The South Florida Chapter was established in 2017 to serve FWEA members located in Miami-Dade and Monroe County. As we begin our seventh year, we continue to grow our presence in the Miami-Dade/Monroe area through active leadership and participation. Our focus is fostering professional development and growth of both our professional and student members, while providing a local voice for the industry through education and public awareness, in pursuit of FWEA’s vision to provide a clean and sustainable water environment for future generations.
Please contact us if you want to be part of our membership and get involved in our Steering Committee.
January 2025: South Chapter Holds a Sold-Out Technical Seminar on PFAS Solutions
The South Chapter kicked off 2025 with a resounding success, hosting a sold-out technical seminar on January 29th, 2025. The event, “PFAS in Water and Wastewater: Solutions for a Healthier Tomorrow”, drew 120 attendees for a full day of in-depth technical presentations. A total of twelve technical presentations were delivered featuring insights from industry peers in the public, academic, and private sectors.
The seminar was organized into four blocks of presentations with networking breaks, lunch and a social hour providing additional opportunities for attendees to connect and exchange ideas. The seminar covered PFAS regulations for water and wastewater, including developing a strategic implementation roadmap, and a comprehensive 5-year program to achieve compliance. The discussion also presented approaches from other states including North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Colorado, as well as initiatives from local utilities like Deerfield Beach and Miami Dade Water and Sewer Department. Presentations highlighted different treatment technologies such as Ion Exchange Resins, Granular Activated Carbon and Reverse Osmosis. Additionally, a nationwide cost survey was reviewed, covering PFAS treatment, project delivery and key lessons learned during construction.
The South Chapter was honored to have among the presenters the president-elect of the AWWA Brent Tippey. Attendees had the opportunity to interact with the presenting experts through interactive Q&A sessions.
Opening and closing remarks were given by the South Florida Chapter Chair Abnery Picon; who highlighted the Chapter’s commitment to supporting local education and nurturing the next generation of engineering professionals via its donation to a STEM Program at a local high school. The chapter donated a computer, to the Engineering and Robotics Club of the TERRA Environmental Research Institute. We are proud to do our part in supporting and nurturing the next generation of water industry professionals.
An event survey was distributed; great feedback from the speakers and attendees was received, praising the seminar content and organization.
The Chapter Leadership worked months ahead of the event with weekly meetings, abstract review, venue selection, and speaker coordination. The timely coordination of the event allowed us to obtain the approval of 6 PDHs credits to the attendees.
Thank you to all the attendees, speakers and volunteers (Dhruv Anand, Genesis Gilles, Jose Abinazar, and Sandra Pedre) for their participation and support of our South Florida WEA Chapter. Special thanks to Chapter Chair Abnery Picon for her exceptional leadership in keeping the team on track and ensuring a seamless event.
Your presence and engagement were instrumental in making this event a success. Stay tuned for more events to come in 2025, and we look forward to your continued involvement.
January 2024: WASD’S 7.9B CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN: HOW DO WE FLY THE PLANE WHILE WORKING ON THE ENGINES
On January 24, 2024, we met again at the 94th Aero Squadron to celebrate our second Dinner and Networking event of the 2023-2024 fiscal year. In this occasion our keynote speaker was Billie Jo McCarley, PE, Deputy Director of Operations for the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department. The tittle of the presentation was WASD’s 7.9B Capital Improvements Plan: How Do We Fly the Plane While Working on the Engines. This was a sold-out event with over 120 participants all eager to hear Billie Jo’s message regarding WASD operational challenges, the strategies to seamlessly addressing these challenges, while maintaining the commitment with the community of providing a reliable service.
We greatly appreciate that Billie Jo took time from her busy agenda and commitments to share this valued information with our community.
November 2023: MIAMI-DADE WASD NEW INITIATIVES
On November 14, 2023, we celebrated a Dinner and Networking event in the 94th Aero Squadron at Miami. For this event, we were honored to have two keynote speakers from the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department.
• Amanda R. Kinnick, PE, Chief of Staff
• Catalina Lopez-Velandia P.E. MSc., W&S Chief Strategy Officer
Their presentation was titled WASD New Initiatives. Among the information shared with the audience was the process followed by the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department for the development of the five-year strategic plan covering the period from 2023 to 2028.
Over 100 members of our professional community participated in this event which included dinner and open bar.
THANK YOU TO OUR CHAPTER SPONSORS
CHAPTER LEADERSHIP
Chair
Abnery Picon | Jacobs
abnery.picon@jacobs.com
Vice Chair
Melody Gonzalez | Black & Veatch
GonzalezM@bv.com
786-226-3960
Treasurer
Juan F. Aceituno | Stantec
juan.aceituno@stantec.com
Treasurer-in Training
Lilian Marrero | Gannett Fleming
lmarrero@gfnet.com
Secretary
Ignacio L. Lizama | Kimley-Horn
jgnacio.lizama@kimley-horn.com
Membership
Jaime Abreu | Black & Veatch
AbreuJ@bv.com
Newsletter
Carolina Cubides | Gannett Fleming
ccubides@gfnet.com
PCOC/Webmaster
Laura Vogel | Chenmoore
lvogel@chenmoore.com
YP Liaison
Jissell Muir | Arcadis
jissell.muir@arcadis.com
Utility Liaison
Alberto Pisani | Miami-Dade DERM
alberto.pisani@miamidade.gov
Student Liaison
David Hernandez (UM) | Hazen
dhernandez@hazenandsawyer.com
Past Chair
Arturo Burbado | Black & Veatch
BurbanoA@bv.com
Interested in volunteering with FWEA?
Click the link below to fill out an interest form today!
Volunteer Interest Form
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