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WaterOperator.org Blog


Laura Schultz
Laura Schultz
Laura Schultz's Blog

Energy Optimization and Cost‑Saving Strategies for Wastewater Utilities | Recorded on March 31, 2026

Promotional graphic for the WaterOperator.org webinar recording

In this recording of our live webinar "Energy Optimization and Cost‑Saving Strategies for Wastewater Utilities," viewers will receive an overview of energy efficiency best practices to reduce operational costs at wastewater facilities. It also includes a review of publicly available resources to explore cost-saving improvements and a 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 to live attendees but are not available for watching this replay. 

 

Recordings of our previous webinars:

March 31, 2026 By Laura Schultz Energy, Financial Management, Utility Management, Wastewater cost-saving, energy, energy optimization, financial management, operational costs, POTW, treatment works, utility management, wastewater, wastewater operators, wastewater utilities, wastewater webinar, wastewater workforce, webinar, workforce 0 0 Comment Read More »

Workforce Development & Succession Planning for Wastewater Utilities | Recorded on February 24, 2026

Promotional graphic for the WaterOperator.org webinar recording

In this recording of our live webinar "Workforce Development & Succession Planning for Wastewater Utilities," viewers will receive an overview of workforce development and best practices for building a stronger workforce; with a focus on recruitment, training, and retention. They will also learn how to use our search tools at WaterOperator.org to find additional 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 to live attendees but are not available for watching this replay. 

Recordings of our previous webinars:

February 26, 2026 By Laura Schultz Utility Management, Wastewater, Workforce POTW, recruitment, succession planning, treatment works, wastewater, wastewater operators, wastewater utilities, wastewater webinar, wastewater workforce, webinar, workforce, workforce development 0 0 Comment Read More »

The EPA Is Seeking New Communities to Assist with Wastewater Infrastructure Breakdowns

A map of the American states and territories that displays the locations of the 87 communities served by the US EPA's Closing America's Wastewater Access Gap initiative.

If your municipality is struggling to provide adequate municipal sanitation services to your community, or perhaps your wastewater infrastructure is struggling to recover from a natural hazard event, you should know that the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is still seeking new communities across the US to add to its Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap (CAWAG) Initiative. The CAWAG initiative originally began as a pilot project in 2022 as a partnership with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help address critical wastewater challenges in small and rural communities. 

The pilot program consisted of 11 communities and experienced encouraging success in making strides towards ameliorating the barriers to adequate sanitation in these locations. The results of the pilot led to a commitment in 2024 to expand to 150 communities across the nation. As of last month, the CAWAG team has made it more than halfway to this new goal: 87 communities are now receiving support! They can be seen across the map above.

However, outreach efforts to reach a full 150 communities continue. The EPA is calling for assistance in identifying potentially qualifying communities and encouraging them to apply for assistance through CAWAG, particularly in states that have not yet had a community participate in the initiative. The issues experienced in such communities may range from widespread residential septic backup and/or sewage pooling, struggles by the town to provide adequate sanitation services, or difficulties rebuilding wastewater and septic systems following natural disasters. 

CAWAG communities receive no-cost hands-on technical assistance from experienced TAPs, funding application support, and solutions-oriented help in addressing their unique wastewater needs. The primary goal of CAWAG support is full collaboration with each community in order to identify the best and most practical solutions for all involved.  

Specific examples of no-cost technical assistance support that have been provided include:

  • Conducting a formal assessment of community wastewater needs
  • Evaluating the feasibility of potential wastewater solutions
  • Identifying funding options such as grants and financing
  • Aiding the completion of preliminary engineering and paperwork requirements
  • Assisting local government in establishing ordinances for wastewater management

If you know of communities near you that could qualify, we encourage you to pass on the word about CAWAG. There is no deadline to apply to the initiative, as communities are selected on a rolling basis. The application is relatively simple: all that is necessary is to fill out the brief, 17-question Water Technical Assistance (WaterTA) Request Form that is available on the EPA’s website. Local leaders, homeowners, and utilities can apply on the behalf of their community, in addition to states, Tribes, and territories themselves.

Questions about the initiative can be directed to the EPA’s CAWAG team lead Zach Lowenstein at Lowenstein.Zachary@epa.gov, or to SepticHelp@epa.gov. Mr. Lowenstein will also accept community referrals through his email. 

More resources:

 

January 22, 2026 By Laura Schultz Decentralized Wastewater, Emergency Response, Wastewater cawag, closing america's wastewater access gap, community sanitation, community wastewater, sanitation failures, US EPA, wastewater access, wastewater access gap, wastewater infrastructure, wastewater treatment 0 0 Comment Read More »

Essential Safety Resources for Wastewater Operators | Recorded on December 22, 2025

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In this recording of our live webinar "Essential Safety Resources for Wastewater Operators," viewers will explore practical resources to help wastewater operators stay safe in their day to day to work as well as in less common and unexpected scenarios. They will also learn how to use our search tools at WaterOperator.org to find additional 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 to live attendees but are not available for watching this replay. 

Recordings of our previous webinars:

December 23, 2025 By Laura Schultz Operator Safety, Wastewater POTW, safety, treatment works, utility safety, wastewater, wastewater operators, wastewater safety, wastewater utilities, wastewater webinar, webinar 0 0 Comment Read More »

Community Engagement Resources for Wastewater Utilities | Recorded on November 4, 2025

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In this recording of our live webinar "Community Engagement Resources for Wastewater Utilities," viewers will discover some of the most helpful resources for learning about effective digital communication strategies, approaches for building public support around capital improvement projects, and methods for promoting transparency during rate-setting processes. They will also learn how to use our search tools at WaterOperator.org to find additional 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 to live attendees but are not available for watching this replay. 

Recordings of our previous webinars:

November 6, 2025 By Laura Schultz Public Education, Utility Management, Wastewater communication strategy, community engagement, digital communication, POTW, public relations, treatment works, utility management, wastewater, wastewater utilities, wastewater webinar, webinar 0 0 Comment Read More »

Tap Talk – The Olympics of Water Quality: WEFTEC’s Operations Challenge

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Were you able to attend this year's WEFTEC in Chicago, or did you have to miss it? Either way, it's worth it to take the time to learn more about the Operations Challenge competition conducted at each WEFTEC — You can relive the excitement, if you were at this year's conference, or hear why you absolutely need to attend next year in New Orleans so you don't miss the fun!

Luckily, we covered the ins and outs of Operations Challenge in one of our first episodes of Season 6 of Tap Talk, the Drinking Water in Rural America Podcast. Our team has been producing this podcast since 2021, with the aim of connecting professionals across the drinking water community with ideas to extend and enhance water work. The podcast is a collaboration between the Rural Community Assistance Partnership and the University of Illinois, with funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The show is hosted by Steve and Jennifer Wilson of the Illinois State Water Survey’s WaterOperator.org, PrivateWellClass.org, and DecentralizedWastewater.org programs. Episodes of past seasons have primarily focused on municipal water treatment and private well-related topics, while recent seasons have begun exploring septic/decentralized wastewater topics as well. 

In episode #62, we welcomed Steve Harrison and Jeff Sober to Tap Talk. Steve, a WEF senior manager, and Jeff, Director of Water Services at Garver, are both members of the Operations Challenge Community. Just ahead of WEFTEC 2025, they gave our hosts a complete rundown of the annual showcase of the top water quality operations teams in the country. 

Listen through the audio player below, or, find Tap Talk on audio services such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, or Audible.

And be sure to read about the winners who prevailed in this year's 38th Annual Operations Challenge Competition!


Topics Discussed

  • Meet Steve Harrison | LinkedIn
  • Steve’s Water Hero: Cordell Samuels, Past President of WEF and retired Plant Superintendent at the Region of Durham in Ontario.
  • Meet Jeff Sober | LinkedIn
  • Jeff’s Water Hero: His father, Gary Sober, who gave Jeff his first job in the water industry.
  • What is WEFTEC and what does it represent for the water industry?
  • What is the Operations Challenge and what does the competition include?
  • History of the Operations Challenge
  • How does a team get to WEFTEC?
  • How the challenge affects professionals throughout the industry
  • How the challenge supports the mission of WEF
  • What else to see at WEFTEC
  • Connect with the Water Environment Federation and WEFTEC
 
 

    “You get a better workforce out of this. One that knows how to respond to all challenges and to be more resilient; and one that respects the positions and challenges of all the others as well.”

    Jeff Sober

 

Go Further

You’re invited to discuss the episode in our LinkedIn Group. If you decide to share on Twitter, please use the hashtag #TapTalkPodcast. And, of course, make sure to subscribe in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About the Guests

Steve Harrison is Director of Operator Programs at the Water Environment Federation and is coordinator of Operations Challenge, WEFTEC’s award winning professional skills competition. He has contributed to many water sector workforce initiatives, including developing apprenticeship standards, coordinating regional workforce approaches, and launching the workforwater.org website. He holds a B.S. in Natural Resources Management from the University of Maryland, is a Board Certified Environmental Scientist, a Certified Mission Critical Professional, has a NASSCO Pipeline Assessment Certification Program credential, and is a member of the Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovelers.

Jeff Sober is the Director of Garver’s Water Services. He also sits on Garver’s Board of Directors. Jeff has 23 years of experience in the water and wastewater industry, focusing on large-scale facility master planning, wastewater treatment process design, grit removal science, and biosolids. He is a Past President of the Water Environment Association of Texas and currently serves as Past Chair of the WEF Operations Challenge Committee. He has been responsible for leading operations training and workforce development initiatives in Texas, in addition to leading one of the fastest-growing water and wastewater engineering services firms in the nation.

Jeff holds a B.S. and an M.Eng. in civil engineering, both from Texas A&M University. In 2025, he was named a WEF Fellow, one of the water industry’s most distinguished honors.

 

October 22, 2025 By Laura Schultz Tap Talk Podcast, Wastewater, WaterOperator.org, Workforce operations challenge, podcast, tap talk, wastewater, wastewater treatment, wastewater workforce, water environment federation, water quality, weftec 0 0 Comment Read More »

From Waste to Resource: Biosolids Management References for POTWs | Recorded on August 19, 2025

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In this recording of our live webinar "From Waste to Resource Biosolids Management References for POTWs," viewers will discover some of the most helpful resources for supporting biosolids management and learn how to use our search tools at WaterOperator.org to find additional 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 to live attendees but are not available for watching this replay. 

Recordings of our previous webinars:

August 22, 2025 By Laura Schultz Wastewater biosolids, biosolids management, biosolids webinar, POTW, treatment works, wastewater, wastewater webinar, webinar 0 0 Comment Read More »

Stormwater Management Resources for POTWs | Recorded July 1, 2025

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In this recording of our live webinar "Stormwater Management Resources for POTWs," viewers will discover some of the most helpful stormwater management resources for treatment works operators and learn how to use our search tools at WaterOperator.org to find additional 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 to live attendees but are not available for watching this replay. 

Recordings of our previous webinars:

July 8, 2025 By Laura Schultz Sanitary Sewers, Stormwater, Wastewater POTW, stormwater, stormwater management, stormwater webinar, treatment works, wastewater, wastewater webinar, webinar 0 0 Comment Read More »

Enhanced Nutrient Removal and Harmful Algal Bloom Control Resources | Recorded on February 25, 2025

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In this recording of our live webinar "Enhanced Nutrient Removal and Harmful Algal Bloom Control Resources," viewers will discover some of the most helpful resources for enhanced nutrient removal and harmful algal bloom control and learn how to use our search tools at WaterOperator.org to find additional 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 to live attendees but are not available for watching this replay. 

Recordings of our previous webinars:

June 17, 2025 By Laura Schultz Wastewater algal bloom control, nutrient removal, wastewater, wastewater webinar, webinar 0 0 Comment Read More »

Understanding Wastewater-Based Epidemiology | Recorded on May 27, 2025

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In this recording of our recent live webinar “Understanding Wastewater-Based Epidemiology” viewers will discover some of the most helpful wastewater epidemiology resources and learn how to use our search tools at WaterOperator.org to find additional 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 to live attendees, but are not available for watching this replay. 

Recordings of our previous webinars:

May 28, 2025 By Laura Schultz Wastewater diseases, epidemiology, wastewater epidemiology, wastewater webinar, webinar 0 0 Comment Read More »
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