District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority

Walter F. Bailey

Assistant General Manager of Wastewater Treatment

Walter F. Bailey is Assistant General Manager of Wastewater Treatment for the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water). Mr. Bailey is responsible for the management of the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, as well as the Authority's Biosolids Management Program, Laboratory, Process Research and Development Program, and its Industrial Pretreatment Program. He is responsible for managing a budget of approximately $120 million and a staff of 264 employees.

Mr. Bailey has served as the Director of Blue Plains for more than 20 years. During this period, Blue Plains implemented advanced wastewater treatment and was among the first facilities in the Chesapeake Bay Region to achieve compliance with goals for advanced reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus. Prior to this assignment, he served as Wastewater Operations Manager, Plant Process Engineer and Civil Engineer in the Department of Engineering and Technical Services.

Mr. Bailey has received numerous professional awards including the Water Environment Federation's Emerson Medal for contributions to the profession, the Hatfield Award for plant management and the Schroepfer Award for innovative facility design. Blue Plains has been recognized by the National Association of Clean Water Agency's (NACWA) Peak Performance Awards for outstanding facility performance including the 2010 Platinum Award for five consecutive years of zero noncompliance with the Clean Water Act discharge permit. The Blue Plains Biosolids Program was recognized by EPA in 2005 with its First Place Award for Exemplary Biosolids Management. NACWA also recognized DC Water with two consecutive Research and Technology Awards in 2009 and 2010 for research projects supporting Blue Plains design work as well as the 2009 Public Information and Education Award for Biosolids public education. The American Academy of Environmental Engineers recognized DC Water in 2010 with two Excellence in Environmental Engineering Awards. One award was for research and one for the performance of the Blue Plains nitrogen removal program. DC Water's biosolids management program was one of the first in the U.S. to achieve National Biosolids Partnership certification of its Environmental Management System.

Mr. Bailey holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) and a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from George Washington University. He is a Licensed Professional Engineer, a Licensed Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator, and a Board Certified Environmental Engineer. He has received two U.S. patents for developing treatment processes at Blue Plains and is the author or coauthor of more than 75 technical presentations and publications.