Annapolis, Maryland (October 3, 2025) – The Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works (DPW), Bureau of Utility Operations, recently won first place in Division III for the 38th annual Operations Challenge Competition at the Water Environment Federation’s Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC). The team of David Kramer, Mike Smith Jr., Andrew Dwarshuis, Alex Bois and Zachary Tate achieved first place in process control, second place in laboratory, second place in collections, and third place in safety.
The competition is part of WEFTEC’s professional development program. The event pitted teams of top-tier wastewater operations professionals from across the United States, Denmark and the United Kingdom.
“Winning on this stage highlights what we already know,” said DPW Director Karen Henry. “Anne Arundel County has some of the best trained and most talented utility operators in the country.”
The Anne Arundel County team, known as the Rowdy Rotifers, was challenged and earned scores based on their weighted performance in each of the Operations Challenge events. Each event tested a different aspect of work in the wastewater profession.