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August 19, 2021
2021 Conference in Review
Wow! Wasn't it great to be able to see everyone again! This year's Annual Conference surpassed all expectations! With a sold out Exhibit Hall and over fifty training topics, this years attendees were kept busy! From the first attendee that registered until the last box was loaded into the FRWA trailer, it was non stop. Of course with all the food and over $5000 in prizes there was never a dull moment.

If you click on the link to your left, you will find a slideshow (no sound) of photos taken throughout the Conference. Take a walk through the Conference with us as you experience it from arriving at the Golf Tournament to the hugs goodbye. If you would like more information and to view other related slideshows, click here.
The Preconference Training is always popular and this year was no exception. This year's classes included special training for Engineers that was welcomed by all.

 The Opening Session on Tuesday brought us up to date on what is happening with FRWA as well as the industry nationally. Our long time members were recognized. We would like to thank all of them for their support of FRWA.

The elite of the elite in the Florida water industry were present as we recognized the FRWA Award winners for 2021. This all led up to our guest speaker, Jody Fuller who gave us a look at the bright side of things.

After enjoying the buffet, the attendees had their choice of five different tracks with different training topics each hour to choose from. The evening came to an end with our Exhibitor Social where the Talquin Water/Meridian Hills Subdivision was recognized as the winner of the Best Tasting Water Contest.

After enjoying a Continental Breakfast on Wednesday morning the attendees returned to their classes to top off the Conference.

Thanks for a great Conference! Join us next year at the same place on August 8-10, 2022.

Watch for more details on the Annual Conference in upcoming issues of eNews.
NATIONAL NEWS
Impact Of Congressional Ruling On PFAS The ability of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to contaminate everything in their wake and resist degradation in nature has propelled these “forever chemicals” into a serious public health concern over the past two decades, galvanizing calls for sweeping federal legislation. more

Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce Guidance, Version 4.1 As the nation continues to respond to COVID-19, it remains vital that essential critical
infrastructure workers can perform their jobs safely, securely, and without interruption from COVID-19 and the new variants of the virus. more

EPA Cybersecurity Virtual Workshops Cyber-attacks are striking critical infrastructure across the United States, including water and wastewater systems, with increasing frequency. Recent cyber-attacks on water and wastewater
systems have manipulated treatment processes, disabled process control and business enterprise systems, and stolen proprietary data. more

Special Single Issue Edition: Senate Passage Largest Water Funding Bill in History Last week, the U.S. Senate passed the $550 billion bipartisan infrastructure bill (HR3684) by a vote of 69-30. The bill includes approximately $55 billion for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure with appropriations mainly directed through the state revolving funds including the following provisions. more

Georgia wins fresh ruling in water war with Florida, Alabama | WMFEA Judge has ruled that a federal agency doesn’t have to revise its plans for how it operates dams along the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers. more

Senate Passes Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, Measure Heads to House Today, the U.S. Senate voted to pass the $550 billion bipartisan infrastructure bill, with a bipartisan vote of 69-30, which includes funding for the Nation’s roads, bridges, and water infrastructure. more

EPA adds 36 Chemicals to the Safer Chemical Ingredients List The SCIL is a living list of chemicals, by functional-use class, that EPA’s Safer Choice program has evaluated and determined meet Safer Choice criteria. Chemicals on the SCIL are among the safest for their functional use. more

STATE NEWS
Water expert: West Palm Beach moving forward with testing, treatment of water for toxins | Palm Beach Daily News A panel of scientists and engineers is reviewing the circumstances leading up to the discovery of a dangerous toxin in the city's water supply this spring. more

City’s next phase of sewer project to proceed | Hernando Sun The Brooksville City Council has voted unanimously to proceed with Phase IV of the Sewer Rehabilitation project. more

Sewage sampling key to tracking COVID-19 & its spread | News4Jax Sampling wastewater to predict outbreaks in COVID-19 is being done all over the U.S. more

Walton County expecting an economic boom after the U.S. Highway 331 Water and Sewer Installation Project is completed | WJHG For years the area south of I-10 along Highway 331 in Walton County has been an economic desert, but that is about to change. more

Tropical Storm Fred leaves widespread flooding, power outages in Bay County | WJHG Bay County was heavily affected by Tropical Storm Fred when it entered the Panhandle Monday. more

Septic-to-sewer project in Treasure Island still in early stages of development | Okeechobee News Okeechobee Utility Authority (OUA) executive director John Hayford spoke to Okeechobee County Commissioners at their Aug. 12 meeting about the Treasure Island septic-to-sewer project. more
This Week in Water History
August 16, 1933: First day of amoebic dysentery outbreak at the Chicago World’s Fair. American Journal of Public Health editorial. “There are many reasons why the outbreak of amebic dysentery in Chicago in 1933 still holds intense interest. Some of these are practical and some scientific. On the practical side it will be recalled that the Exposition for 1934 opened in May. Already some of the daily papers are asking whether precautions have been taken to make the city safe for visitors, and repeating the charge that the news last year was suppressed. On the scientific side it must be pointed out that, as far as we have been able to determine, this is the first epidemic of the sort which has ever been recorded. The health officers had an entirely new problem to deal with, and there is no question that it took them by surprise, as it did everyone else. The paper read before this Association on October 9, 1933, attracted little attention; so little, in fact, that a prominent officer of the Public Health Service who heard it went back to Washington and did not even mention it. Some days later the report of a physician in Indianapolis that there were 5 or 6 cases of the disease in that city, all traceable to Chicago, gave the first intimation of its seriousness. Following this, on November 25, came from Boston what was probably the first information which showed how widespread the infection was, cases in Canada and elsewhere being reported. There was no official publication from the Board of Health of Chicago, as such, until November 18, though on November 14, the radio was used. more
To enjoy more opportunities to take a look at the past in water history, go to this link.
FLORIDA RURAL WATER ASSOCIATION | http://www.frwa.net
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