Past Events
Chicago
More information coming soon!
Attendee Registration - $50
Student Attendee Registration - $20
Exhibitor Registration - $150
Sponsor Registration - $50
5.3 CEU's Available!
Agenda | Register
Wednesday, February 25th, 2026
3:00 - 4:00 pm
1.0 CEUs for Operators in Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Operator ID/Quiz required for webinar.
1.2 PDHs for all Professional Engineers
AI is everywhere—but in the water sector, utility professionals need clarity, not buzzwords. This presentation cuts through the noise to explain, in practical and accessible terms, what artificial intelligence actually is, why it’s becoming useful in water and wastewater operations, and how it is designed, calibrated, and validated to
be accurate and trustworthy.
Attendees will walk away with a grounded understanding of AI, realistic expectations, and practical examples of how it can support—and not disrupt—the important work of managing water systems.
Agenda:
11:30 Introduction – CSWEA Illinois Section Laboratory-Pretreatment Committee
Eduardo Gasca/Mary Dressel | Committee Co-Chairs
11:35 “AI Without the Hype - What Every Water Professional Should Know”
Yoko Koyama, PE, Machine Learning Innovation Lead at Carollo
Jennifer Steffens, PE, Vice President and Director of Digital Water at Carollo
12:25 “Question/Answers” Moderated by
Rebekah Schulenberg | Committee Member
12:30 Adjourn
Cost:
$25 – Members (Discount Code: CSWEA)
$35 – Non-Members
$10 – Student (Discount Code: Student)
$10 – International (Discount Code: International
Click Here to Register
Speakers:
Yoko Koyama, PE is Carollo’s Machine Learning Innovation Lead, specializing in advanced modeling and data analytics for water and
wastewater systems. She brings deep expertise in applying machine learning to operational and planning challenges across the water sector,
with recent work focused on generative AI and scaling desktop-based ML models into production environments through MLOps. An
experienced science communicator, Yoko is a frequent speaker at national and regional conferences, where she translates complex ML
concepts into practical insights for utility and engineering audiences.
Jennifer Steffens, PE is Vice President and Director of Digital Water at Carollo, where she leads digital strategy and advanced analytics
initiatives for water and wastewater utilities. With over two decades of experience, she specializes in translating digital technologies—such as
decision-support systems, digital twins, and AI-enabled analytics—into practical, operations-focused solutions. Jennifer is a frequent speaker
at national conferences and is recognized for bridging engineering, operations, and technology to deliver measurable outcomes for utilities.
Thursday, February 19, 2026
Radisson Hotel and Conference Center
625 W Rolling Meadows Dr, Fond Du Lac, WI 54937
The planning committee is hard at work finalizing the speakers and sessions for the 2026 CSWEA - Wisconsin Government Affairs Seminar. The 2026 seminar will in-person as a one-day event February 19, 2026 hosted by the Radisson in Fond du Lac, WI. The Seminar is planned to start at 8:00 am. Please reserve this date in your calendar! The session topics include:
- Keynote by DNR Secretary & Environmental Management Deputy Division Administrator
- Funding and Energy Grant Opportunities
- Phosphorus Compliance Updates and Case Studies
- Wisconsin DNR Operator and Facility of the Year Awards
- League of Wisconsin Municipalities Update
- PFAS Rules & Implementation Updates
- Wisconsin DNR Update
If you have any questions regarding this years’ seminar, please contact the seminar coordinator Nick Lent (Nicholas.Lent@wisconsin.gov).
Info & Agenda
Presentations: DNR_Updates_2026_Willis.pdf | Legislative_Update_2025-2026_Zavos.pdf | Funding_Energy_1_Focus_on_Energy_Cantwell.pdf | Funding_Energy_2_Clean_Water_Funding_Marcum.pdf | Funding_Energy_3_WIFIA_Broughton.pdf | PFAS_1_Legal_Update_Wishart.pdf | PFAS_2_Available_Data_Summary_Garbe.pdf | PFAS_3_Sampling_Hannon.pdf | PFAS_4_Madison_MSD_Update_Griffin.pdf | Phosphorus_1_DNR_update_Claucherty.pdf | Phosphorus_2_WQT_Clearinghouse.pdf | Phosphorus_3_Monroe_WQT_Buholzer.pdf
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
The path of wastewater is a long and winding one, beginning at its source (domestic, commercial, and industrial) and ending with its clean, safe return to surface water or groundwater where it can take its place in the hydrological cycle. This course picks up the journey of wastewater as it arrives at the plant (influent). The treatment of wastewater includes many crucial components. Improper, ineffective, inefficient handling of influent leads to a multitude of problems as the process continues. This course examines many of the hurdles that must be overcome (the what, when and how) and provides strategies and tools necessary to address those hurdles.
TOPICS COVERED
- Characteristics of Wastewater
- Screening
- Grit Removal
- Pre-Aeration
- Primary Treatment
- Primary and Secondary Clarifiers
- Common Calculations
COST
$35 – Members (Discount Code: CSWEA)
$40 – Non-Members
$10 – Student (Discount Code: Student)
$10 – International (Discount Code: International)
Info | Register
River’s Edge Convention Center
10 4th Ave S, St. Cloud, MN 56301
Please join us at the MN Section meeting on February 10 th . Everyone is welcome! The meeting agenda includes officer reports, updates from committees, discussion of
business items, and open discussion time. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the organization and share ideas.
The meeting will be held in the Wilson Suite, before the Innovative Conference. A virtual meeting invitation will be sent out shortly. Please reach out to your committee chair or
Will Martin at wmartin@hazenandsawyer.com if you would like to attend virtually and didn’t get the invite.
Hope to see you there!
St. Cloud River’s Edge Convention Center, 10 4th Ave S, St. Cloud, Minnesota 56301
The 43rd annual “Innovative Approaches to Wastewater Operations Conference” will be held February 10, 2026, at the St. Cloud River’s Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud, Minnesota. This conference is co-sponsored by the Minnesota Wastewater Operators Association and the Minnesota Section of the Central States Water Environment Association. These are two non-profit organizations dedicated to providing opportunities for educational growth to its members.
Sponsors: Info | Registration
Exhibitors: Info | Registration
Attendees: Draft Agenda | Registration
For more course information, contact Anna Sadowski (Anna.Sadowski@strand.com) or Ashley Leisgang (ashley.leisgang@aecom.com).
Fees for attendance are as follows.
Member $30 (Discount Code: CSWEA)
Non-Member $35
Student $10 (Discount Code: Student)
International $10 (Discount Code: International)
Agenda | Click Here to Register
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
This course appropriately begins with the water cycle. It is an overview of the wastewater treatment process, beginning to end. This gives the individual the concepts of the entirety and impact of the work done in treatment plants. This class will be excellent for those new to the profession and those who have had a limited scope of job duties. This will be a unique opportunity of great value to persons providing products and services in the wastewater industry.
TOPICS COVERED
- Why We Treat Wastewater
- Sources of Wastewater
- Mechanical Equipment
- Collection Systems
- Treatment Plant
- Effluent Disposal
- Basics of Laboratory Analysis
- Health and Safety
- Emerging Issues
COST
$35 – Members (Discount Code: CSWEA)
$40 – Non-Members
$10 – Student (Discount Code: Student)
$10 – International (Discount Code: International)
Info | Register
All IL Members Welcome!
Thursday, December 11th | 3:30 - 5:30
Alter Brewing Company
2300 Wisconsin Ave Ste 213
Downers Grove, IL 60515
Happy hour for the holidays. Please dress accordingly!
If you cannot attend in person, you can Join Via Teams.
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
November 18th, 2025
A Day of Learning about the Latest Wastewater Topics in Biosolids, Energy and Environmental (Waste) Recovery
Where: Fox Metro Water Reclamation District, 682 State Rte 31, Oswego, IL 60543
For questions, email chris.buckley@jacobs.com
Monday, November 10th, 4:30 - 6:00 pm
Pryes Brewing Company, North Room
Join us for an engaging science happy hour at Pyres Brewing, blending contemporary science with a lively social atmosphere.
“A Sip of Science” offers a unique opportunity for adults to exchange ideas and opinions about science and its impact on our world—all over a refreshing beer. For the first CSWEA hosted event, we are happy to have Andy Erickson, PhD, PE, the stormwater research manager at Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory. Andy will present research into the critical topic of extreme precipitation, exploring how shifting rainfall patterns and aging infrastructure contribute to urban flooding. Following the presentation, join us for an informal conversation to ask questions and discuss ideas.
Don’t miss this chance to mingle, learn, and enjoy the best of science in a relaxed setting. See you there!
Please RSVP to Claire Connelly at Claire.Connelly@kimley-horn.com by October 31
Madison Metro- TBD on Room, 1610 Moorland Rd, Madison, WI 53713
Happy hour to follow after meeting at:
Waypoint Public House
320 Broadway E.
Monona, WI 53716
FREE WEBINAR! - SAVE THE DATE
Tuesday, October 21st at 12pm
For more information contact: ransari@msa-ps.com
FREE EVENT!
Saturday, October 4th, 2025, 9am - 12pm
Wastewater Treatment Center, 5003 Walnut Ave., Downers Grove (3 blocks north of Maple Ave.)
Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at how your local wastewater treatment plant works from start to finish!
Homeowners, students, scout groups, and community members of all ages are welcome.
ADMISSION IS FREE!
For more information, call 630-969-0664, or visit https://www.dgsd.org/educational-opportunities/annual-open-house/
September 28th, 2025 | 5:00 - 8:00PM
Spin
344 N. State St.
Chicago, IL 60654
https://wearespin.com/location/chicago/
Attendee Registration | Sponsor Registration
All members and sponsors of CSWEA and IWEA are invited to attend!
Thursday, September 25th, 2025, 1pm - 3pm
Pilgrim's Pride
Sauk River Road
Cold Spring, MN 56320
$15 MEMBERS
$20 NON-MEMBERS
The Minnesota Section of the Central States Water Environment Association (CSWEA) Industrial Wastes Committee is excited to invite municipal and industrial water professionals to Cold Spring, Minnesota for a small group facility tour and first hand conversation with industry, municipal, and engineering representatives. We will discuss roles, responsibilities, challenges and examples of a successful pretreatment program.
Presentations and discussions on nutrient reduction programs and strategies, looking particularly at nitrogen. Permittee and State Regulator perspectives will be shared.
CSWEA leaders and representatives will also be present and will provide an overview of the Industrial Waste Committee, CSWEA resources and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) Industrial Water Quality Achievement Award opportunities.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be provided.
FREE EVENT!
Wednesday, September 24, 3-5pm
Meet at Como Lakeside Pavilion, 1360 Lexington Parkway North, Saint Paul
Join the Minnesota Stormwater Committee as we take a tour around the Como Lake watershed and learn about Capital Region Watershed District’s nearly three decades of work to improve stormwater management, work with the community, and perform in-lake treatments to achieve a healthier Como Lake. You will participate in a guided 6-mile bike tour on the streets and bike trails of Saint Paul, around the lake, through the adjacent regional park, and up into the watershed, While learning about various related topics.
Please bring your own bike and helmet. Following the tour, at 5:00 p.m., we will enjoy a happy hour at the Como Lakeside Pavilion (outdoors). This event and tour will happen rain or shine, so please dress for the weather.
For questions and registration, please contact Stephanie Johnson at stephanie.johnson@barr.com.
SAVE THE DATE - Tuesday, September 9th, 2025
Fox Metro WRD
682 State Route 31
Oswego, IL. 60543
Agenda
8:00AM–8:30AM Registration (coffee & doughnuts)
8:30AM–11:30AM Equipment Demos & Presentations
11:15AM–12:00PM Lunch
12:00PM–1:30PM Equipment Demos & Presentations
1:30PM– END Plant Tour
Demo Day hands on equipment demos and presentations.
LAI & Associates, Borger Pump, Centrisys, and Grundfos
Welcome coffee, juice, & doughnuts
Lunch Included
Wednesday, August 27th. 5pm Tailgate, 6:40pm Game
Tickets - Includes dinner, drinks and ticket
Seasoned Professional: $35
Young Professional: $25
Please make checks payable to:
MSW-Tom Mulcahy
N57 W6316 Center Street Cedarburg, WI 53012
Pay via credit card (3% fee) - Email info@mulcahyshaw.com
Venmo - @jmulcahy6 - please send an email with your venmo username and who you’ve paid for
RSVP by August 22nd
Email info@mulcahyshaw.com for more info, or call 414-531-0308
Wed Aug 27, 2025 - 2:30pm – 3:30pm
Marquette Engineering Hall- Room TBD
A virtual option is available via the link below. Hope to see you there!
Meeting ID: 247 788 253 016 7
Passcode: xX9KT33M
Tuesday, August 12, 2025 | 7:30am - 3:30pm
Dale's Weston Lanes & The Mountain Bay Banquet & Conference Center
5902 Schofield Ave.
Weston, WI 54476
Info & Agenda | Register
214 4th St E
St. Paul MN 55101
The sewage sludge incineration (SSI) industry continues to offer a reliable process for wastewater solids treatment. The industry has proved up to the challenges of recent regulatory changes while offering a potential solution for the current wastewater challenge, PFAS. To ensure reliable operation for the future it's important for professionals operating, maintaining, designing, and optimizing these facilities to collaborate and establish lines of knowledge transfer. This conference is focused to benefit the utilities who own and operate SSIs and will cover advanced topics on these facilities. The “classroom” portion of the conference agenda (Tuesday, July 29) has been tailored to address common questions raised by both fluid bed and multiple hearth-based SSI utilities on what it takes to keep facilities operating or transition to a new incineration technology. The “tour” day (Wednesday, July 30) offers attendees the opportunity to visit two different facilities that represent both the fluid bed and multiple hearth technologies primarily used in Canada and the US. Attend the conference to learn more about SSIs and perhaps more importantly make connections with utilities and other professionals serving these facilities!
Hyatt Place St. Paul (180 Kellogg Boulevard East) is offering a group rate for attendees of the conference if they book before June 30. Book a room by clicking below or call 1-888-492-8847, press 1 for New Reservation, and mention the group rate code: G-CSRB.
Info | Register | Hotel Bookings
Kalahari Resort, Wisconsin Dells, WI
Hotel Bookings
$169 - $269 a night (w/ 4 waterpark passes)
Block Name: Central States
Call 877-253-5466
or book online: https://book.passkey.com/e/50985432
Old Town Pour House
1703 Freedom Dr, Naperville, IL 60563
Hosted by the YP Committees of APWA Chicago Metro and CSWEA Illinois Section.
Join us for networking after the Collection Systems Conference. Attendance at the conference is not required.
First round is on us!
Info | Register
Monday, July 14, 2025
8:00 AM – 3:30 PM
NIU Naperville Campus,
1120 E Diehl Rd, Naperville, IL 60563
Attendees: Info & Agenda | Register
Exhibitors: Info | Register
11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. CDT
City of St. Cloud Wastewater Treatment Facility
525 60th Street South
St. Cloud, MN 56301
Lunch will be provided. Everyone is encouraged to participate in person. A MS Teams call-in will be provided for those that can’t be there in person.
This is the last stop in Madison before the 100th Annual Conference that will be held in Illinois in 2027, and we are going to raise the bar to start the countdown towards that centennial event. This event is ambitious, as we want to have a memorable and valuable experience for all the members of CSWEA who join us. The Young Professionals (YPs) will be front and center in this conference, as they have been for years. This year, the YPs are planning many things, including a service project at the Henry Villas Zoo!
This year’s local tours are going to be memorable as well. We will tour the Sun Prairie Water Pollution Control Facility and the stormwater tour will be on the grounds of Epic in Verona, an extraordinary campus that will serve as a backdrop to conversations on stormwater management.
Other events we are hosting include a golf outing at the scenic Pleasant Prairie Golf Club and a 5K run for those looking for some activity. Rick Wilcox, who is nationally renowned at his craft, will entertain our crowd at the Meet and Greet Social Hour. The social hour will be held in an extraordinary space within the Madison Public Library with views of the Wisconsin Capital.
Presentations will kick off with a keynote from Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells from the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, who will provide their perspective on One Water For All. As always, the technical committee has put together an exceptional show, where technical experts from the Central States area and beyond will share their thoughts on many different topics central to our water workforce. We will have an operations track for the people who are interested in practical applications, as well as an ethics track for those in need of refresher credits.
Our exhibitors will be available for two days in the exhibit hall, where they will be happy to talk about the latest and greatest as well as the tried and true of their offerings. Please support them, as they are instrumental to the success of the organization!
There will be a silent auction, where we will raise money and awareness for the Global Water Stewardship (GWS). We will also celebrate the success of our Operations Competition Teams and will offer opportunities for people to try some of the competitions that they are working to master while making the membership proud. Finally, the Banquet Dinner is a great opportunity to network and share gratitude for those that are doing so much to improve our industry.
Many thanks to the LAC under the leadership of Cathy Wunderlich and the technical committee led by Steven Graziano. Thanks also to the Executive Committee, Haque Associates, and the Association and State Section Committees that do so much for the organization and work so hard to put together an extraordinary annual conference. I hope you enjoy your time with us in Madison!
2 PART WEBINAR!
Wednesday January 22nd & 29th
COST:
$70 – Non-Members
$50 – Members (Discount Code: CSWEA)
$15 – Student (Discount Code: Student)
$15 – International (Discount Code: International)
Event Details:
2 PART WEBINAR!
Wednesday January 22nd & 29th
COST:
- $70 – Non-Members
- $50 – Members (Discount Code: CSWEA)
- $15 – Student (Discount Code: Student)
- $15 – International (Discount Code: International)
Info
PRESENTED BY: STEVEN REUSSER
REGISTER TODAY!
Wednesday January 15th – 11:00 AM
COST:
$35 – Non-Members
$25 – Members (Discount Code: CSWEA)
$15 – Student (Discount Code: Student)
$15 – International (Discount Code: International)
REGISTER TODAY!
Wednesday January 8th – 11:00 AM
COST:
$35 – Non-Members
$25 – Members (Discount Code: CSWEA)
$15 – Student (Discount Code: Student)
$15 – International (Discount Code: International)
2 PART WEBINAR!
Wednesday January 22nd & 29th
COST:
$70 – Non-Members
$50 – Members (Discount Code: CSWEA)
$15 – Student (Discount Code: Student)
$15 – International (Discount Code: International)