The 2024 Focus on Change Agenda has been finalized and should be coming to your mailbox soon! If you don't want to wait, you can click here to see the topics that will be covered this year. FRWA has partnered with DEP for over thirty years to bring you this valuable series to keep you updated on the changes to regulatory compliance. Representatives from DEP will be addressing the opening session in the morning to go over changes that will affect all systems.

After lunch, you will be able to attend your choice of Drinking Water or Wastewater sessions. If you would like to earn CEUs for your license, be sure to attend the correct session. Drinking water and distribution licenses can only be applied to the Drinking Water Session and wastewater CEUs can only be applied to the Wastewater Session and are not transferable.

At the end of the day all the attendees will attend a combined session on FlaWarn to close things out.

For more information on Focus on Change, click here. Be sure to register early by clicking on the location below. See you there!

If you have not already done so, please be sure to make plans to complete your system's Lead Service Line Inventory as soon as possible to avoid non-compliance with DEP. The deadline for completing your inventory is October 16, 2024. For more information click here or contact us at LSLI@frwa.net or at 850.668.2746.

NATIONAL NEWS

Water trade groups urge lawmakers to consider cyber training and more funding for their facilities House subcommittee members make the case that more EPA regulatory efforts surrounding water facilities could “do more harm than good.” more

Wastewater tests warn of COVID surge in US | Health Wellness | miamitimesonline.com Although it’s spotty and inconsistent in many places, wastewater testing is pointing to a new wave of COVID-19 infections, with as many as one-third of Americans expected to contract the disease by late February. more

Incident Response Guide for Water and Wastewater Sector Cyber threat actors are aware of—and deliberately target—single points of failure. more

New Tool Predicts Flood Risk From Hurricanes In A Warming Climate Using New York as a test case, the model predicts flooding at the level experienced during Hurricane Sandy will occur roughly every 30 years by the end of this century. more

Mining The Treasures Locked Away In Produced Water A Texas A&M researcher is working to extract critical minerals unclaimed in produced water, often considered an oil and gas operations waste product, while also purifying the water for agricultural use. more

CISA-EPA Jointly Release Water and Wastewater Cybersecurity Toolkit This week, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) jointly released a Water Sector Cybersecurity Toolkit to aid the water sector in bolstering its cybersecurity preparedness. more

Wastewater tests show COVID infections surging, but pandemic fatigue limits precautions Although it’s spotty and inconsistent in many places, wastewater testing is pointing to a new wave of COVID-19 infections, with as many as one-third of Americans expected to contract the disease by late February. more

EPA National Water Sector Cybersecurity Drill: A Day Without SCADA | 02.29.24 1:00 pm-2:00 pm EPA will be hosting a free cybersecurity drill for drinking water and wastewater systems. You will gain vital training and experience on two of the most common cyber-attacks; phishing and ransomware. more

EPA Cybersecurity Technical Assistance Program Please share your information to request cybersecurity technical assistance. more

News Briefs: Gas Leak in Sewer Line Causes House Explosion in Texas A house explosion in Carrollton, Texas, which injured one person, was caused by a gas leak into a sewer line, according to the city's fire chief. Fire and rescue teams responded promptly, extinguishing the fire and transporting one individual to the hospital, though their condition remains undisclosed. more

FDEM Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Notice of Funding Availability DR-4734 The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) is pleased to announce that the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) for Hurricane Idalia DR-4734 has been published to the Florida Administrative Register and is available on our state HMGP page under the Hurricane Idalia tab. more

CDC encouraging doctors to test blood for PFAS – commonly known as forever chemicals The CDC now encourages doctors to discuss with patients about potential exposure to PFAS and to determine if blood testing would be beneficial. more

Federal Water Tap, January 29: EPA Proposes Stricter Water Pollution Limits for Large ... “Making these data easily available for multifamily properties is critical to the ability of property owners participating in these programs to assess the need for energy upgrades and prioritize those upgrades which will have the greatest benefit to their residents.” more

Global Groundwater Depletion Is Accelerating, But Is Not Inevitable Groundwater is rapidly declining across the globe, often at accelerating rates. Writing in the journal Nature, UC Santa Barbara researchers present the largest assessment of groundwater levels around the world, spanning nearly 1,700 aquifers. more

San Francisco Now Testing Wastewater For Fentanyl As Drug Problem Spirals One of the largest cities in the U.S., struggling to tame one of its largest drug problems, has turned to wastewater analysis for help. more

Sound Bites: CT sues 28 chemical companies over PFAS - WSHU State Attorney General William Tong is suing 28 chemical manufacturers for knowingly contaminating Connecticut’s waters and natural resources. The chemicals cited are used in firefighting and manufacturing to make products resistant to stains, water and heat. more

HHS Releases New Report on Low Income Household Water Assistance Program The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released a new report on the Agency’s Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP). more

EPA Announces Availability Of $3M In Grants To Establish National Stormwater Centers Of Excellence As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of $3M through its Centers of Excellence for Stormwater Infrastructure Technologies grant program to expand stormwater infrastructure solutions across the country. more

Efficiently Moving Urea Out Of Polluted Water Is Coming To Reality WPI Researchers have developed a material to remove urea from water and potentially convert it into hydrogen gas. more

STATE NEWS

Palm Beach County Heading For Watery Grave? - BocaNewsNow.com There’s a legitimate concern that parts of Palm Beach County could end up underwater as sea levels rise. more

Tampa's Wastewater Department enters final phase of massive project - ABC Action News This project is a milestone for the city. It's one of the largest tunnels of its kind in North America. more

ONE CHARLOTTE, ONE WATER: Plan to address water quality in the county - Fox 4 News  With the continued growth in southwest Florida, demand is soaring for necessities like water. One Charlotte, One Water is an initiative in Charlotte County aimed at addressing water quality and the growth. more

Manatee County Commissioners take 'first drink' from newly retrofitted water treatment plant Manatee County Commissioners and staff took a “first drink” of water from the newly retrofitted water treatment plant on Wednesday. more

BRIC Grant Deadline 02.29.24 FEMA has announced it will award up to $2 billion this year to help communities and non-profits strengthen critical infrastructure through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Grant Program. more

Riviera Beach well tests positive for fecal bacteria; public not notified until 7 months later City workers in Riviera Beach found water contaminated with fecal bacteria June 27, 2023, in a test of one of the city's many wells. more

Sanford sewage spill into Lake Monroe swells to 13 million gallons - Orlando Sentinel Sanford’s spill of partially-treated sewage into Lake Monroe has now topped 13 million gallons — almost triple what was previously disclosed — and officials are apologizing for the malfunction at a city wastewater treatment plant that caused it. more

Bay County testing out new blend to treat water | WJHG Water in Bay County is currently being treated with a poly-aluminum hydroxy-chloride to remove solids however, they will soon start testing a new coagulant called Hyperion 4064. more

February 1, 1919: Article in Municipal Journal. Declares Influenza Cause Is Unknown. “Albany, N. Y.-According to a statement by Dr. Hermann M. Biggs, state commissioner of health, in this state in the month of October alone approximately 32,000 lives were lost, while in the country as a whole 400,000 people are believed to have died of so-called influenza during the months of September, October and November. “It is questionable,” says the statement, “if any recorded epidemic has produced in a similar space of time such disastrous results, yet, despite the efforts of an army of research workers both here and abroad, the definite causative agent of the disease remains today unknown. Until proof to the contrary is forthcoming it must be assumed that the epidemic represented a very virulent form of the same disease which has spread throughout the world from time to time for many centuries, and numerous excellent records of which are available for study in medical literature. At the present time there is no exact diagnostic procedure which may be relied upon positively to differentiate epidemic influenza from severe ‘colds’ accompanied by fever, cough and prostration, and frequently followed by pneumonia, such colds being due to a variety of well-known organisms. Nevertheless there are certain fairly characteristic symptoms in typical cases of epidemic influenza which at present justify a clinical diagnosis of that disease.”

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