WEF Announces New Executive Director

The Board of Trustees has announced that Jeff Eger has been named the new executive director of the Water Environment Federation (WEF), a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with 36,000 members representing water quality professionals around the world.

Eger will assume his new role on Jan. 24, 2011, a position currently held by William (Bill) Bertera since 2001. Bertera leaves a legacy at WEF by increasing membership and financial stability, and growing WEF’s annual conference, WEFTEC, to the largest annual water quality conference and exhibition in the world

Eger comes to WEF from Sanitation District 1 (SD1) in Fort Wright, Ky., where he has been serving as executive director since 1994. SD1 is the second largest public sewer utility in Kentucky, maintaining $1 billion in physical assets.

“It is with great excitement that we announce Mr. Eger’s addition to our team,” said WEF president Jeanette Brown. “We are fortunate that someone with Jeff’s leadership, experience and creativity is taking up the torch to represent WEF as it faces the next generation of environmental challenges.”

SD1 is recognized as a national leader in terms of embracing and implementing green infrastructure in wet weather control strategies, advocating for legislation and policy change on the state and national levels, and using adaptive watershed management in controlling and managing storm water.

“We look forward to continuing WEF’s visionary thinking and inspired leadership as Jeff comes on board,” continued Brown. “The WEF Board was particularly impressed by his credentials in working with water regulations and stormwater issues.”

During his tenure, Eger developed and implemented a regional stormwater management program to comply with U.S. EPA’s regulations, and began taking responsibility of public stormwater collection systems in 2009. He also supervised the regionalization of 30 municipal sanitary sewer systems in response to pending federal environmental regulations and legislative changes. 

Eger has vast experience in working with organizations active on the regional and national levels. He is a member and past chairman of The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, the water pollution control agency for the Ohio River and its tributaries. He also chairs the Wet Weather Partnership, a national organization dedicated to seeking environmentally responsible solutions to urban wet weather issues.

“Through the strong leadership of the SD1 Board of Directors and staff, the organization has proven that an innovative and a cost effective plan can be developed to manage the vital wastewater and stormwater infrastructure in northern Kentucky,” Eger said. “I look forward to promoting the concepts we pioneered here on a national and international platform. WEF’s leadership, staff and member associations are committed to promoting the mission of preserving and enhancing the global water environment. I am honored to be part of this important mission.”

About WEF

Formed in 1928, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with 36,000 individual members and 75 affiliated member associations representing water quality professionals around the world. WEF and its member associations proudly work to achieve our mission of preserving and enhancing the global water environment.