Operations Challenge History
Find out the full history of Operations Challenge. Since the event's inception in 1988, WEF's magazines have chronicled the details of each competition. The links below connect to PDF articles of the full coverage. Each entry is marked by the year, city of the competition, and the Division 1 winning team.
Water Environment & Technology magazine (2010 to current)
- 2024 - New Orleans - Elevated Ops
2024 Photo Archive - 2023 - Chicago - Controlled Chaos
2023 Photo Archive - 2022 - New Orleans - Elevated Ops
- 2021 - Chicago - Controlled Chaos
- 2020 - Virtual - Controlled Chaos
- 2019 - Chicago - Elevated Ops
2019 Photo Archive - 2018 - New Orleans - TRA CreWSers
- 2017 - Chicago - TRA CreWSers
- 2016 - New Orleans - Blue Ridge Brawlers
- 2015 - Chicago - TRA CReWSers
- 2014 - New Orleans - Terminal Velocity
- 2013 - Chicago - Terminal Velocity
- 2012 - New Orleans - Terminal Velocity
- 2011 - Los Angeles - Terminal Velocity
- 2010 - New Orleans - Terminval Velocity
Operations Forum section of Water Environment & Technology magazine (2000 to 2009)
- 2009 - Orlando, Fla. - TRA CReWSers
- 2008 - Chicago - TRA CReWSers
- 2007 - San Diego - Commode Commandos
- 2006 - Dallas - TRA CReWSers
- 2005 - Washington, D.C. - TRA CReWSers
- 2004 - New Orleans - Fluid Dynamics
- 2003 - Los Angeles - Fluid Dynamics
- 2002 - Chicago - HRSD Bio-Force
- 2001 - Atlanta - LA Wrecking Crew
- 2000 - Anaheim, Calif. - LA Wrecking Crew
Operations Forum magazine
- 1999 - New Orleans - Commode Commandos
- 1998 - Orlando, Fla. - Team HRSD G-Force
- 1997 - Chicago - LA Wrecking Crew
- 1996 - Dallas - Team HRSD G-Force
- 1995 - Miami Beach, Fla. - LA Wrecking Crew
- 1994 - Chicago - LA Wrecking Crew
- 1993 - Anaheim, Calif. - LA Wrecking Crew
- 1992 - New Orleans - HRSD Pink & Black Attack
- 1991 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada - HRSD Ches-Eliz Lightening
- 1990 - Washington, D.C. - HRSD Ches-Eliz Lightening
- 1989 - San Francisco - East Bay MUD
- 1988 - Dallas - East Bay MUD
WEFTEC Now
The Official News Source of WEFTEC
WEFTEC Now features timely coverage of major events leading up to, during, and after WEFTEC. This resource will become an enduring record of past WEFTEC conferences as well as provide notice of upcoming events and opportunities.
AROUND THE EXHIBITION: Trinnex
At WEFTEC 2025, Trinnex showcased how it is helping water and wastewater utilities take confident steps into the digital future.
Continue Reading
AROUND THE EXHIBITION: Badger Meter
At WEFTEC 2025, Badger Meter spotlighted how its 120-year-old company continues to evolve — moving beyond a traditional hardware manufacturer into a digital water ...
Continue Reading
AROUND THE EXHIBITION: XYLEM
At WEFTEC 2025, the Xylem booth spotlighted how innovation and collaboration are helping utilities adapt to an era of rising demands and shifting challenges. In an ...
Continue Reading
Circular Water Economy at WEFTEC 2025: Global Perspectives and Practical Solutions
At WEFTEC 2025, the Circular Water Economy was front and center, underscoring how rethinking the way we manage water can shape a more sustainable future. From ...
Continue Reading
WEF Community Hub: Celebrating Connection and Community
At its core, WEFTEC is more than a conference — it is a community. Nowhere was that more visible in 2025 than at the WEF Community Hub, a space designed to bring ...
Continue Reading
Winners Crowned in 38th Operations Challenge Competition
An awards ceremony on Tuesday evening punctuated two days of pulse-pounding rigor, rivalry, and hard-hat-to-hard-hat action — also known as the 38th-annual ...
Continue Reading