On October 21st, Albrey Arrington of the Loxahatchee River Environmental Control District (IRECD) contacted FRWA regarding donating two generators to systems that were affected by Hurricane Ian. FRWA responded immediately to their generous offer, sending IRECD a list of systems in the area that were damaged by the storm.
After reviewing the list, IRECD asked FRWA for suggestions according to the needs of the system. Upon review, the FRWA staff recommended two systems that experienced extensive damage during Hurricane Ian. "Moore Haven is small and very economically challenged and Punta Gorda served as the staging area in the SW for response crews, equipment storage and emergency response support for others while they had a bunch of damage themselves."
FRWA staff picked up the generators and delivered them to their respective systems. Both systems were very grateful for the donation.
|
|
In a letter to the District, Wayne Browning, Mayor of the City of Moore Haven expressed his appreciation to the district stating that, "The City of Moore Haven wants to thank the District for the donation of the 67kw portable generator. As the recent impact of Hurricane Ian has shown, the ability to recover quickly is critical to address damages and restore services as soon as possible to the residents of Moore Haven as well as have the ability to assist in other impacted areas as needed."
"The portable 67kw generator will be a much needed asset in many every day and emergency situations and this donation truly helps as City funding is limited especially during the current economic conditions."
|
|
|
|
|
Neil Peters with the City of Punta Gorda that served as a staging area for FRWA during relief efforts, was "incredibly humbled" by the "generous donation". Mr. Peters went on to say that " The donation of such a valued piece of equipment is beyond imagination. I hope not to have to face another disaster such as Hurricane Ian, but this generator will make recovery that much easier if the need ever arises."
"Not only will this generator aid in our future recovery, it will be made available for mutual aid to assist others in their time of need."
|
|
South Walton Utilities also donated a generator to the City of Labelle, a highly disadvantaged, low-income community who really benefits, appreciated, and needed a generator. Alicia Keeter, General Manager of South Walton Utilities, when asked to comment on the donations, simply said, "So glad we can help."
What a wonderful example of systems helping systems! The Florida Rural Water Association would like to thank the Loxahatchee River Environmental Control Systems and South Walton Utilities for their generous donation to their fellow systems. We salute the systems of Florida that work together to ensure safe drinking water is always available to all Floridians.
|
|
|
 |
NATIONAL NEWS
A look back at the 2022 hurricane season, from a historic lull to Hurricane Ian The 2022 hurricane season, which ends today, will be logged into history as turning out pretty much as forecasters predicted when it comes to the number of storms and their severity. There were anomalies, however. more
Denver gets go-ahead from EPA after progress on lead pipes The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday approved a nearly $700 million plan to remove all lead water pipes in the Denver region, saying the local water utility's approach for reducing lead levels is succeeding and making swift progress. It's a recognition that cities can effectively address the lead pipe crisis if they try. more
CISA and FBI Release Cybersecurity Advisory on Cuba Ransomware The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) with technical details associated with Cuba ransomware variants identified through FBI investigations as recently as August 2022. This CSA updates the December 2021 FBI Flash: Indicators of Compromise Associated with Cuba Ransomware. more
EPA And State Partners Announce Major Improvement In Clean Water Act Compliance The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it has achieved major improvement in compliance with Clean Water Act (CWA) permits over the past five-year period. more
FEMA redraws SWFL flood zone maps | NBC-2 You could be living in a flood zone right now and not even know it. That’s because FEMA has just drawn and released new flood zone maps. more
EPA: Major Clean Water Act noncompliance drops over 50% The Environmental Protection Agency says reported noncompliance with the Clean Water Act has declined from 20.3% early in 2018 to 9% now, thanks to the agency's compliance agreement with 47 states. The 2018 agreement had a goal of "cutting the rate of significant noncompliance with Clean Water Act permits in half" within five years, and that goal has been met ahead of schedule, EPA official Larry Starfield says. more
EPA Celebrates Year One Accomplishments Under The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law $5.5B awarded through the law so far to modernize the nation’s infrastructure, create good-paying jobs, combat the climate crisis, and advance environmental justice. more
EPA, OIG disagree on water system cybersecurity efforts EPA and the agency’s inspector general are at odds over whether federal oversight is sufficient to ensure U.S. water operators are protected against hackers and other saboteurs. more
Adding PFAS Class To Contaminant List, U.S. EPA Sets Stage For Stricter Regulation The U.S. EPA has signaled that its cornerstone drinking water regulation could soon expand to better protect against one of the country’s most notorious contaminants. more
EPA PFAS Progress Report and 2023 Community Engagements EPA has published a new report entitled, “A Year of Progress Under EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap,” that highlights key Agency actions taken since the Roadmap’s release in October 2021. more
NIST’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence Proposes Project to Secure Water and Wastewater Utilities The National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE), an effort out of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), is soliciting comments on a newly proposed project to help the water and wastewater sector organizations prepare for and mitigate against cybersecurity risk. more
ASDWA Submits Comments on Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 (CIRCIA) The Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 (CIRCIA) was signed into law in March 2022 and marks a significant milestone in increasing cyber resiliency in critical infrastructure sectors. more
STATE NEWS
Almost done: Long-running Longboat Key projects near completion | Your Observer Not unlike other jurisdictions across the nation, the town of Longboat Key has a laundry list of projects to complete. more
The Florida town that challenged Hurricane Ian and won | Christian Science Monitor As Hurricane Ian moved toward Florida’s west coast in late September, Amy Wicks drove around this rapidly growing community, trying to figure out what she hadn’t thought of yet. more
Brooksville council hears results of water asset study and rate increase recommendations | Hernando Sun The City of Brooksville was praised for the condition of its water and wastewater assets in a report presented by the Florida Rural Water Association (FRWA) on Nov. 7. more
Fort Pierce apartment complex without water after owner failed to pay utility bills | WPTV Water at a Fort Pierce apartment complex was shut off Thursday without notice, and people who live there are frustrated. more
New technology at FGCU's Water School addressing water quality issues in SWFL | NBC-2 Florida Gulf Coast University’s Water School has been open since August, but Friday’s Grand Opening featured some of the high-tech equipment that researchers are going to be able to use to address the water quality issues that affect Southwest Florida. more
How Hurricanes Ian, Nicole impacted the Central Florida system | WFTV We are now getting a full view of the damage done to Florida’s waterways following Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. more
|
|
|
|
This Week in Water History |
|
December 1, 1909 An excellent summary of aggressive municipal measures to eradicate typhoid fever from a major city. Municipal Journal and Engineer. Philadelphia Wars on Typhoid. “In an address at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, Dr. A. C. Abbott, Director of the Hygienic Laboratory of the University of Pennsylvania, and former Chief of the Bureau of Health, drew some striking comparisons between the present mortality rate from typhoid fever in Philadelphia and that which existed five years ago. In that time, he declared, by simple municipal measures, such as water filtration, strict supervision of the milk supply, and the cleaning up of river banks, the number of cases of typhoid fever had been reduced by fully 8o percent. Nearly one-half of the remaining cases are imported from other places by Philadelphians returning from their vacations. Still stricter regulation of dairies, the thorough disinfection of all sewage refuse, and, most important of all, the greatest personal care in the treatment of typhoid patients were urged as sure preventives of the disease. The use of uncooked vegetables raised on land fertilized with unsterilized sewage; the eating of raw oysters, not cleanly washed or handled, and the fly pest, which was characterized as a ‘filthy, intolerable nuisance, a disgrace to our civilization,’ were emphasized by Dr. Abbott as easily avoidable causes of the spread of typhoid. Vaccination, as a means of becoming immune to the disease, was described as entirely practicable and effective.”
|
|
2970 Wellington Circle | Tallahassee FL 32309 | 850.668.2746 | Contact Us
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
