WEBINAR on COVID-19 in California Wednesday April 1st, 11:00am – 12:30pm
Overview of the Coronavirus, Transmission and Operations Planning
We’ve brought together leading national and California experts on the coronavirus on a free webinar for California wastewater and water professionals. The webinar will provide the latest information about: the coronavirus; potential transmission of the disease COVID-19 via wastewater systems; disinfection standards to inactivate the virus and planning for operations during a pandemic. According to WEF, academic research has reported the virus is detected in the feces of some COVID-19 patients through molecular techniques, although its survival, infectivity and concentrations in wastewater still remain unknown. The experts want to help you understand the virus so we can protect both wastewater workers and public health. This webcast is organized by CWEA’s Education Team in partnership with the California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF). During the webinar registration process, you will be able to enter your questions about the coronavirus. You can also asks questions during the webinar. Live webinar participants who participate in the full webinar through a personal computer, smartphone or tablet will receive 1.8 contact hours toward all CWEA technical certifications.
Registration Instructions:
This is a free webinar
You'll register first on MyCWEA.org then on Zoom
If you are not a current CWEA member, you can still register for free follow the instructions to "Create an Account"
You'll receive a confirmation email with a Zoom link
Click on the Zoom link and register for the webinar
Zoom allows you to set-up a calendar reminder
Please email Member Services at memberservices@cwea.org if we can answer any question
This is a free webinar in support of CWEA’s mission to provide education and support for California’s wastewater professionals.
Have ideas for future COVID-19 webinars or speakers? Please email us your ideas at mmyhill@cwea.org
Biographies
Wendy Wert is the Incoming-President of CWEA and a Civil Engineer in the Facilities Planning Division, Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County.
Greg Kester is the Director of Renewable Resource Programs for CASA and the California coordinator for information about the coronavirus in wastewater. Greg is CASA's subject matter expert on matters pertaining to renewable resources. He manages emerging issues at the local, state and federal level and within the private sector on all biosolids, renewable energy, recycled water, climate change mitigation and related issues.
Dr. Charles P. Gerba is a professor of epidemiology and bio-statistics in the Dept of Environmental Science at the University of Arizona. He has authored over 500 journal articles, books and has been featured on numerous television programs and magazines. Dr. Gerba has an international reputation for his methodologies for pathogen detection in water and food, pathogen occurrence in households, and risk assessment.,
Dr. Rasha Maal-Bared, senior microbiologist at EPCOR Water Services Inc., runs both the drinking water and wastewater microbiology laboratories and conducts research related to optimization of water monitoring, treatment and distribution. She is an environmental microbiologist whose work focuses on protecting public health by understanding waterborne pathogen ecology, survival and transmission in both natural and engineered environments. She currently serves as She is a currently a Registered Microbiologist with the Canadian College of Microbiologists, a Professional Biologist with the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists, and Chair of WEF's Waterborne Infectious Disease Outbreak Control Subcommittee (WIDOC).
Dr. Amy Kirby is an Environmental Microbiologist in the Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She has a Bachelor's of Science in Agriculture (BSA, major: Microbiology) from the University of Georgia, a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Buffalo, and a Master's of Public Health in Epidemiology from Emory University. At CDC, Dr. Kirby studies antibiotic resistant (AR) bacteria in natural and man-made water systems. She uses a combination of traditional culture-based methods and advanced molecular methods to assess the prevalence and dynamics of AR bacteria and AR genes in drinking water, wastewater, and recreational water, such as oceans, lakes, and pools. She is currently deployed to the COVID-19 response as part of the Community Mitigation Task Force, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Team.
Eileen M. White is currently the Director of Wastewater for the East Bay Municipal Utility District in Oakland, which supplies water to approximately 1.4 million people and wastewater services to about 670,000 people. Eileen has more than 20 years of engineering experience in the wastewater, water, and power industries. As the Director of Wastewater, she is responsible for leading the Wastewater Department which includes planning, organizing, and leading the engineering, operations, and maintenance of the wastewater system to ensure efficient operations that meet all regulations.
Content provided by the CWEA.