Utility Manager's Alternative Sewer Tool |
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The tool provides effective strategies for local conditions, circumstances, terrain, and demographics – it includes advantages and disadvantages to each option. |
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We are excited to announce the release of our new Wastewater Collection Alternatives Tool for utility managers, engineers, operators, leaders, and board members! For many years gravity wastewater collection systems were considered the only way to collect and move wastewater to the treatment and disposal facilities. Until relatively recently, every regulatory body primarily addressed gravity sewer and no other alternatives. Technical documents and reference manuals provided guidance primarily for gravity sewer and not alternatives. Over the last year, we have been tirelessly working to improve our services and we believe that the Wastewater Collection Alternatives Tool will help you choose the best collection system for your utility.
So how can the tool help you? Inflow and infiltration is a major problem for gravity sewers in coastal areas and low-lying areas prone to flooding. The tool will help users to identify which sewer option is best for your application.
- Gravity Sewers
- Grinder/Low-Pressure
- Vacuum Systems, or
- Decentralized/Onsite Systems
You can download the tool by clicking on the graphic above or clicking here.
The tool primarily addresses alternatives to gravity sewers subject to king tides, sea level rise, flooding, tropical storms, high inflow & infiltration (I&I), high groundwater, etc. The tool is applicable to new construction and retrofits.
Recent legislative and regulatory efforts focuses on sewage spills and gravity surcharge issues with fines for utilities.
The tool provides effective strategies for local conditions, circumstances, terrain, and demographics – it includes advantages and disadvantages to each option. The tool also provides discussion of relative costs, ongoing operations, and life cycle cost for comparison in a general sense for decision-making free of biases.
The current version of the tool is a beta version and for demonstration purposes only. While the information in the tool is accurate it is not comprehensive. The tool will be upgraded frequently until being officially released for use. We are releasing this version to seek continued input from potential users and especially those utilities that have already performed the evaluation of alternative systems and selected them over traditional gravity sewer.
We invite you to review the tool and provide feedback – we are also soliciting utilities to submit case studies of collection alternatives. Case studies should generally follow an outline that identifies the project area, discusses initial issues and concerns, describes the decision matrix or analysis performed for the various alternatives, describes the present worth analysis or other cost evaluations, describes the selected alternative and provides information on the outcome of the project or other post construction analysis. The case studies can be provided to Florida Rural Water at frwa@frwa.net. And questions can be answered by calling 850.668.2746.
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The first two Classes of the 2023 Focus on Change are next week! These sessions are designed to provide the most current regulatory information available to utilities. FRWA is pleased to announce that the DEP Water, Wastewater, and Operator Certification Sections will be participating.
With the CEU cycle ending on April 30th, this is a great chance to get that final 0.6 CEUs towards your drinking water, distribution, or wastewater license! This is one of the most popular classes that FRWA presents. With the seminars being in six different locations throughout the state, there is a convenient location near you!
There is no charge for admittance for those not wishing to earn CEUs/PDHs, however you must pre-register as seating is limited. If you wish to receive CEUs/PDHs for the session a CEU/PDH processing fee will apply. Click on the selected sites above to register online. To pay by company check complete the registration form by clicking here. Please use a separate form for each site.
Click on the locations below to register. Be sure to sign in to receive the membership discount.
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NATIONAL NEWS
Torres Small Nominated to Serve as Deputy Secretary of USDA The National Rural Water Association is excited that Xochitl Torres Small has been nominated to serve as the Deputy Secretary for USDA. more
Mississippi Governor Announces $900,000 Delta Regional Authority Grant to Build Water & Wastewater Training Facility Governor Tate Reeves today announced that the Delta Regional Authority has awarded a nearly $900,000 grant to the Mississippi Rural Water Association (MsRWA). more
$2B in Funding Announced to Address Emerging Contaminants like PFAS in Drinking Water Investment will be made available to communities as grants through EPA's Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) Grant Program. more
PFAS and your health | The Common - WBUR PFAS are a class of man-made chemicals used to make products ranging from firefighting foam to waterproof mascara. more
Despite $15B Lead Line Replacement Effort, Water Systems Will Need More From Biden President Biden utilized his most recent State of the Union address to laud the work being done to replace outdated drinking water infrastructure, but the reality for many struggling water systems around the country is a little more complicated. more
Understanding The White House's Get The Lead Out Partnership, With One Of Its Participants In late January, the White House welcomed over 100 organizations for the launch of the Biden-Harris Get the Lead Out Partnership, which seeks replacement of 100% of the nation’s lead service lines (LSLs) in 10 years. more
Biden-Harris Administration Announces $2 Billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan announced the availability of $2 billion from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to address emerging contaminants, like Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in drinking water across the country. more
Best Practices For Staff Sustainability 360water inc. launched the 360water training site in 2000. That was over two decades ago, and one of the most critical issues at that time was called staff sustainability. more
OMB Proposes Guidance for Implementing BABA in Federal Grants and Agreements On February 9, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published a proposal to revise the Agency’s Guidance for Grants and Agreements. The proposed revisions are limited to the implementation of the Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) provisions of the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA), which requires federal agencies to ensure that “none of the funds made available for a Federal financial assistance program for infrastructure, including each deficient program, may be obligated for a project unless all of the iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials used in the project are produced in the United States.” more
ASDWA Provides Support for EPA’s Latest Waiver for Build America, Buy America This latest BABA waiver would allow up to five percent of the total material cost to include non-domestically produced miscellaneous minor iron or steel components without further need for a product-specific waiver. more
EPA Announces Updated Financial Capability Assessment Guidance The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its updated Clean Water Act Financial Capability Assessment (FCA) Guidance to help communities ensure public health protections and financial feasibility as they make plans to comply with the Clean Water Act (CWA). more
STATE NEWS
State gives GRU $22.5M grant to expand wastewater treatment facility capacity - WCJB One of Gainesville Regional Utilities’ wastewater treatment facilities is getting a major upgrade thanks to a more than $22 million grant from the state. more
Wakulla County receives $12 million grant for wastewater projects - WTXL Wakulla County was granted $12 million from the state to improve sewer infrastructure through the Wastewater Grant Program. The money is set to go towards the Otter Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility for improvements and additional capacity. more
Hurricanes Ian and Nicole Left Devastating Flooding in Central Florida. Will it Happen Again? | WMFE Like many homes in central Florida, Janét Buford-Johnson’s is situated on a pond that in better times would be considered picturesque. During Hurricane Ian in September the pond swelled into a horrific torrent, nearly swallowing her and her daughter alive. more
Webster and Florida Delegation request $725 million for Florida Everglades restoration “The significance of the Everglades does not go unnoticed for Floridians and our community who have worked together for more than twenty years to restore its cherished wetlands." more
Salazar Secures Critical Infrastructure Funds - Floridian Press The Florida Republican secured a total of $23.86 million in funding that will go to projects throughout Miami. In a statement, she discussed the benefits this funding will yield. more
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Awards Nearly $240 Million to Improve Water Quality Across the State | Space Coast Daily Governor Ron DeSantis awarded $240 million through the Wastewater Grant Program to support 36 wastewater infrastructure projects to reduce nutrients in Florida’s waterways, including $372,000 for The Cove at South Beaches Sanitary Sewerage Project. more
Santa Rosa works to improve flood mitigation before spring storms | Pensacola News Journal Santa Rosa County employees install and upgrade the stormwater drainage system at the Marquis Basin boat ramp on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. more
Astor back to normal after the storms | Daily Commercial It’s been almost five months since Hurricane Ian dumped tons of water, causing the St. Johns River to overflow its banks. Now the streets are dry, docks have popped up from beneath murky water, and people are filling chairs and their stomachs at the Drifters Riverfront Bar and Grill. more
Community members speak up about new “forever chemicals” study A new study by the Environmental Working Group, an activist group focused on research, revealed that eating a single freshwater fish is equal to drinking water with high PFAS levels for a month. more
Florida awards funding for wastewater projects in Wakulla, Taylor counties - WTXL The Office of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday that three projects in the two counties were awarded funding from the state’s Wastewater Grant Program. more
Ron DeSantis Announces $240 Million From Wastewater Grant Program for 36 Projects At the end of last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that he had awarded $240 million through the Wastewater Grant Program to support 36 wastewater infrastructure projects to reduce nutrients in Florida’s waterways. more
Wastewater treatment plant work on fast track to keep pace with growth in The Villages | Villages News On a fast track to upgrade its wastewater treatment plant, Wildwood has designated a 64-year-old company as construction manager at risk for the project. more
What's happening now with COVID in Florida: Here's a quick look COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to fall across Florida as the latest wave of infections recedes. more
Fla. commits $275M to boost statewide resilience The Resilient Florida initiative is distributing $275 million to help communities brace against flooding and storm surges. The largest single grant, $32.5 million, goes to Broward County to replace bulkheads at Port Everglades, while the rest of the funding is for 74 other projects such as drainage upgrades, seawalls and sewers. more
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This Week in Water History |
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2970 Wellington Circle | Tallahassee FL 32309 | 850.668.2746 | Contact Us
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