Upcoming Conference Presentations: September 2026
NEWWA Annual Conference
September 13-16 – Manchester, NH
Session H – Water Resources
“Planned Downtime, Lasting Impact: Proactive Tank Rehabilitation Strategies”
Speaker: April Locke, PE, Project Engineer
The Town of Ware is undergoing a Rehabilitation Project for two storage tanks. Original work included rehabilitation of coating systems, safety improvements, and installation of mixing systems at each tank. Taking advantage of the pre-planned shutdowns, the Town chose to rehabilitate the tank valve vaults and site piping, highlighting the opportunity for proactive maintenance that can be completed while a tank is offline. This presentation discusses the project’s design and construction challenges and coordination considerations for tank rehabilitation.
Full conference program & registration are available on NEWWA’s website.
MEWEA 2026 Fall Convention
September 16-18 – Newry, ME
Session #9
“Beyond the Permit Matrix: Regulatory Strategy and Lessons Learned from the Saco WRRF Upgrade”
Speaker: Stefanie Tetreault, PWS, CWS, Project Manager
How do you successfully permit a major coastal resilience project in one of Maine’s most environmentally sensitive and highly regulated settings? Using the Saco WRRF Upgrade as a case study, this session highlights lessons learned in permit sequencing, agency coordination, stakeholder engagement, environmental review, and regulatory strategy that helped advance a multi-year wastewater infrastructure project from planning through construction.
Session #19
“When Things Go Boom – What You Don’t Want to Happen to Your Solids Handling System”
Speaker: Frederick Mueller, PE, Vice President
This presentation will detail the experience one small treatment plant had when its sludge storage tank went “boom,” causing its floating digester cover (now a sealed tank cover) to briefly became an UFO (unseated flying object). The presentation will also present the results of the investigation into the cause, the impact it had on plant operations, lessons learned, and the Town’s plan to move forward.
Full conference program & registration are available on MEWEA’s website.