ILLINOIS WATER ENVIRONMENT ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
Volume 23, No. 4 - Winter 2003

IWEATEC 2003

Mark your calendars now for IWEATEC 2003, this upcoming March 11th through March 13th. You will not want to miss all that this year's Illinois Water Environment Association Annual Conference has to offer! The conference will be held again at the accommodating Clock Tower Resort and Conference Center in Rockford, Illinois. We have a great line-up of speakers for our opening events on Tuesday, March 11th. Tuesday's speakers include Mr. Erwin J. Odeal, Treasurer of the Water Environment Federation, Mr. Paul A. Logli, Winnebago County State's Attorney, and Mr. Allen La Pointe, Water Quality Manager at John G. Shedd Aquarium.

This year's technical program has been expanded to include a total of 48 speakers. Expanding on last year's program, a third session on Thursday morning gives opportunity for five more speakers, and a panel discussion during the Laboratory/Water Quality session Wednesday morning adds another three speakers. We also furthered this year's schedule with a plant tour on Thursday afternoon.

A special thank you goes out to the newly formed Conference Committee and the following standing committees for their help with this year's program: Industrial Pretreatment/Hazardous Wastes, Laboratory, Collection Facilities, Biosolids, Safety, Watershed Management, and the Plant Operations committees. As is customary, ample opportunity exists in the conference timetable to acquire new information from the technical sessions and exhibitors, benefit from networking with fellow members and involve yourself fully in the social activities.

Tuesday's Program (March 11th)
Tuesday morning the conference will begin at 10:00 a.m. with welcoming remarks by Mr. Charles Corley, IWEA President and Mr. Edwin J. Odeal, WEF Treasurer. The annual business meeting will follow and take us into the lunch hour of 11:45 a.m. for the annual luncheon. Mr. Paul A. Logli, Winnebago County State's Attorney is our luncheon speaker and will address “Relations with the News Media”.

Our Tuesday afternoon program begins with a joint session featuring our keynote speaker Mr. Allen La Pointe, Water Quality Manager for John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois. Mr. La Pointe will present on the topic of “Aquarium Water Processes”. Please refer to the Opening Event Highlights in your registration packet for more details on his presentation.

Tuesday afternoon also hosts two concurrent sessions from 3:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. as follows
Session A - Regulatory Outlook for NPDES Dischargers
Session B - Industrial Pretreatment/Planning

Wednesday's Program (March 12th)
Wednesday's program is jam packed full of events, with something for everyone concerned about water related issues. The Laboratory committee has lined up a great session in the morning that includes a panel discussion on “Water Quality Study Sampling and Analysis for TMDL Data Submittal” and a hands-on afternoon workshop on Ion Chromatography presented by Metrohm-Peak, Inc. For anyone interested in Operations and Maintenance issues, we have Mr. Michael Humcke of Environmental Resources giving an Equipment Maintenance workshop in the morning and Aqua-Aerobic Systems, Inc. presenting a Sequencing Batch Reactor workshop in the afternoon.

Wednesday's numerous technical sessions are listed below:
Wednesday morning from 9:00 a.m. until noon.
Session A - Laboratory and Water Quality Issues
Session B - Collection Facilities
Session C - Biological Nutrient Removal
Session D - Equipment Maintenance Seminar

Wednesday afternoon from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Session A - Biosolids Matters
Session B - Safety and Security Issues
Session C - Ion Chromatography Workshop
Session D - Sequencing Batch Reactors Seminar

Wednesday night plan on partaking in the Annual Banquet beginning with the cocktail reception at 6:00 p.m. followed by dinner at 7:00 p.m. and entertainment. This event is one of your best opportunities to get to know the IWEA Officers and your fellow members on a more personal level.

Thursday's Program (March 13th)
Thursday morning will begin at 9:00 a.m. with three concurrent sessions that run until noon. The sessions will be:
Session A - Case Histories and New Products
Session B - Watershed Management
Session C - Research and Development Progress

Thursday afternoon a plant tour will be held at the Rochelle Wastewater Treatment plant at 1:30 p.m. for about an hour. Lunch will be on your own and travel time is about 30 minutes from Rockford. Please sign up for the plant tour on your registration form if you are planning on attending this special event.

Numerous displays will be available in the exhibit area, which will be open Tuesday evening for the Manufacturer's Reception at 5:00 p.m. and Wednesday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Manufacturer's Luncheon will be Wednesday at noon in the exhibit area. Please plan ample time into your conference schedule to peruse the entire exhibit area and visit with as many exhibitors as you can.

More information on IWEA's 24th Annual Conference will be included in the conference registration packet which has been mailed to all active IWEA members. Registration is also available and open to everyone at our website www.iweasite.org. Remember to mark you calendars for March 11th through March 13th and we will look forward to seeing you in Rockford!