All interested parties can submit an individual abstract or a session proposal for the WEFTEC 2024 technical program. Technical sessions will be formed using the accepted submissions.

Individual Abstract

All abstract submissions should include an author, co-author, and a maximum of two speakers. The abstract itself cannot exceed 5,500 characters.

Accepted individual abstract submissions will be paired with 1-2 other individual abstract submissions to develop one technical session. Accepted abstract authors should expect to coordinate with the other authors in their technical session.

Each accepted abstract will be assigned a presentation time based on the format of their session. Speakers should expect presentation time to be as short as five minutes or as long as fifteen minutes. Presentation times are shared immediately upon acceptance into the technical program.

Session Proposal

All session proposals should consist of a maximum of three speakers, two facilitators, and a completed agenda (60 to 90 minutes). Agendas must have a cohesive theme or topic with the goal to encourage knowledge exchange or development. Proposals must incorporate attendee interaction.

Accepted session proposal submissions will become a complete technical session. Accepted proposal facilitators should expect to coordinate with program community members to finalize the session’s agenda and attendee engagement activities before WEFTEC 2024.

Proposal speakers and facilitators should not all represent the same utility or organization but should come from different backgrounds and experiences. This includes not having all clients from one consulting organization or manufacturer.

WEF Membership is not required for submission.

Non-WEF Members are welcome and encouraged to submit to WEFTEC 2024. If you need assistance submitting as a non-member, please contact speakers@wef.org.

Submissions should not be a sales pitch.

Submissions mentioning equipment should include the manufacturers of the equipment as authors/co-authors.

There is no limit on the number of abstracts or proposals that can be submitted by an individual, company, organization, or institution. However, each submission should only be submitted once.

Do not submit the same abstract/proposal or similar abstracts/proposals to different topics. Duplicate abstracts/proposals will be discounted.

Do not wait until the last minute to upload your submission.

Password resets and other login issues can take up to 24 hours to resolve. If you are not able to log in and cannot submit by the deadline, your submission will not be accepted.

Accepted submissions will be required to submit a full technical paper in July for the WEFTEC 2024 conference proceedings.

Accepted submissions should expect their presentations to be included in interactive technical sessions.

Speakers should be aware that it is likely for their session to include engagement with the audience including but not limited to discussion breaks, breakout groups, and polling questions.

All technical session speakers, moderators, and facilitators must register as attendees for WEFTEC 2024.

Speakers, moderators, and facilitators are responsible for all travel and lodging expenses, including conference registration fees.

All submissions must meet the 400-word minimum and must not exceed 5,500 (abstract) or 7,000 (session proposal) characters to be considered for the technical program.

Only one topic can be selected for each submission.

Advanced Water Treatment

• Micro-Constituents, Contaminants of Emerging Concern & Trace Organics - Industrial
• Micro-Constituents, Contaminants of Emerging Concern & Trace Organics – Municipal
• Treatment for Reuse & Potable Reuse- Industrial
• Treatment for Reuse & Potable Reuse- Municipal

Industrial Treatment

• Anaerobic, High Strength Wastewater
• Industrial Source Control & Waste Minimization
• Membrane Applications
• Specific Inorganic Constituent Removal
• Treatment Issues by Manufacturing Sector

People, Management & the Big Picture

• Circular Water Economy & Sustainability - Energy Management
• Circular Water Economy & Sustainability - Water, Energy, Food Nexus
• Circular Water Economy & Sustainability – Circular Water Economy
• Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation
• Public Health
• Resilience & Safety
• Societal Aspects- Coordinated Infrastructure and Social Programs
• Societal Aspects- DE&I
• Societal Aspects- ESG
• Societal Aspects- Water Equity
• Utility Management - Effective Utility Management
• Utility Management- Business Organization & Technology Transformation
• Utility Management- Management & Workforce
• Utility Management- Project Delivery
• Utility Management- Public Communications & Outreach

Research & Innovation

• Research & Innovation

Solids Handling and Treatment

• Biogas & Energy Recovery
• Biosolids & Residuals Treatment

Systems & Resource Management

• Air Quality & Odor Management
• Asset Management, Program Development & Reliability Strategies
• Collection Systems
• CSO & SSO Planning and Mitigation
• Decentralized Systems & Management - Rural Wastewater Management
• Decentralized Systems & Management - Small Communities Treatment & Management
• Reuse Systems & Management

Water Resource Recovery Facilities

• Liquid Stream Treatment- Mainstream Nutrient Removal Fundamentals & Applications
• Liquid Stream Treatment Technology - Low Carbon/Energy Mainstream Nutrient Removal
• Liquid Stream Treatment Technology - Secondary & Advanced Treatment
• Liquid Stream Treatment Technology- Disinfection
• Liquid Stream Treatment Technology- Low Carbon Footprint Mainstream Treatment
• Liquid Stream Treatment Technology- Preliminary & Primary Treatment
• Liquid Stream Treatment Technology- Sidestream & Alternative Nutrient Removal & Recovery
• Optimization of Operations - Instrumentation, Process Control & Intelligent Water Systems
• Optimization of Operations- Chemical and Energy Use Reduction
• Optimization of Operations- Modeling and Digital Twins

Watershed, Stormwater & Water Resource Protection

• Coastal and Ocean Issues
• One Water Management
• Regulatory & Permitting
• Stormwater
• Watershed Management

January 15, 2024

All submissions must be finalized within the speaker portal by 11:59pm Eastern.

January – February 2024

WEFTEC Program Community will review and score all submissions.

March – April 2024

WEFTEC Program Community develops technical sessions to be held during WEFTEC 2024 using accepted submissions.

Late April – May 2024

• All submitters are notified of submission acceptance or rejection.
• Accepted authors must confirm participation in WEFTEC 2024.

*Session agendas should be reviewed before committing to speak. Some agendas will include engagement with attendees and shortened presentation times.

July

All accepted authors must submit a full technical paper for the WEFTEC 2024 conference proceedings.

*Final acceptance into the technical program is contingent upon receipt of final paper.

August

All technical paper authors and co-authors must provide an electronic signature for the WEF license agreement for the paper to be included in the proceedings.

All submissions must be finalized by the January 15^th deadline.

The submission review process begins immediately after the deadline. Therefore, late submissions are not accepted under any circumstances.

SUBMISSION REVIEW AND SCORING CRITERIA

While using a blind review process, the reviewers will score both individual abstracts and session proposals based on the following criteria. Typically, less than 50% of the submissions are accepted into the technical program. Submitters should take the time to ensure all submissions meet or exceed the scoring criteria.

Applicability

Submission provides concepts, context setting, or lessons learned that are transferable/usable.

• For session proposals, this is 25% of the score.
• For abstracts, this is 30% of the score.

Results and Outcomes

Submission provides information supporting lessons learned and proof of concepts, lessons learned, or context.

• For session proposals, this is 30% of the score.
• For abstracts, this is 40% of the score.

Audience Appeal

Submission provides new concepts, ideas, hot topics, or a novel application of concept. The idea has not been presented at WEFTEC in the past.

• For session proposals, this is 25% of the score.
• For abstracts, this is 30% of the score.

Concept Integration & Activities

Submission walks the reviewer through the session layout, ensures cohesive participant experience, and includes meaningful points of engagement (interactive activities) that support adult learning.

• For session proposals, this is 20% of the score.