For some the passage of a year meant new jobs and increased responsibilities while for others it meant retirement and decreased involvement in the industry. For all of us, it meant change. Last year, we speculated about the potential impact of Cryptosporidium, the Information Collection and the Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Requirements. These ideas, often born during conference forums, hold tomorrow's answers to today's questions. While the government grapples with the reauthorization of the Safe Drinking Water Act and the politics of drinking water, the drinking water community has acted to meet its scientific and technical challenges.
Conferences showcase many innovative solutions to water treatment, distribution, and quality.
Regardless of how and when the dust settles in Washington, professional conferences will continue as information forums for all levels of water professionals. The 1996 American Water Works Annual Conference is a case in point. This years small system program addresses waterworks issues that are as current as the latest electronic technology and as timeless as Taste and Odor Porblems. There will be five sessions devoted to different safety topics, five sessions addressing issues of Water Quality in the Distribution System, five sessions dealing with Developing Partnerships in Managing Small Systens, and six sessions discussing Water Treatment Tehnology. In short, whether you're new to the industry or a dusty old veteran,take advantage of the learning opportunities that regional conferences present.