Listen to our conversation with WEF's Manager of Operator Programs, Jessica Rozek, as we get ready for Operations Challenge in Chicago.

The water sector urgently needs more people. Listen to our 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.

A WEF Strategic Goal is to lead the transformation to the Circular Water Economy. Veolia is embracing the challenge of water reuse as it addresses the critical issue of water scarcity. Listen as we talk with Karine Rougé, Chief Executive Officer of Municipal Water Services and Karin Hamel, President and CEO of the Sustainable Industries & Buildings Division.

As global demand for cloud computing, AI, and digital entertainment increases, so does the need for data centers. But expansion … More

The Industrial Water Solutions Conference in June is co-hosted by WateReuse and WEF. Anthony Zamarro, Principal Environmental Engineer at CDM … More

The NH6000sc Ammonia Analyzer is a new option for monitoring levels. Listen to Wastewater Applications Development Manager, Adam Jennings, about … More

Marcos Quintero is inspirational. He is the recipient of the 2023 and 2024 Operator Scholarship. Listen how we went from … More

The WEF/AWWA Young Professionals (YP) Summit is the premier water and wastewater industry workshop for young professionals. Vice Chairman, Haley … More

Hach is introducing new innovations to the water sector. Kwesi Kwapong, Municipal Market Manager, discusses how these new products make … More

Waters Corporation provides lab equipment, supplies and software for scientists across the world. Utilities and municipalities are turning to companies, … More

WEF is committed to environmental stewardship. WEF’s Stephanie Jones, Managing Director, Professional Development and Event Strategy, discusses what attendees can … More

Communication issues happen on the small and large scale. For the last 3 years, WEFTEC has provided a safe space … More

Dallas Water Utilities is preparing for the future with an eye on protecting systems, networks, and programs from digital threats. … More

WEF is committed to developing a more diverse water workforce. This year’s sponsors of the Black in Water Summit own … More

WEF is excited to welcome our new Executive Director, Ralph Exton. Hear about his experiences, vision, and goals, and how … More

Anaerobic digesters are a relatively new technology, but the investment can pay for itself. The system converts high strength organic … More

Creating a more diverse water workforce is a WEF strategic goal. Amy Tracy, a Senior Associate with Dewberry, has worked … More

Standards of Automation of Water Resource Facilities will help utility managers and operators better understand the designs of new automation … More

The Stockholm Junior Water Prize is the world’s most prestigious award presented to a high school student for a water-research … More

DE&I not only comes from the heart, but can impact the bottomline. Steve Hamai, WEF’s new Senior Director, of Culture … More

Hugh Sinclair, Vice President and National Practice Lead for Asset Management at Arcadis and WEF DEI Committee Member, discusses how … More

Balancing chlorine in water is essential for public health and Lovibond is a leader in advancing technological improvements in the … More

The City of Denton, Texas, is growing fast. But it’s ahead of the curve when it comes to planning its … More

Instrumentation technology has been at the forefront of powering the circular water economy (CWE), enabling more efficient and sustainable water … More

Pipe failures and sink holes can mean millions lost to any commercial or industrial business when stormwater inspections are not … More

The Inflation Reduction Act provides federal funds to the wastewater sector to address key challenges facing wastewater professionals in today’s … More

Data Scientists with Trinnex discuss how artificial intelligence provides answers to current questions and ones in the future.

May 30, 2023 Wastewater Resource Facilities rely on turbidity testing to know whether our water is safe and healthy. Mike … More

May 19, 2023 Wastewater tells a story. It can provide a snapshot of the health of any community. Sarah Kane … More

March 17, 2023 Paul Bishop is Chief Executive Officer and President of Water Professionals International. In this episode, Paul talks … More

January 25, 2023 Tim Gerdes is Sales Manager at Haver & Boecker. In this episode, Tim discusses the ways that … More

January 4, 2022 Greta Zornes is Water Reuse and Industrial Treatment Leader for CDM Smith. In this episode, Greta explains … More

December 15, 2022 Tshoganetso Masunga is a Community Led Total Sanitation Coordinator and Data Collection & Analysis Specialist at Sarep in … More

November 30, 2022 Radhika Fox is Assistant Administrator for Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In this episode, Radhika … More