JEA Wins Top Honors at Water Environment Federation Competition

Two JEA Water/Wastewater teams competed in Operations Challenge 2015, May 3 - 6 in Orlando. The event is sponsored by the Water Environment Federation (WEF), a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with 36,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations representing water quality professionals around the world.

The competition is designed to test the diverse skills required for the operation and maintenance of wastewater treatment facilities, their collection systems and laboratories. Winners are determined by a weighted point system for five events:

• Collection Systems
• Laboratory
• Process Control
• Maintenance
• Safety

The teams (who came up with their own names) consisted of:

Fecal Matters

• Nathaniel Rouse, Coach/Alternate
• Franklee Taylor
• Phillips Williams
• Michael Fowler
• Ryan Cohee 

Water Hogs

• Steven Felcher, Coach
• Samuel Howard II
• Roderick Jackson
• Randall Bramlitt
• David Blanton
• Walter Kennedy, Alternate

Both JEA teams tied for 6th place overall in the competition with our best showing in the collection repair event. JEA’s Water Hogs placed 2nd and JEA’s Fecal Matters placed 4th.

This is the first time JEA teams have competed in the Operations Challenge. According to their Director Scott Anaheim, "The guys were told that it usually takes a few competitions before you place first or second so for them (Water Hogs placed 2nd in collection repair event) to do it on the first one is a great accomplishment."