This post is authored by Graham Nasby, general symposium chair of the 2013 ISA Water/Wastewater and Automatic Controls Symposium.

Plant reliability, safety and cost-efficiency are among the common goals of professionals working in the municipal water and wastewater sectors.  The Water/Wastewater Industries Division (WWID) of the ISA, which serves as a key educational, technical, professional development and networking resource for the sector, is gearing up for the 2013Water/Wastewater and Automatic Controls (WWAC) Symposium, to be held 6-8 August 2013 in Orlando, Florida.

The fall/winter WWID newsletter features complete details on the August symposium, designed for professionals focused on water and wastewater instrumentation, automation and SCADA technology.  “Smart Water” has been selected as the central theme for the event.  SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems typically gather a vast array of process data – the symposium will be looking at smarter ways to use this data. Topics to be explored will include using process data to drive better plant visualization, improve situational awareness, optimize operations and maintenance, and reduce energy costs.  Additional topics will include using data to enable online process optimization and improved asset management, along with several general SCADA topics unique to the municipal water/wastewater sector.

The 2013 ISA Water/Wastewater and Automatic Controls Symposium will feature two days of expert presentations on instrumentation, system integration, automation, plant case studies, new technologies, optimization, SCADA, HMI, human factors and alarm management.  In addition, specialty training courses at the symposium will be of particular interest.  The symposium is sponsoring a two-day, in-depth cybersecurity course and one-day course on flow meter selection/sizing.  Attendees can earn continuing education units (CEU) and professional development hours (PDH) by participating in educational sessions and ISA training courses.

The 2013 WWAC Symposium extends an open invitation for the submission of abstracts for presentations, papers and posters at the Orlando event.  Abstracts should be a maximum of 250 words and must be submitted electronically to the program committee.  Deadline for abstract submission has been extended to Jan. 31.

Also of note is the WWID Student Scholarship Program, which is designed to promote careers in the water/wastewater industry.  Open to WWID members and their children who are pursuing higher education, the scholarship offers up to $2,000 in educational support.  The scholarship application, which is available on Page 5 of the newsletter, is due by Jan. 31 and can be submitted via email.

The WWAC symposium is joint collaboration of ISA members and staff, as well as industry sponsors and partnerships.  WWID volunteers have solidified relationships with a wide range of supporting organizations, including the Water Environment Federation, the Florida section of the American Water Works Association, the Florida Water Environment Association and the National Rural Water Association.

More information about the 6-8 August 2013 symposium can be found at www.isawwsymposium.com

About the Author
Graham Nasby, PE, PMP is the general symposium chair of the 2013 ISA Water/Wastewater and Automatic Controls Symposium, which is being held 6-8 August in Orlando, Florida at the Crowne Plaza Orlando-Universal Hotel.  Nasby is a senior member of the ISA and a voting member of the ISA18 alarm management standards committee.  He works as a system integrator with Eramosa Engineering Inc. Contact: graham.nasby@eramosa.com