MWEA's 98th Annual Conference
Technical Presentations*
June 18th - June 21st, 2023
Amway Grand Hotel & Devos Place - Grand Rapids
Monday, June 19th, 2023
OPENING GENERAL SESSION
Mayor's Welcome – Rosalynn Bliss, Mayor of Grand Rapids
President’s Welcome - Elaine Venema, Fleis & VandenBrink
Conference Briefing/Overview - Cheryl Vosburg, MWEA
WEF Strategic Plan - Stephen Sanders, WEF Trustee
EGLE Update - Teresa Seidel, EGLE
Sharing Our Story - John Trofatter, Teledyne Water
Operation Wastewater: Desert Storm - Dave Connors, Waterworks Systems & Equipment
TRACK 1A: OPERATIONS
High-Rate Disinfection Optimization - Andrew Bennett, Hazen & Sawyer
Mission (Im)Possible: Upgrading a 3+ Mile Forcemain After Years of Disrepair - Franky Hang, OHM Advisors
Managing Data Quality from an Extended Sensor Network - Evangelia Belia, Primodal US Inc & Lauren McIntyre, City of Grand Rapids
Innovation Isn’t Just for the Big Guys - Innovative Concepts Applied to Design of Escanaba WWTP - Robert Smith, Black & Veatch
The Danish Story of Creating a Self-Sufficient Energy and Carbon NeutralWater Sector by 2023 - Ulrik Folkmann, WTA, Consulate General of Denmark
TRACK 1B: GRAND RAPIDS HIGHLIGHTS
History of Sewage Treatment in Grand Rapids - Kayne Ferrier, City of Grand Rapids
Rapid Fire Perspectives on a Collection System – Keeping It Real for Generations - Chuck Schroeder, City of Grand Rapids
Efficient Odor Control that Doesn’t Stink! - Jared Grabinski & Russell Lewis, City of Grand Rapids
Renewable Natural Gas Production? Fuel to Drive a Sustainable Future - Jared Grabinski & Russell Lewis, City of Grand Rapids
The Road to Energy Neutrality: Current Status and Future Steps for the City of Grand Rapids WRRF! - Evangelia Belia, Primodal US Inc & Jared Grabinski, City of Grand Rapids
TRACK 1C: WATERSHED & STORMWATER
Restoring an Urban Waterway: Stream Daylighting at The Highlands - Justin Heslinga, Land Conservancy of WestMichigan & Jacob Cochrane, Stantec
The Solution to Pollution: Adopt a Drain Grand River - Margaret Chappetta & Courtney Marek, Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds (LGROW)
Greening of Stormwater in the Macatawa Watershed - Kelly Goward, ODC Network
Smarter Watersheds: Achieving Measurable Water Quality Outcomes with New Stream Gages and Data - Branko Kerkez & Brandon Wong, Hyfi
Plan, Prepare and Implement a Pathway to Success - Sandy Buchner, City of Grand Rapids
Tuesday, June 20th, 2023
GENERAL SESSION
Welcome, Conference Briefing/Overview - Cheryl Vosburg, MWEA
MWEA Legacy - Sandra Diorka, Delhi Township WWTP
News From the Field - Steve Aiken, Duperon & Nate Ver Heul, Prein&Newhof
Water For People: Flowing from Everyone Forever into Destination 2030 - Mark Duey, Water For People
Grand River Revitalization - Matt Chapman, Grand Rapids Whitewater & Michael Staal, City of Grand Rapids
TRACK 2A: MANAGEMENT
Developing an Effective Public Outreach Program for your WWTP - Tom Asmus, EGLE WRD – Marquette District Office & Laura Mathews, EGLE WRD – Grand Rapids District Office
Sharing the Load: A Watershed Approach to TMDL Monitoring - Stephen Bylsma, Prein&Newhof & Cara Decker, Grand Valley Metro Council
TRACK 2B: PFAS
PFAS in Biosolids: A Case Study of Source Identification and Reduction at GTCSTF - Medhavi Gupta & Maddy Fairley-Wax, Jacobs
Establishing the Impact of Pyrolysis on Removal of PFAS and Other Pollutants of Emerging Concern - Britton Evans, Black & Veatch
TRACK 2C: HOT TOPICS
Machine Learning in the Real World for Predictive Operational Forecasting - Christopher Ranck, Black & Veatch
Resource Recovery AKA Entrepreneurial Opportunities for Wastewater Alchemists - Evangelia Belia & Michael Lunn, Primodal US Inc
TRACK 3A: LEADERSHIP
Thinking Differently - John Trofatter, Teledyne Water
The Great Culture Shift: Prioritizing DE&I - Donnell Duncan, Arcadis
TRACK 3B: COLLECTIONS
Improving the Management of Regional Collection System Assets - Mackenzie Johnson, OHM Advisors & Daniel Gacioch, Veolia
Getting Rid of Primary Clarifier Scum Before It Gets Rid of You - Benjamin Burroughs, Arcadis
Antecedent Moisture Modeling: Frequency Analysis & Case Studies - Erica Morgan, OHM Advisors
Siting of a 60 Water Transmission Main: Ethical vs Engineering Considerations - Myron Erickson, City of Wyoming
TRACK 3C: TOURS OFF-SITE
Tour A – City of Grand Rapids WRRF
Tour B – Green Infrastructure Field Trip
Wednesday, June 21st, 2023
CLOSING GENERAL SESSION
Incoming MWEA President Address - Dave Connors, Waterworks Systems & Equipment
Closing Remarks & Announcements - Cheryl Vosburg, MWEA
Dan Wolz Education Grant Winner Presentation: Monitoring Local Watersheds with MiWaterNet Sensors - Creating Citizen Scientists and Freshwater Stewards - Kirsten Hindy, Center for Freshwater Research & Education
Unity in Diversity; Celebrating DE&I and Building a One Water One Team - Majid Khan, Great Lakes Water Authority
Update on MWEA Legislative Activities - Mike Compagnoni, Midwest Strategy Group
WEF Presentation - Stephen Sanders, WEF Trustee
*Not all presentations were available for posting online.