Drawing on the top-of-mind concerns identified by its water executive members, AMWA has crafted a program of key utility management issues to be addressed in the recently finalized program for its Virtual 2020 Executive Management Conference, to be held October 13-14.
The first day will lead off with a session on leveraging organizational culture and next generation leadership to build resilient teams in water sector organizations. It will be followed by participant discussion in breakout groups on how to apply and build upon the ideas presented. Then, the program shifts to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s experience with an initiative to provide timely information to the community regarding potential impacts of COVID-19 on drinking water quality and how to safely re-open office buildings and facilities after extended periods of low- or no- water use.
The announcement of AMWA’s 2020 Gold, Platinum, and Sustainability Award winners will also be featured on the program’s first day.
The second day opens with a panel discussion focused on the demanding issues of affordability and equity. Water executives will share their frontline experience working with community groups and within their own organizations to develop and implement successful programs to address these challenges. This will include the Philadelphia Water Department’s first-of-its-kind Tiered Assistance Program and Austin Water’s multi-year plan to stabilize rates, which also benefits low-income residents enrolled in its customer assistance program. A panel, featuring a water utility executive, a state environmental regulator, and a water researcher, will close out the conference by discussing what is known about contaminants such as PFAS and 1-4 dioxane and how some states and utilities are addressing the risks.
The program on both days will run from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. ET, and all sessions will feature either breakouts or Q&A sessions to allow for participant interaction.
Registration for the conference is free and open to AMWA members, all other publicly owned water utilities, and AMWA subscribers.