AGENDA
with Class Descriptions
and Speaker Biographies
7:30am – 8:00am – Registration & Refreshments
7:30am – 12:00pm – Trade Show
8:00am – 9:00am – Concurrent Session #1
JEOPARDY: So, You Think You Know Drinking Water & Wastewater Treatment?
(1.0 TCH for W & WW Operators)
Drinking water treatment and wastewater treatment are processes that improve the quality of water for different purposes. Drinking water treatment improves the quality of water from a source, like a river, lake, or well to make it suitable for human consumption and other uses. Wastewater treatment improved the quality of sewage from homes, businesses, and industries to make it safe to release back into the environment. Join Tom from Tom’s Water Solutions, as your presenter and game show host, in a fun and interactive presentation that will allow participants to show-off their knowledge of drinking water rand wastewater treatment methods and processes. A special note to those preparing for their water and/or wastewater certification exams: You are guaranteed to find this session an extremely beneficial review of water and waster treatment concepts, terminology, and operation.
Instructor: Tom Bahun, II, Tom’s Water Solutions
Mr. Bahun is a Certified Instructional Trainer (CIT), with over 30 years of experience and expertise in developing, designing, and delivering water and wastewater safety, emergency response, and operator certification training. He is well known for his fun and energetic training classes, drawing upon what his students already know. Tom’s focus is to lead his students through socially supported interactions to enhance learning and construct new understandings. In addition to Tom’s vast training experience and abilities, he has a long history of helping water and wastewater system with his technical and managerial knowledge. Tom is also a water system operator overseeing drinking water treatment and distribution at Maine’s largest utility. He holds a State of Maine Class IV Water Treatment and Distribution Operator licenses, and a Grade 5 Wastewater Treatment Operator license.
MassDEP Regulatory Roundtable Discussion
(1.0 TCH for W Operators)
Join us as the MassDEP will discuss regulatory updates and priorities for 2025/2026.
Instructor: Michael Celona, MassDEP
Mr. Celona is an Environmental Analyst within the Drinking Water Program. His areas of focus include lead in school drinking water, supporting small public water systems, and water operator education and outreach.
9:00am – 9:30am – B R E A K
9:30am – 10:30am – Concurrent Session #2
Network Monitoring and Management: Enhancing Utilities’ Operations and Planning Through Data Insights
(1.0 TCH for W & WW Operators)
This session will explore how utilities gather critical information, such as measurements and alerts, to enhance their operations and improve situational awareness. We will focus on both water distribution and wastewater collection systems, discussing how this data-driven approach can lead to better planning and operational improvements.
Instructor: John Hinsley, Stiles Co.
Mr. Hinsley has been with Stiles Co for 5 years and in his role, he focuses on our Network Monitoring Solutions. John is a Badger Meter factory certified trainer as well and an expert on water meters, AMR/AMI systems, and Network Monitoring Solutions.
Instructor: Ian Kasowitz – Vice President of Stiles Co.
Ian has been with Stiles Co for over 14 years serving as a territory manager and AMR/AMI specialist. He is passionate about knowing all of the ins and outs of the metering industry and travels to the AWWA ACE conference yearly. Ian considers himself a true meter nerd and is happy to discuss water meters and meter technology’s with whoever will listen.
MassDEP & UMass Potpourri: Updates to Programs, ER/AWIA, Cross Connections, & DBP’s
(1.0 TCH for W Operators)
MassDEP & UMas-Amherst will present updates on a number of topics and are available for your questions.
Instructors: Michael Celona, MassDEP
Mr. Celona is an Environmental Analyst within the Drinking Water Program. His areas of focus include lead in school drinking water, supporting small public water systems, and water operator education and outreach.
Instructor: Patrick Wittbold, UMass-Amherst
Mr. Wittbold is a Research Engineer in the Water and Energy Technology (WET) Center, at the University of Massachusetts- Amherst.
10:30am – 11:00am – B R E A K
11:00am – 12:00pm – Concurrent Session #3
An Overview of Water Treatment Solutions for Small Water Systems
Small water systems face ever-increasing regulatory requirements, emerging water quality concerns, and unique operating conditions due to their remote location, space constraints, and other factors.This session will present a variety of water treatment techniques and case studies involving small systems that addressed contaminants such as iron and/or manganese, PFAS, nitrate, disinfection, pH/corrosion control, and others. Attendees will learn the general concepts of treatment system technologies, as well as how specific site and system conditions affect their design and operation.
Instructor: Ryan Fleming, P.E., Tighe & Bond
Ryan Fleming is a principal engineer and technical director for drinking water services with Tighe & Bond in their Middletown, Connecticut office, where his expert knowledge of water quality and treatment contributes to the planning, design, construction, and operation of new and existing water treatment facilities. In addition to his consulting engineering experience, Ryan worked as an operations engineer for the NYC Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Water and Sewer Operations and was Director of Water Quality for a large, publicly traded water utility in the State of Connecticut. Ryan is a licensed professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Colorado State University and a Master of Science degree from Cornell University.
Funding Options: MassDEP & USDA RD
(1.0 TCH for W & WW Operators)
MassDEP and the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust will provide an overview of the State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan application process and the benefits of financing water infrastructure projects through the SRF programs. Topics will include, but are not limited to, project eligibility, the added subsidies available for disadvantaged communities, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law supplemental funding for the SRF program. The USDA RD will also present on their programs as well.
Instructor: Gregory Devine, PE, MassDEP
Mr. Devine has worked in the municipal water and wastewater infrastructure industry for 20 years; with nearly equal tie in the private sector as an engineering consultant and in government as an environmental engineer with MassDEP. As a design engineer, Mr. Devine engaged in a variety of planning, design, and construction projects for municipal clients across New England. In his time with MassDEP, Gregory has served as project engineer within the State Revolving Fund program, including his current role as Section Chief, responsible for oversight of all SRF financed projects in the Western Region and the Northeast Region. He also manages the State’s Community Septic Management Program and supports other Agency grant and loan programs. Greg earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Tufts University and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Engineering from UMass Amherst. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Massachusetts and is also a licensed Soils Evaluator in the Commonwealth.
Instructor: James Fritz – USDA RD
Mr. Fritz is the WEP Branch Chief for the United States Department of Agriculture
12:00pm – 1:00pm – L U N C H B R E A K
BBQ Lunch | Annual Meeting | Drinking Water Taste Test
1:00pm – 3:00pm – Session #4
Maintaining Reliability: Generator Maintenance for Operators
(2.0 TCH for W & WW Operators)
This essential course is designed for operators seeking to ensure reliable performance through effective maintenance practices. Participants will gain a solid understanding of the importance of regular maintenance procedures and how they directly impact generator reliability and operational readiness.
Key topics include:
- The value and process of regular generator maintenance
- Load banking: what it is and why it matters
- Fuel sampling and contamination prevention
- Weekly inspection checklists: what should be checked weekly and why it matters
- An overview of generator systems and components, including how they operate and interact
Through a mix of instruction, discussion, and practical insights, this class empowers operators to proactively manage generator health, reduce the risk of failure, and maintain critical power systems with confidence.
Instructor: Riley Coleman, Powers Guaranteed Services
Riley Coleman is the Training Manager at Powers Guaranteed Services, where he oversees the training and development of service technicians. With over a decade of hands-on experience as a generator technician, Riley brings a wealth of technical expertise and leadership to his role. Prior to becoming Training Manager, Riley served as a lead technician for two years, overseeing a team of seven technicians. In this capacity, he provided ongoing technical support and training, conducted job reviews to identify documentation and troubleshooting issues, and optimized scheduling for improved efficiency. Throughout his career as a generator technician, Riley gained extensive experience working with residential, commercial, and industrial generators, as well as transfer switches. His dedication to professional growth is reflected in his Journeyman EGSA certification, underscoring his commitment to excellence in the field.
The Future of Pumping is Positive: Positive Displacement Pumps in Water & Wastewater Markets
(2.0 TCH for W & WW Operators)
This session includes an overview of positive displacement technology, application discussion, highlighting and some innovation that has brought progressive cavity pumps to be the top choice for the following application: Polymer, Sludge, Scum, Chamical dosing of ferric, sodium hypochlorite, ammonia, and Dewatered Sludge “Cake”. Innovation highlighted: Maintenance in place pumps for quick repair, wear compensation technology for longer life of parts, non-pulsing chemical dosing technology for accuracy, transferring dewatered products up to 50% solids. We will also supply Hans on opportunities with real pumps we will bring to class.
Instructor: Chris Davis, Roto Pumps North America
Former UMass and minor professional ice hockey player with experience in the pump industry for over 10 years working for both centrifugal and positive displacement manufacturers in the wastewater, food, beverage, and heavy chemical and industrial markets.
Rhode Island native, currently serving as Director of Sales for Roto Pumps, a global positive displacement pump manufacturer since 1968.
ATTENDEE BROCHURE