Dr. Wallace ?J? Nichols will address water professionals at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, June 8 during the opening general session of the American Water Works Association?s Annual Conference & Exposition (ACE15) at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif.

The U.S. EPA recently issued health advisories values for two cyanotoxins ? microcystin and cylindrospermopsin ? ahead of its public meeting and webinar, scheduled for today.

The third annual Infrastructure Week kicks off today and will bring together America?s leading organizations representing the full spectrum of business, labor and public policy throughout the week.

The City of Gresham, Ore., recently celebrated an environmental achievement ? engineering the Pacific Northwest?s first energy net zero wastewater treatment plant. Achieving net zero status means that the plant makes about the same amount of electricity as it consumes in a year, saving tax dollars and protecting the environment.

HammerHead, a Charles Machine Works Company, announced that Brian Metcalf will be departing to assume the role of CEO at the Ring-O-Matic organization based in Pella, Iowa.

Golder Associates, the global consulting and engineering firm, announced it has appointed Dr. Hisham Mahmoud as its president and CEO. Mahmoud has been appointed to this role after an extensive global search over recent months.

CH2M HILL recently announced it has adopted a refreshed brand and logo designed to better reflect its clients? needs and its own ambitions for growth. The company has also adopted a simpler brand name, CH2M.

WateReuse recently appointed two new members to serve on the Board of Directors. Halla Razak, the public utilities director for the City of San Diego and Gilbert Trejo, P.E., chief technical officer for El Paso Water Utilities begin service effective May 2015.

Last Tuesday, the surface of Lake Mead, the sprawling reservoir outside Las Vegas, fell to 1,079.76 ft above sea level ? nearly 140 feet below capacity ? as the prolonged drought continues to evaporate the beleaguered Colorado River system.

Upon graduating college, I was fortunate to start my business career as a salesman for a petrochemical company in their plastics division. For the next 10 years or so, I had the opportunity to witness firsthand how various types of plastics were used across all industries.