EPA, Water Online Team Up With NACE To Host Critical Water Infrastructure Webinars
The five-part series starts September 15 and keys on the potential, the cost, and the tools to make informed decisions on mitigating corrosion-related failures in water and wastewater systems.
Houston, TX — Partnering with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Water Online, NACE International, The Corrosion Society, is offering a new Web series called WATERCORR. This series of five webinars, presented on the second Tuesday each month beginning September 15, 2009, will each be led by a different industry expert to help provide information and useful tools for municipalities, water utilities, and private industry to make informed decisions on how to protect resources and prolong the life of critical water and wastewater systems.
A study on the cost of corrosion funded by the U.S. Congress found that direct corrosion costs to the nation's water and wastewater systems totals about $36 billion annually. Industry experts estimate that as much as a half of that cost is preventable.
The first WATERCORR Webinar will be held at 12 noon, Central Time on Tuesday, September 15, 2009. The presenter will be Dr. Graham E.C. Bell, P.E., president of M.J. Schiff & Associates, Inc. Dr. Bell will discuss the types and risk of corrosion-related failures in water and wastewater infrastructure.
"Of the many threats to our nation's water and wastewater infrastructure, corrosion is one of the most serious. Corrosion-related failures in our drinking water and wastewater systems present a real risk to public health and the environment," said Dan Murray of EPA's Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory. "This webinar series will help utilities better understand and address corrosion in their systems."
Water Online, a resource for professionals in the water industry providing information on water treatment, pipe rehabilitation, and wastewater management, has a goal to provide solutions to the water industry. "As our nation's water infrastructure ages, corrosion is among the most significant challenges facing our readership," said Water Online's Associate Publisher, Pat Gallagher. "The WATERCORR webinar series leverages NACE International's unrivaled knowledge and expertise with a specific focus on water and wastewater systems."
Over the course of the five-part series, WATERCORR participants will be offered valuable tools on how to mitigate corrosion and related costs, including key cost-benefit analyses. The various types of corrosion-related water and wastewater system failures will also be addressed, as will the costs of a failure versus the cost of prevention. The series will endeavor to provide answers on system sustainability, helping all involved with the delivery of water and wastewater services make informed decisions.
Each webinar is available individually or may be purchased as a series. Once subscribed, each presentation will be available live for participation, and will also be recorded, allowing participants to retrieve them for a full year thereafter whether they attend or not. For complete information or to register, visit http://nace.org/watercorr.
"NACE shares a unified goal with our sponsors — to provide corrosion control information to all elements of our nation's water infrastructure — drinking water treatment plants, distribution networks, sewer lines, and storage facilities," said Tony Keane, NACE International's executive director. "The webinar series is just the beginning. Together with our partners, we can do a lot to make a real difference in the economic and societal cost of corrosion."
NACE International, The Corrosion Society, based in Houston, Texas, is recognized worldwide as the largest professional association dedicated to protecting people, assets, and the environment from the impact of corrosion. It was founded in 1943, and offers technical training and certification programs, sponsors conferences, and produces industry standards, reports, publications, and software to prevent and mitigate corrosion.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency leads the nation's environmental science, research, education and assessment efforts. The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is to protect human health and the environment.
Water Online, based in Horsham, Pennsylvania is recognized as the online standard for professionals seeking solutions to water, wastewater, and stormwater issues. Reflecting the dynamic and interactive character of the Internet, Water Online is the most convenient source of technical, operational, product, management, and regulatory information available for the water industry.
SOURCE: NACE International, The Corrosion Society