Wastewater’s Operations Challenge 2024

Wastewater professionals show support for Florida’s exceptional Operations Challenge teams.

One of the most exciting parts of the massive WEFTEC Conference each year is the Operations Challenge, a competitive event that WEFTEC describes as “the water sector’s best professional development program wrapped up in competition.” Since the event was first held in 1988, WEFTEC has documented each year’s competition in detail and showcased the winners. (Read more here: Operations Challenge History.)

A year in the making, the Operations Challenge starts with more than a dozen regional events hosted across the United States and in select international locations, plus countless hours of practice and public exhibitions by the teams as they hone their skills in preparation to passionately and competitively represent their utility, region, and/or state in the annual competition.

More than 50 teams competed in 2024 as part of the WEFTEC Conference hosted October 5-9 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The conference, exhibit, and, of course, the Ops Challenge competition attracted 21,000+ attendees and over 1,000 exhibitors.

Operations Challenge 2024

Held over two days, Operations Challenge events simulate demanding real-world challenges faced by wastewater industry professionals every day. The five areas of competition assessed are Collections Systems, Laboratory Work, Maintenance, Process Control, and Safety, with each challenge designed to test and evaluate the teams’ diverse skills, knowledge, expediency, and results.

Competitors race against the clock to service critical equipment, perform lab tests, or respond to simulated wastewater industry scenarios, with teams divided into three tiers of competition (Divisions I., II., and III.) based on factors such as prior performance, newness to the competition, and other criteria.

Florida Ops Challenge Competitors

Proudly representing Florida were three teams that attended WEFTEC 2024, with two of them competing in the events. This year’s Florida Ops Challenge teams, based on qualifying at the state-level Florida Ops Challenge held in April during the Florida Water Resources Conference (FWRC), were:

• The Jacksonville Fecal Matter (Jason, James, Wayne, Darryl, & Patrick)
• The Polk County Bio-Wizards (Jeff, Chuck, Ed, Cody, Mandi, & Dave)
• The St. Pete Dirty Birds (Aubray, Natalie, Doug, Brian, & Lump)

(Select photos may represent teams from previous years.)

Turning in impressive performances, the Fecal Matter team saw its highest score in the Collections Competition, ranking 4^th among the teams in Division II. The Bio-Wizards team from Polk County, also competing in Division II., earned its highest score in the Maintenance Competition, ranking 2^nd place and taking 4^th place overall in the division.

Read more about the past Operations Challenge accomplishments of the Polk County Bio-Wizards and the St. Pete Dirty Birds in the Florida Water Resources Journal (August 2023).

Celebrating Florida Teams at Operations Challenge 2024

Of course, all great teams have their boosters. As a way to show their support, service companies and engineering firms in the industry stepped up, providing logoed windbreakers for the Florida teams, proudly supporting the team members and the mission of the Florida Water & Pollution Control Operators Association (FWPCOA).

Among the sponsors of Florida’s competitors in the Ops Challenge 2024 are: Heyward Florida Incorporated, F.J. Nugent & Associates Inc., Hydra Services, Inc., Blue Planet Environmental Systems, Inc., Woodard & Curran, Environmental Equipment Services (EES), Core & Main, U.S. Submergent Technologies (USST), and SediVision.

Wastewater Visibility News joins with so many others in the water and wastewater industries in expressing deep appreciation for the time and commitment the competitors dedicate to this competition and their jobs daily, as well as our appreciation for the industry supporters who stand with them.

Other Wastewater Visibility News articles about the WEFTEC Operations Challenge

• Here’s Why Wastewater Industry Professionals Will Be Looking Up in 2023
• FWRC 2023: Proudly Serving Public Servants of Florida
• Ops Challenge Takes Over FWRC

Wastewater Visibility News

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