AWWOA 50th Annual Seminar

AWWOA 50th Annual Seminar

Welcome to the 50th Annual Operators Seminar!

This year’s event welcomes everyone back to beautiful Banff, Alberta to celebrate the Assocation’s 50th Seminar Anniversary! The week will feature technical sessions, networking opportunities along with many other special features to celebrate fifty years.

The 2025 Seminar offers a variety of in-person technical presentations on water & wastewater industry topics and trends worth 0.9 CEUs plus a half-day "Friday Session" worth an additional 0.3 CEUs. The event will feature an outstanding two-day trade show showcasing the latest industry products and services as well as our Thursday night Gala to present our industry awards along with entertainment for the evening.

Seminar attendees include: operators, supervisors, managers, system owners, suppliers, contractors, government officials, consultants and many other industry professionals.

QUICK LINKS

FULL PROGRAM - See Schedule Tab below
CEU INFORMATION
CHAT FEATURE INSTRUCTIONS
2025 EXHIBITORS

Questions? Contact register@awwoa.ca or visit the Registration Desk on-site (hours listed each day in the Schedule)

NOTE: The app includes all events taking place throughout the week. Your paid registration still indicates what you have access to onsite at the event.

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8:30am MDT

Registration Desk

Thursday March 13, 2025 8:30am - 10:15am MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Registered Delegates: Pick up your delegate package that has all you will need for the week!

ONSITE REGISTRATION INFORMATION:

Full week and single day passes are SOLD OUT. There is no on-site registration for these packages.
Trade Show pass - Note that this pass does not have access to the technical program or networking events (access ends Tuesday).

Information Counter: Ask your questions about the Seminar and the events for the week here.

2025 DELEGATE BAG SPONSORS - Taber Solids Control
2025 LANYARD SPONSORS - ISL

Sponsors

ISL Engineering

Official 2025 Event Lanyard Sponsor.

Taber Solids Control 1998 Ltd

Official 2025 Delegate Bag Sponsor.

Thursday March 13, 2025 8:30am - 10:15am MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Registration Desk

9:00am MDT

Session A - Implementation of Total Phosphorus Reduction in WWTP Effluent at 4 Wing Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:00am - 9:30am MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Adam Dul

Section Supervisor; Water, Fuels & Environment, 4 Wing Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake; Department of National Defence

Adam Dul is the section supervisor of the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) at 4 Wing, Cold Lake which is located approximately 300km northeast of Edmonton, 15km from the Alberta Saskatchewan border.

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:00am - 9:30am MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

9:00am MDT

Session B - Bow Island WTP Rockwell SLC 5/05 Migration Case Study

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:00am - 9:30am MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Nick Sawatzy

MPE Engineering Ltd

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:00am - 9:30am MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

9:00am MDT

Session C - A Chemical Perspective on the Utilization of Rotenone in Stormwater Ponds as Piscicide for Goldfish Populations

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:00am - 9:30am MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Brody Andersen

Bureau Veritas

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:00am - 9:30am MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

9:00am MDT

Session D - Exploding Demand - A Race to Keep Up: Exploring the WILD Story Behind the WILDRWSC

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:00am - 9:30am MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Sophie Sadowski

Stantec

Joe Duplessie

Raejo Contracting Inc

Jason Madge

WILD Regional Water Services Commission

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:00am - 9:30am MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

9:30am MDT

Session A - Tackling H2S and FOG in your Sewer! Town of Diamond Valley Project Review - Part II

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:30am - 10:15am MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Jonathan Lee

Director, Acti-Zyme Products Ltd.

Jonathan promotes and manages projects using Acti-Zyme Products, an all-natural biological enhancement technology, and is responsible for business development within North America. Acti-Zyme Products provide improved treatment and increased digestion of organics in wastewater treatments... Read More →

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:30am - 10:15am MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

9:30am MDT

Session B - Chemical Feed Systems: Upgrades to Prevent Leaks and Unnecessary Maintenance

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:30am - 10:15am MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Justin Giroux

OPTCO Ltd

Justin’s passion for water and the environment, love of the outdoors, and entrepreneurial spirit has led to a career in the water industry, which began directly after graduating university with an Honours Degree in Commerce in 2004. For 20 years, Justin has been consulting with... Read More →

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:30am - 10:15am MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

9:30am MDT

Session C - Lift Station Maintenance Optimization as Implemented in the EPCOR Storm and Sanitary Stations within the City of Edmonton

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:30am - 10:15am MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Nicole Ewing

EPCOR/City of Edmonton

Clayton Perron

EPCOR/City of Edmonton

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:30am - 10:15am MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

9:30am MDT

Session D - Clear Waters Ahead: The Development of EPCOR's Uni-Directional Flushing Program and Where We Are Today

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:30am - 10:15am MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Explore the origins of EPCOR’s Uni- Directional flushing program, and how it has evolved over time. Included is an overview of EPCOR's water distribution system and an explanation why this method is optimal for our routine flushing program. Key points will include the advantages of a UDF program, the criteria we use to determine flushing frequency, the adjustments we’ve made to our priorities over the years, as well as other factors to consider when flushing water distribution mains.

Speakers

Shawni Lupaschuk

Crew Lead, EPCOR

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:30am - 10:15am MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

10:15am MDT

Break

Thursday March 13, 2025 10:15am - 10:45am MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Thursday March 13, 2025 10:15am - 10:45am MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Break

10:45am MDT

Session A - Sleep Deprivation: Signs; Symptoms; Effects and How to Address It

Thursday March 13, 2025 10:45am - 11:15am MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Operators working in plants requiring 24/7 attendance commonly follow shift schedules and are required to work night shifts; leading to sleep deprivation. This discussion will address how to recognize the signs and symptoms of sleep deprivation; and how it affects your personal; home and work life. It will also look at 2 recent studies that were done about a possible future blood test for sleep exhaustion and how cursing may provide a short-term boost to alertness.

Speakers

Ryan Vogelgesang

EPCOR

Level 4 WWTP operator at the Goldbar WWTP in Edmonton and first time presenter.

Mark Morrison

EPCOR

Mark Morrison is a 24 year industry veteran with 20 years of experience working shiftwork at water treatment plants. His first Banff conference was way back in the 1980's as part of the brat pack running the hallways. Today it's his honour to share his insights on shiftwork and sleep... Read More →

Thursday March 13, 2025 10:45am - 11:15am MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

10:45am MDT

Session B - Back to the Well: Revisiting the Case for Direct Feed RO

Thursday March 13, 2025 10:45am - 11:15am MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Exhibitors

Daine Todd

Delco Water

Daine Todd will be presenting on behalf of Delco Water. Daine holds the position of Technical Sales Engineer for Alberta. He will be presenting an insightful talk titled "Back to the Well: Revisiting the Case for Direct Feed Reverse Osmosis”. Three pivotal case studies will be discussed... Read More →

Thursday March 13, 2025 10:45am - 11:15am MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

10:45am MDT

Session C - Service Lateral Maintenance Strategies

Thursday March 13, 2025 10:45am - 11:15am MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Mark Wille

Strathcona County

Stefan Tirschmann

Water and Wastewater Leadhand, Strathcona County

Thursday March 13, 2025 10:45am - 11:15am MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

10:45am MDT

Session D - Effective Budgeting and Resource Allocation for Community Impact

Thursday March 13, 2025 10:45am - 11:15am MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Scott Dallas

City of Red Deer / City of Lacombe

Thursday March 13, 2025 10:45am - 11:15am MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

11:15am MDT

Session A - Saving Time and Money with an Operation and Maintenance Specialist

Thursday March 13, 2025 11:15am - 12:00pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Kerri Barenz

Project Manager | Operation and Maintenance Specialist, Jacobs

Kerri is a water professional with over 14 years of hands-on experience in the industry. She has over a decade of experience as a certified operator in Manitoba, managing, operating and optimizing BNR facilities. Over the past decade her shifted her career to project management where... Read More →

Thursday March 13, 2025 11:15am - 12:00pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

11:15am MDT

Session B - Operator Involvement and Leadership: Commissioning at the Glenmore Water Treatment Plant

Thursday March 13, 2025 11:15am - 12:00pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Anne Bridgman

Associated Engineering

Jibin Kottayil

City of Calgary

Jibin graduated from SAIT and has worked as an operator for the past 10 years at the Bearspaw and Glenmore water treatment plants. He is currently a Level 2 water treatment operator for the City of Calgary.

Thursday March 13, 2025 11:15am - 12:00pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

11:15am MDT

Session C - See & Hear the 3-Types of Centrifugal Pump Cavitation

Thursday March 13, 2025 11:15am - 12:00pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Stefan Fediw

John Brooks Company Limited

Stefan Fediw has been in the fluid transfer industry for over 25 years. In that time he hasworked for several pump manufacturers along with equipment distributors. For many years, Stefanalso taught several Millwright (night-school) College courses. In his current position, with John... Read More →

Thursday March 13, 2025 11:15am - 12:00pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

11:15am MDT

Session D - “The Field of Dreams” – Water System Contamination to Recovery

Thursday March 13, 2025 11:15am - 12:00pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Grant Dixon

Associated Engineering

Grant is the Manager of the Regional Water Group for Associated Engineering as well as the Manager of the Advanced Technology Applications Infrastructure Management (ATAP). Grant has over 30 years of experience with a diverse background in water and wastewater for Municipal and First... Read More →

Al MacAllister

Utilities Supervisor (Public Operations), City of St. Albert

Thursday March 13, 2025 11:15am - 12:00pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

12:00pm MDT

Lunch 12:00pm to 1:30pm

Thursday March 13, 2025 12:00pm - 1:30pm MDT

Lunch on your own - please return for 1:30pm start

Thursday March 13, 2025 12:00pm - 1:30pm MDT
Lunch on your own - please return for 1:30pm start

Break

1:30pm MDT

Session A - Zero Chlorine Sensor – Key to Dechlorination

Thursday March 13, 2025 1:30pm - 2:00pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Hashanth Sasitharan

Applications Engineer, Capital H20 Systems Inc.

Hashanth Sasitharan, P. Eng – Is an applications engineer with Capital H2O Systems who has been involved in the water and wastewater treatment industry for 5 years. His experience stems from participating in the consulting, design and commissioning of several Water Treatment facilities... Read More →

Brett Smith

Municipal Lead – Western Canada, Prominent Fluid Controls

Brett Smith, Municipal Lead – Western Canada for Prominent Fluid Controls has over 20 years of Industrial Sales experience in Pumps, Valves, Instrumentation & Water Purification applications and is a graduate of NAIT’s Industrial Food Technology program.

Thursday March 13, 2025 1:30pm - 2:00pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

1:30pm MDT

Session B - Lessons Learned - Reverse Osmosis Package Integration to an Existing Facility

Thursday March 13, 2025 1:30pm - 2:00pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Patrick Perera

Scovan Inc

Project Engineer in Alberta for over 17 yearsChemical Engineering graduate from University of Waterloo OntarioA member of AWWOA for 4 yearsOther interest included practicing communications with non-verbal Autistic son using RPM method

Thursday March 13, 2025 1:30pm - 2:00pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

1:30pm MDT

Session C - Sewer Force Mains “A Pro-active Approach to Asset Management of these Often-overlooked Buried Pipelines"

Thursday March 13, 2025 1:30pm - 2:00pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Kelsey Schellenberg

SFE GLOBAL (SFE) is a municipal and industrial service company specializing in underground infrastructure assessment, monitoring, and environmental data management. We have been conducting services of this nature for Government, Consulting Engineers, and Industrial Clients since... Read More →

Thursday March 13, 2025 1:30pm - 2:00pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

1:30pm MDT

Session D - Decoding the Pump Curve and Other Pump Basics

Thursday March 13, 2025 1:30pm - 2:00pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Bailey Ferguson

Associated Engineering

Bob Hawboldt

Associated Engineering

Bob is Associated Engineering’s National Technical Specialist in Fluid Dynamics and works out of AE’s Saskatoon office. He provides technical support in hydraulics across the company and has particular interest in pumping systems, computational fluid dynamics and hydraulic transients... Read More →

Thursday March 13, 2025 1:30pm - 2:00pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

2:00pm MDT

Session A - Bridging the Gap: Integrating Real-Time Lab Data into Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations with VTSCADA; Low-cost Hardware; and Custom 3D Printing

Thursday March 13, 2025 2:00pm - 2:45pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Lee Allen

City of Lethbridge

Lee has worked at Lethbridge WWTP for the past 13 years. He is a certified electronics engineering technologist and the senior automation developer / and SCADA integrator for the City of Lethbridge wastewater treatment plant. Lee has over 3 decades of experience working in industrial... Read More →

Chase Morrell

City of Lethbridge

Chase has worked at Lethbridge WWTP for the past 9 years. He is a Level 2 Operator and his main areas of interest are in laboratory analysis and SCADA development. He was recently promoted to the position of System Integrator.

Thursday March 13, 2025 2:00pm - 2:45pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

2:00pm MDT

Session B - Optimizing Freshwater Quality Through Advanced Ogygenation Techniques

Thursday March 13, 2025 2:00pm - 2:45pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Ray Menard

Managing Partner, ACC Water Solutions Inc

Ray Menard is the co-founder and managing partner at ACC Water Solutions Inc., bringing over a decade of expertise in diverse water environments, including recirculatory aquaculture, municipal raw water, stormwater, wastewater, and ecosystems such as lakes and ponds. At the helm of... Read More →

Dhaval Vaghasiya

Environmental Scientist, ACC Water Solutions Inc.

Dhaval Vaghasiya, a chemical engineering graduate, completed a dual master's in Environmental Management and Energy & Environmental Engineering at the University of Calgary. This solidified his expertise in water and wastewater treatment, with a particular focus on aeration design... Read More →

Thursday March 13, 2025 2:00pm - 2:45pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

2:00pm MDT

Session C - Inflow & Infiltration Mitigation - For Operators

Thursday March 13, 2025 2:00pm - 2:45pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Ravi Nagarajan

Engineering Sales Manager, Carboline Global

Engineering Sales Manager for Carboline Global Inc for Western Canada, based in Calgary. He has twenty-five years’ experience in protective coating Industry spanning various roles including technical sales support and Inspection. He is an AMPP Senior Coating Inspector and Instructor... Read More →

Thursday March 13, 2025 2:00pm - 2:45pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

2:00pm MDT

Session D - Water Meter Exchange Program - It's All About Communication

Thursday March 13, 2025 2:00pm - 2:45pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Leanne Lammertsen

Water and Wastewater Operations Manager, City of Lethbridge

Dustin Smith

City of Lethbridge

Liam Nixon

Communications Strategist, City of Lethbridge

Liam joined the City of Lethbridge as a Communications Strategist in November 2023, bringing more than 15 years of experience in southern Alberta newsrooms. In his current role, he has led Communications for several key initiatives, including the Water Meter Upgrade Program, where... Read More →

Thursday March 13, 2025 2:00pm - 2:45pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

2:45pm MDT

Break

Thursday March 13, 2025 2:45pm - 3:00pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Break

Thursday March 13, 2025 2:45pm - 3:00pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Break

3:00pm MDT

Session A - Dewatering Technology Upgrade: From Centrifuges to Rotary Presses

Thursday March 13, 2025 3:00pm - 3:30pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Gareth Kingsford

Project and Maintenance Coordinator, Town of Banff

Project and Maintenance Coordinator for the Banff Water Services department.P. Eng with Apegga and NACE level 2 CIP.Professional engineer responsible for the execution of projects within the Water Services department for the Town of Banff over the past 6 years. Previous career in... Read More →

Liva Tessier

Structural Engineer | Project Manager, Associated Engineering

Structural engineer and project manager with over 10 years of multi-disciplinary design and construction experience. Worked 4 years in Europe on large scale mixed-use and infrastructure projects before joining Associated Engineering in Canada. Consultant project manager for the dewatering... Read More →

Thursday March 13, 2025 3:00pm - 3:30pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

3:00pm MDT

Session B - Lethbridge WTP Filter Capacity Upgrades

Thursday March 13, 2025 3:00pm - 3:30pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Robert Keith

City of Lethbridge

Tyler Bennett

President, Coagtech Ltd.

Tyler is a water and wastewater engineer with experience in design, construction, commissioning, operation, and optimization of complex water and wastewater treatment and conveyance systems. During his master’s degree at the University of Alberta he began exploring the concept of... Read More →

Thursday March 13, 2025 3:00pm - 3:30pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

3:00pm MDT

Session D - Field Level Communication Enhancement

Thursday March 13, 2025 3:00pm - 3:30pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Dallas Weiss

EPCOR

Brent Wolfe

EPCOR

A

Alex Dowds

EPCOR

Thursday March 13, 2025 3:00pm - 3:30pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

3:30pm MDT

Session A - Managing FOG in Your Wastewater System: A Pathway to Success

Thursday March 13, 2025 3:30pm - 4:00pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Didier Arnould

Industrial Monitoring and Compliance Inspector, The City of Calgary, Water Quality and Regulatory Assurance

Didier has worked in the water industry at the City of Calgary for 20 years; though ironically, he is still not a big fan of swimming. He has spent the last 12 years as a dedicated Industrial Compliance Inspector, protecting wastewater infrastructure as well as the environment... Read More →

Ethan Yeomans

City of Calgary

Thursday March 13, 2025 3:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

3:30pm MDT

Session B - City of Red Deer - Water Treatment Plant Liquid Ammonium Sulfate Upgrades

Thursday March 13, 2025 3:30pm - 4:00pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Cynthia Lee

Environmental Planning Engineer II, City of Red Deer

Cynthia Lee is an Environmental Planning Engineer with the City of Red Deer’s Utilities Department. She has a combined 7 years of experience working with municipal infrastructure, including design development, construction inspection, and project management of new or retrofits of... Read More →

Jarrett McAuley

Water Specialist, City of Red Deer

Jarrett McAuley is an Environmental Services Specialist with the City of Red Deer’s Water Utility. Jarrett has 14 years of experience in Water Treatment which includes time as a treatment plant operator, developing trials for process optimization, assisting on capital projects... Read More →

Thursday March 13, 2025 3:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

3:30pm MDT

Session D - Alberta Environment and Protected Areas – Certification Update

Thursday March 13, 2025 3:30pm - 4:00pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Speakers

Christine Donovan

Operator Certification Lead, Alberta Environment and Protected Areas

Tammy Elzinga

Operator Certification Coordinator, Alberta Environment and Protected Areas

Thursday March 13, 2025 3:30pm - 4:00pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Technical Session

6:00pm MDT

Reception - Alpine Meadows

Thursday March 13, 2025 6:00pm - 7:00pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Thursday March 13, 2025 6:00pm - 7:00pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Networking Event

7:00pm MDT

Annual Banquet and Awards

Thursday March 13, 2025 7:00pm - 10:30pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Ticketed Event - Annual Banquet - Special Presentation of the Past Chair Award and the Passing of the Gavel

Speakers

Chris Huston

Manager of Utilities, City of Lacombe

Manage water, wastewater, regional water and solid waste.

Nathan Vis

EPCOR

Thursday March 13, 2025 7:00pm - 10:30pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Networking Event

9:00pm MDT

Entertainment - Comedy Act

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:00pm - 10:00pm MDT

Banff Park Lodge

Comedian Kelly Taylor will join us to provide the evening entertainment. Kelly Taylor made his mark early in comedy when he placed second in the prestigious Just for Laughs Homegrown competition.

Speakers

Kelly Taylor

Thursday March 13, 2025 9:00pm - 10:00pm MDT
Banff Park Lodge 201 Lynx Street, Banff

Networking Event