WELCOME
WEF: Improving Water Quality for Over 75 Years 

 Formed in 1928, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with more than 34,000 individual members and 81 affiliated Member Associations representing an additional 50,000 water quality professionals throughout the world. WEF and its member associations proudly work to achieve our mission of preserving and enhancing the global water environment.

About WEF 

• Read WEF's Annual Report
• Download the WEF-at-a-Glance PDF document

WEF’s vision to “preserve and enhance the global water environment” is the basis for all WEF programs and activities. WEF is governed by an 18-member Board of Trustees acting on behalf of its membership to advance its mission of providing information, education, and resources to water quality professionals and the public.

WEF and its Members:

• research and publish the latest information on wastewater treatment and water quality protection;
• provide technical expertise and training on issues including non-point source pollution, hazardous waste, residuals management, and groundwater;
• sponsor conferences and other special events around the world;
• review, testify, and comment on environmental regulations and legislation.

WEF History
WEF has guided technological development in water quality since 1928. Previously called the Federation of Sewage Works Associations (1928), the Federation of Sewage and Industrial Wastes Associations (1950), and the Water Pollution Control Federation (1960); the name was changed to the Water Environment Federation in 1991 to reflect an expanded focus of non-point and point sources of pollution.

WEF Member Associations
WEF’s global network of Member Associations (MAs) provides water quality professionals around the world with education, training, and business opportunities.

WEF Committees
WEF provides opportunities for its members to participate in committees to develop consensus positions for WEF on key technical and public policy issues; write Manuals of Practice and other technical publications; and develop education and training programs.
 
Technical Training and Education
WEF offers Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for successful completion of training programs and seminars. Members can choose from self-paced and classroom courses for entry and advanced-level training; interactive CD-ROM-based training courses for operators; and a variety of self-study training materials in print and electronic format.

Technical Publications
WEF publishes more than 190 technical publications. These include peer-reviewed Manuals of Practice (MOPs) covering a range of water quality topics on design, operation, and management issues as well as Technical Practice Updates (TPUs). Developed under the auspices of WEF’s Technical Practice Committee by diverse and balanced task forces using WEF’s established consensus procedures, TPUs have the goal of providing timely and accurate information on emerging technical topics such as biosolids, collection systems, and microconstituents.

Magazines and Journals

           • Water Environment & Technology (WE&T)
           • Water Environment Research (WER)
           • Water Practice
           • World Water & Environmental Engineering  

Newsletters

• Water Environment Laboratory Solutions
• Biosolids Technical Bulletin
• Industrial Wastewater Technical Bulletin
• WEF Highlights
• Utility Executive
• Water Environment Regulation Watch

WEFTEC® - The Water Quality Event
WEFTEC (WEF’s annual technical exhibition and conference) is North America’s largest exhibition and conference on water quality and waste­water treatment technology and the largest annual water quality exhibition in the world. WEFTEC annually hosts more than 18,000 water quality experts from around the world and features more than 600 technical pre­sentations and 1,000 exhibiting companies. 
 
Specialty Conferences
WEF’s specialty conferences are held throughout the year and feature key water quality topics including collection systems, biosolids management, and odors/air emissions. WEF also address­es timely issues such as sustainability, membrane technology, nutrients, infrastructure security, asset management, pretreatment, NPDES permitting, and fats, oil and greases through seminars and special webcasts. Conference papers are available year-round on CD or in WEF’s online Market Place.

Public Education
As a leading source of water quality information, WEF develops programs and materials to help its members communicate with their target audiences about key water quality issues. Its goal is to increase an understanding of the direct role water and wastewater services have in the protection of public health, the economy, and the environment.

Stockholm Junior Water Prize
The Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) is the most prestigious international youth award for a high school water science research project. In the United States, WEF and its MAs organize the national, state, and local competitions with support from ITT Corporation, The Coca-Cola Company, and Delta Air Lines.

Water Is Life, and Infrastructure Makes It Happen™
Water Is Life, and Infrastructure Makes It Happen is a public education program designed to inform and motivate the public, ratepayers, and elected officials to invest in water and wastewater infrastructure.

World Water Monitoring Day™ 
World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) is an international outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world. Adopted by WEF in 2006, the program engages communities in monitoring the condition of local rivers, streams, estuaries, and other water bodies.  
 
Public Information
As a leading source of water quality information, WEF informs public officials and the media about relevant and timely water quality issues through press conferences, news releases, congressional testimony, newsletters, article placement, and formal comments on regulatory and legislative matters.

Government Affairs
Under the leadership of the Legislative Subcommittee of WEF’s Government Affairs Committee, WEF tracks, monitors, and actively comments on legislation impacting clean water issues. WEF works closely with its membership to educate Congress on clean water issues impacting their districts and states.

Under the leadership of the Regulatory Subcommittee of WEF’s Government Affairs Committee, WEF tracks, monitors, and actively comments on regulatory and compliance issues related to clean water.  Regulations and guidance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal agencies often impact WEF members’ activities and how environmental goals are met. The WEF Regulatory Program has two primary functions: to allow WEF members to have input in the federal regulation-setting process and to inform WEF members of new regulations and actions needed to comply with existing regulations.

National Clean Water Policy Forum
The National Clean Water Policy Forum is a joint effort between WEF and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA). Held each spring in Washington, DC, the event brings together elected and appointed U.S. officials, government employees, and water quality experts to discuss recent trends in U.S. environmental policy, legislation, and regulation.

National Biosolids Partnership
The National Biosolids Partnership assists in the planning and implementation of environmentally sound management programs to promote environmental stewardship and public participation in local biosolids program decisions. The Partnership is composed of WEF, NACWA, and EPA.

WEF on the Web
WEF has a number of Web sites designed to provide its members and the public with the latest water quality news and information; program and educational resources; annual and special events; and networking opportunities:

     • www.wef.org – WEF homepage
     • www.weftec.org – WEFTEC homepage
     • www.waterislife.net – Water Is Life, and Infrastructure Makes it  
      Happen 
     • www.worldwatermonitoringday.org - World Water Monitoring Day
     • www.worldwater.biz - World Water & Environmental Engineering
     • www.biosolids.org – National Biosolids Partnership

WEF Headquarters
With a staff of nearly 100, WEF is headquartered in Alexandria, Va., just outside of Washington, DC. To contact WEF, call toll-free at 1.800.666.0206 or 1.703.684.2400; email csc@wef.org; or write to:

Water Environment Federation
601 Wythe Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-1994 USA