The Missouri Rural Water Association (MRWA) returned to the Branson Convention Center for its 2025 Annual Conference after a 5-year hiatus following the country's shutdown from the COVID-19 pandemic. A record 900 Missourians made themselves at home in the convention center for most of the four-day event.
This year’s participants included city council and district board members, managers, office professionals, water and wastewater specialists, spouses, vendors, and MRWA board and staff members. The week of March 3 included 31 training sessions, divided between five tracks: wastewater, water treatment, water distribution, management, and apprenticeship hands-on control panel. Additionally, Monday's pre-conference sessions included a full-day board and council training and a half-day wastewater intensive track.
Day 1 of the conference began with an opening session that included the national anthem sung by MRWA Region VI Director Melinda Piper (Sheldon) and a welcome by MRWA Executive Director Howard Baker (Warrensburg). Following the welcome, attendees were addressed by National Rural Water Association (NRWA) Deputy CEO Vern Steel.
The MRWA Annual Conference is where outstanding systems and individuals receive the MRWA WaterDrop Awards of Excellence. Tuesday’s award ceremony granted trophies to the City of Brookfield for Source Water Protection System of the Year; the City of Hartville for Wastewater System of the Year; PWSD #15 of Jackson County for Water System of the Year, and Rayden Davis with Cedar County PWSD #1 received the Dell Cornell Scholarship. The scholarship award covers the costs of conference registration and hotel accommodation to a dedicated individual from a very small system with limited financial resources.
Tuesday concluded with an exhibit hall social and a new source of entertainment for attendees: MRWA Water Feud.
This Family Feud-style game included 4 competing teams: C-PWSD #1 of Barton, Dade, Cedar and Jasper Counties (Lamar); North Central MO Regional Water Commission (Milan); Putnam Co. PWSD #1 (Unionville); and a team of MRWA Water/Wastewater Apprentices.
The feud's finals came down to Putnam Co PWSD #1 and C-PWSD #1 of Barton, Dade, Cedar, and Jasper Counties. The Putnam Co PWSD #1 team won the finals and received $100 per teammate, with all other teams receiving a $50 per person consolation prize for their efforts.
Skills demonstrations continue to interest participants, as several competed for cash prizes in two different events: the Kubota-sponsored MRWA Rodeo and the Zenner USA-sponsored Ultimate Meter Challenge. Winners of the rodeo were Potosi’s Johnny Hicks capturing first place and earning $200, Holt Summit’s Dennis Warden taking the $100 second place prize, and Missouri American’s Brandon Yardley (Branson) rounding out the top slate with his $50 third place winnings.
Zenner USA repeated its Ultimate Meter Challenge for its fourth year. Participants must reassemble a disassembled water meter correctly and have no “spare” parts.
This year’s finals first and second place winners were separated by less than half a second. Taking home the $500 first prize was Seth Henson of Holt Co PWSD; Ignacio Meno of Cass Co PWSD took second place this year, earning $300 for his accomplishment; and Jacob Search with the North Central Missouri Regional Water Commission earned an extra $100 to take home for capturing third place. Competitors from across the nation compete in a final’s competition at the WaterPro Conference to win a trip for two to Hawaii. This year’s finals will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana in September.
Numerous water system representatives from distant parts of the state brought water samples to compete for one of the top spots in the MRWA Show-Me-Tap-Water-Roundup. Preliminary judging at the conference narrowed the field to five finalists. Those samples selected as superior in the three judging categories of clarity, bouquet, and taste were from four municipalities and a subdivision:
• Stonebridge West Subdivision
Water specialists from these systems will bring a quart of water to the MRWA Open House April 23 for final judging. The ultimate winner will receive an MRWA WaterDrop trophy and represent Missouri in the 2026 NRWA Great American Water Taste Test, competing against entries from all other states. The winner also receives from MRWA a flight and hotel accommodation for two system representatives to attend the event in Washington, D.C.
The conference concluded Thursday with the annual business meeting for the association, two additional training sessions, and the drawing of winners of raffle items and registration prize. The final raffle items and registration prize drawings bring a fun, light touch to otherwise serious matters. After drawing names for numerous raffle items, MRWA Executive Director Howard Baker announced the winner of this year’s $500 Amazon Gift card registration prize: LaDon Atkinson of Bowling Green.
