‘One Water’ Mission: Newark Engineer Skylar Reed-McMillon Spearheads the AWWA NJ One Water Symposium
One Water Symposium promotional banner. Courtesy of njawwa.org.
At the same time Newark took the stage as the ‘Model City’ for Lead Service Line Replacement in 2019, the city was recruiting the next generation of water professionals to secure the future of Newark’s water system. One of them was Skylar Reed-McMillon, now senior leadership of Newark’s 39,000-acre Pequannock Watershed.
Six years later, Mrs. Reed has made significant strides in the water space, including organizing the first-ever ‘One Water’ Symposium, focused on sharing the latest research in watershed management, source water quality, and infrastructure.
“This has been in the works for a long time,” says Mrs. Reed. “It is exciting to see our work come to fruition through this symposium.”
Hosted by the NJ Section of the American Water Works Association (AWWA NJ) and supported by the NJ Water Environment Association (NJWEA), Mrs. Reed spearheaded the ‘One Water’ Symposium on one foundational principle: branching together all sides of the water sector through shared research.
She now serves as the Chair of the Research and Technology Transfer Committee at AWWA NJ, making ripples of impact statewide.
“The water sector needs a cross-communications platform to share and discuss the latest research in all areas of the industry,” Mrs. Reed says. “This symposium brought practical, real-world professionals and academics in the same room to advance the future of water.”
Held at Rutgers University—New Brunswick, the symposium was divided into three focuses: watershed systems, treatment and emerging contaminants, and infrastructure resilience for drinking and wastewater sectors.
More than fifteen speakers, ranging from academic researchers to industry professionals, presented on the latest innovations that tackle various water challenges, including PFAS destruction, water budgeting for reservoir systems, and flood-resilient pump station design.
“Lots of universities, colleges, public utilities, and water-related organizations have formed partnerships from this platform”, Mrs. Reed said. “I thank all of our speakers for their hard work and willingness to share their thought-provoking research and industry innovations.” Among the speakers were faculty and graduate students from Rutgers, Rowan, NJIT, Princeton, Montclair State, and Villanova University.
The symposium offered continuing education credits for licensed water professionals, including 4.5 CPCs/PDHs for NJ and NY-licensed professional engineers, 3.25 TCHs for water operators, and 1.75 TCHs for wastewater operators.
“As her colleague, I commend Mrs. Reed for leading this significant effort and for representing the City of Newark,” said Kevin Greer, Superintendent of the City of Newark’s Water and Sewer Utility. “It was a powerful inaugural event and I can’t wait to see how it transforms in the future.”
Mrs. Reed is looking ahead to future symposiums to keep the momentum of the ‘One Water’ mission going and to strengthen the lines of communication between industry professionals and academic researchers.
“Now is the time for those in the water space to stay connected and align our goals,” Mrs. Reed says. “In the next symposium, I’m excited to invite more universities and make sure water research is heard and shared among those in the industry and beyond.”
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Visit njawwa.org to learn more about the 2026 One Water Symposium.
Read more about Skylar Reed-McMillon’s journey in the water sector.
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