March 4, 2021
AL/FL Joint Conference
June 1-3, 2021
Perdido Beach Resort
27200 Perdido Beach Blvd.
Orange Beach, AL 36561
Phone: (251) 981-9811/ (800) 634-7263
Group Code: 17379
No one can predict the future, but the ARWA and FRWA are proud to announce that, for now, the 2021 Alabama-Florida Joint Technical Training Conference is scheduled to move forward this year!

We look forward to seeing you all at the Beach for some Fun, Seafood, and CEU's! Book early!
Room Rates
Make your reservation early with special Room Rates starting at $199.00 & up.

Parking: Those staying at the resort will be offered complimentary parking, valet or otherwise.

For more information on room rates or to make new reservations, please contact the resort directly by calling them and mentioning the Conference or the booking code 17379, or by visiting their website https://www.perdidobeachresort.com/
This year's event is hosted by the Alabama Rural Water Association. Registration is not open yet and we do not have an agenda. For information on exhibiting, please refer to their website at:
or contact them by phone at 334.396.5511. 

We will return to the Edgewater in Panama City in May of 2022 when Florida will be hosting. We look forward to seeing you then. 
NATIONAL NEWS

WATER Act aims to fund water infrastructure across US President Joe Biden is being called on to back newly reintroduced legislation that seeks to remedy the nation's drinking water injustices with boosts to infrastructure and the creation of a water trust fund. more

House Appropriations Committee Chair announced that the House will accept Member requests for “Community Project Funding” DeLauro Announces Community Project Funding in Fiscal Year 2022 more

House Passes $1.9 Trillion Relief Package On Saturday AM, the House narrowly passed the White House-backed coronavirus relief bill (219-212 vote). The bill contains $350 billion in funding for state, local, and tribal governments of all sizes including transfer eligibility for special-purpose units of local government - and expands eligibility for lost revenue. more

Iowa City Water Worker Makes Up Results for Chlorine Residual in Compliance Monitoring Form A Yale city employee falsified reports and failed to test the city’s drinking water for most of last year, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. more

President Biden Gets Briefing on Status of Drinking Water in Texas Marshaling the power of their office and the resources of the federal government to help Americans in the wake of a natural disaster is a key responsibility of a president.  more

EPA Reissues Final Regulatory Determinations for SDWA Standards for PFAS On February 22, 2021, the EPA re-released a determination to regulate both PFOS and PFOA under the SDWA which will allow EPA to move forward to promulgate new rules. more

House Clean Water Committee Holds First Hearing on Water Infrastructure On Tuesday, the House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee held a hearing on clean water issues including reauthorization of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. more

STATE NEWS

Oakland sewer project progresses | West Orange Times & Observer The town of Oakland connected its first customer to its new wastewater system in January 2018. Today, there are 550 customers. more

Senate Bill 94 supports use of ASRs to store water north of Lake O | Okeechobee News The Florida Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources heard testimony March 2 on plans for Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) wells which are planned as part of the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Plan (LOWRP). more

Toilet-to-tap: Water reclamation bill rushes through Senate, House committees, but questions remain | Florida Politics The House version of a reclaimed water bill (HB 263) sponsored by Rep. Randy Maggard passed the Environmental, Agriculture and Flooding Subcommittee 17-0, but not without question. more

Residents Bubbling Up With Anger After Sunrise Utilities Department Sends Out Bloated Water Bills | CBS Miami  Bloated water bills are going out to some Broward County residents. And while they’re a mistake, it’s still causing headaches for the families who just got them. more

One million gallons of untreated wastewater spilled in Charlotte County | WINK A million gallons of untreated wastewater spilled in a Southwest Florida county as crews were working to improve the area’s sewage system. more

Speaker Chris Sprowls Announces Robust Agenda to Mitigate Effects of Flooding, Sea Level Rise in Florida Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, today rolled out sweeping legislation that will dedicate $100 million each year starting in 2022-2023 to address the realities of sea level rise and flooding. more

A Year Since The Spills: Fort Lauderdale Sewage Problems A Sign Of Infrastructure Woes For Other Coastal Cities | WUSF The maxing-out, bulging-at-the-seams, gridlock you feel on the highway — is happening underground, too. more

This Week in Water History
Milwaukee Crypto Outbreak
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. http://bit.ly/YPPGdK

For more articles on what went on this week in water history, click here.
FLORIDA RURAL WATER ASSOCIATION | http://www.frwa.net
2970 Wellington Circle | Tallahassee FL 32309 | 850.668.8023 | Contact Us