FRWA eNews/FRWA Goes to Washington/NRWA Regulatory Quarterly Report/2019 Focus on Change

A delegation of volunteer Board Members/Staff from the Florida Rural Water Association (FRWA) visited Washington DC this week. The delegation included Tom Jackson, FRWA President, Patricia Cichon FRWA Vice President, William Grubbs, FRWA Secretary/Treasurer, Robert Munro, FRWA National Director, FRWA Board Members, Bruce Morrison, Gary Williams, Executive Director, and Tim Waddle, representing the winner of the 2018 Best Tasting Water Contest, Talquin Electric.

Appointments were made with the 27 Members of the House and Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott. During the meetings, FRWA discussed the services that we offer the constituents in the representative's district. We explained to the representatives that FRWA's primary purpose is to assist water and wastewater systems with every phase of the water and wastewater operations. We informed them that we offer onsite technical assistance and training to the small systems to help them stay in compliance with the ever-changing regulations in the field. We are always there to offer emergency response in time of disasters. Water infrastructure funding, regulatory reform, program funding, and local water utility issues were also discussed.

FRWA will always be the small water and wastewater system's voice in Washington.

Water Utility Regulatory Issues Quarterly Report

NDWAC meeting in Washington: Melton pictured second to the left next to Chairperson Carrie Lewis with Milwaulkee Water Works.

The National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC)

convened at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) headquarters in Washington, DC on December 8-9 to receive briefings from the top EPA water officials and provide comments to the Agency. NRWA Representative Wilmer Melton was appointed to the Council in 2014. Melton is the Director of Public Works with the City of Kannapolis, NC, a National Director of NRWA and a Board Member of the North Carolina Rural Water Association.

The NDWAC panel is the federal advisory committee that supports and consults with the U.S. EPA in performing its responsibilities related to the national drinking water program. The Council was created by the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974. NDWAC provides advice, information, and recommendations on matters related to activities, functions, policies, and regulations required by the Safe Drinking Water Act.

During the NDWAC meeting, the panel heard briefings from senior EPA officials on the following topics: revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule, status of the new Perchlorate Rule, EPA actions to address PFAS including evaluating the need for a Safe Drinking Water Act maximum contaminant level for PFOA and PFOS, EPA initiatives to improving compliance with "Water System Partnerships," America's Water Infrastructure

Act of 2018, etc. more

2019 Focus on Change

The classrooms in Ocala and Haines City greeted over 550 attendees as the Florida Rural Water Association and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) began the twenty-ninth year of partnership presenting the 2019 Focus on Change Seminars. The DEP Water, Wastewater, and Operator Certification Sections were on hand to give us the latest in regulatory updates for their departments.

If you would like to print out the material covered, you can access it at https://www.frwa.net/2019-foc-presentations.html.

The DEP Plant Excellence Awards are awarded each year at the sessions held in their respective district. Awards were presented to the following deserving systems:

CENTRAL DISTRICT

City of Clermont

SOUTHWEST DISTRICT

Fawn Ridge (Davenport)

Lake Park Water Facilities (Clearwater)

Bruce T. Haddock Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant (Oldsmar)

Polk County SW Regional WW Treatment Plant

Next week we will be in the panhandle in Niceville and Lake City. If you have not already registered, there is still time to take advantage of one of the last chances of the renewal period to earn 0.6 CEUs. Click on the locations on the left to register now.

There is no charge for admittance for those not wishing to earn CEUs/PDHs, however you must pre-register as seating is limited. If you wish to receive CEUs/PDHs for the session a CEU/PDH processing fee will apply.

For more information, click here.

National News

Rural Water Takes to Congress on February 5th Rural Water Takes to Congress on February 5th to Exercise our First Amendment right in the United States Constitution to Assemble and Petition, and Present Requests to Congress Without Retribution...more

Pricing Water for Conservation - How Different Rate Structures Impact Different Customers This webinar explores how water systems can structure rates and price water to both encourage conservation and recover the full cost of providing water service today and into the future. more

Wheeler Confirmed by Senate EPW Committee Today, February 5th the nomination of Andrew Wheeler as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency was confirmed by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. more

USGS Publishes New Study on Stream Health The U.S. Geologic Study (USGS) recently published a study that linked chemical and physical stressors associated with urban development to the health of small streams in the Southeast. more

New Executive Order on Buy-American Preferences Published Late last week, the President signed Executive Order 13858 - "Strengthening Buy-American Preferences for Infrastructure Projects" - that was published in the Federal Register today (February 5th). more

State News

West Palm Beach drinking water from source to tap | WPTV   West Palm Beach has a unique drinking water system compared to other municipalities because the city uses surface water.  more

Triumph Gulf Coast Considers Creating New Fund For Hurricane Michael Recovery Efforts | WJCT  The board controlling billions of dollars from a settlement over the 2010 BP Oil Spill meets Friday to decide whether to establish a separate fund for Hurricane Michael. more

County to request $10 million to fix Plantation Bay wastewater plant | Palm Coast Observer  Flagler County is making a last-minute change to its requests to the Florida Legislature: The county is asking for $10 million to fix the wastewater plant at Plantation Bay.  more

Central Florida's water demand; drilling to Upper and Lower aquifer levels | WFTV  As Central Florida's population continues to grow, so does the demand for water. But where does all this water come from?  more

Tampa responds to claims of pollution violations at wastewater plant | WMNF An environmental nonprofit is accusing the City of Tampa of dozens of spills and other violations at its main wastewater treatment plant. more

This Week in Water History

Activated Sludge Plant, Cleveland OH

February 3, 1909: Municipal Journal and Engineerarticle. Sewage Disposal in Pennsylvania. "As indicated from time to time in our columns, the matter of sewage disposal is just now assuming more importance in Pennsylvania than in possibly any other State of the Union, this being due largely to the activity of the new State Board of Health under the recent laws endowing it with unusual powers. Two of the latest propositions as well as the largest are those which are ordered for the cities of Harrisburg and Pittsburg. The public press of the former city states that the city officials are about to begin at once preparing plans for works which are roughly estimated to cost one and a half to two million dollars. This does not contemplate the present treatment of the sewage of that city, but only a better location of outlets and the preparation of plans for treatment. Pittsburg, however, is directed to take immediate steps toward building a sewage disposal plant which is estimated to cost fifteen to twenty million dollars; this order possibly being hastened by the typhoid epidemic which is sweeping through the small towns located on the river below Pittsburg."

Commentary: It was only after the turn of the 20 thcentury that states began to get serious about requiring treatment of sewage before discharge to local streams.

For more articles on what went on this week in water history, click here.

Florida Rural Water Association | [email protected] | http://www.frwa.net

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