Pictured on the left is Gary Williams, FRWA Executive Director accepting the Rural Water Star award from the National Rural Water at their recent WaterPro Conference. Gary served as the Executive Director of the Florida Rural Water Association for thirty-five years and retired on October 31, 2024. Gary came to FRWA from Iowa Rural Water Association in 1989 where he served as Program Manager.  

Under Gary’s guidance, FRWA grew to the largest Rural Water in the United States with over 2500 members. For all that Gary has done, he never wanted or expected a pat on the back or recognition. Gary does not care for fanfare or accolades. If you google "Gary Williams" you will find an outdated photo and an FRWA logo. Gary is a humble soul with his greatest joy was helping the water and wastewater systems of Florida.

His employees have never seen him ask them to do anything that he would not do himself. He arrived at the office before everyone else and left long after the last employee left the building. Under his leadership, employees came and went but many returned home to FRWA, having been deeply rooted by Gary Williams and the example he set.

Gary’s leadership was never more evident as it was during emergency response efforts following a natural disaster. He spent many hours, boots on the ground before, during, and after an event and set the standard nationwide for emergency response. Many years ago, following an emergency, FEMA sent generators to help with recovery. The generators sat on the tarmac until Gary Williams took it upon himself to personally distribute the generators to those systems in need. He took pride in the FRWA warehouse and the fleet of emergency response equipment. He was seen many times returning to the office late in the afternoon covered with grime after working all day at the warehouse. But quoting Gary, “Any need for a water utility is an emergency response for FRWA."

Gary’s heart beat Rural Water. His dedication to the underground utilities of Florida was rooted deep in his soul. Although he has left FRWA, his influence on not only Florida utilities but on rural utilities and fellow Rural Waters nationwide will always be remembered.

As Rural Water goes into the future, we hope that we will never underestimate the difference Gary Williams made and the lives he touched. And on that note, no one deserves a twenty-one-hydrant salute more than Gary Williams, former FRWA Executive Director.

10:30 AM EDT | Friday, November 1, 2024

Monitoring Atlantic Basin for Potential Development

Over the Next 7 Days

Southwestern Caribbean Sea (High–70%)

Northeastern Caribbean Sea & North Atlantic (Low –10%)

NATIONAL NEWS

EPA Announces Iowa Selectees to Receive Over $500K in Grants to Help Businesses Prevent Pollution-Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the University of Northern Iowa and Iowa Department of Natural Resources have been selected to collectively receive over $500,000 in grants to provide technical assistance to businesses to develop and adopt pollution prevention (P2) practices in local communities. more

EPA Announces Nebraska Selectee to Receive Nearly $300K in Grants to Help Businesses Prevent Pollution-Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been selected to receive nearly $300,000 in grants to provide technical assistance to businesses to develop and adopt pollution prevention (P2) practices in local communities. more

Indiana will no longer dispose of firefighting foam with harmful PFAS-A state program meant to protect firefighters from harmful PFAS in firefighting foam is ending. more

Biden-Harris Administration Announces 48 Selectees for Nearly $19 Million in Grants to Help Businesses Prevent Pollution as Part of Investing in America Agenda-Today, Oct. 30, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the selection of 48 applicants across the country that will collectively receive nearly $19 million in grants to support states, Tribal Nations and U.S. territories in providing technical assistance to businesses to develop and adopt pollution prevention (P2) practices in local communities. As a result of the investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, nearly half of the funds awarded this year were made available with no cost share/match requirement. more

Clean Ports Program Selections-The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced 55 selected applications for nearly $3 billion in Clean Ports Program grants funded through the Inflation Reduction Act. more

Tap water in Asheville region still unsafe to drink 1 month after Hurricane Helene-video

One month after Hurricane Helene devastated North Carolina, residents of Asheville are still struggling to find clean drinking water. New York Times reporter Christina Morales joins CBS News to explain how it's affecting families and businesses and what officials are doing to try to fix the issue. more

Taliban's new canal threatens Central Asian countries relying on Amu Darya for water-It's been called the Nile of Central Asia. The Amu Darya River flows for thousands of miles through four countries and eventually spills into the shrinking Aral Sea. more

Environmental Justice Webinar Series for Tribes and Indigenous Peoples-

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Justice Webinar Series for Tribes and Indigenous Peoples includes monthly webinars intended to build the capacity of Tribal governments, Indigenous Peoples, and other environmental justice practitioners by discussing priority environmental justice issues of interest to Tribes and Indigenous Peoples. more

NRWA Registered Apprenticeship and the Rural Water Workforce-Thu, Nov 21, 2024 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST more

Cybersecurity for Rural Water Systems Made Simple-Thu, Dec 5, 2024 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST. more

How New Hampshire defends Its drinking water from cyber attacks-Federal agencies recently sent governors a letter urging them to defend their water and wastewater systems against disabling cyber attacks, noting that many water systems lack even basic precautions. more

Environmental Protection Agency Issues Final Lead and Copper Rule Improvements-The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) on October 8, 2024. more

Gaps In Laws And Policies Leave Water And Sanitation Systems Vulnerable To Harmful Climate Impacts In Frontline Communities Across The US, New Report Finds-New research released today by the Pacific Institute and the Center for Water Security and Cooperation (CWSC) reveals existing laws and policies fail to protect water and sanitation systems from climate change impacts in frontline communities across the United States. more

STATE NEWS

U.S. EPA announces comment period for NPDES modification for Ocean Era off the Florida coast-The U.S. EPA is accepting public comment for an NPDES permit modification for Ocean Era off the Florida coast. more

Holly Hill leaders discuss solutions to raw sewage and flooding issues-The city's infrestructure is old and it will take years to update. more

WATER CONTAMINATION: City to change water sampling policy after investigation into fabricating reports-WPTV first reported the health department’s investigation into the utility fabricating reports earlier this week. more

A wastewater recycling program could be a model for regions where water is scarce-Orange County in Southern California is doing something unusual to help with the scarcity of fresh water there. 

more

The future of hurricanes-Climate scientists explore trends in intensity amid rising sea levels. more

Hurricane's fury can benefit wetlands, such as Myakka River State Park-Hurricane Milton significantly impacted Myakka River State Park, downing and damaging trees. more

A wastewater recycling program could be a model for regions where water is scarce-Orange County in Southern California is doing something unusual to help with the scarcity of fresh water there.

more

Here’s what Tampa Bay should know as red tide drifts offshore-As Southwest Florida grapples with fish kills and possible respiratory issues, the bay area is mostly clear for now. more

Preparing for Round 2 of AWIA-Oct 31, 2024 02:00 PM more

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $118,817,000 for Water Infrastructure in Florida Through Investing in America Agenda-Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $3.6 billion in new funding under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to upgrade water infrastructure and keep communities safe. more

JEA is proposing a rate increase for electricity, water and sewer. Here’s how much-The JEA Board of Directors will hold a workshop Tuesday morning to discuss a proposed increase to electric, water and wastewater rates in fiscal years 2025 and 2026. more

Guest commentary: Three hours for a lifetime of water protections?-This October and November is our best chance to exercise our rights to self-governance to create the highest level of water and wetlands protections in western law for future generations of Floridians. more

Hurricane center tracking system likely to develop in the Caribbean-The National Hurricane Center is now tracking a broad area of low pressure in the Caribbean Sea that could become a tropical system late this week or over the more

Florida springs: saving Florida's significant and scenic springwaters-A glimpse behind the effort to protect Florida’s great aquifer – on which millions of people depend for drinking water. more

Lake That Supplies WPB, Palm Beach With Drinking Water Is Drying Up-West Palm Beach is pumping water from underground wells to supplement the city's water supply as the main source of drinking water is extremely low. more

New mural design on Ocala water tank unveiled-This weekend, city officials unveiled a new mural design that will be painted around a water tank in downtown Ocala over the coming weeks. more

Two weeks after Hurricane Milton, many Florida communities are still flooded-It’s been 2 weeks since Hurricane Milton roared into western central Florida and then bisected the State with hurricane more

City of Edgewater launches stormwater mitigation initiative after residents flood-Several short and long term projects are currently in the works. more

November 1, 1952: Cuyahoga River catches fire. “In 1952, leaking oil from the Standard Oil Company facility was accused of creating, ‘the greatest fire hazard in Cleveland,’ a two inch thick oil slick on the river. In spots, the slick spanned the width of the river. Although many companies had taken action to limit oil seepage on the river, others failed to cooperate with fire officials.

It was only a matter of time before disaster struck. On the afternoon of November 1, 1952, the Cuyahoga ignited again near the Great Lakes Towing Company’s shipyard, resulting in a five-alarm fire. (Many sources incorrectly put the date of the fire at November 3, 1952) The next morning’s Cleveland Plain Dealer led with a banner headline, ‘Oil Slick Fire Ruins Flats Shipyard.’ Photos taken at the scene are incredible; the river was engulfed in smoke and flame. Losses were substantial, estimated between $500,000 and $1.5 million, including the Jefferson Avenue bridge. The only reason no one died was that it started on a Saturday afternoon, when few shipyard employees were on duty.”

Commentary: There was a long history of fires on the Cuyahoga—by one count a total of 13 with the first occurring in 1868. Other fires of note occurred in 1868, 1883, 1887, 1912, 1922, 1936, 1941, and 1948. A relatively minor fire on June 22, 1969 was reported nationwide and became part of the impetus for passing the Clean Water Act in 1972.

Commentary Update: In 2019, there have been several articles about how the Cuyahoga River has been dramatically cleaned up and is now considered an asset for the City of Cleveland. No doubt this is due in part to the 50th anniversary of the 1969 fire. Check out: Cuyahoga Named River of the Year; Cleveland River Now a Hot Spot (groan).

FLORIDA RURAL WATER ASSOCIATION http://www.frwa.net

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