NRWA WaterPro 2019 Brings Small Systems Together

Last week the National Rural Water Association (NRWA) hosted the 2019 WaterPro Conference in Nashville, TN. The conference brought together water industry professionals and water systems of all sizes to discuss water quality issues related to management, governance, and operations. WaterPro included sessions that focused on new workforce, emergency response, and emerging contaminants. One of the sessions regarding workforce included conversations on bridging generational gaps in the water industry to better prepare communication between current and incoming professionals. During sessions on emergency response and crisis communication, speakers shared the importance of embracing the age of instant information by working with social media leaders and continuous transparent communication during an incident that influences drinking water. Several sessions discussed PFAS and emerging contaminants and the importance of crafting short and long-term communications plans to be ready for emerging contaminant news.