Florida Rural Water Association
2970 Wellington Circle
Tallahassee FL 32309
850.668.2746
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03.20.18
1/2/3 Water Distribution Certification/Naples
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Focus on Change in Review
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As we closed the door on the 2018 Focus on Change Sessions, we would like to thank all of those that participated. The classrooms were overflowing with over fourteen hundred attendees. It would not have been possible without the Department of Environmental Protection taking the time out of their busy schedule to give our attendees first hand information on regulatory changes that could affect their utilities and career.
We received a lot of positive feedback from the attendees. One said that "It is great to see all the other operators and DEP staff under one roof." Another attendee said that the "Presenters were very engaging, energetic, informative, humorous, and fun."
2017 Plant Operation Excellence Awards
Each year
during Focus on Change, DEP presents awards to domestic wastewater and drinking water facilities around the state that demonstrate excellence in operation, maintenance, innovative treatment, waste reduction, pollution prevention, recycling or other achievements. These awards recognize facilities that demonstrate a special commitment to excellence in management through dedicated professionalism and that have an impeccable history of record-keeping compliance.
This year awards were presented to a total of 14 facilities, including six domestic wastewater facilities and eight drinking water facilities statewide. Winners of the awards presented at previous locations have been featured in the earlier issues of FRWA ENews.
On Febuary 20th we traveled to Lake City where Jim Maher, DEP NE District assistan director, recognized the Gainesville Regional Utility's Kanapaha Water Reclamation facility as the recipient of the 2017 Plant Operations Excellence Award for the Northeast District (pictured above).
"The Northeast District applauds the Kanapaha Reclamation Facility for their outstanding commitment to continuous improvement and operational excellence," said Jim Maher, DEP Northeast District assistant director. "Their dedicated and knowledgeable staff have helped establish this facility as one of the best in Northeast Florida. This award highlights the essential role that this facility and others in the region play when it comes to the important task of protecting the environment."
more
In Panama City on February 21th, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection recognized five Northwest Florida utilities for their commitment to operational excellence. The 2017 Plant Operations Excellence Awards were presented to three drinking water and two domestic wastewater facilities at the annual Focus on Change Seminar. The drinking water facility award recipients were Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Destin Water Users Inc. and Bay County Water Treatment Plant. The wastewater facility recipients were
the Military Point Regional Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility and the Rivercamps on Crooked Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. (pictured above)
"On behalf of DEP and the state of Florida, I am proud to recognize NAS Whiting Field, Destin Water Users, Bay County Water, Military Point Regional and Rivercamps on Crooked Creek for their commitment to operational excellence," said Michael Fuller, administrator of the Panama City branch office of DEP's Northwest District. "We are fortunate to have such outstanding community partners working alongside us, safeguarding Florida's natural resources and ensuring clean and dependable water for our residents." more
Focus on Change has proven to be one of our most popular seminars. We could not do it without the support of DEP and our membership. We hope to see you next year as we present the 29th version of the Focus on Change Sessions!
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Chlorine is one of the
most widely used industrial chemicals in the world today, with 13 million tons produced annually in the United States alone. And although there are alternative treatment methods, the majority of water systems still use some form of chlorine for disinfection because it offers an affordable and well understood means of eliminating waterborne diseases. In fact, filtration of drinking water plus the use of chlorine has been called one of the
most significant public health advancements of the 20th century.
Yet every treatment technology has its risks, and it is critical to understand the dangers. That is why your employee safety training programs are so important. Here are some supplemental chlorine safety resources from our document library to help support an active chlorine safety/emergency response program at your plant.
In addition, chlorine safety topics are covered on operator certification exams and are a critical component of operator trainings. FRWA's EPA Training Specialist, Chris Bailey will be presenting a seminar on Disinfection and Chlorination Safety in Pensacola on March 28, 2018. For more information, click here.
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Scholarship Deadline March 31
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The  deadline of March 31st is fast approaching to submit your appli
cation in for this year's Curtis E. Lloyd Scholarship. The Florida Rural Water Association (FRWA) offers five scholarships for up to $1,000 each to assist outstanding High School students realize their potential in tomorrow's water and wastewater industry. FRWA will award one scholarship to a deserving individual in each Water Management District annually. Scholarship funds may be used for tuition, educational fees, books, and/or room, and board
The Curtis E. Lloyd Scholarship Program was created by the FRWA Board in 2008 in memory of one of its longest serving Circuit Ri
ders.
Mr. Lloyd joined the FRWA staff in 1980 and worked for the association for 17 years. He retired in 1997 and stayed active until his untimely death in December 2007.
For more detailed information and to complete an application click
here. If you would like further information, please email
[email protected].
Remember, the deadline for applying is March 31st so get your application in today!
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Save the Date! 2018 FLAL!
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The 2018 Florida Alabama Joint Training and Technical Conference will be held on May 15-16, 2018 at the Edgewater Beach and Golf Resort in Panama City Beach. The reservation cut off date is April 10, 2018. Be sure to mention the Florida Rural Water Association or the code 1OV7Q5 tio take advantage of the reduced rate. You may reserve your room online at
https://www.resortcollection.com/edgewater-beach-resort or by calling 800.874.8686. There will also be a one time charge to those staying at the Edgewater of $10.00 for parking. This charge covers your entire stay.
We are still in the early stages of planning so this is all the information that we have at the present time. More information will be posted as it becomes available at http://www.frwa.net/floridaalabama.html.
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Save the Date!
2018 Annual Conference
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August 6, 7, and 8, 2018
Hilton Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach FL 32118
Reservations: 386.254.8200
www.hilton.com
Plan to join us next year at the location your input supported. By popular demand, the 2018 Thirty-Ninth FRWA Annual Technical and Training Conference will be held at the beautiful Hilton Daytona Beach/Ocean Walk Village in exciting Daytona Beach, Florida. Room rates start at $109.00 (and a reduced rate of $5.00 per night for self parking) plus tax. You will want to bring the entire family to take advantage of one last family trip before school starts.
That's all the information that we have for now but we will update the information as soon as it becomes available on our website at
http://www.frwa.net/2018-annual-conference.html.
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This Week in Water History
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February 19, 1914: "A steel tank 100 ft. diameter and 50 ft. high, with a capacity of 2,938,000 gal., is being built at Youngstown, Ohio, in connection with the water-supply service. The design is shown in Fig. 1. There are ten rings of plate, with double-strap butt joints for the vertical seams. These have ten rows of rivets (staggered) in the first two rings, eight in the third, six up to the eighth ring, four in the ninth and two in the tenth or top ring.
There is a 20-in. inlet pipe with lead- and oakum-calked joint in the bottom plate, and a 24-in. overflow pipe of 3/8-in. riveted plate....
The tank is built without a roof, but has around the top a steel balcony with hand-rail. This balcony not only serves as a walk but also acts as a horizontal girder to stiffen the top of the tank.
The riveting is done with a large compression yoke riveter, except that the riveting of the bottom and the balcony is done with air hammers. The yoke riveter is suspended from a stiff-leg derrick, as shown in Fig. 3. The mast of this derrick is pivoted in the center of the tank and each stiff-leg is mounted on a small truck riding on a circular track, so that the boom and derrick frame can revolve through a complete circle. The power plant, air compressor and hoisting engine are located just outside the tank. The estimated weight of the tank complete is approximately 500 tons, and there are about 70,000 field rivets.
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Removing anxiety drug from recycled and wastewater at low cost Researchers can now remove a common anxiety drug from recycled water and wastewater, using low-cost titanium dioxide nanofibers. more
An overview of key industry initiatives and research related to management of water resource utilities Water utilities are complex businesses and it is challenging for utility leaders to efficiently manage the people, processes, and technology required to collect, treat, and deliver water and wastewater services. more
Rural water group pushes for technical assistance funding When rural water officials from around the U.S. visited Capitol Hill last week to lobby for their legislative priorities, one of the top issues they focused on was funding for federally-backed programs that provide training and technical assistance. more
Some of the world's biggest lakes are drying up. Here's why Warming climates, drought, and overuse are draining crucial water sources, threatening habitats and cultures. here
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ANALYSIS: Why Everglades restoration is losing to sea level rise A saltwater poison is threatening prairies of toothy sawgrass on the edges of the Everglades as sea levels rise with a warming planet. more
Indian River Lagoon funding bills stalled, unlikely to pass House, Senate this session It seems unlikely a bill to provide $50 million annually for Indian River Lagoon restoration projects will become law before the legislative session ends March 9. more
Seminole County Environmental Services Department announces water restrictions Beginning on March 11, the following lawn watering rules will be in effect for Seminole County residents: more
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry undecided on putting JEA up for sale Mayor Lenny Curry said Friday he will be meeting with City Council members about whether the city should seek offers from private companies for JEA and what kind of up-front conditions the city should have for such a sale. more
Selling Water to Pasco? A developer seeking to build a 19.4 acre development on the Pasco side of County Line Road, prompted a discussion on whether the county would be willing to provide fire suppression water and possibly potable water to the project. more
Big delinquent water & sewer bills flow under a microscope A constituent of Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava's District 8 is pushing forward legislation to hold the county's Water and Sewer Department more accountable for large delinquent bills, sending quarterly reports to keep commissioners informed. more
A meeting about JEA turns into a bitter feud Amid meeting over how much money City Hall could get by selling Jacksonville's electric and water utility to a private buyer, a feud erupted into the open between the city's top two officials. more
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