ISA announces registration call for 2018 ISA Water/Wastewater and Automatic Controls (WWAC) Symposium

Summary

July 11, 2018 – Six distinguished opening session speakers will address the critical issues and challenges in automation facing the water/wastewater industry at the 2018 ISA Water/Wastewater and Automatic Controls (WWAC) Symposium, 7-9 August 2018 in Bethesda, Maryland.

Attendees at the 15^th annual event will receive the latest news and learn about the latest advances in effective utility management, automation and control systems, engineering best practices, instrumentation, cybersecurity, alarm management, and emerging technologies across the water/wastewater industry. In all, 34 technical presentations by prominent experts will be delivered. Between 200 and 250 industry professionals are projected to attend.

To be held at the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, just outside of Washington, D.C., the event also will include briefings by American Water Works Association (AWWA) and Water Environment Federation (WEF) officials, training opportunities, and a vendor exhibition that will showcase new products and services.

Attendees can earn continuing education units (CEU) and professional development hours (PDH) for attending the sessions and ISA training courses.

Six opening session speakers and presentations

Charles Bott, Ph.D., Director of Water Technology and Research, HRSD

Charles B. Bott, Ph.D., is the Director of Water Technology and Research at HRSD, which provides regional wastewater treatment to 18 cities and counties in southeast Virginia. Dr. Bott’s presentation, “HRSD’s Vision for Advanced Water Treatment and Managed Aquifer Recharge in Eastern Virginia, USA: Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow (SWIFT),” will kick off the symposium.

Dr. Bott manages technology innovation and research and development for HRSD’s 16 wastewater treatment plants (249 MGD combined capacity). He serves as an Adjunct Professor in the departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech and Old Dominion University. Dr. Bott is a fellow of WEF, a Board Certified Environmental Engineer, a licensed Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator – Virginia Class I, and a two-time winner of the WEF Harrison Prescott Eddy Medal for outstanding contribution to wastewater principles/processes research.

Matt Barrett, Cybersecurity Framework Lead, National Institute of Standards and Technology

In leading Cybersecurity Framework activities at NIST, Matt Barrett directs planning, team oversight and coordination, and collaborates with the public and private sectors. He works through these relationships to provide perspective and guidance, as well as to gather input on the use and evolution of the Framework.

In his presentation, Barrett will discuss the recently revised Framework (Version 1.1) and its connection to the sector-specific cybersecurity guidance developed by AWWA and the ISA/IEC 62443 series of industrial automation and control systems cybersecurity standards.

Patricia Lamb, Critical Infrastructure Protection Program Manager, District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority

As Critical Infrastructure Protection Program Manager at the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, Patricia Lamb is responsible for planning, monitoring, and coordinating all functions relating to the distribution of drinking water, sewage collection and sewage treatment in Washington, D.C. This includes ensuring the safety and security of all operations.

In May of this year, Lamb completed the DC Water and Sewer Authority’s first, enterprise-wide AWWA J100 Risk and Resilience Assessment. In her presentation, she will explain how the J100 risk assessment methodology relates to other key resources that utilities can employ to assess and manage risks, including cyber risks.

Ting Lu, Ph.D., Principal Engineer, Clean Water Services; and Barry Liner, Ph.D., Chief Technical Officer and Director, Water Science & Engineering Center, WEF

Ting Lu is Principal Engineer at Clean Water Services, a water resources management utility located outside of Portland, Oregon. Barry Liner, Chief Technical Officer and Director at WEF’s Water Science & Engineering Center in Washington D.C.

Both experts will discuss the Leaders Innovation Forum for Technology (LIFT) Intelligent Water Challenge, a joint effort of The Water Research Foundation and WEF to demonstrate the value of intelligent water systems to utilities and foster the adoption of smart water technologies. The Challenge, which is supported by ISA’s Water and Wastewater Division, AWWA and the Smart Water Networks Forum (SWAN), leverages data to help utilities better understand the dynamics of complex systems and make better decisions. 

In a separate presentation, Dr. Liner will cover how WEF is addressing various industry concerns, including water conservation monitoring and performance, and the growing need for intelligent water systems. Since joining WEF in 2010, he has been responsible for leading WEF’s innovation initiative, including the Innovation Pavilion at WEFTEC, the world’s largest water quality conference. He also represents the water sector on the development of ISA’s Certified Mission Critical Professional (CMCP) certification.

Kevin M. Morley, Ph.D., Manager, Federal Relations, AWWA

Kevin M. Morley, Ph.D., Manager of Federal Relations at AWWA, will update attendees on important AWWA news and trends, particularly in the area of industrial cybersecurity. In his position, Dr. Morley, is tasked with advancing the security and preparedness of the nation’s critical infrastructure, facilitating the expansion of mutual aid and assistance via the Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (WARN) initiative, and supporting the development of water sector standards and guidance for security and preparedness.

Most recently, he helped develop a resource guide, Process Control System Security Guidance for the Water Sector, and a use-case tool that provides a water sector-specific approach to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.

Two training courses

IACS Cybersecurity Operations & Maintenance: Secure Your Control System (IC37S)

This course will provide students with the information and skills to detect and troubleshoot potential cybersecurity events and to maintain the security level of an operating system throughout its lifecycle despite the challenges of an ever-changing threat environment.

Length: Two days

CEU Credits: 1.4 Course Hours: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Register today.

Overview of Electrical Noise Effects on Instrumentation Control Equipment (TI21C)

This course provides an understanding of grounding, both from an electrical systems relationship and from an instrument loops relationship. The purpose of grounding and electrical systems, grounding for safety, signal noise, signal wiring systems, and methods used to reduce noise will be covered.

Length: One day

CEU Credits: 0.7

Course Hours: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Register today.

Register for ISA’s WWAC Symposium today

To register, and gain more information on the 15^th ISA WWAC Symposium, please visit www.isawwsymposium.com. Note that discounts are available for AWWA and WEF members.

About the ISA Water/Wastewater and Automatic Controls Symposium 

Presented by the ISA Water/Wastewater Industries Division (WWID), in collaboration with the WEF Intelligent Water Technology Committee, Chesapeake AWWA Section, Chesapeake Water Environment Association, the ISA Baltimore/Washington DC Section, the WEF Automation and Info Tech Committee, and the Instrumentation Testing Association (ITA), the ISA WWAC Symposium helps professionals in the water and wastewater industries understand how instrumentation, SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition), and automatic control applications are vital to the treatment and distribution of water, and the collection and treatment of wastewater. The symposium also provides an opportunity to gain technical information, networking, professional development, and continuing education credits (CEUs and PDHs).

For the full program schedule, including full presentation abstracts and speaker bios, visit www.isawwsymposium.com/program-schedule/

About ISA The International Society of Automation is a nonprofit professional association that sets the standard for those who apply engineering and technology to improve the management, safety, and cybersecurity of modern automation and control systems used across industry and critical infrastructure. Founded in 1945, ISA develops widely used global standards; certifies industry professionals; provides education and training; publishes books and technical articles; hosts conferences and exhibits; and provides networking and career development programs for its 40,000 members and 400,000 customers around the world. 

ISA owns Automation.com, a leading online publisher of automation-related content, and is the founding sponsor of The Automation Federation, an association of non-profit organizations serving as “The Voice of Automation.” Through a wholly owned subsidiary, ISA bridges the gap between standards and their implementation with the ISA Security Compliance Institute and the ISA Wireless Compliance Institute