EHPnet: Water Environment Federation

Each year, wastewater treatment plants in the United States process more than 11.5 trillion gallons of sewage water, enough to fill Utah's Great Salt Lake more than twice. This sewage has the potential to cause catastrophic environmental damage, and it is up to the people who operate the 16,024 wastewater treatment plants in the United States to ensure that it does not harm the lakes, rivers, and seas that will eventually receive it. The Water Environment Federation (WEF) helps professionals at wastewater treatment plants in this country and abroad exchange information and keep abreast of new technologies and regulations. In addition, the organization works to raise public awareness of water pollution and ways to fight it. A key resource for achieving these goals is the WEF's Internet site, located at http:/lwww.wef.orgl. Water quality professionals who visit the WEF Web site can seek advice from colleagues on everyday workplace issues-from handling complaints about odors to reusing effluent-by participating in the technical discussion groups found on the site. Each of the 17 discussion groups allows visitors to read and post messages on a particular subject such as air quality and water reclamation. Also available is information about the WEF's 47 technical committees. Each committee concentrates on a particular area of expertise, such as disinfection technologies or wastewater treatment in Latin America. Committee volunteers plan conferences and workshops and write and review articles for WEF publications. For example, the Collection Systems Committee is developing a series of public information brochures on sanitary sewer overflows. The Government Affairs link on the home page leads to updates on pertinent legislation and the WEF's own legislative activities. The full text of the WEF publication This Week in Washington is available through the Publications link on the Government Affairs page. Information about other WEF publications is available by following the Periodicals link. Here visitors find subscription information and author guidelines for Water Environment Research, the WEF's peer-reviewed journal, and nine other WEF periodicals. Over 350 other publications, targeted toward everyone from researchers to students, can be ordered from the WEF through the Technical Resource Catalog link. Free information and learning activities for students can be found by following the WEF for Students link on the navigation bar. Included here are coloring exercises for young elementary school children, meter-reading exercises for middle school students, and information about operating a wastewater treatment plant for high school students. Clicking the …