By Joel Beauvais

For those of you who work on water issues, you may be headed to New Orleans in late September to attend the annual Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference. The event is one of the world’s largest water events, bringing together thousands of water professionals to network, provide information, and share best practices in water management. If you are planning to go, we hope you can attend one of the presentations, panels, and discussions EPA is involved in. And be sure to swing by our booth!

Here’s how you can connect with us at the conference:

Keynote:  At 10 a.m. Monday, September 26, I will be delivering the keynote to the Great Water Cities: Creating the Future of Water session. This session is part of an ongoing forum allowing water leaders to discuss their experiences and share solutions to challenges faced by water systems of all sizes.

Policy Session: Monday, September 26will feature the Clean Water Policy session starting at 1:30 p.m. This technical session will include presentations from senior management in the Office of Water as well as Jon Capacasa, Water Director from EPA’s Region 3 office in Philadelphia.

EPA Booth: Check out EPA’s booth at the conference, #429 in Hall B1. Please stop by to chat with EPA staff about programs related to water infrastructure finance, climate resiliency, technology and innovation, water quality, and drinking water. Staff will also be handing out flashdrives with information about Agency programs.

Federal Partners: This year we are joined by several other federal agencies to highlight joint efforts to protect and preserve water quality and quantity. Please stop by our booth for information and to speak with representatives from the Department of State, Department of Energy, and U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation.

Speakers Series at the EPA Booth: Throughout the conference, we will be hosting a series of speakers at our conference booth throughout the three days of the exhibition. The topics will range from the Water-Energy Nexus to integrated permitting to the new Test Bed Network, and more! Please visit our website or EPA booth #429 for the full schedule of speakers and topics.

If you are not in New Orleans, you can follow us on Twitter @EPAwater for posts from WEFTEC. But I hope to see many of you there.