FWRC 2023 – Proudly Serving Public Servants of Florida

Since the very first conference in 1990, the Florida Water Resources Conference has provided the hardworking water and wastewater resources professionals of Florida with an invaluable resource: each other.

Forward-thinking Floridians flocking to focus on flocculant flushing (among other things)

FWRC drew over 2,600 attendees last year, and the popularity of this conference is no surprise. Each year hundreds of exhibitors, scientists, engineers, and operators come together to share their knowledge and skills. There are currently 109 speakers listed for this year’s event, which is scheduled for May 31- June 1. The complete list of speakers and topics will be available later this month when the FWRC custom conference app drops.

Speaker presentations are only one aspect of the tremendous knowledge sharing inherent in an FWRC event. While this year’s schedule and resources aren’t fully confirmed yet, the tentative schedule for the technical sessions promises to be another industry-shaping two days of learning. Categories cover environmental and efficiency concerns, including: PFAS, reuse, reclamation, sustainability and recovery; administrative topics on utility management and facilities operation; and technical discussions about modeling, specific material handling challenges, and operational challenges.

FWRC attendees aren’t afraid to get dirty

Speaking of operational challenges, a popular attraction of FWRC is the Operations Challenge, where wastewater treatment professionals from throughout the state compete in teams of four for the honor of representing Florida in the international competition at WEFTEC later this year. Teams must compete in five separate events: operations, maintenance, laboratory, safety, and collection systems.

Last year at WEFTEC, team Dirty Birds from Florida Water Environment Association placed third in the Division 3 competition. You can read more about the 2022 WEFTEC competition here.

Scheduled activities also include a facility tour of the Hamlin Water Reclamation Facility (HWRF) located in Orange County’s Horizon West/Winter Garden area. Visitors will be able to observe the facility’s process flow in action.

Building the future with events for young professionals and women in the industry

Events at FWRC aren’t limited to only seasoned veterans of the industry. Three programs focus on building the next generation of wastewater professionals, acknowledging their talent and helping them grow their skills. On June 3rd, students will present during the FWEA Student Design Competition, sharing their findings and designs aimed at tackling current and future wastewater and environmental challenges. Workshops and a social gathering, aimed at helping these future industry leaders network, round out these targeted activities.

On top of an already deep list of valuable resources are even more opportunities, including the Women of Water Forum where women of the industry can exchange experiences, ideas and suggestions for helping women shape the water and wastewater landscape.

And the award goes to…

Even breakfast and lunch are eventful, with at least 3 award and acknowledgement events coinciding with conference breakfasts and lunches (included in full registration cost).

• FSSSSS Breakfast – Thursday
• FWRC Awards Lunch – Thursday
• FWEA Awards Lunch – Friday

FSSSSS stands for Florida Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovelers, in case you were curious. FSSSSS has been proudly acknowledging the Florida Water Environment Association’s best and brightest since 1956.

See you at FWRC 2023!

FWRC also boasts a wide array of professional exhibitions from all walks of the industry. In the exhibitor hall, you will find SediVision, along with U.S. Submergent Technologies at our booth, #919 right near the center of the exhibition floor. We’ll share more details on this as the conference draws near.

FWRC is a tremendous gift to the industry, and SediVision is more than proud to be one of the sponsors of the 2023 conference.

This year’s conference will be held May 31 through June 2, at the beautiful Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Florida. If you haven’t made reservations yet, the Gaylord Palms is fully booked–but accommodations are still available at several conference adjacent hotels.