WSSC Water Accepting Applications for Commissioners’ Engineering Scholarship

Laurel, Md. – March 10, 2021 – WSSC Water today launched its coveted 2021 Commissioners’ Engineering Scholarship increasing the annual award by $1,000. The scholarship, now providing $2,000 per year and up to $8,000 over four consecutive years, supports WSSC Water’s ongoing efforts to attract aspiring engineers to careers in the water industry.

“COVID-19 has certainly highlighted the need worldwide for safe, clean and reliable water,” said WSSC Water Commission Chairman Howard Denis. “Engineers help design the crucial water infrastructure necessary to protect public health, which is why we increased the annual amount of this scholarship to attract the best and brightest engineers to this industry.”

The scholarship is open to students with permanent residency in Montgomery or Prince George’s County enrolled in a full-time college or university engineering program. High school seniors already accepted into an engineering program are also eligible. The application deadline is Thursday, April 15, 2021.

“WSSC Water is committed to ensuring that our talent pipeline is always filling with the next generation of engineers to fulfill our clean-water mission,” said WSSC Water General Manager and CEO Carla A. Reid. “I applaud the Commissioners’ support of our comprehensive recruitment efforts by increasing the annual scholarship award to $2,000.” 

Two scholarships of $2,000 each may be awarded. Recipients are eligible for additional $2,000 awards for up to four consecutive years, which may include post-graduate studies in engineering. Scholarship recipients also are given priority consideration for WSSC Water’s paid summer internship positions while enrolled in school. 

Applicants must write a 500- to 1,000-word essay on one of the following topics: 

1. WSSC Water’s strategic vision is to be the world-class provider of safe, reliable water and wastewater services that protect the health, safety and quality of life of its customers. Climate change presents several challenges to water and wastewater utilities such as WSSC Water. These challenges – increased frequency of droughts and floods, extreme precipitation events, heat waves, and degraded water quality – all change the demand for services. Discuss some of the initiatives WSSC Water can undertake to address climate change’s challenges and to ensure a sustainable water supply. Your response must include discussions from the perspectives of the water utilities and the communities that must now adapt to the new realities of climate change.
    
2. Around the country, water systems are in crisis. From rural Appalachia to Flint, Michigan, many communities do not have access to clean, reliable, drinking water. At the heart of this national problem is an aging water system with a crumbling infrastructure and a lack of funds to pay to upgrade it. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, it will cost approximately $400 billion to fix the problem, which is far beyond the affordability levels of most communities. Discuss some approaches these communities, or the water and wastewater utilities that serve them, could employ to address the situation.
    
3. WSSC Water maintains more than 5,800 miles of sewer pipe. Inflow and infiltration in WSSC Water’s Piscataway Basin often overload the nearby water resource recovery facility and is a growing concern for WSSC Water. Describe the impacts of inflow and infiltration and the measures you would take to reduce the load in the collection system and at the water resource recovery facilities.

In addition to the essay, applicants must include an introductory video and proof of residency in WSSC Water’s service district. Get complete details and application requirements at www.wsscwater.com/scholarship.