YOUR HELP IS NEEDED IN SUPPORT OF
PENDING WORKFORCE LEGISLATION
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Please customize the letter with your utility name and any personal story that illustrates the importance of this issue. This is great re-enforcement of the reason for this legislation and can be read and circulated by legislators and staff when talking to the media and making explanations in committee or on the floor of the House and Senate.
You can find your State Senator at www.flsenate.gov/Senators and select the county your system is located in. Click on www.myfloridahouse.gov/FindYourRepresentative to find your State Representative and type in your physical address. If you have any issues, please contact FRWA at 850.668-2746 or email your address to Admin@frwa.net and we will be happy to assist you.
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Watch your mailbox for this year's FRWA Focus on Change agenda. The thirty-second annual “Focus on Change” Seminar is presented in conjunction with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). 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.
You will notice that this year’s agenda includes several timely topics in the General Session and Breakout Sessions. You are encouraged to take the time to join us for what we anticipate to be an informative Training Seminar. FRWA will not be providing the presentations book this year in order to comply with the Department of Environmental Protection’s Paperless Initiative Act. You can however download the presentations from our website prior to the event if you wish to bring them with you or review.
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.
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FRWA Staff Attends Emergency
Response Training in Mississippi
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This week some of the FRWA Staff Members attended emergency response training seminar in Mississippi. This training is an annual event held at alternating Rural Water Associations. Please see below some photos taken at the training. |
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100kW Caterpillar MEP007B Military Generator with 1098 hours run time. Military Serial Number/Libby Co Rz00394. 3306 Cat Engine on an Olive Drab green military trailer in good shape, the trailer has a pintle hook connections for towing the generator. The generator has a 91-gallon fuel, belly tank and 50” of 1 (one) awg conductor wire attached.
For more information, click on the links below:
For further information please email frwa@frwa.net or call 850.668.2746.
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NATIONAL NEWS
The Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5): Accessing and Communicating UCMR 5 Results EPA will host two identical webinars on February 22 and 23, 2023 to provide public water systems (PWSs), States, and other interested stakeholders with information on accessing and communicating UCMR 5 monitoring results. more
Texas becomes first state to challenge new WOTUS rule Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday filed a legal challenge against the Environmental Protection Agency and US Army Corps of Engineers' latest rule redefining the Waters of the US under the Clean Water Act. more
Buy America rules could hamper wastewater projects Utilities should engage with federal funding agencies now to understand how the Buy America requirements will affect shovel-ready and future projects. more
Reports on PFAS and Freshwater Fish Are Misleading - American Chemistry Council Recent news reports following the publication of Barbo et. al are continuing the alarming trend of taking a specific example of PFAS levels detected in the environment and expanding it exponentially into an unscientific, overly broad indictment of hundreds of chemistries that benefit our lives every day. more
Toxic PFAS found in freshwater fish - C&EN - American Chemical Society Fish caught in rivers, streams, and lakes across the US contain high levels of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), according to a new study (DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.115165) by scientists at the Environmental Working Group (EWG). more
Cybersecurity Agency Releases 2022 Year in Review Today, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released its 2022 Year in Review highlighting the extensive work of CISA and its partners over the past year to protect the nation's critical infrastructure. more
Putting PFAS In The Past As the federal government zeros in on curbing the impact of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through its PFAS Strategic Roadmap, states have taken initiative by instituting their own mitigation measures and mandates. more
EPA's Regan: Government 'Waited Too Long' To Fix National Water Infrastructure The federal government has “waited too long” to invest in water infrastructure, EPA chief Michael Regan told NBC News in an interview. more
EPA expected to focus on PFAS, water regs in 2023 EPA has a consequential year ahead as it advances far-reaching regulations and defends gains made during the Biden administration that now face empowered Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill. more
Congress Finalizes Appropriations For FY 2023, Including Funding For Water Reuse On December 29, President Biden signed into law the FY 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which provides discretionary spending for water recycling programs for the remainder of FY 2023. more
Can The Latest WOTUS Rule Survive Supreme Court Scrutiny? After years of back-and-forth changes, the controversial Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule has just received a revision from the U.S. EPA and U.S. Department of the Army, meant to be its final change. But there could be reason for skepticism that this latest iteration is the one that finally sticks. more
EPA Adds Nine Chemicals and Removes One PFAS from Safer Chemical Ingredients List The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on January 12, 2023, that it is updating the Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL), “a living list of chemicals organized by functional-use class that EPA’s Safer Choice program has evaluated and determined meet Safer Choice criteria.” more
ASDWA Releases Update to Resource on State Definitions of Disadvantaged Communities ASDWA has updated a vital tool on the association’s Environmental Justice webpage. The table for state definitions of disadvantaged communities has been updated for the first time since its release in July last year. more
EPA Announces $100 million in Grants to Address Environmental Justice Issues On January 10, EPA announced the availability of nearly $100 million in grants from the Inflation Reduction Act to advance environmental justice in underserved and overburdened communities across the country. more
Possible Delay in Chemical Supply Chain Caused by Chemical Plant Fire A large fire broke out at a Carus Chemical Company plant in LaSalle, IL during the morning of Wednesday, January 11. Multiple structures in the complex have been damaged or destroyed. more
Customer Engagement And Water Infrastructure Projects: How To Achieve Success Utility and energy providers have learned that both public and stakeholder engagement play major roles in the long-term success of water infrastructure projects. Investing in the right technology, tools, and services to communicate information can help your water utility secure public support and reduce (or eliminate) community resistance in the long run. more
STATE NEWS
Water and sewer project completed in Walton County | My Panhandle With the snip of those scissors, Walton County opened the door Wednesday to a new era of major growth. more
Nassau County looks to Legislature for hand on infrastructure projects | Florida Politics Nassau County went to its legislative delegation with its list of needs and wants that county leaders hope will receive funding from the state government. more
DeSantis awards millions to 16 counties affected by Hurricane Nicole | WFLA Florida Governor Ron DeSantis awarded millions of dollars in disaster recovery funds Wednesday to 16 counties in an effort to restore beach erosion caused by Hurricane Nicole. more
House Infrastructure Strategies Committee hears of complex needs for natural disaster planning | Florida Politics Members of the newly formed House Infrastructure Strategies Committee got all they wanted and then some this week as they learned of a small, yet complex and research-intensive effort of state government to plan for tomorrow’s natural disasters. more
Fla. water funds to benefit Indian River Lagoon One hundred million dollars a year, over four years, will be spent on improving the water in the Indian River Lagoon. more
County Water/Sewage Bills to Increase | Bradenton Times At a work session Tuesday, Manatee County Commissioners were presented with recommendations from the county's utility consultant regarding water and sewage rates. Despite a reluctance by most board members to raise rates, needed infrastructure reinvestment will likely mean significant monthly increases. more
COVID levels drop sharply in northern PBC, but state's cases keep rising - Spot On Florida The three ZIP codes served by the Loxahatchee River District saw a 54% decline in COVID virus levels in wastewater. more
Bay County to test new water treatment chemical | My Panhandle Bay County is beginning a pilot program later this month at the water treatment plant. more
Tampa Bay Water shows how regional cooperation can work | Column As board chair of Tampa Bay Water, I’m proud on our 25th anniversary and the critical role we play in providing drinking water to the region. more
Santa Rosa commissioners approve much debated land swap with Milton for effluent disposal | Pensacola News Journal A long debate over whether Santa Rosa County would provide property for the city of Milton to use to deposit treated wastewater concluded Thursday with commissioners voting 3-2 in favor of turning over 100 acres of land at the back side of the Santa Rosa Industrial Park East. more
Florida Keys begins implementing upgrades to world class water system | The Capitolist The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority (FKAA), which manages and maintains the Florida Keys’ water system, announced it is embarking upon major upgrades to help ensure access to clean drinking water. more
There's a new entry in the 10 most expensive hurricanes in U.S. history | Times-Picayune Hurricane Ian, which thrashed Florida and the Carolinas last year, has claimed the No. 3 spot in the list of 10 most expensive hurricanes in U.S. history, according to a new report from the National Centers for Environmental Information. more
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This Week in Water History |
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January 13, 1863: Thomas Crapper Invents the Flush Toilet. “It’s almost too perfect. A man named Thomas Crapper invents the world’s first indoor one-piece flushing toilet on this day in history, and the world rejoices. The problem is, it’s not true, particularly that “first” part. Crapper was instrumental in drawing the public’s attention to the product in his London store, which was the world’s first sink, toilet and bath showroom; but his role was more as a salesman, not inventor in this case. An article in “Plumbing and Mechanical Magazine” said Crapper “should best be remembered as a merchant of plumbing products, a terrific salesman and advertising genius.”
It probably didn’t hurt that Mr. Crapper was the official plumber of a few prominent members of the royal family. For instance, he handled all the plumbing and fixtures at Sandringham house, one of the Royal residences, and received Royal warrants from Edward VII and George V.
That said, Crapper did improve the functionality of the toilet. He was a plumber himself, and invented many doo-dads that improved efficiency and sanitation, such as the ballcock, which is the float-triggered flushing mechanism in your toilet…
…the word ‘crap’ is of Middle English origin, and had nothing to do with poop back in the day. While the exact etymology isn’t known, it’s thought that it likely comes from the Dutch word krappen: to cut or pluck off, and the Old French word crappe: waste or junk. In English, people used the word to refer to weeds or garbage, but it had fallen out of popular usage in the UK by the time Mr. Crapper came along.
The term ‘crap,’ meaning ‘refuse’, stuck around in America though, coming over pre-16th century from England. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it wasn’t used to mean doo-doo until 1846…
‘The Crapper’ as a name for the toilet was partially inspired by Thomas Crapper thanks to WWI. The toilets in England at the time were predominately made by the company “Thomas Crapper & Co Ltd”, with the company’s name stamped on them. American soldiers with their still actively used ‘crap’ word, took to calling these toilets ‘The Crapper’ and brought that slang term for the toilet back with them to the United States after the war.”
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2970 Wellington Circle | Tallahassee FL 32309 | 850.668.2746 | Contact Us
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