The Florida Rural Water Association would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our long time member, St. Johns County Utilities on the their new Utility Lab. The lab will help keep the water safe, reliable and clean for residents and help save the county money.

Tony Cubbedge, environmental division manager for the county’s Utility Department, said the new facility includes five analysts, a lab manager and four other analysts. The team is responsible for running all the water and wastewater samples that need to be collected by law to make sure the water is safe.

“This is the building where we ensure that when you turn that faucet on that it’s safe to drink and you can feel comfortable drinking that water,” Cubbedge said.

The $4.6 million facility will serve more than 57,000 utility customers, said Neal Shinkre, interim director for the Utilities Department. The lab consists of several offices, testing rooms, a walk-in cooler for storing samples and a backup generator, but the feature that officials say is most important is its location.

The previous utility lab was in a flood zone on Anastasia Island that was the first to evacuate when evacuation orders were given before storms. This new facility is on Inman Road, off State Road 16 and Interstate 95 in the central part of the county.

“There’s no evacuation zone here. As a matter of fact, when you drove in you may have seen that generator around the corner. We will be here 24/7/365 through thick and thin of any storm that may come at us,” Cubbedge said.

The operation can help save time when the county has to deal with waterline breaks or wastewater spills. The around-the-clock operation allows analysts to test the contaminated water more quickly so situations like a boil water advisory can be lifted sooner.

The central location also will help save the county money — about $53,000 a year, Cubbedge said. The savings would come from less travel time for staff to drop off samples from other parts of the county, less gas for them to use, and less wear and tear on county vehicles. Staff also will have an extra 1,500 hours a year to focus on essential tasks at wastewater facilities instead of having to drive longer distances to drop off samples.

Again, congratulations to St. Johns County on your new facility!

In order to help develop tomorrow’s water and wastewater work force, the Florida Rural Water Association (FRWA) partnered with Florida’s Department of Education (DOE) and the US Department of Labor (DOL) in creating an apprenticeship program for water and wastewater operators. The goal is to provide the future work force the technical training and on-the-job learning needed to become effective operators.

In 2019, FRWA began offering an Apprenticeship Course that includes the coursework required to receive a Class C operator’s license for water or wastewater, hands on demos of pumps and motors, emergency response, lab testing, basics of utility management and more.  

Currently we are coordinating the Apprenticeship Course with employees from the following systems:

The Florida Rural Water Association would like to recognize these systems and their efforts towards reinforcing the water and wastewater workforce of the future. We would also like to recognize the past graduates and the instructors for their contributions to the success of this program.

In honor of National Apprenticeship Week, FRWA has issued a proclamation. You can read the full proclamation by clicking here.

For more information on this program, contact FRWA at 850.668.2746 or email Apprenticeship@frwa.net.

By popular demand, we are back in Daytona next year at the Daytona Hilton! The Conference will be held on July 29-31, 2024. More to come!!!

NATIONAL NEWS

Hearing on Clean Water Infrastructure Servicing Disadvantaged and Underserved Communities On November 8, 2023, the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee held a hearing to examine how the Clean Water State Revolving Fund can help address wastewater infrastructure challenges faced by small, rural, disadvantaged and underserved communities. more

EPA Finalizes Plans for Implementing Emissions Guidelines Under Clean Air Act The Environmental Protection Agency on Nov. 13 released a final rule that sets timelines and processes for states and federal plans to implement emissions guidelines under Clean Air Act section 111(d). more

DHS Unveils New 'Shields Ready' Campaign Initiative aims to promote critical infrastructure security and resilience. more

New Florida Specifier Podcast Episode LIVE - Meet John Bell and James Eklund In this episode, Ryan and Brett discuss some of the past, present, and future of water conservation in Florida and how the state has stepped up in the last two decades to enlarge the “water pie”. more

Baltimore To Pay $4.75 Million Over Wastewater Treatment Fines One of the biggest cities in the country is now prepared to settle a massive bill and make critical improvements following years-long issues at its wastewater treatment operations. more

Solar-Powered Device Produces Clean Water And Clean Fuel At The Same Time A floating, solar-powered device that can turn contaminated water or seawater into clean hydrogen fuel and purified water, anywhere in the world, has been developed by researchers. more

New EPA Data Show Millions More Have ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Drinking Water New data released by the Environmental Protection Agency show 44 million people have toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS in their drinking water after collecting test results from fewer than one-third of the nation’s drinking water supplies. more

EPA Makes $52 Million Investment to Support Wastewater Infrastructure Improvements ... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding Puerto Rico over $52 million to support cleaner water across the Island, of which almost $30 million is funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Puerto Rico’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) provides interest-free or low-interest rate financing for wastewater and sewer infrastructure projects to municipalities. more

CISA Releases Roadmap for Artificial Intelligence Adoption The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released its Roadmap for Artificial Intelligence (AI) today, adding to the significant whole-of-government effort to ensure the secure development and implementation of Artificial Intelligence capabilities, and operationalizing its responsibilities as provided in Executive Order (EO) 14110, “Safe, Secure, And Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI),” more

EPA Announces New Get the Lead Out Initiative To Accelerate Removal Of Lead Service Lines Nationwide New initiative funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help 200 underserved communities access technical assistance to identify and remove lead service lines and ensure safer drinking water. more

STATE NEWS

Tropical Update Showers and thunderstorms associated with a broad area of low pressure (Invest 98L) located over the west-central Caribbean Sea have become a little better organized since yesterday. more

How PFAS 'forever chemicals' are getting into Miami's Biscayne Bay, where dolphins ... - FIU News PFAS, the “forever chemicals” that have been raising health concerns across the country, are not just a problem in drinking water. more

Crews work to repair water main break in Hollywood | Local 10 Crews are working to repair a water main break Tuesday morning in Hollywood. more

Rate study says Palm Coast utility projects will need $625 million over 10 years, proposes phased 18% rate increase | Palm Coast Observer The 18% would only apply to the consumption rate of water utility bills. The study also proposed a four-year-phased 50% increase to impact fees and adding a reduced-rate tier for residents. more

Death of a Sewer Worker

November 13, 2003: New York Times headline-Appreciations, Death of a Sewer Worker. "New York is a mythic place, and one of the most mythic parts of it is the part that nobody ever sees: the sewers. Alligators and giant rats barely begin to sum up the state of our fears about the sewers, when we acknowledge those fears at all. So it's worth remembering how great a joke it is that the New York city sewers should also contain Ed Norton, played on "The Honeymooners" by Art Carney, who died on Sunday at 85."

FLORIDA RURAL WATER ASSOCIATION | http://www.frwa.net

2970 Wellington Circle | Tallahassee FL 32309

850.668.2746 | Contact Us