KWWOA Awards – Nomination & Selection Procedures/SOP - Approved July 25, 2013

The intent of this procedure is to outline the types of awards that KWWOA assigns at the State and Chapter levels, who is responsible for assigning these awards, the eligibility requirements the candidates must meet, and the nomination and selection process each is to follow.

AWARDS

The KWWOA has several awards that they issue at the Chapter and State levels. For each award, the process starts with the Chapter soliciting and awarding local Chapter awards and then recommending, as they feel appropriate, for the State level award within the same category. The awards are titled as follows:

Individual Awards

Chapter Level

• Wastewater Operator of the Year
• Water Operator of the Year
• Operator Education Award

State Level

• J.C. Chambers – Wastewater
• Earl T. Mitchell – Water
• Eugene S. Nicholas – Water or Wastewater with an emphasis on the advancement of education.

Facility Awards – State and Chapter Level Awards

• Water Plant Operations
• Wastewater Plant Operations

AWARDS SELECTION COMMITTEE

The selection committee for the State level awards will consist of at least five (5) members who are as follows:

• State Vice-Chairperson
• Eastern Chapter Vice-Chairperson
• Western Chapter Vice-Chairperson
• North Central Chapter Vice-Chairperson
• Central Chapter Vice-Chairperson

An alternate may be substituted to represent the Chapter Vice-Chairperson prior to the facility visits/selections. The State Vice Chairperson must be notified of the proxy before the site visits occur and the person selected must participate in the process through the award selection.

As nominations are submitted, the KWWOA Member Services Director will forward these to the appropriate Chapter Vice Chairperson. The Member Services Director shall also maintain a list of all award recipients and post their pictures on the KWWOA website.

The State Vice-Chairperson shall serve as the Committee Chair along with being responsible for collection and distribution to the Committee members, all written communication from the Chapters, State agencies and KWWOA for each nominee. The Committee Chair will also schedule visits to the respective plants for on-site evaluations. In addition, the Committee Chair will forward a copy of the Chambers, Mitchell and Nicholas nominees to the past three (3) winners in each respective class for their input on the most deserving candidate. The Committee Chair will represent the votes of the past recipients in the selection process.

The respective Chapter Vice Chairpersons are to assist in scheduling sites visits for those facilities within their Chapter, gather additional information, if warranted, and verify that their Chapter submittals are valid to meet the award conditions as specified below.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Any treatment, collection or distribution operator, laboratory personnel, or manager may be considered for the Individual awards as long as they meet the following requirements.

• Must be an active member (active or honorary) in good standing with KWWOA and the Division of Compliance Assistance.
• Must have or is currently demonstrating a commitment to the improvement and/or advancement of operations, maintenance and/or management of water quality or water-dependent quality.
• Must have at least ten (10) years involvement in the relative profession of water or wastewater.
• For the Eugene S Nicholas Award, the individual must meet the criteria above, plus be involved in the educational advancement of water and wastewater operators.

A treatment facility must meet the following requirements to be considered for a facility award:

• The facility must be in good standing with KWWOA and the all pertinent state regulatory agencies.
• The facility must have at least a two (2) year operational record.
• The facility must  continually be demonstrating a level of proficient operations in accordance with all required permit standards with no more than one (1) violation in the past twelve (12) months.
• Any one (1) water and/or wastewater plant can be submitted by their respective Chapter to the KWWOA Awards Committee for evaluation and possible selection, using the appropriate form attached.
• Past recipients are not eligible for consecutive awards but can be reconsidered after a one (1) year period.

NOMINATION, SELECTION AND PRESENTATION

Chapter Awards

• Any member of the KWWOA, Kentucky Divisions of Water or Compliance Assistance may submit a nomination for either the individual or facility awards to the potential recipients respective Chapter or to the KWWOA Member Services Director.
• Nomination forms are located on the KWWOA website at www.kwwoa.org and may be submitted electronically or downloaded and forwarded to the appropriate Chapter or KWWOA Member Services Director.
• The deadline for submittal of the nomination form shall be set and publicized by the officers of each Chapter.
• The Chapters may choose an award recipient in each Award category based on the eligibility criteria referenced and their operational record, to be recognized at the local Chapter level. The Individual Awards shall be presented as “Wastewater Operator of the Year”, “Water Operator of the Year”, and “Operator Education Award”. The local award recipient shall be presented with an 8 x 11” plaque that contains the following information: the name of the award, the name of the recipient, the year in which the award is being presented and the name of the Association, including the Chapter presenting the award.

State Awards

• Chapter shall submit to the State Vice Chairperson the names of their local award recipients as nominees, and all supporting documentation, for the corresponding State level award.
• The nomination and supporting documentation shall be submitted no later than February 1st of the following year.
• Any nomination submitted must be accompanied by adequate written information and supporting documentation to allow for the Awards Selection Committee to make an informed decision.
• The Awards Selection Committee shall use the “Outstanding Treatment Plant Evaluation Form”, attached, during their on-site visit to assist in the treatment plant award selection.
• Upon the collection of the Chapter nomination/application, state environmental and site evaluation information, and the past recipient input where appropriate, the Committee shall evaluate all the data and make a fair decision based on the information at hand
• The Awards Selection Committee may or may not elect to award a recipient for each category based on the information supplied.
• Each award winner shall be recognized at the Annual KWWOA Conference. The award presentation shall include the presentation of a plaque made in the shape of the State of Kentucky. The plaque shall include the following information: the namli of the award, the name of the recipient, the year in which the award is assigned, and the name of the Association. Winners of the Individual Awards shall also include a proclamation certificate, a copy of which is attached.