Dates & Reminders for WEASC Districts and Committees

Please plan to vote on your 2026-27 officers and send that list to Ginger Clark, WEASC Secretary, by Feb 16. Committee and District budgets for FY 2026-27 are due April 15.

All incoming District and Committee Chairs: Mark your calendar for the Joint Planning Retreat on April 16. This meeting will cover all the info you need to lead your district/committee.

WEASC 100th Anniversary Planning

In 2027, WEASC will celebrate its 100th anniversary! Janet Hurley Cann is leading an ad hoc committee to plan a series of events celebrating this milestone.

Initial plans include hosting a gala in November 2027 and producing a commemorative book. To help provide historical information and photos for the book, we're asking each District to appoint a volunteer/committee to gather this  information. Please contact WEASC President Beth Thompson with questions.

Mid-Year Meeting Update

Due to scheduling conflicts with other Association events and construction at the Pine Island venue, we will not hold a Mid-Year Meeting this year or in 2027. The Executive Committee hopes to bring this event back in 2028, honoring its tradition while possibly refreshing its purpose. Stay tuned!

Operator Licensing and Environmental Control Board (ECB) Update

The ECB met last week and reported that pass rates for all operator license exams are continuing to show a marked improvement (especially biological wastewater) since the new exams took effect on Aug 1 (Oct 1 for VCC – pass rates for the VCC exams are also improving.). See the article on page 13 of the Winter 2025 Journal for details. The ECB Liaison Committee will continue to monitor pass rate trends.

SCEC Operations Challenge Update

The Ops Challenge competition at SCEC is full! Fourteen teams are registered, including five from SC. The Exec Committee adopted a new policy to guide WEASC's distribution of funds to SC teams invited to compete at WEFTEC.

Historically, two SC teams have been invited to compete in the national event, but last year we sent four SC teams, and given the strength of our Ops Challenge program, it's likely this will continue. WEASC will allocate a total amount each fiscal year and distribute those funds among the SC teams invited to WEFTEC.

Membership Committee Updates

The WEASC Membership Committee description was updated. The Committee will continue its charge to recruit new members and welcome all to build a diverse and inclusive community.

If you're interested in joining a committee, please reach out to the committee chair or the Association staff, and we will get you connected! 

Our Association wouldn’t be where it is today without the dedication of our members, and in October, we lost a champion of WEASC with the passing of Jimmy Wigglesworth.

To honor Jimmy and continue his legacy, the WEASC is establishing an endowed scholarship fund in his name. An endowed scholarship fund requires at least $25,000, and we have already raised about $15,000 thanks to the efforts of Jay Nicholson. 

If you would like to make a contribution to the endowment, you can do so online at scwaters.org/JimmyWigglesworthEndowment.

The WEASC Scholarship Committee will develop scholarship award criteria, and scholarships from the endowment will be available in 2023.

Jimmy was a member of the Capital District and served the Association in many capacities over the last 20-plus years, including serving as President and on many committees, including the Operator Conference planning committee and Nominating Committee. He was a proud member of the 5S Society and winner of several awards, including the Sidney Bedell Award.

Services for Jimmy will be as follows:

Friday, October 29, 2021

Lexington Baptist Church, 307 East Main Street, Lexington, SC

 9:30 AM (visitation); 11:00 AM (services)

Jimmy’s family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the WEASC Legacy of Learning Scholarship fund.

If you would like to donate to the scholarship fund in memory of Jimmy, visit scwaters.org/weasclol to make a donation online via credit card.

To donate by mailing a check, please complete the check donation form and follow the instructions listed in the form.

Jimmy (front) pictured with the WEASC Operator Conference Committee in 2019.