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=Welcome to the University of Florida Center for Training, Research and Education for Environmental Occupations (UF/TREEO)=

Mission: Excellence in Environmental Training

UF/TREEO was created by SB 273 on January 31, 1974 and HB 2862 on February 26, 1974 by the Florida legislature. The recommendation to the house for the [|TREEO Center at the University of Florida], was made by the Florida Board of Regents. The selection was made after reviewing presentations from the University of Florida, University of South Florida, Florida Technological University and Florida International University. Marshall M. Criser was the Chairman of the Board of Regents at that time.

UF/TREEO was established to provide continuing education for water and wastewater operators so they could operate their plants in compliance with the federal and state regulations. The land UF/TREEO sits on is located across from Kanapaha Reclamation plant and was donated to the University of Florida by the City of Gainesville. UF had a long history of training water and wastewater operators beginning in the 1940s with Dr. A. P. Black. One of the engineering buildings on campus bears his name.

UF/TREEO expanded its course offerings as new environmental legislation was passed in the 1980s and 1990s to include Asbestos Abatement, Solid Waste, Health and Safety, Hazardous Materials and GIS. Today additional topics have been included in the UF/TREEO training menu, Backflow Prevention, Engineering, Greenhouse Gas, Leadership and Energy in Environmental Design (LEED) and Train-the-Trainer. Currently, over 7000 students are trained annually in Gainesville, around Florida and overseas.

During the last 10 years UF/TREEO has ventured into sustainability issues which are not currently regulated, but are very popular with the public. UF/TREEO is one of 11 universities or non-profits designated by US EPA as a PEER Center, offering Environmental Management Systems training and assistance to utilities and other public entities. Currently, UF/TREEO offers LEED training in conjunction with Professor Charles Kibert of the M.E. Rinker Sr. School of Building Construction. UF/TREEO is also a subcontractor to the college of Environmental Engineering under Professor Jim Heaney, working on outreach and training for Conserve Florida Water Clearinghouse.

UF/TREEO also receives contracts and grants from various State and Federal agencies. Under one of these contracts, UF/TREEO administers the Florida Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (FlaWARN). FlaWARN was the first viable mutual aid organization for water and wastewater utilities in the country and has been used as a model for WARN groups in all 50 states. Under FlaWARN, Florida was the first state to send assistance across sate lines during Hurricane Katrina, sending 25 crews to Mississippi to repair water and wastewater facilities.

UF/TREEO currently has contracts and grants from US EPA and Florida Department of Environmental Protection including developing water security training for water utilities, managing the solid waste management training committee and helping bring out of compliance utilities back into compliance with technical assistance and training.