PWCSA Honors 2013 Regional Science Fair Contestants

Pictured above (left to right): Dr. K. Jack Kooyoomjian, PWCSA Board Member; Mr. Paul Ruecker, PWCSA Board Vice Chairman; Jonathan Brooks, Lake Ridge Middle School; Mr. L. Ben Thompson, PWCSA Board Member; Aliyah Desautels, Gainesville Middle School; Nick Shablom, Battlefield High School; Mr. Eric Young, PWCSA Board Member; Edwin Vargas, Freedom High School; Mr. David Rutherford, PWCSA Board Member; Julia Buchinsky, Bull Run Middle School; Ms. Janice Carr, PWCSA Board Secretary-Treasurer; Emma Glass, Bull Run Middle School; Mr. Alex Vanegas, PWCSA Board Chairman; Ms. Joyce Eagles, PWCSA Board Member.

PWCSA Honors 2013 Regional Science Fair Contestants

PWCSA recognized seven middle and high school students on April 11 for developing outstanding projects that focused on water, wastewater or the environment for this year’s Prince William-Manassas Regional Science Fair. The PWCSA Board of Directors issues Organizational Awards to Science Fair participants whose project research aligns with the Authority’s mission and vision.

WINNING STUDENTS:

Senior Division
1st Place - Edwin Vargas
2nd Place - Maralee Bell
3rd Place - Nicholas Shablom

Middle Division
1st Place - Jonathan Brooks
2nd Place - Emma Glass
3rd Place - Aliyah Desautels
Honorable Mention - Julia Buchinsky

To see images from this year's event, click play on the slide show below.

Friends of the Occoquan Cleanup Events

The Friends of the Occoquan (FOTO) will host its Occoquan River spring cleanup at five different local sites on Saturday, April 27, from 9:00am to 12:00pm. To learn more, please CLICK HERE.

PWC Police to Hold Rx Drug Take-Back Day

Local police and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will offer a safe, free, and anonymous way to dispose of unwanted and expired prescription and over-the-counter medications on Saturday, April 27, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at several locations throughout the county. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

Volunteers with Small Watercraft Experience Needed for Occoquan River Cleanup

 The Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition and its community partners are seeking volunteers to participate in a cleanup of the Occoquan River on Saturday, April 13 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (rain date: April 20). Canoeists and kayakers are asked to pre-register for the event to ensure provision of enough gloves, trash bags, trailer/shuttle support, water bottles, snacks and T-shirts. For more information or and to register for this community cleanup event, please CLICK HERE.

PWCSA Water Art Invitational 2013

The Prince William County Service Authority (PWCSA) awarded 14 Prince William County high school students for their excellent entries at the 2013 Water Art Invitational ceremony on Thursday, March 14, 2013. The eleventh annual contest requires participating students to portray drinking water in one of the following three categories: painting and drawing, photography, and computer graphics. Students also had to use those visual arts mediums to interpret the theme of this year’s event “Water is life. Water is precious”.

Students submitted more than 120 pieces of artwork which were reviewed by a panel of 10 judges representing a wide variety of industries and expertise. Twenty-three corporate sponsors from in and around Prince William County generously provided 100 percent of the funding for the contest.
“We are honored to be able to advance a legacy of rewarding creativity and environmental stewardship among young people, who are the future leaders of the community,” said Amy Brush, who coordinated this year’s event. “Every year, the students who participate in the Water Art Invitational demonstrate a deep appreciation for life’s most precious resource through their beautiful, imaginative, and often-compelling entries.”

PWCSA Board Member Mrs. Joyce Eagles welcomed the lively crowd that filled the customer lobby of the Raymond Spittle Building in the County Government Center in Woodbridge. PWCSA Board Secretary-Treasurer Janice Carr, announced the following 2013 contest winners, who are as follows:

Grand Prize Winner – Alexa Limcaoco from Ms. McIntyre’s class at Patriot HS. (Painting/Drawing)

Painting/Drawing:
1st place – Audrey Ramsey from Ms. Burns’ class at Battlefield HS.
2nd place – Gareth Bentall from Ms. McIntyre’s class at Patriot HS.
3rd place – Victoria Hurlburt from Ms. Burns’ class at Battlefield HS.
Honorable Mention – Katrina Vanderveldt from Ms. Burns’ class at Battlefield HS.
Honorable Mention – Regina Young-Tueros from Mr. Proch’s class at Gar-Field HS.

Photography (Color/Black and White):
1st place – Gabriela Quintanilla from Ms. McFarland’s class at Osbourn Park HS.
2nd place – Emma Jamison from Ms. Solliday’s class at Forest Park HS.
3rd place – Nathan Johnson from Ms. Petropulos’ class at Woodbridge HS.
Honorable Mention – Christine Colatosti from Ms. McFarland’s class at Osbourn Park HS.

Computer Graphics:
1st place – Jordan Fernandez from Mr. McGaugh’s class at Battlefield HS.
2nd place – Kimberly Turcios from Mr. McGaugh’s class at Battlefield HS.
3rd place – Tommy Becker from Ms. Williams’ class at Forest Park HS.
Honorable Mention – Kimberly Howe from Mr. McGaugh’s class at Battlefield HS.

The Adventures of Otis and Bubbles

How “Going Mobile” Helps PWCSA Provide High Quality Water.

Maintaining a consistent amount of disinfectant in the water throughout the Service Authority’s distribution system is critical to ensuring high quality. Chloramines – a blend of chlorine and ammonia – are added to the water supply at the treatment plant to protect against bacteria and viruses, and last longer in the water system than chlorine alone. Authority personnel perform hundreds of rapid chlorine level tests at water sample collection sites every month. Chlorine levels are also continuously monitored through remote sensors located within the distribution system. If the amount of disinfectant begins to drop in a particular area of the system, the Authority can dispatch its custom-built mobile rechlorination trailer. Most often, the mobile unit is connected at water storage tanks to add chloramines to water in specific areas. Levels are more likely to need a boost during the summer months as heat causes chloramines to dissipate more rapidly. The Service Authority’s comprehensive water quality testing and regulatory compliance program is an essential part of providing customers with clean, high quality water.

PWCSA Breaks Ground for New Water Quality Testing Laboratory

Pictured above are (left to right): Mr. Dean Dickey, PWCSA General Manager; Mr. L. Ben Thompson, PWCSA Board Member; Mr. David Rutherford, PWCSA Board Member; Mr. Paul Ruecker, PWCSA Board Vice Chairman; The Honorable Maureen Caddigan, Potomac District Supervisor; The Honorable John Jenkins, Neabsco District Supervisor; Ms. Janice Carr, PWCSA Board Secretary-Treasurer; Mr. Rick Maynard; Ms. Kim Maynard; Mr. Alex Vanegas, PWCSA Board Chairman; Dr. K. Jack Kooyoomjian, PWCSA Board Member; Ms. Joyce Eagles, PWCSA Board Member; Ms. Devon Cabot, Assistant to The Honorable Frank Principi, Woodbridge District Supervisor; Mr. Eric Young, PWCSA Board Member; and Ms. Diana Meiser, Aide to The Honorable Pete Candland, Gainesville District Supervisor.

Members of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors and their representatives joined the Prince William County Service Authority (PWCSA) Board of Directors and distinguished guests for the ceremonial groundbreaking for the Durward E. Grubbs, Jr. Environmental Center in mid-January. The Center will be constructed on the campus of the H. L. Mooney Advanced Water Reclamation Facility (AWRF), and will primarily accommodate a new state-of-the-art water quality laboratory designed to meet today’s higher wastewater treatment standards. It will also provide necessary space for administrative and laboratory staff, as well as lab equipment.

The scale of PWCSA’s water reclamation operations have greatly increased since the Mooney AWRF became operational more than 30 years ago. Since then, PWCSA has implemented two major wastewater treatment process and capacity upgrades. However, the laboratory and administration offices have not expanded with the rest of the Facility over the past three decades. Constructing a new building to provide adequate workspace for those two essential departments created an opportunity to allocate a small portion of the new structure for visitors to learn about the value of water and the services PWCSA provides a quarter of a million people throughout Prince William County.