The Nebraska Water Environment Association MISSION and VISION

It is our mission that the Nebraska Water Environment Association (NWEA) is a water quality organization committed to public education, training, and providing leadership in water quality policy development.

We have a vision that the NWEA will be the pre-eminent organization of water quality professionals in the state of Nebraska.

The Nebraska Water Environment Association (NWEA) is a non-profit organization comprised of professionals dedicated to protecting Nebraska's water quality.  It is part of a national organization called the Water Environment Federation (WEF®) with affiliated associations throughout the world.  These organizations provide an excellent forum for communication, and provide educational information concerning the nature, collection, and treatment of domestic and industrial wastes.

Choose a link below to find out about NWEA leadership, history, goals, awards, and committees.

NWEA - 50 Years of History / 1952 - 2002

In commemoration of our 50th anniversary we have begun a written history of the Association.  If you have any information you would like to contribute, please contact:

 

Joe Dabbs at (402) 444-3922

Fax (402) 444-3921,

E-mail jdabbs@ci.omaha.ne.us.

 

The Nebraska Water Environment Association (NWEA) was founded in 1952 as the Nebraska Sewage and Industrial Wastes Association.

Our mission is to be a water quality organization committed to public education, training and providing leadership in water quality policy development.

The Association began with 46 members.  Dave Hill, City of Hastings was the President and Paul Mousel from McCook was Secretary-Treasurer.  An annual meeting called the Great Plains Sewage Works Design Conference (now the Great Plains Waste Management Conference) was scheduled for the first time in 1956 by then President, William F. Rapp, Jr. of Crete and continues today.  The primary focus is to help communities, engineers and plant operators design, build and operate sewage treatment works by communicating and sharing ideas.  There have been several name changes over the years. In 1992 the Federation approved a name change to the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and Nebraska became the first member association to change its name to the Nebraska Water Environment Association.

We currently have over 500 members, 19 standing committees, 4 annual meetings, 7 recognition awards, a quarterly newsletter, the web page, a Scholarship Endowment Fund, Membership Directory, annual golf outing, and an internal membership division called the Nebraska Wastewater Operators Division.

Other special functions that the Association has sponsored or participated in over the years include: the Voluntary Certification Program for Operators from 1962 until 1991; Operations Challenge from 1989 to 1996, Top Op Competition from 1996 to present, Children's Groundwater Festival from 1989 to present and an ongoing contributor to WERF, the Water Environment Research Foundation.

Nebraska also has a Quarter Century Club and a Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovelers.

Our own C. Dale Jacobson of Jacobson Helgoth Consultants in Omaha became Treasurer of the Federation in 1995, moved through the chairs to be elected Federation President in 97-98. He is the only member of our Association to ever hold office in the Federation however, Nebraska has had several of its members serve on the Federation's Board of Control, national committees, and contribute to presentations during conferences

 

“NWEA Hosts First Water Environment Federation Awards and Presidential Celebration”

 

The Nebraska WEA had the honor of hosting a reception for Mohamed Dahab at WEFTEC’06 in Dallas.  Over three hundred people attended the Awards Presentation, Presidential Celebration and Gavel Passing Ceremony including 25 NWEA members.  Dr. Dahab has been a leader and mentor to many of us in the Nebraska WEA for years and even a professor to a few lucky Nebraska graduates.  It was exciting to be surrounded by so many of Mohamed’s friends and supporters.

It was not surprising, but it was once again overwhelming to witness the generosity of the contributors to this event.  The Nebraska WEA appreciates the ongoing support of the following donors:

Platinum

CH2M HILL

HDR Engineering, Inc.

Iowa Water Pollution Control Association

Nebraska Water Environment Association

University of Nebraska Foundation  

The NWEA would also like to acknowledge the hard work of the group of NWEA members that helped to solicit contributions and plan the evening including:  Kathleen Alexander, Mike Arends, Todd Boling, Dr. Bruce Dvorak, Dale Jacobson, Daryl Kottwitz, Debra Leigh, Sharon Miller, and Fred Scarpello.

Gold

Electric Pump

Kirkham Michael Consulting Engineers

 

Silver

Aqua-Aerobic Systems

Bert Gurney & Associates, Inc.

Black & Veatch

HTM Sales, Inc.

Insite IG

Interstate Detroit Diesel

Jacobson Helgoth Consultants

Mellen & Associates, Inc.

US Peroxide, LLC

Vessco, Inc.

Vulcan Industries

WLA Consulting, Inc.

Other

ATL Sales

Hutcheson Engineering

Leigh Environmental Equipment, Inc.

Mc2, Inc.

MD Streeter & Associates

Olsson Associates

Willco, Inc.

 

 

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