The American Academy of Water Resources Engineers (AAWRE) proudly announce Tirusew Asefa, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE as the recipient of the AAWRE 2022 Outstanding Practitioner in Water Resources Engineering Award, for his outstanding contributions in bridging the gap between research and practice to produce innovative, actionable knowledge and tools that advance the resilience of urban water resources. Specifically, Dr. Asefa’s leadership and application of applied research in solving real-life problems are exemplary in the water industry.
New FloridaWCA Article Published on Monitoring of Florida’s Rainy Season
Florida has a distinct wet season, which serves the annual water needs of the State and beyond. Our earlier studies have indicated that in addition to the seasonal rainfall anomalies, the variations of the length of the season also contribute significantly to variability of the wet season over Florida. Furthermore, the variations of the onset date of the rainy season relate significantly to the seasonal anomalies of length of the season and rainfall. In this study, we have used the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Integrated Multi-Satellite Retrievals for Global Precipitation Mission version 6 (IMERG) rainfall dataset to monitor the rainy season over the five Water Management Districts of Florida for 2021.
Water Utility Resilience Forum Presentations Available
Presentations an session recordings are now available for the Water Utility Resilience Forum held Dec. 13-15, 2021. Featuring insights from water sector leaders and subject-matter experts, the Forum provided a dialogue on what utilities are doing today to be resilient and what a resilient future looks like. The Forum was co-convened by the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies.
FloridaWCA Hosted Webinar on Perspectives on Saltwater Intrusion
The FloridaWCA hosted a webinar on Perspectives on Saltwater Intrusion Jan. 18, 1:00-3:00-pm. The webinar featured presentations from a range of perspectives including planning, public water supply, water management and ecosystem restoration on the impacts of saltwater intrusion, decision making under uncertainty and pathways forward.
FloridaWCA Hosted Webinar on Wastewater & Stormwater Management
The FloridaWCA hosted a webinar on September 20, 2021 on Climate Change Impacts on Wastewater and Stormwater Management. The webinar featured presentations on risk and vulnerability assessments of wastewater systems to sea level rise, risk-based decision making for total maximum daily loads, and future rainfall modeling based on downscaled climate model data. A presentation also highlighted monitoring of the onset of the rainy season in FL as part of the FloridaWCA NASA-funded project.
Climate Resilience Jobs Open with Broward County
Several jobs related to climate resilience and sustainability are currently open with FloridaWCA partner, Broward County. Opportunities include Natural Resources Administrator (Resilience Unit), Energy Resilience and Sustainability Specialist, and Environmental Program Supervisor (Climate Resilience Unit).
Register for the May 6 2021 Southwest FL Climate Summit
The Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership is hosting a free public event to share knowledge, showcase climate action, engage leadership across sectors, and mobilize the collaboration needed to tackle this significant challenge. The Summit includes expert presentations with interactive question and answer sessions, to exchange ideas on expanding the region’s climate resiliency. For registration and more information, please visit chnep.org/2021-climate-summit.
FloridaWCA Hosted 25th Webinar/Workshop on 2020 Hurricane Season Impacts
Several North Atlantic hurricane season records were broken in 2020, including the formation of 30 named storms, 12 of which made landfall in the US. What were the impacts of such an active season on water management in Florida? This webinar featured a panel session to discuss the 2020 hurricane season, impacts to utilities and water management districts, and the challenges associated with disaster/crisis communication in Florida related to climate change. Additional webinar presentations featured two different projects that have the goal of co-producing climate science with stakeholders…
Dr. Tirusew Asefa of Tampa Bay Water Achieves FloridaWCA Milestone
In the past 10 years, the FloridaWCA has held 24 workshops and webinars that bring together diverse stakeholders interested in the nexus of climate change and water supply and planning in Florida. Only ONE person in the history of the group has attended all 24 workshops/ webinars: Dr. Tirusew Asefa, Manager of Planning and System Support at Tampa Bay Water!
Celebrating Kevin Morris’s Contributions to the FloridaWCA
Kevin Morris, PE, BCEE, and Manager of Engineering and Projects at the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority, has been a key collaborator of the Florida Water & Climate Alliance for the past 10 years. Kevin is transitioning to a position at Manatee County after 21 years of working with the Authority and will be leaving his current role on the Steering Committee of the FloridaWCA.