2023 FOCUS ON CHANGE IN REVIEW |
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This year's Focus on Change was one of the most successful yet as we traveled to six different locations. Water and wastewater employees came from all over the state to take advantage of being able to catch up on regulatory updates straight from the Department of Environmental Protection! Each District was there to update attendees of changes that affect their day to day operations.
Topics included Lead and Copper Revised Rule/Lead Service Line Inventory, Lead in Schools Testing, PFAS, DBP's, Collection Rule/Biosolids, and Sanitary Sewer Overflow/Penalty. If you would like an update on any of these subjects, you can review the presentations on our website by clicking here.
Thanks to all of you for making this year's Focus a success! We look forward to seeing you again next year!
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Many of you have voiced your concern that the CCR template for 2022 has not be posted on our website. We contacted DEP regarding the issue and were told that the template is being finalized. As soon as we receive the new template it will be posted on our website. |
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CURTIS E LLOYD SCHOLARSHIP
Deadline March 31, 2023
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The deadline of March 31st is fast approaching for submitting your application 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 and college 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 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.
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!
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NATIONAL NEWS
Firefighters: Donating Blood May Reduce PFAS Levels in Your Blood - HS Today According to research on Australian firefighters, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) levels in the blood can be reduced if a person donates blood every 12 weeks or plasma every 6 weeks. more
EPA mandates states report on cyber threats to water systems | North State Journal The Biden administration last week said it would require states to report on cybersecurity threats in their audits of public water systems, a day after it released a broader plan to protect critical infrastructure against cyberattacks. more
Cybersecurity Assessments to be Included in Sanitary Surveys EPA released a legal opinion that cyber security resiliency falls under their existing authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The memorandum conveys EPA's interpretation that states must include cybersecurity when conducting sanitary surveys for the nation's 143,219 public water systems. more
USDA's Build America, Buy America Act Customer Guide Now Online USDA Rural Development (RD) today published a Build America, Buy America (BABAA) Customer Guide to help organizations receiving RD financial assistance comply with BABAA and its requirements for their projects. more
EPA Lead and Copper Webinar March 28, 2023 Featuring Lead Service Line Inventory Guidance and Corrosion Test Methods. more
PFAS Litigation Begins 'Tip of the Iceberg' Turn Toward Insurers - Bloomberg Law News Insurance companies say they fear that PFAS is on the cusp of becoming a major issue for the industry, with the specter of health and environmental damage claims dragging them into court battles that, until now, they’ve managed to avoid. more
Regulating 'forever chemicals': 3 essential reads on PFAS | Analysis The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to release a draft regulation limiting two fluorinated chemicals, known by the abbreviations PFOA and PFOS, in drinking water. more
EPA defends new WOTUS rule against Texas lawsuit The EPA hit back against Texas and other states suing to vacate the agency’s new waters of the US rule, saying the states have sued to halt a rule that isn’t much different from the status quo. more
EPA Announces Nearly $200 Million to Address Emerging Contaminants in Drinking Water ... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $199,701,000 from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to address emerging contaminants. more
Deep well disposal for PFAS attracts heightened interest as new regulations loom Prior U.S. EPA guidance identified deep wells as a possible alternative to landfilling or incineration for these “forever chemicals,” and multiple facilities are touting their technologies. more
Two Dozen States Challenge EPA’s New WOTUS Rule After revising a controversial yet foundational federal source water regulation, the U.S. EPA now faces a unified front of conservative states in court. more
Toxic 'forever chemicals' about to get their first US limits - AP News The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to propose restrictions on harmful “forever chemicals” in drinking water after finding they are dangerous in amounts so small as to be undetectable. more
EPA Releases Interpretative Memorandum Addressing Cybersecurity in Sanitary Surveys Today (3/3), EPA released an interpretative memorandum to include cybersecurity in sanitary surveys, along with an associated guidance. more
EPA Announces Virtual Listening Sessions on the PFAS Strategic Roadmap Between February 28 and April 25, EPA will be holding a series of 11 virtual listening sessions providing information on the Agency’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap. more
EPA's upcoming proposal on PFAS creates cost concerns The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to propose restrictions on harmful “forever chemicals” in drinking water after finding they are dangerous in amounts so small as to be undetectable. more
Applying Asset Management Principles to Lead Service Line Inventories Webinar March 27th EPA established the Lead and Copper Rule to protect public health and reduce exposure to lead and copper in drinking water. The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes and plumbing components. more
Back-to-back hurricanes are likely to happen more often, study finds | WTWO What used to be a rare one-two punch of consecutive hurricanes hitting about the same place in the United States weeks apart seems to be happening more often, and a new study says climate change will make back-to-back storms more frequent and nastier in the future. more
$2.4B for Clean Water Infrastructure Upgrades Announced Nearly half of funding for states, Tribes, and territories is available as grants and forgivable loans for critical water infrastructure projects that will help underserved communities across the country. more
EPA Begins Development of Contaminant Candidate List 6 The U.S. EPA is beginning the development of the Contaminant Candidate List 6 (CCL 6). The CCL is a list of contaminants that are currently not subject to any proposed or promulgated national primary drinking water regulations but are known or anticipated to occur in public water systems. more
Toilet Paper May Be a Source of Cancer-Causing PFAS in Wastewater, Study Says Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASTrusted Source) are found in a wide variety of consumer products, including cosmetics, cleansers, and firefighting foams. more
PFAS: More Dangerous Than We Thought In this video, Tonya Chandler discusses the dangers of PFAS and how they are more prevalent than we thought. Tonya explains what PFAS are, and what products that are manufactured and used daily are actually PFAS products. more
STATE NEWS
Mixing Zone Expansion: Florida Department of Environmental Protection Grants Variance to ... The Final Order was granted to Manatee County Port Authority (“Manatee”) in regard to the Port Manatee Berth 4 Extension. See OGC Case No. 22-0351. more
Kat Cammack Announces USDA Rural Development Grant for Starke - Florida Daily The city of Starke will receive a $6.3 million grant, in addition to a $10.6 million Water and Waste Disposal Loan and a $9.6 million Water and Waste Disposal Grant. more
Charlotte County Utilities changing disinfection process for drinking water supply The change is from March 15, 2023, through May 14, 2023, the water will be disinfected with free chlorine rather than chlorine combined with ammonia (chloramines). more
North Port announces temporary changes to water disinfection process - WWSB The water will be disinfected with free chlorine rather than chlorine combined with ammonia. This conversion to free chlorine from chloramines allows the utility to perform distribution system purge as recommended by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for water utilities using chloramines as their primary disinfectant. more
Florida's Largest Public Utility Recovers 1B Gallons Of Unaccounted-For Water Business is booming in Jacksonville, Florida. The most populous city in the southeastern United States, Jacksonville consistently rates in the top 20 in Forbes’ annual ranking of the Best Places for Business and Careers. more
Sarasota County-North Port water supplier to temporarily change disinfection practice | Herald Tribune Sarasota County will use a different timetable than the Peace River Water Supply Authority and the city of North Port to disinfect tap water with free chlorine. An earlier version of this story said otherwise. more
Thousands of gallons of wastewater spill into the Hillsborough River | WUSF The massive wastewater spill on the Hillsborough River was caused by the power being shut off to the sewage lift station of an apartment complex. more
Bill taking on septic tank pollution clears first House committee | Florida Politics All of Florida’s impaired waterbodies would become eligible for state grant assistance with a bill addressing septic tank pollution that’s making its way through the Legislature. more
As Florida's legislative session begins today, here are the water bills we're watching There’s no shortage of water issues Florida lawmakers could attempt to tackle as the state’s legislative session kicks off today. more
Training Through NRWA Don't miss out on our upcoming webinars! Please follow the links below to register for webinars you are interested in. The webinars in grey boxes are presented by our partner organizations. more
Under new bill, Florida could see increased state regulation of local utilities The proposals would ramp up the Florida Public Service Commission’s regulation of municipal utilities that serve electric customers outside of city boundaries. more
TECO vows changes after Hillsborough River sewage spill, but points finger at apartments | Tampa Bay Times Tampa Electric is pointing the finger at one of its customers for not disclosing to the utility it had a private wastewater pump station on its account before the utility cut off power over an unpaid bill — resulting in a weeklong January spill that dumped an estimated 630,000 gallons of raw sewage into the Hillsborough River. more
EPA Mandates States Report on Cyber Threats to Water Systems - SecurityWeek The Biden administration said it would require states to report on cybersecurity threats in their audits of public water systems, a day after it released a broader plan to protect critical infrastructure against cyberattacks. more
PFAS Symposium Set For Water Treatment Industry A Florida resident is dead after state health officials said they contracted a rare brain-eating infection, likely from tap water. more
Federally funded mitigation study to help address flooding issues in Daytona Beach | WESH or decades now, heavy rain events have led to flooding in the core of the city of Daytona Beach. Homes and businesses have flooded over and over again, most recently during Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. more
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This Week in Water History |
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March 4, 1875 British Public Health Act consolidates authority to deal with housing, water pollution, occupational disease, and other problems. On this date, an article appeared in The Nation that described the appalling conditions of drinking water in London: “It is no exaggeration to say that … there is hardly an unpolluted river in the whole of England. Between the sewage of towns and the offscourings of manufactories, distilleries, breweries, and the like, every stream and river in the country is poisoned and rendered unfit for domestic use. Sparkling brooks that not many years ago were frequented by speckled trout and silvery salmon are now transformed into gigantic cesspools, which a clean-living toad would be ashamed to haunt. No wise man or woman will touch a drop of London water until it has been boiled and filtered, and even then they will use as little of it as they can. The manufacturing interest will no doubt be roused if any attempt be made to interfere with their prerogative of public poisoning. But the good sense, not to say the newly- awakened terror, of the country will support the Government if their measure be wisely considered, and be calculated to promote the end it has in view. [The Nation. Mar. 4, 1875, p.11, “The Coming Measures.”]
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2970 Wellington Circle | Tallahassee FL 32309 | 850.668.2746 | Contact Us
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