Our Mission: To connect and enrich the Illinois water community
and increase the awareness of the impact and value of water.

Illinois Water Environment Association

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Student and Young Professionals Fall Rain Garden Clean Up Event 
Sunday, October 25, 10:00 a.m.
Pulaski Park (1419 W Blackhawk Street, Chicago)

It's time again for our Student and Young Professionals Committee Fall Rain Garden Clean Up Event! We will meet on October 26, 2025 at 10 a.m. in Pulaski Park near the pool.

After we finish the garden maintenance we'll plan to get lunch together nearby. We will provide shovels, gloves, and yard waste bags. Please bring water and dress in comfortable clothes.

This event is free of charge and does not require registration. 

Hosted by IWEA’s Student and Young Professionals Committee
more info...		10/26/202510:00am to 1:00pmHanting Wang

The IWEA Collection Systems Seminar and Exposition is dedicated to advancing the practical knowledge of the men and women who work in the wastewater collection systems of Illinois. Please join us for this fun and informative event!
more info...		11/5/20257:30am to 1:30pmDaniel G. Bounds

more info...		11/11/2025 

Leadership: Shifting Behaviors and Confronting Unconscious Bias
Thursday November 13, 2025
Noon to 1 p.m.
Zoom Webinar

This webinar explores how unconscious bias shapes management decisions, including hiring practices, and offers actionable strategies for leaders to identify, reduce, and address bias to foster a more equitable workplace.

About the speaker: Catharine Richardson, PE, Program Manager, TYLin, was named the 2025 Water Professional of the Year by the Illinois Section AWWA. Having degrees in both Communications and Engineering, she brings a unique experience to the management of infrastructure programs and projects. With 18 years of experience, Katie brings program management experience on major programs that have included significant public outreach including the development of inventory outreach programs. She served as Program Manager for the historic Great Water Alliance for the Waukesha Water Utility. As the Program Manager, she is leading the program team in implementation of the delivery of a new water supply system with a return flow system to the Great Lakes Basin. She also brings experience with the compilation of rate studies, developing funding strategies, permitting of large and unique programs, and preparing detailed design drawings for conveyance and distribution systems. Katie is also the Chair of AWWA’s Water Equation committee which focuses on raising funds to support workforce development initiatives in the water industry as well as community engineering corps projects in underserved areas in the United States. 

Hosted by IWEA's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
There is no charge for this webinar. 
1PDH/TCH

Zoom webinar link will be forwarded by separate email the morning of November 13.
more info...		11/13/202512:00pm to 1:00pm

FRWRD Plant Tour
Friday November 14, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Lake County Central Permit Facility, 500 W Winchester Rd, Libertyville

The tour of Fox River Water Reclamation District (FRWRD) will highlight two technologies: the Algae Wheel pilot program and the MagPrex® system.

  • Algae Wheel Pilot Program: This rotating algal contactor uses sunlight, CO2, and nutrients to grow algae and bacteria in a balanced, self-sustaining cycle. Algae convert CO2 into oxygen and sugars, while bacteria consume those sugars and release CO₂ back to the algae, enhancing BOD reduction and ammonia removal through nitrification. The algae then uptakes the resulting nitrates and dissolved phosphorus, improving effluent quality for both nitrogen and phosphorus while reducing energy use and carbon emissions—without adding operational complexity.
     
  • MagPrex® Phosphorus Precipitation System: Installed between anaerobic digestion and dewatering, this process removes soluble reactive phosphorus by precipitating it as struvite, a magnesium-ammonia-phosphate compound (NH4MgPO4·6H2O). The MagPrex® process can achieve this precipitation through the addition of Magnesium chloride and diffused air strips CO2 to raise pH to the ideal level for struvite formation. The struvite is then separated and removed, preventing phosphorus from recycling back into the treatment process and reducing scaling in downstream equipment and piping.

This tour will provide an up-close look at how FRWRD is advancing sustainable, energy-efficient nutrient management.

Lunch will be provided following the tour

Members $30 / Non-Members $40
Hosted by IWEA's Research and Innovation Committee


more info...		11/14/202511:00am to 1:00pm

more info...		11/27/2025 

Automating the Alkalinity, Ammonia, pH, and TKN Test Methods
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Noon to 1 p.m.
Zoom Webinar
 
Lab automation can significantly enhance sample throughput in the lab while maintaining data integrity and quality. Automation also can optimize the workload on lab personnel. Join Sam Youssef, Laboratory Manager, Fox River Water Reclamation District, as he shares insights on the state-of-the-art instruments currently being used in his lab to automate the testing of alkalinity, ammonia, pH, and TKN.

Hosted by IWEA's Laboratory Committee
Registration Members $20 / Non-Members $30
1 PDH/TCH

Zoom webinar link will be forwarded by separate email the morning of December 3.
more info...		12/3/202512:00pm to 1:00pmKeith Richard

Moving Up the Pipeline: A Panel of YPs Discuss Career Transitions​
Thursday December 18, 2025
Noon to 1 p.m.
Zoom Webinar

Join us for a panel discussion hosted by the SYPC about career transitions. This panel is geared towards students who are transitioning from school to working in the water industry and YPs who are transitioning from a technical role to a management role. The panelists will talk about their background and experiences and share advice. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions to foster discussion. 
 
Moderator: Hanting Wang
Hanting Wang is a Water/Wastewater Process Engineer at Donohue & Associates with 10 years of experience in water and wastewater engineering. Her experience includes project management, financial management, planning, field sampling, design, bidding, and construction phase services for a variety of water and wastewater treatment projects. She is an active member of IWEA, where she serves as the Chair of the Students and YP Committee, and ISAWWA, where she serves as Secretary-Treasurer of the Board of Trustees. She graduated with her Bachelor’s in Civil and Environmental Engineering and her Master’s in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
 
Panelist: Dewasis Dahal
Dewasis Dahal is a Water Resources Engineer at Maurer-Stutz, Inc. He holds a master’s degree in civil engineering and a bachelor’s in environmental engineering. His experience spans hydraulic and hydrologic modeling, water and wastewater infrastructure planning, and climate resilience. Dewasis has published several peer-reviewed papers on flood prediction, drought monitoring, and sustainable water management and serves as a reviewer for international journals in water and environmental sciences.
 
Panelist: Jenny Loconsole
Jenny Loconsole is a process engineer with 10 years of experience in the water industry. She has been with Black & Veatch in Chicago since 2016, specializing in wastewater treatment and process design. Jennifer has a BS in Civil Engineering and Master’s in Environmental Engineering. Her experience includes biological nutrient removal, full plant process and hydraulic modeling, and construction and startup support. Jenny is an active member of both the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and Illinois Water Environment Association (IWEA).
 
Panelist: Vedansh Gupta
Vedansh Gupta is a Product Manager at Aqua-Aerobic Systems, specializing in advanced primary filtration and wet weather treatment technologies. With a Master’s in Environmental Engineering from the University of Utah and over 10 years in water and wastewater treatment, Vedansh has led multiple pilot studies and full-scale implementations across North America. He is also a published author and frequent presenter on innovative filtration solutions for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment.

Hosted by IWEA's Student and Young Professionals Committee
Members $20 / Non-Members $30
1PDH/TCH

Zoom webinar link will be forwarded by separate email the morning of December 18.
more info...		12/18/202512:00pm to 1:00pm

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