On Monday and Tuesday, Hall I played host to a high-octane show of skill, teamwork, and professionalism that involved a record-breaking 59 teams comprising the global water sector’s most talented frontline workers.
The 39th annual Operations Challenge competition, which officially wrapped during an awards ceremony on Tuesday evening, featured competitors from 24 Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Virginia) Member Associations based in the United States as well as three comparable international organizations in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Colombia. They matched wills and wits in one of four distinct divisions based on their tenure in the competition.
Each team earned an overall score based on their weighted performance in five Operations Challenge events, each testing a different aspect of work in the wastewater profession: Process Control; Laboratory; Safety; Collection Systems; and Vaughan (Montesano, Washington) Maintenance.
This outing also broke records for behind-the-scenes support, boasting more than 150 volunteer judges, event coordinators, and facilitators.
Leaders of the WEF Operations Challenge Community, including Kim Furry, Jeff Sober, and David Briggs, announced the following teams as winners of Operations Challenge 2026.
Division I Winners
- First Place – Elevated Ops (Rocky Mountain Water Environment Association)
- Second Place – Double Duty (Rocky Mountain Water Environment Association)
- Third Place – Controlled Chaos (Water Environment Association of South Carolina)
Division II Winners
- First Place – Commode Commandos (Rocky Mountain Water Environment Association)
- Second Place – Aquidneck Aqua-Holics (New England Water Environment Association)
- Third Place – Diffusers (Chesapeake Water Environment Association)
Division III Winners
- First Place – Renewable Renegades (Water Environment Association of South Carolina)
- Second Place – SacSewer Warriors (California Water Environment Association)
- Third Place – Ft. Worth Funkytown Legends (Water Environment Association of Texas)
Global Division Winner
Dung Deal (British Columbia Water and Waste Association)
Spirit Award Winners
- Best Uniform – Pumpers (Central States Water Environment Association)
- Best Hard Hat – TRA River Guardians (Water Environment Association of Texas)
- Most Creative Team Photo – Ft. Worth Funkytown Legends (Water Environment Association of Texas)
- Team Congeniality – Surge (Water Environment Association of South Carolina)
- Best Fan Support – Tri-Co Mechanical Mayhem (Indiana Water Environment Association)
- Best Team Effort – Biodiverse Team (ACODAL Colombia)
- Favorite Volunteer – Allison Bennett
- Least Total Penalties – Renewable Renegades (Water Environment Association of South Carolina)
- Iron Man – Phil Arve (Renewable Renegades)
- Dedication/Commitment – Dave Kramer (Chesapeake Water Environment Association Rowdy Rotifers)
Process Control Event
Teams kicked off the competition by completing the timed Process Control Event to test their mathematical aptitude and familiarity with wastewater treatment processes consisting of both written and electronic portions. For part of the trial, teams used a specialized wastewater treatment process simulator to visualize real-world problem scenarios and make real-time decisions to fix them.
Laboratory Event
The Laboratory Event called on teams to analyze a range of water quality parameters across a variety of settings — including influent, aeration basins, and effluent — more quickly than their opponents. The event required competitors to demonstrate their competence in such lab-based tasks as sampling, sample preparation, data collection, and data interpretation, as well as their familiarity with common laboratory equipment.
Safety Event
The Safety Event, which underwent a redesign this year, required teams to rescue an injured co-worker (represented by a dummy) who has collapsed inside an enclosed aeration tank. Acting as a rescue squad, competitors had to enter a confined space, retrieve and decontaminate the incapacitated co-worker, and replace five air diffuser membranes and two retaining rings, all while following standard safety protocols.
Collection Systems Event
In the fast-paced Collection Systems Event — often called the “100-yard dash” of Operations Challenge — teams vigorously bisected a stretch of 20-cm (8-in.) PVC pipe to fix a leak, connected a 10-cm (4-in.) lateral, in addition to assembling a valve tower provided by Victaulic (Easton, Pennsylvania). During the repair job, water continues to flow through the pipe.
Vaughan Maintenance Event
Finally, competitors in the Vaughan Maintenance Event responded to a sanitary pumping station serving a busy downtown neighborhood that has become incapacitated by the buildup of fats, oils, and grease (FOGs). Teams completed normal maintenance tasks to diagnose problems at the FOG-clogged wet well, readjusted a conditioning pump, and replaced a damaged impeller and pump nozzle.
More Details to Appear in WE&T
The December 2026 issue of Water Environment & Technology magazine will contain full coverage of this year’s Operations Challenge competition.