Our legislators are in full swing in Tallahassee, and we wanted to bring some issues to be aware of that could affect your systems. Please keep an eye on several bills that have been filed that will affect water and sewer operations, non-profit status with Public Service Commission and how you manage your rate structure within your utility are among a few that will impact how you operate. We are working closely with our lobbyist to fight for you. If you have any specific ones that you have concerns please contact your state legislator and voice your concerns with them and let us know how we may assist.

This year's CCR Report Template is posted on our website. To access the information, click here. Please contact the water circuit rider in your area if you need additional assistance by calling FRWA at 850.668.2746.

The deadline of March 31st is fast approaching for submitting your application for this year's Curtis E. Lloyd Scholarship.

The Curtis E. Lloyd Scholarship Program was created by the FRWA Board in 2008, in memory of one of its longest serving Circuit Riders. Mr. Lloyd joined the FRWA staff in 1980 and worked for the association for seventeen years. He retired in 1997 and stayed active until his untimely death in December 2007.

Since 2008, the Florida Rural Water Association (FRWA) has been awarding scholarships to outstanding high school and college students helping them to realize their potential in tomorrow's water and wastewater industry. The scholarships have been awarded to 83 recipients over the years to assist them with their tuition, educational fees, books, and room and board.

One of our recipients, Richard “Tripp” McCreary, expressed his appreciation for the scholarship as follows, "Thank you for making the Curtis E. Lloyd Scholarship Program what it is. I am so grateful for your support and dedication, and for the general generosity of the Florida Rural Water Association. This scholarship means so much to me, and it will allow me to go to college with less financial burden. I cannot thank you enough for making this opportunity a reality and for supporting me along my journey to a higher education."



For more detailed information and to complete an application click here. If you need further assistance, please email Amanda.Read@frwa.net.

Remember, the deadline for applying is March 31st so get your application in today!

With over 220 attendees at the Haines City site on Tuesday, Focus on Change is off to a great start! Operators came from all over the South West District to hear what the dignitaries from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection had to say about the new rules and regulations for 2025.



If you know anyone that still need CEUs before the April 30th deadline, let them know about Focus on Change being held at six different locations throughout the state. Remind them to register early to be able to take advantage of the early bird pricing!

To register online, click on the location below.

To complete a registration form and register by mail, click here. For complete information, click here.

See you there!

NATIONAL NEWS

2025 Rural Water Rally Recap The National Rural Water Association (NRWA) hosted the annual Rural Water Rally on February 3–5, 2025, in Washington, D.C. This event gives Rural Water advocates from across the country an opportunity to gather in our nation's capital and progress our grassroots agenda in the halls of Congress. more

Rural Water Associations Respond to Utilities Affected by Hurricanes Helene, Milton Extreme weather is one of the featured topics in this edition of Rural Water magazine. Without a doubt, the 2024 calendar year brought extreme weather to several areas of the country. Hurricane Helene, which made landfall on September 26, 2024, as a Category 4 storm, is one example. more

A Day in the Life of a Circuit Rider: Paul King For more than two decades, King has been a lifeline for rural Texas water systems. more

Women in Rural Water Webinar-March 20, 2025, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM-Register here: more

New Bipartisan Bill Aims to Enhance Financing for Rural Water Systems-The National Rural Water Association (NRWA), a non-profit organization representing the interests of more than 31,000 water and wastewater utilities nationwide, enthusiastically supports the reintroduction of the Assistance for Rural Water Systems Act of 2025.  more

INL collaborates with Florida to protect water infrastructure from cyber threats-The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and the state of Florida are collaborating on an innovative cybersecurity initiative aimed at protecting Florida’s water infrastructure from cyber threats. more

STATE NEWS

Palm Coast Invites Residents to Tour City's Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants-The City of Palm Coast is inviting residents to get a behind-the-scenes look at the city’s water system and distribution process when it presents special tours of Water Treatment Plant #3 and Wastewater Treatment Plant #2 on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. more

Polk Regional Water Cooperative breaks ground on Southeast Water Production Facility-The Polk Regional Water Cooperative (PRWC) has officially begun construction on the Southeast Water Production Facility in Lake Wales, Florida, according to a press release published by Carollo. more

2025 Open House for the South Florida Environmental Report-Thursday, March 13, 2025, at 1:00 more

JEA, City of Jacksonville making progress on ‘Septic Tank Phaseout’ program, beginning to target new areas-With three projects completed, Christobel and Riverview are among next stops. more

Multi-Million Dollar Desalination Plant Being Constructed in Lake Wales-A ceremonial ground-breaking for a multi-million dollar water desalination facility east of Lake Wales has marked the next step in a multi-jurisdictional effort to assure adequate water supplies for the future of Polk County. more

House Bill 1319 (2025) The Florida Senate: Jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission Relating to Water

and Wastewater Systems. more

Naples water reclamation system temporarily shuts down for maintenance-The City of Naples Public Works Department will temporarily shut down its water reclamation to replace metering equipment. more

Florida could allow oyster harvesting in Apalachicola Bay once again-State wildlife officials are devising plans to allow some commercial oyster harvesting next year in Northwest Florida’s Apalachicola Bay, despite no major improvements in the bay after a halt during the past four years. more

March 1, 1993 Outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in Milwaukee, WI. From this date until April 28 is generally regarded as the duration of the outbreak of the disease. People in the area receiving the water began getting sick during this period and soon emergency rooms and doctors' offices were overtaxed. It has been estimated that over 400,000 people were sickened and over 100 people died.

“To assess the total medical costs and productivity losses associated with the 1993 waterborne outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, including the average cost per person with mild, moderate, and severe illness, we conducted a retrospective cost-of-illness analysis using data from 11 hospitals in the greater Milwaukee area and epidemiologic data collected during the outbreak. The total cost of outbreak-associated illness was $96.2 million: $31.7 million in medical costs and $64.6 million in productivity losses. The average total costs for persons with mild, moderate, and severe illness were $116, $475, and $7,808, respectively. The potentially high cost of waterborne disease outbreaks should be considered in economic decisions regarding the safety of public drinking water supplies.”

Reference: Corso, P.S. et al. 2003. “Cost of Illness in the 1993 Waterborne Cryptosporidium Outbreak, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.” Emerging Infectious Diseases. 9:4.

Commentary: Based on the evidence I have seen, the Howard Avenue Water Purification Plant lost control of its particle removal process, which caused high concentrations of viable Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts to enter the distribution system. The only disinfectant that the water utility was using at that time was free chlorine, which is ineffective for killing this pathogen. Since the outbreak, the water treatment system in Milwaukee has been significantly upgraded.

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

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