The Southwest Chapter supports and serves FWEA members located in Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee Counties. We strive to provide activities that reflect the FWEA goals of uniting our members with the public through public awareness and outreach, providing professional development and networking opportunities, and creating alliances to promote sound science-based public policy.
Our annual events include:
- Quarterly Dinner Meetings
- Student & Young Professionals Networking Socials
- SWFL Water and Wastewater Exposition
- Charity Golf Tournament
- Charity Sporting Clay Tournament
- Member Appreciation Holiday Social
The Southwest Chapter also proudly supports the FGCU U.A. Whitaker College of Engineering through continued contributions to our endowed scholarship fund from our annual charity tournaments.
18th Annual Southwest Florida Water & Wastewater Exposition Technical Program
Location: Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center – Punta Gorda, FL
Date: August 21, 2025
Morning Session | 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Track A: Planning
- Strategic Integration of PFAS Solutions in Expansion Planning for Lee County's Corkscrew WTP
Presented by: Raphael Knickerbocker, Ph.D., PE, Carollo Engineers - The Role of Smart Tanks in Distribution Water Quality Management
Presented by: Pavol Plecenik, Odyssey Manufacturing Co. - Optimizing Potable Reuse: Equipment Selection, Operating Conditions, & Process Performance from 10 Pilot Studies
Presented by: Joshua Benjamin, PhD, PE, CDM Smith - Plant City Water – Our Water, Our Future: Leading the Way in Potable Reuse in Central Florida
Presented by: Cole Anderson, EI, Hazen and Sawyer
Track B: Resiliency/Sustainability
- Southwest Florida Climate Change and Water Resources: Latest Predictions and Potential Impacts
Presented by: Robert G. Maliva, PhD, PG, WSP USA - Enhancing Utility Operations with Reliable SCADA Solutions
Presented by: Fred Toone, Solutions Consultant - Future Proofing Existing Wastewater Pumping – Innovations in Assessment, Retrofitting, Operability and Resiliency
Presented by: Jeremy Koch, Ardurra Group, Inc. - Enhancing Resiliency of High-Density Coastal Communities: The River Oaks Stormwater Pump Stations Project
Presented by: Rachel Loffing, P.E., Hazen and Sawyer
Track C: Wastewater Collection & Conveyance System
- Sensor Density: The Key to Understanding and Pinpointing I&I in the Collection System
Presented by: Jay Boyd, Grundfos - Fort Myers PS 162 Basin Evaluation: A Case Study in Odor, Corrosion, and FOG Control
Presented by: Asley Victor, V&A Consulting Engineers Inc. - Mandatory Sewer Inspections Using an Acoustic Technology to Inspect Sanitary Sewer Lines in About 80 Seconds
Presented by: Walt Woodard, InfoSense, Inc. - Smarter Collection, Stronger Communities: Vacuum Sewer Solutions for Resilient Wastewater Infrastructure
Presented by: Michael Pringle, Flovac Vacuum Sewerage Systems
Afternoon Session | 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Track A: Wastewater Treatment/Design Build
- Accelerating Infrastructure Renewal with Find-and-Fix Progressive Design-Build in Pinellas County
Presented by: Antonio Serbia, PE, Wright-Pierce - Decentralized Thermal Processing for Sustainable Biosolids Management: PFAS Destruction, Landfill Diversion, and Phosphorus Recovery via the SludgeReformer System
Presented by: Alexander Kraemer, Harvest Technology - Half the Capacity, Double the Challenge: Process Modeling and Operational Lessons Learned from Upgrading a Stressed AWWTF
Presented by: Zein Hayek, P.E., Associate DBIA, AECOM - Ave Maria WWTP – Package Plant 2 Startup and Seeding
Presented by: Steve Youssef, Jacobs
Track B: Asset Management
- Minimizing Capital Costs and Asset Management
Presented by: Sheryl Parsons, PE, Mead and Hunt - Tank Tactics: Strategies for Effective Water Storage Management
Presented by: Aaron Turman, McKim & Creed, Inc. - Data as an Asset: Fort Myers’ First Steps in a Digital Transformation
Presented by: Jason Sciandra, PE, City of Fort Myers - Performing a Water System Audit in Accordance with AWWA M-36
Presented by: Carlos Espinosa, PE, The RJN Group
Track C: DBIA Training Session
- Design-Build 101 for Water & Wastewater: An Introduction to Collaborative Delivery
Presented by: Guy Voss, FDBIA - Collaborative Delivery in Action: A Water & Wastewater Owner and Practitioner Panel
Presented by Scott Churilla, JD, FDBIA, DBIA Florida Region, Certified Trainer and Chapter Chair and Justin Sobol, PMP, DBIA, DBIA Florida Region, Certified Trainer and Chapter Chair
Southwest Chapter Sponsors 25/26
