We are capable of giving many different presentations at shows and conferences related to the water and wastewater industry. Below is a brief list of the presentations we have given or can give. Please contact us if you'd like us to make a presentation at one of your events.

We can cover a wide range of subject areas:

Public outreach and customer relations

Media relations for the water and wastewater industry ▶

Water issues shouldn't only make the news when something terrible happens. This is a crash course in how to ensure that the public is well-informed about water and wastewater issues, with perspective and advice from a media veteran with more than 25 years of insider experience. Pitfalls to avoid, best practices to put to work, and ideas for putting an extraordinary light on your ordinary work.

  • Given at the Nebraska AWWA state convention in Kearney, November 2008
  • Given at the Nebraska Wastewater Operators District Snowball Conference in Kearney, January 2009
  • Given at the Nebraska Rural Water Conference in Grand Island, March 2013
  • Given at the Iowa AWWA annual conference, October 2021
  • Given at the Iowa WEA Region 5 spring meeting, March 2023

Marketing your water utility to the community ▶

How to ensure that your ratepayers and stakeholders know why you need resources to ensure their safe, reliable drinking water supplies remain abundant.

  • Given at the Nebraska AWWA state convention, November 2010
  • Given at the Nebraska Rural Water conference, March 2014

Schoolkids now, customers later ▶

How to use outreach to schools through classroom visits and plant tours to ensure that the next generation of ratepayers and employees are well-educated about their utilities.

  • Given at the Nebraska AWWA state convention in Kearney, November 2012
  • Given at the Nebraska Rural Water Association Conference, March 2022
  • Given at the Iowa Water Environment Association Collection Systems Conference, March 2023

Twitter 101 for water utilities ▶

If your utility is going to use just one tool for online public outreach, Twitter is your best bet. (No, really: It's a better use of your time than Facebook.) Here's how to get started.

  • Given at the Nebraska Rural Water conference, March 2014

Water's ten most wanted, or: Your cat is secretly trying to kill you ▶

Ten hazards to water quality that can be fixed with the public's help.

  • Given at the Nebraska AWWA Fall Conference, November 2016

Seven dirty words that have to go

George Carlin had his seven dirty words. Water and wastewater utilities have seven of their own -- and they all need to be censored. Or, at the very least, replaced in our conversations with the general public. In this presentation, you'll learn why the words "potable", "sludge", "sewer", "wastewater", "garbage disposal", "treatment plant", and "operator" have to go -- and why "purified", "nutrient concentrate", "conveyor/circulator", "unwell water", "drain blender", "rehabilitation facility", and "technician/specialist" need to take their respective places. We'll explain why these substitute words are better: Not because they hide things (which is what euphemisms do), but because they're more direct, more specific, and more precise about what is actually taking place.

Social media crash course for the water sector ▶

What you need to know about Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and all of the other social media tools at your disposal...in one sitting.

  • Given at the Nebraska AWWA Fall Conference in Kearney, November 2018
  • Given at the Nebraska Rural Water Association conference in Kearney, March 2019
  • Given at the Heartland Operators conference in Kearney, July 2019

Building a messaging calendar

How to prepare a messaging calendar so that you're getting the word out to the public about issues that matter to your water/wastewater utility. By the end of the presentation, you'll have a full-year messaging calendar ready to go with ideas to share with your customers, each appropriately tied into the season of the year.

  • Given at the Nebraska Rural Water conference, March 2020
  • Given at the Nebraska Section AWWA Fall Conference, November 2022
  • Given at the Iowa AWWA Fall Short Course, September 2024

This topic is so dry

How can your utility effectively communicate the need for water conservation with the public? In particular, how can you get customers to develop good habits in normal years so that it's easy to pivot to conservation practices when conditions demand it? It's much harder to ask people to take dramatic measures at the last minute than to build resilience into community habits. This presentation will help you answer the question: How can I teach the community so that they will be happy to save water rather than resentful of drought-mitigation orders?

Wipe Out: 12 months, 12 messages to fight the flushable myth

Every time a customer goes down the right aisle at the store, they pass dozens of messages saying that wipes are flushable. The least public wastewater systems can do to fight back is to deliver the public one messaage a month about the consequences.

Utility management

How to communicate with utility boards and city councils ▶

Based on first-hand interviews with city council members, this presentation offers a brief guide to better communications from a highly practical standpoint, along with a brief introduction to communications theory. The presentation explores advice across four areas: (1) General communication skills, (2) Communicating technical expertise to a non-technical audience, (3) Putting people front and center, and (4) Responding to public expectations. More than 30 specific concerns expressed by real elected officials serving in Midwestern municipal governments are explored, along with practical advice about how to address them in ways that leave everyone in a better and more cooperative position.

  • Given at the Iowa AWWA short course, April 2019
  • Given at the Nebraska AWWA Fall Conference, November 2019
  • Given at the IAWEA Region 4 Fall Meeting, October 2023
  • Given at the Nebraska Rural Water Association conference, March 2024
  • Given at the Kirkwood Annual Wastewater Conference, July 2024
  • Given at the ISG Online Water training workshop, August 2024
  • Scheduled for the Nebraska APWA Fall Conference, November 2024

Practical tips for effective communications

Communication is the most-needed and (often) most-overlooked skill for getting groups of people to work together effectively. These are the tips nobody bothered to teach you in school that make communicating much more effective.

  • Given at the League of Nebraska Municipalities conference, January 2010

Doing more with less ▶

How to put the lessons of Toyota, Honda, and "lean" manufacturing (including benchmarks, continuous improvement, and training) to work inside utilities so you can get more done with less. Tips and strategies for providing world-class service even as budgets are drawn tight and the workforce shrinks -- while simultaneously making the work more pleasant to do.

  • Given at the Iowa WEA annual conference, June 2016
  • Given at the Nebraska Rural Water conference, March 2017
  • Given at the Kirkwood annual water conference, June 2024
  • Scheduled for the Nebraska Section AWWA Fall Conference, November 2024

Using off-the-shelf technology to improve your operations ▶

A number of free and low-cost products and services are available to help you run your water and wastewater systems with less effort and more reliability.

  • Given at the Iowa WEA Region 4 fall meeting, October 2021

Disaster preparedness

Disasters usually happen when they're unexpected. What should you anticipate and prepare for?

Benchmarking for small systems ▶

In the world of sports, a great rivalry pushes both teams to greater heights than if they were just competing against their own "personal best". It's just a fact that we, as people, compare ourselves to others. So how can small systems learn to benchmark their own performance against their peers and use those benchmarks to drive higher levels of performance? And how can civic leadership be brought on board?

  • Given at the NWOD/LONM Snowball conference, January 2020

Energy policy is water policy ▶

Discusses the importance of knowing what's happening in the energy industry to professionals in the water industry. Several things are simultaneously true, binding the water sector to the power sector: First, the power-production sector is the largest water user in the country, even ahead of irrigation. Second, water and wastewater treatment and pumping are usually the biggest users of electricity for most municipal governments. Third, it has become clear that meeting future expectations for water and wastewater purification will require substantial amounts of electricity, particularly if we are to be responsible for removing PFAS to the parts-per-trillion level. Fourth, it is evident that virtually all of our problems -- from pumping to treatment -- can be solved if energy can be made clean, abundant, and super-cheap (much cheaper than it is today). We live at the intersection of these different interests, and the future of water policy lies wherever the future of energy policy ultimately takes us.

  • Given at the Nebraska Section American Water Works Association Fall Conference, November 2023
  • Given at the IAMU Advanced Water Treatment Workshop, March 2024

Five communication mistakes you're probably making

The material they didn't teach you in English class, but should have.

We're communicating, technically

In this 30-minute presentation, we'll take a familiar technical document -- a NPDES permit rationale -- and illustrate how some formatting, layout, and other design techniques, when combined with thoughtful word choices, can make heavy content a lot easier on the brain. These same techniques can be applied to make materials like training documents, board reports, studies, and customer bulletins considerably more effective, without costing more money or wasting precious time.

Cybersecurity

Hack attack: Computer safety 101 for utilities ▶

Antivirus. Phishing. Spearphishing. Social media. Trojan horses. Payloads. DDOS attacks. HTTPS. There's a lot to know, and you probably didn't learn any of it in school. This presentation consists of a survey of the cyber threats to the water sector (utilities in particular) and a series of practical steps that responsible parties should implement to help ensure that they protect the public. Most of the practical steps are behavioral in nature and require no financial investment beyond learning and committing to the best practices presented.

  • Given at the Nebraska AWWA Fall Conference, November 2021
  • Given at the Iowa AWWA fall short course, August 2022
  • Given at the Nebraska Rural Water Association conference, March 2024

The maintenance you don't have to touch ▶

A review of the cybersecurity maintenance every water utility should be performing at least once a quarter on every device, gadget, gizmo, drive, laptop, controller, monitor, and smartphone in your system.

  • Given at the Iowa AWWA spring short course, March 2023
  • Given at the Great Plains Waste Management Conference, April 2023

How your utility got hacked

Somewhere, right now, a utility is being hacked by criminals, activists, thieves -- or worse. How did it happen? We consider several scenarios by which the bad guys get inside your networks. By starting at the end (assuming that it happened) and working backwards to the initial point of attack, we'll have the chance to see if and/or how the worst could be avoided by practical steps you can take along the way. Someone in the audience is probably under attack right now and doesn't even know it -- and it could have started in any of a half-dozen different ways, which we will review.

  • Given at the Great Plains Waste Management Conference, March 2024
  • Given at the Iowa WEA annual conference, June 2024
  • Scheduled for the IAMU water/wastewater operators workshop, November 2024

Cracking the code to speaking Cyber-ese

When someone puts up a fake Facebook profile with your name on it, were you "hacked", or were you "spoofed"? Distinctions like this are important, because not all "hacking" looks the same -- and it's not even always bad. It may seem like learning a foreign language, but the more you become familiar with the plain and specific language of cybersecurity, the better you're able to recognize threats, act on good advice, and detail your vulnerabilities.

2024 Cybersecurity Sprint

A survey of the top cybersecurity threats to the water/wastewater sector in 2024 and the key responses to undertake. Includes vulnerabilities related to network security, user errors, and social engineering attacks. Updated with the latest in significant threats, notable breaches, and recommendations specific to the water and wastewater sector.

  • Given at the Iowa AWWA annual conference, October 2024

2023 Cybersecurity Sprint

A survey of the top cybersecurity threats to the water/wastewater sector in 2023 and the key responses to undertake.

  • Given at the Nebraska Rural Water Conference, March 2023
  • Given at the Kirkwood Annual Water Conference, June 2023
  • Given at the Iowa AWWA Region 2 Fall Conference, October 2023
  • Given at the Nebraska Water Environment Association Fall Conference, November 2023

2022 Cybersecurity Sprint

A survey of the top cybersecurity threats to the water/wastewater sector in 2022 and the key responses to undertake.

  • Given at the Nebraska Section AWWA Fall Conference, November 2022

A Day in the life of Cybersecure Sam and Vulnerable Vic

Cybersecure Sam and Vulnerable Vic are water-system operators in two very similar utilities. Over the course of a single day, each will face a dozen different cybersecurity challenges. One will make the right choices and probably won't get much recognition for their efforts. The other will make choices they will later regret. Most of the right choices will cost only a little bit of time. Most of the wrong choices risk bringing about catastrophic consequences.

The nine major villains of cybersecurity

Dwight Eisenhower once advised, "If everything in war were a matter of common knowledge there would be no opportunity to surprise an alert enemy." It may not be possible to move everything about cybersecurity into the realm of "common knowledge", but a prudent approach to protecting our well-connected water infrastructure begins with at least being alert to who our enemies are. Popular myth would have you believe it's just a bunch of disgruntled adolescents living in their parents' basements, but the enemies list is much more complex. In cybersecurity, there are nine major villains to worry about: Hostile governments, terrorists, organized crime, lone wolves, garden-variety criminals, vandals, disgruntled ex-employees, compromised insiders, and script kiddies. How you should deal with and defend against them varies.

  • Scheduled for the Nebraska Water Environment Association Fall Conference, November 2024

Everything you've wanted to know about cybersecurity but were afraid to ask

There are no stupid questions when it comes to cybersecurity, in no small part because we're still writing the rules. Can you get a virus just by opening a spammy email? Can visiting a website infect your computer? Why do so many security people hate TikTok? Are my networks already infected with Chinese spyware? Did my friend get hacked on Facebook, or was it only spoofing? Is an iPhone safer than an Android phone? Should I put a cover over the webcam on my computer? All of your questions are safe with us.

Workforce issues

Preserving institutional memory in a utility ▶

How to ensure that a utility doesn't lose the accumulated wisdom of its employees when they retire or otherwise leave.

  • Given at the Nebraska AWWA state convention, November 2009
  • Given at the Iowa Rural Water Conference, February 2010
  • Given at the Iowa AWWA short course, April 2015
  • Given at the Iowa WEA annual conference, June 2015
  • Given at the IAMU water and wastewater operators workshop, November 2018
  • Given at the Nebraska Rural Water Association annual conference, March 2020
  • Given at the Iowa AWWA annual conference, October 2023

Ten steps to building a 21st Century water workforce ▶

Some things you can't control at a public utility: License requirements and pay grades are usually fixed. But those aren't the only things that decide whether people take or keep their jobs. Quality of the working environment, social status, opportunities for personal growth, and other factors matter as well. These issues are worth careful consideration in light of the exodus of many skilled workers from the water industry and the shortage of qualified applicants for many positions.

  • Given at the Nebraska AWWA Fall Conference, November 2017
  • Given at the Nebraska Rural Water Annual Conference, March 2018
  • Given at the Iowa WEA annual conference, June 2018
  • Given at the Nebraska WEA Fall Conference, November 2019
  • Given at the NWOD Snowball Conference, January 2023
  • Given at the Ankeny Annual Water Conference, July 2023

Rescue the rescuer first: Treating water operators like customers ▶

When did it fall out of fashion to talk about protecting the lives and safety of water and wastewater workers, as if it were a top priority in the design and operation of public water systems? There was a time, at least, when the American public marveled at the advancements in water-related sanitation because they still remembered how awful things were beforehand. And even though much of the work related to that progress was far more dangerous than it is today, there was a sense that the people working in the sector were public heroes. But now that safe water supplies and reliable disposal are taken very much for granted, it is far more common for the primary concern not to be "How safe can we make this for operators?" but "How cheaply can we get this done while meeting only the minimum standards from OSHA?" Things would assuredly look different if we still saw water-sector operators as community heroes -- and treated them as well on the job as they treat their customers. How do we get to that state of mind?

Public health and safety

Wastewater treatment: A matter of public health, not the environment ▶

Discusses the importance of wastewater treatment to public health, and why the public needs to understand the importance of wastewater treatment not as an environmental issue, but as one that directly affects their health and safety.

  • Given at the 57th Annual Great Plains Waste Management Conference in Omaha, April 2013
  • Given at the Heartland Operators Conference in Kearney, July 2013
  • Given at the Iowa WEA Operators Conference in Newton, September 2019
  • Given at DMACC to the Water Environmental Technology program, February 2020

Breaking the conveyor-belt myth ▶

One of the biggest challenges to getting the right resources into the public-water sector is the conveyor-belt myth: The popular perception that water is a tool for conveying other things. Take, for example, the so-called "garbage disposal". Sure, it's a tool for effectively macerating food waste so it passes through pipes and on downstream. But what does it say that one of the words most closely associated with the kitchen sink is the word "garbage"? Or consider so-called "flushable wipes", which definitely belong in trash cans instead of toilets. Or the common television trope of "flushing the evidence". In each of these cases, water is treated like a conveyor belt -- good only as a means of taking bad things away. The problem is that this popular perception overtakes the rightful understanding of public water as an essential tool of public health that only coincidentally happens to have a useful role as a conveyance mechanism. No, water shouldn't be treated like a conveyor belt: We should instead promote the image of water as a thing equal in status to a blood donation. It's essential for life, it's a matter of public health, and above all, it's so important that we should take great measures to avoid contaminating it.

  • Given at the Kirkwood Water Conference, June 2022
  • Given at the Great Plains Waste Management Conference, April 2023

Water: The #1 prescription drug in America

It is a virtual certainty that no drug is prescribed more often by doctors than good old dihydrogen monoxide. When you're sick? Get plenty of fluids. Hot in the summertime? Drink lots of water. Need to lose weight? Put water in your belly instead of snacks. There's no question that water is the most-prescribed drug by volume: Doctors want us to consume 2 to 4 liters of it every day. How would the public think differently about their water and wastewater supplies if they thought of potable water as the most important prescription in America? How often do we take for granted that safe disposal and treatment of used water prevents the kinds of outbreaks that are all too common after disasters (like the 2010 cholera outbreak in Haiti that infected 665,000 people and killed more than 8,000) and the sort of infections that remain devastatingly common worldwide (killing an estimated 1,200 children per day worldwide)? We in the water sector ought to be ashamed of ourselves if we fail to tell this story, every single day.

Water utilities: The President's other Secret Service ▶

It may be an oxymoron, but everyone knows about the Secret Service. If we're hearing about the agency, it's almost never for good reason. We know about the times the Secret Service wasn't able to protect the President, but they don't really get to take credit for all of the times they stopped something tragic from happening. But you ought to hear from the President's other secret service: The DC Water and Sewer Authority. And from every other water and wastewater utility in every city the President ever visits. Because in the 1800s, three Presidents died from a silent assassin: Bad water. William Henry Harrison: Killed by typhoid. James K. Polk: Murdered by cholera. Zachary Taylor: Assassinated by cholera, too. Even James Garfield, shot by an assassin, might have survived if his doctors had been aware of the need to wash their hands. As it was, he suffered from the time he was shot on July 2nd until his death from sepsis on September 19th, 1881. If more Americans knew the history of how often water acted as a Presidential assassin, perhaps they would have a better appreciation for the fastidious care we take for water today. But how can we tell that story to others if we in the business don't know our own history?

  • Given at the Iowa Section AWWA Fall Short Course, September 2024
  • Given at the Nebraska Section AWWA Fall Conference, November 2024

Stopping Mrs. O'Leary's cow

It probably wasn't Mrs. O'Leary's cow that started the fire that burned down Chicago in 1871. But one thing is clear: Fire protection is one of the most important things that public water systems deliver, day in and day out, to a majority of the people living in America today. Fire departments depend upon working hydrants, and automatic sprinkler systems frequently keep small fires from becoming big ones. The value of this quiet service is well worth considering more fully. It just wasn't that long ago when entire American cities went up in flames or lost entire : Pittsburgh in 1845, San Francisco in 1906, Atlanta in 1917, and Berkeley in 1923. Modern fire disasters have tended to start as wildfires and worked their way into urban areas: Oakland in 1991, Paradise in 2018, and Boulder in 2021 all fit this mold. While the wildland-urban interface fire problem is a complex one, public water supplies will continue to play a pivotal role in both automatic firefighting and what is done by human firefighters.

Budgeting and funding

How to sell your project to the board ▶

An overview of the funding environment for water and wastewater projects, how to find appropriate funding sources, and how to get key decision-makers on board with the right needs.

  • Given at the Iowa AWWA short course, August 2014
  • Given at the Iowa AWWA annual conference, October 2015
  • Given at the Nebraska AWWA Fall Conference, November 2017
  • Given at the Snowball Conference, January 2018

When $1 today is worth $2.50 tomorrow ▶

How to calculate net present value. A dollar today isn't the same as a dollar tomorrow, and knowing how to figure out how to calculate the difference helps lead to smarter buying decisions.

  • Given at the NWOD Heartland Operators Conference in Kearney, July 2011
  • Given at the Iowa WEA annual conference, June 2017
  • Given at the Iowa WEA Region II fall conference, October 2017

What's the best-case worst-case scenario?

An introduction to techniques for making management decisions with dollars and cents in the real world. When does it make sense to look at the expected value of a project? The "maximax" scenario? The "minimax" scenario? (And what are those, anyway?) When does it make sense to look at the averages, and when is it time to make a run to Monte Carlo?

  • Given at the Nebraska AWWA/WEA Fall Conference, November 2013

Money for nothing: The payback on an energy audit

It can be hard to find places to reduce budgets and achieve higher operating efficiency within a wastewater system, but energy is almost always one of the highest ongoing expenses. An energy audit -- looking at everything from blower controls to valve efficiency -- can be a great tool for reducing one of the biggest costs in the budget. But how can you conduct an energy audit? What things should you be auditing? How can you pay for improvements?

The biggest turn-on: When to use VFDs on rotating equipment

VFDs can be an attractive way to control pumps, blowers, and other rotating equipment -- especially if the application calls for changes on-the-fly. But VFDs also add both complexity and cost to an installation, and there are applications where they're doomed from the very start. They're often seen as "green", but sometimes they're only going to make you see red. How can you tell when to add them, and when to look the other way?

Maintenance and safety

Maintenance: How to not hate it (some best practices) ▶

Practical recommendations for maintenance as well as the framework for developing best practices of your own. (The full presentation is generally a 60-minute talk, but it is easily divisible into three parts, each of which can be delivered as its own stand-alone 20- to 30-minute talk. Those parts are [1] choosing the right maintenance strategy for the right equipment, [2] practical tips and tools for better maintenance, and [3] effectively communicating the need for maintenance.)

  • Given at the Nebraska AWWA state convention, November 2009
  • Given at the Iowa AWWA/WEA spring short course, April 2014
  • Given at the Nebraska AWWA state convention, November 2014
  • Given at the Iowa WEA region 4 spring meeting, April 2017
  • Given at the IAMU water and wastewater operators workshop, November 2018
  • Given at the Iowa WEA Region 6 spring meeting, May 2022
  • Given at the Iowa AWWA Region 5 spring meeting, May 2022
  • Given at the Iowa WEA fall operators conference, September 2022
  • Given at the Kirkwood Annual Water Conference, June 2024

Getting your CLAWS into pump maintenance ▶

The fundamentals of pump maintenance can be broken down into five major categories: Clearances, Lubrication, Alignment, Wear, and Solids -- or CLAWS, for short. This practical survey of those five areas offers beginning and experienced pump operators convenient ways to think through the process of keeping a pump operating in top condition in order to maximize life-cycle efficiency and performance.

Pump maintenance and safety

A basic introduction to what needs to be maintained inside a pump, how to do it, and how to stay safe in the process.

  • Given at the Heartland Diesel Conference in Lincoln, Nebraska, October 2009

Pump troubleshooting ▶

Jay-Z had 99 problems, but a broken impeller wasn't one. We've found about 50 problems that operators are likely to encounter with their pumps and have observations about identifying and addressing them.

  • Given at the DMACC Ankeny annual water conference, June 2014
  • Given at the Iowa WEA Operators Conference in Newton, September 2019

Pump maintenance and troubleshooting ▶

  • Given at the Nebraska AWWA Fall Conference, November 2015
  • Given at the Nebraska Snowball Operators Conference, January 2016

Total system efficiency ▶

A lot of attention is paid to "efficiency", but are we always looking at it from the right angles? Is a VFD always the best way to make a pump efficient? Is a pump's wire-to-water efficiency all that matters? When does making a system more efficient also make a job harder to do?

  • Given at the Nebraska Rural Water Association annual conference, March 2016
  • Given at the Iowa WEA annual conference in Altoona, June 2019

Safety in the wastewater plant

A review of some of the major hazards in wastewater plants and how to improve worker safety.

Taking gas hazards seriously

An overview of the major gas-related hazards encountered in water and wastewater operations, including their causes, how they collect, and what harm they can do to human health.

Everything falls apart: Maintenance habits for small systems

An introduction to the maintenance habits and practices to build into every small system -- typically those with combined water and sewer operations, employing half a dozen operators or fewer. This presentation examines routines like hydrant flushing, street sweeping, and trash basket checks, as well as recordkeeping and technology-related maintenance. Valve and gate exercise, pump clearance checks, and gas detection routines are also covered.

Pump applications

Self-priming pumps ▶

A brief introduction to everything you need to know about self-priming pumps but were afraid (or reluctant) to ask.

  • Given at the Iowa Rural Water Association short course in Johnston, Iowa, November 2008
  • Given at the Iowa Rural Water Association short course in North Liberty, Iowa, November 2008

I've had the prime of my life ▶

Learn the differences between priming, self-priming, automatic repriming, priming assistance, and other methods of getting a pump to, well, pump. Why would one method of priming make sense on a construction site and make a lot less when it's located on a remote lift station? When does it make sense to use priming assistance equipment like compressors or Venturis? When do foot valves help and when do they hurt? What are the limitations on priming -- and what happens when there isn't enough atmospheric pressure available to do the trick? When things don't work like they should, how can resistance be lowered so that NPSH stops meaning "Not Pumping So Hot"? And what, after all, is the relationship between priming capacity and operator health and safety?

  • Given at the Great Plains Waste Management Conference, April 2022
  • Given at for the Kirkwood Wastewater Conference, August 2022
  • Given at the Iowa AWWA annual conference, October 2024

Introduction to NPSH and cavitation / Cavitation 101 ▶

NPSH is one of the most important factors in determining pump performance, but few people know how to calculate it correctly. This presentation gives an overview along with practical tips for identifying the types of problems you'll see when NPSH is amiss.

  • Given at the Iowa WEA state convention, June 2013
  • Given at a private consulting-engineering firm, September 2013
  • Given at the Iowa WEA Region 5 annual meeting, October 2013
  • Given at the Iowa AWWA/WEA spring short course, April 2014
  • Given at the League of Nebraska Municipalities Wastewater Workshop, September 2018
  • Given at the Iowa Water Well Association Conference, January 2020
  • Scheduled for the Iowa AWWA spring short course, April 2020 [meeting cancelled]
  • Given at the Nebraska AWWA Fall Conference, November 2021
  • Given at the Nebraska Wastewater Operators Division Snowball Conference, January 2022
  • Given at the Iowa AWWA Short Course, September 2023

Troubleshooting pump cavitation ▶

Learn what causes cavitation, how it affects pump performance, and how to troubleshoot cavitation problems.

  • Given at the Iowa AWWA annual conference, October 2015
  • Given at a private consulting-engineering firm, December 2015
  • Given at the Iowa Water Well Association annual conference, February 2019
  • Given at the Iowa Water Well Association annual conference, January 2022

The art of the possible: Pump curves and system head curves ▶

Sizing a pump is a little bit of art and a little bit of science. This presentation gives a helpful introduction (or a handy refresher!) on how to look at pump curves and their performance envelopes within the constraints of system head curves, NPSH available, and other important considerations like priming lift and minimum required submergence.

  • Given at the Nebraska AWWA Fall Conference, November 2019
  • Scheduled for the Iowa Water Well Association Conference, January 2020
  • Given at the NWEA/LONM Snowball Conference, January 2024

Improving efficiency in your distribution system ▶

  • Given at the Iowa AWWA annual conference, October 2014
  • Given at the Iowa AWWA fall short course, September 2015

Top ten wastewater pumping hassles ▶

An examination of the top ten hassles encountered by wastewater operators: Clogging, cavitation, animals, lubrication issues, seal failures, motor failures, temperature problems, system changes, vortexing and air entrainment, and inattention to safety. Diagnosis, troubleshooting, and common solutions are all explored.

  • Given at the Iowa WEA Collection Systems Conference, March 2014
  • Given at the Iowa WEA Region 5 meeting, March 2014
  • Given at the Nebraska Heartland Operators Conference, July 2014
  • Given at the Iowa WEA fall short course, September 2015
  • Given at the Iowa WEA Region 4 meeting, October 2016

Introduction to pumps in a collection system ▶

  • Given at the DMACC WET Collection Systems class, April 2015

Introduction to pump hydraulics ▶

Pumping 101: Static and friction heads, what affects pump performance in the real world, parallel operation, series operation, cavitation, and pump selection.

  • Given at the Iowa AWWA Spring Short Course, April 2016
  • Given at the Kirkwood Annual Water Conference, June 2017
  • Given at the Nebraska AWWA Fall Conference, November 2023

Pumps 101 with glass-faced pump demonstration ▶

Using a glass-faced centrifugal pump, we can demonstrate the effects of problems like air entrainment and cavitation, the value of gauge readings, and oft-overlooked pumping gremlins like vortexing, minimum submergence, NPSH breaks, and more. A true hands-on "Pumps 101" class.

  • Given at the Nebraska NWOD Snowball Conference, January 2012
  • Given at the Kirkwood Annual Wastewater Conference, July 2024

Selecting the right pump for the application ▶

Pump application is a subject that gets a lot of coverage in theory, but what about in real practice? An overview of the factors that matter to a successful selection and application, including some that rarely make the textbooks.

  • Given at the Iowa AWWA spring short course, April 2017
  • Given at the Nebraska WEA Snowball Conference, January 2019

Selecting a well pump ▶

An overview of the important factors involved in selecting and applying vertical-turbine pumps and submersible-turbine pumps in a well application.

  • Given at the Iowa Water Well Association conference, February 2018

The heavy-metal guide to pump and flow-control materials ▶

Pumps and flow-control tools like gates and valves use a wide range of metals and non-metallic materials, including cast iron, ductile iron, stainless steel (of all grades), carbon steel, aluminum, bronze, high-chrome iron, ceramics, UHMW-PE, PTFE, neoprene rubber, and many more. When is it appropriate to use one rather than another? What matters in the selection process? And how much is it worth paying to get a "premium" material?

  • Given at the Nebraska Rural Water Association conference, March 2019

Gauges are a pump's best friend

It may not be as exciting as an episode of "House" or any other medical drama, but using gauges can help you diagnose exactly what's wrong with your pumps faster than any stethoscope. Through a series of case studies, participants will learn how suction gauges and discharge gauges can be used together to diagnose problems like broken discharge mains, clogged pump inlets, pump wear, and air entrainment.

  • Given at the IA-WEA operators conference, September 2024

Wet on the inside, dry on the outside

A primer on how to select and apply suction-lift pumps to a variety of applications. Explains the different types of priming (self-priming, externally assisted priming, repriming, and automatic unattended repriming), the limiting factors involved (including NPSH and reprime capacity), and how to account for system factors that affect a pump's long-term performance.

The world of seals

Mechanical seals versus packing; the different materials used in seals; characteristics of mechanical seals; lubrication; seal-failure warning signs.

Push it real good

It's an unavoidable fact that pushing against higher discharge heads requires higher horsepowers. You can't fight the affinity laws. How can systems be designed to make the fluids go with the least amount of energy going to waste? Force main diameters, in-line boosting (including for sewage), and valve configurations all make a difference. And when does series pumping beat higher speeds?

C is for more than just cookie

What goes into that mysterious "C" of the Hazen-Williams equation? What makes it change, and how does that affect pumping?

Pump stations

Key lift station design features ▶

Some lift stations are better than others, but all of them can benefit from thoughtful design features that help ensure their reliable performance for the long term.

  • Given at the Nebraska WEA state convention, November 2010
  • Given at the IAMU water/wastewater workshop, November 2021

Lift station buyer's guide ▶

A walk through the seven major decisions that create every lift station. Sometimes you end up with a wet-pit submersible station with a valve vault and a gen set, sometimes you need a self-priming station with a walk-in enclosure and an engine backup, and in other circumstances you need a recessed station with a parallel fixed backup. One size definitely does not fit all, and if you make the right decisions in the early steps, you'll end up with a better installation for the next 25 years.

  • Given at the Nebraska Rural Water Annual Conference, March 2018
  • Given at the Iowa WEA annual conference, June 2024

Backup systems for critical pumping applications ▶

When to use generators (fixed or portable), engine backups, PTOs, backup power grids, and portable pumps. Explores advantages and disadvantages of each option, and offers a framework for thinking about which one may make the most sense for a given situation. Gives engineers and operators alike a rationale for considering the optimal choice for a given installation -- which may vary from station to station within the very same community.

  • Given at the Iowa WEA Fall Short Course, September 2016
  • Given at the Nebraska Rural Water conference, March 2017
  • Given at the Iowa WEA annual conference, June 2017
  • Given at the Great Plains Waste Management Conference, April 2018
  • Scheduled for the Nebraska Water Environment Association Fall Conference, November 2024

25 ways to screw up a lift station design ▶

A survey of more than two dozen of the most common errors found in lift station design -- and, of course, how to avoid those mistakes. From safety issues (like omitting gas detection) to engineering mistakes (putting VFDs where they don't belong), and from thinking too small (about critical support accessories like backup power options) to emerging issues (like handling flushable wipes). If successful engineering is about the study and avoidance of failure, this survey offers a checklist of critical mistakes for which every conscientious designer and owner ought to be on the lookout every time a station goes under design.

  • Given at the Nebraska APWA Fall Conference, November 2018
  • Given at the Iowa AWWA short course, August 2019
  • Given at the Iowa WEA Region V spring meeting, March 2021
  • Given at the WEF Virtual Workshop for Young and Emerging Professionals, May 2022
  • Given at the Kirkwood Wastewater Conference, August 2022
  • Given at the Iowa WEA Annual Conference, June 2023

Lift station level measurement and control options ▶

A review of the advantages and disadvantages to various level control types (air bubblers, float switches, submersible transducers, and ultrasonic measurement) and the starter systems that respond to them (across-the-line starters, soft starters, and VFDs).

  • Given at the Great Plains Waste Management Conference, April 2017
  • Given at the Iowa WEA Region V fall conference, October 2017
  • Given at the Iowa WEA operators conference, September 2018
  • Given at the NWOD/LONM Snowball conference, January 2020

Revenge of the mole people ▶

Collection system operators face a set of very serious dangers when they go below ground -- especially falls and deadly gases, but also including animal hazards, heightened electrocution risks, and assorted other injuries. Those risks can be minimized or even eliminated with creative approaches to lift station design. In this presentation, we cover 18 hazards of going below ground and 7 innovative ways to minimize or eliminate them.

  • Given at the Great Plains Waste Management Conference, April 2019
  • Given at the Iowa WEA annual conference, June 2019
  • Given at the Kirkwood wastewater conference, July 2019
  • Scheduled for the Iowa AWWA spring short course, April 2020

Getting the most from your wetwell

How to get your wetwell to work harder, so that the investment you make today will continue to pay off for decades to come.

Pump station control retrofits and replacements

What factors should you consider when it's time to replace an old control panel?

When is it time for recess? ▶

Most people are aware that suction-lift pumps are generally limited to 25' of distance from the pump to the water level. That doesn't mean, though, that the benefits of suction-lift pumping have to be thrown out just because you're dealing with a wetwell that happens to be 30' below-grade. There are a wide array of benefits to be gained from locating pumps just a little bit below-ground in recessed applications -- including (but not limited to) operator safety, ease of maintenance and repair, flood protection, and backup power options. In this presentation, we analyze how to use a recessed station to strike the perfect balance for pump station safety and effectiveness within the limits set by Mother Nature (which include friction losses, available atmospheric pressure, and NPSH).

  • Given at the Nebraska Water Environment Association Fall Conference, November 2021
  • Given at the Iowa Water Environment Association Annual Conference, June 2022

Let's play "Hungry Hungry H2S"

Hydrogen sulfide is a three-part hazard in wastewater systems. Obviously, it stinks. That creates not only a public nuisance but also indisputably makes wastewater work more unpleasant. Secondly, it's a serious danger to worker health and safety, and not one to be taken lightly. (Literally: It's heavier than air, which can make it especially deadly for people working in or around confined spaces.) Thirdly, it's the feedstock for sulfuric acid inside wastewater pipes, valves, and pump stations. That sulfuric acid causes the corrosion that experienced wastewater-sector professionals have seen practically everywhere inside plants and collection systems. Instead of ignoring the problem and surrendering to the almost incalculable amount of damage caused by that corrosion, the responsible thing for custodians of wastewater systems to do is to combat the hydrogen sulfide at the source. One option is to dose with chemicals, which can be effective but are also costly and hazardous in their own right. A second option is to add oxygen or its chemical cousin, ozone, on-site at wetwells and pump stations. This second approach requires only a reliable power supply and some compact equipment to provide a long-term solution to hydrogen-sulfide-based corrosion. This presentation explores the costs and benefits of the alternatives.

Lift Stations 101: A buyer's guide for elected officials who don't want to get their hands dirty

A guide for people who know exactly nothing -- not a single thing -- about how pump stations work.

Special pumping applications

If we're running two pumps, why aren't we getting twice as much flow? ▶

An introduction to parallel, series, and parallel-series pumping arrangements, using system head curves. Examines the limitations imposed by factors like pipe friction and the maximum working pressure of pump casings, pipes, and valve bodies. Involves an examination of pump curves matched to system head curves, and how changing conditions (like roughness within the pipe) can move performance from its original design. Plus, how to get more flow by closing a discharge valve.

Those pesky solids ▶

Pumping wastewater requires that you move plenty of solids along with your fluids. When does it make sense to grind or shred those solids, and when does it make sense to pass them instead? Should solids be managed by the pump, or should you bring in other equipment like grinders or screens? And what about the "new sewage" everyone keeps talking about -- especially wipes? Are there really technological solutions to these problems, or do old rules still apply?

  • Given at the Nebraska WEA Fall Conference, November 2018
  • Given at the Kirkwood wastewater conference, July 2019

Purpose-built pumps

You wouldn't drive a moped to get lumber at the hardware store, so why would you tolerate misapplication of pumps for the wrong purpose? Here's how to make sure you're getting pumps (and pumping systems) purpose-built for your applications. Specific applications to be discussed: Sludge, septage/hauled waste, grit, headworks, main lift, brine, and nitrate waste.

Selecting a grit pump? It's not too hard.

The easiest mistake to make when selecting a grit pump is to zero in on the hardness of the materials inside the pump. Hardness matters -- but it's not the whole story. In fact, it's not even the half of it. Learn how strength goes much farther than hardness alone, and how operability issues matter just as much as what goes into the wetted parts.

Drinking from a long straw

How a self-priming pump came to the rescue for a river town that lost its wells to the Missouri River flood of 2011.

Which portable pump do you need?

Portable pumps come in all kinds of configurations (self-priming, priming-assisted, and submersible), power supplies (electrical, diesel, gasoline, and hydraulic), levels of portability (hand-carried, skid-mounted, and trailer-mounted), and controllability (hand-operated, semi-automatic, and fully automated). Which type suits your needs best?

Take this sludge and pump it

Special considerations when pumping sludge: How to do it right.

Valves, gates, and flow control

Full throttle: How to choose the right valve for pump control applications ▶

Butterfly valves, check valves, plug valves, AWWA-style ball valves, and many others are all in the mix when it comes to throttling applications. Each has its own profile for efficiency, size, cost, and ease of use.

  • Given at the Nebraska Heartland Operators Conference, July 2014

Face up to your shortcomings: How to select and apply seats for gates and valves

Sometimes metal seats make sense; sometimes resilient seats are required. In certain applications, wedging action is necessary; in others, a loose fit is good enough. And then there are centric, single-offset, and double-offset seats. Learn how to decide which one makes the most sense for your application.

Controlling your surges ▶

In any pumping system, surges are the inevitable byproduct of valve openings and closures and pump startups and shutdowns. The energy has to go somewhere when circumstances change. This is an overview of what's actually taking place inside the pipes, how much energy is involved, and how it can be controlled through surge-control devices like anticipator valves. Air-release valves and vacuum-breaker valves are also covered.

  • Given at the Iowa WEA Region 5 fall meeting, October 2014
  • Given at the Nebraska Rural Water Association annual conference, March 2016
  • Given at the Iowa AWWA spring short course, April 2018
  • Given at the Iowa AWWA spring short course, March 2024

Hydrant flushing

  • Given at the Iowa AWWA fall short course, September 2015
  • Given at the Kirkwood annual water conference, June 2016

Burp proudly: The importance of air-release valves ▶

  • Given at the Iowa WEA Region 5 spring meeting, March 2016
  • Given at the Iowa WEA Region 5 spring meeting, March 2019

Gate and valve applications and maintenance ▶

  • Given at the Iowa AWWA spring short course, April 2018

Have you tried unplugging it? ▶

A head-to-head comparison among plug valves, gate valves, conventional knife-gate valves, two-piece knife-gate valves, and pinch valves for isolating and throttling applications. Explores the comparative performance characteristics, friction losses (Cv), throttling capacity, operational requirements, maintenance demands, and installation characteristics (weight, lay length, pipe stress, etc.).

  • Given at the Iowa AWWA fall short course, August 2022
  • Given at the NWOD Snowball Conference, January 2023

Cutting like a knife (gate)

How a proven technology from industrial processes that remains mostly new to the municipal water/wastewater sector revolutionizes the performance of knife-gate valves by eliminating leaks and makes them an economical, high-performance alternative to plug valves. Illustrates advantages in terms of energy efficiency, pipe strain, resistance to clogging, and maintenance simplification.

Self-adjusting your expectations

Slide, sluice, and weir gates need sealing mechanisms in order to isolate water effectively. What do terms like "self-adjusting seal" mean, and how is the boundary between a metal gate face and its guiding channel created? Is self-adjustment desirable? Are other methods of adjustment useful? How do the different sealing strategies stack up against one another? And how do the non-metallic materials used in these sealing configurations perform under challenging pressure, media, and weather conditions?

Gates at the WWTP

How to choose the right gate material (aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, or FRP), and the right mounting type (wall-mounted, embedded, or in-channel).

Wastewater process and treatment

Lagoon liners and baffles

An overview of the selection, application, and installation of liners and baffles in wastewater lagoons.

  • Given at the Nebraska Wastewater Operators District Snowball Conference in Kearney, Nebraska, January 2008
  • Given at the Iowa AWWA fall short course, September 2016

Rules and regulations on lagoons and small treatment plants

  • Given at the Iowa AWWA/IWPCA spring short course, April 2004

Just let me slip by you here

When a lagoon isn't enough to meet increasingly stringent treatment standards, it may not be necessary to start from scratch and renovate the entire lagoon. With the help of a compact treatment unit -- just the size of a standard shipping container -- a sidestream treatment process can be introduced to remove ammonia using a membrane-aerated biofilm reactor, or MABR. This very low-energy approach consumes only about 10% of the electricity of a regular aeration system, making it suitable for installations where the power supply may be limited. The same MABR technology can be expanded in modular fashion to scale up additional treatment, and with the right arrangements and accessory equipment can be arranged to remove ammonia, achieve nitrification and denitrification, treat phosphorous, or perform end-to-end package treatment.

  • Given at the Nebraska Water Environment Association Fall Conference, November 2022

Small-scale UV and package plants

Treating wastewater at a small scale

Methane recovery from wastewater lagoons

Explains how lagoons at cattle operations, hog lots, and even municipal plants can be covered and why covers may be beneficial. Discusses the benefits, including odor reduction, greenhouse-gas reduction, and energy recapture.

Blowers and aeration

How to blow away your bugs ▶

A history of aeration for wastewater treatment, from coarse-bubble diffusion, trickling filters, and RBCs to ceramic discs and into the present era of advanced materials. Also with discussion of mechanical alternatives and Venturi systems.

  • Given at the Iowa AWWA spring short course, April 2016
  • Given at the Iowa WEA annual conference, June 2018
  • Given at the IAMU water and wastewater operators workshop, November 2019
  • Given at the Heartland Operators Conference, July 2024

You can't control me! Throttling blowers with valves and VFDs ▶

Aeration needs change over the course of a year for most wastewater applications. Air temperatures and water conditions alike can vary, creating the need for variable air supplies. Many plants approach this problem with a simple throttling valve on the inlet to their blowers -- often with just two settings: "Summer" and "Winter". Sometimes, that's enough. But in other cases, VFDs can make a huge difference to operational performance and cost savings. And was the blower sized for throttling in the first place? When is the right time to throttle? Where is the crossover between the cost of additional sensors and controls and the payoff in energy savings from smarter aeration?

  • Given at the Nebraska WEA Fall Conference, November 2021
  • Given at the Nebraska Wastewater Operators Division Snowball Conference, January 2022

Boosting blower efficiency

Aeration is a big consumer of energy inside many wastewater treatment plants. Which steps -- small and large -- can you take to boost your blower efficiency and improve performance?

A cold wind blowing: Temperatures, DO, and aeration performance

Air temperatures and water temperatures alike have a big impact on aeration outcomes. What are the basics you should know, and how should it affect your choices for mixing, blower sizing, diffuser or mechanical aerator selection, dissolved oxygen monitoring, and system controls?

Aeration from afar ▶

One of the main challenges for small and medium-sized wastewater plants is to provide adequate biological treatment within the confines of available space and workforce capability. Diffused aerators require cleaning, maintenance, and replacement, and both fine-bubble and coarse-bubble systems are subject to problems with clogging (especially due to the reduced buoyancy of aerated water, which can cause solids to deposit around the diffusers themselves). Moreover, any system that places moving equipment or parts subject to wear inside a tank or lagoon also requires manpower from multiple operators for safe operation. However, a technological innovation now available permits systems to be both aerated and mixed by the use of a simple self-priming pump equipped with a Venturi aerator. This approach removes all moving and wearing parts from the water, while providing both highly effective aeration and mixing using just one piece of equipment located safely on dry land. With the use of low-cost baffle systems and simple timing procedures, virtually any system can be designed for either batch or extended aeration, either designed from the ground up or retrofitted into existing facilities. The resulting system can provide highly effective, cost-efficient treatment that can be run safely and dependably even by a lone operator.

  • Given at the Nebraska Rural Water Conference, March 2023
  • Given at the Heartland Operators Conference, July 2023
  • Given at the IAMU Water and Wastewater Operators Training Workshop, November 2023

Weather, climate, and natural issues

Dealing with Mother Nature's attitude problem ▶

Whether you believe in anthropogenic climate change (man-made global warming) or not, we face a lot of weather and climate extremes that require preparedness and planning. Which scenarios should you consider? What do worst-case scenarios look like? What tools are available for forecasting the possibilities? Can you confidently say you have a plan for the next big surprise, whether it's a prolonged drought or another "bomb" cyclone?

  • Given at the Nebraska AWWA/WEA Fall Conference, November 2013
  • Given at the Nebraska Rural Water Association conference, March 2015
  • Given at the Great Plains Waste Management virtual conference, April 2021
  • Given at the IAMU Water and Wastewater Operators Conference, December 2022
  • Given at the Kirkwood Annual Water Conference, June 2023

The dirty dozen questions to ask about equipment in a pandemic ▶

The shock of the Covid-19 pandemic has made it clear that resilience needs to play a larger role in our planning for the future. Maybe a miracle cure is coming, maybe not. Maybe a vaccine will protect us all, or maybe it won't. One thing is certain: This won't be the last pandemic. Maybe the next one is 100 years off, or maybe it will happen before we've overcome this one. We won't know all the right answers for some time to come, but we can start by asking the right questions. Here are twelve such questions that need to find their way to the front of our minds as we evaluate products and solutions to the challenges involved in treating water for the protection of public health. Some of the questions are simple: Is this equipment compatible with social distancing? Can it be maintained by a single person, working alone? Some are more complicated: Can we handle a 25% negative surprise shock without catastrophe? For example: What if incoming solids loads rise by 25% because panicky residents are suddenly flushing an abnormal volume of Clorox wipes? And others ask how we fit into a broader public-interest picture: Can we use, adapt, or upgrade the equipment to detect something that gives us useful surveillance about dangers or about the well-being of the community? The twelve questions addressed in this presentation (the "Dirty Dozen") offer a context for featuring preparedness as an integral part of the planning process.

  • Given at the Iowa AWWA Fall Virtual Workshop, October 2020
  • Given at the Kirkwood Water Conference, June 2022