This year's Focus on Change is underway with over five hundred attendees at the Haines City and Ocala locations. Experts from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection updated those attending with the regulatory changes made concerning their systems. Other topics included FlaWARN, Water Tracker, LCRR-LCI, Biosolids, and SB 64/HB 1379. Comments from students included: "Great job!", "Interesting Topics", and "Fantastic". If you missed their presentations, you can access them on our website by clicking here.

A special thanks to the Lake Eva Community Center Banquet Hall in Haines City and the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion Extension Auditorium in Ocala for allowing us to use their facilities.

For more information on Focus on Change, click here. Be sure to register early by clicking on the location below. See you there!

We have been notified that you may have received a phishing email that appears to be from the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort where we will be holding our Annual Conference on July 29th through the 31st. The email indicates that they are down to the last block of rooms, and you should click on the link below to register. This is a Scam! The hotel will not send you anything except confirmation of your reservation that you make.

Be sure to look closely at the email address that the email is sent from. FRWA will only send you notices about the annual conference from frwa@frwa.net or through Constant Contact (using frwa@floridaruralwaterassociation.ccsend.com email address). We apologize for any inconvenience if you received one of these emails. Be sure to the lookout in case you do receive this or similar emails.

When booking your room for the Conference, be sure to book your room at the official FRWA room block by clicking here. FRWA cannot be responsible for rooms that are booked through an outside party.

More information on the Conference coming soon!

NATIONAL NEWS

EPA Expands Wastewater Infrastructure Program, Invites Rural Communities To Apply for Assistance The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the expansion of its successful Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Community Initiative to 150 communities across Rural America. The program is already serving McDowell and Raleigh Counties in West Virginia and the agency invites rural communities across the region to apply. more

What To Watch for in the EPA's Final PFAS Drinking Water Rule - NRDC The EPA estimates that about one in four people in the United States (70 to 94 million) have tap water contaminated with toxic “forever chemicals” (PFAS) at levels exceeding the drinking water standards that the EPA proposed for six of them in 2023. more

Navigating the Digital Wave: Transforming Water Utilities with AI and Digital Solutions | 04.04.24 | 11 AM Digital solutions and talk of AI can seem unproven, complex to implement and costly. Many utilities don’t have the depth of digital expertise to make the best use of the existing data they already have from sensors and from hydraulic models. Are these latest innovations applicable in water and wastewater? more

EPA launches new office to strengthen engagement with agricultural and rural communities The new office will expand on the work of the Ag Advisor and increase coordination with a network of existing agriculture policy advisors located in all ten EPA regional offices across the country. more

Report Says Lack Of Funding For Critical Water Mains Is $452B Over 260,000 Breaks Annually. Utah State University's third report serves as the largest study in the U.S. and Canada of its kind, reveals increased water pipeline deterioration. more

STATE NEWS

Basin Management Action Plan Update 04.09.24 | 10:00 AM Thank you for your involvement in the Upper Wakulla River and Wakulla Springs Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP).  more

A look at the Florida Legislature's spending plan: From bears to water quality  A $117.46 billion budget that state lawmakers approved last week includes big-ticket items such as a 3 percent pay raise for state employees, a $240 bump in per-student school funding, $13.99 billion for transportation projects and $702 million for Everglades restoration. more

As ‘Acting Superintendent’ Century Council Member Reports Four Sewage Spills To State | North Escambia On March 8, a sewage lift station at the town’s wastewater treatment facility of Jefferson Avenue spilled an unknown quantity of treated wastewater, of which 50 gallons was recovered. The pump “failed due to incorrect maintenance”. more

Bottled water is draining Florida's aquifer - Click Orlando Though he said he understands people’s preference for bottled water, he also said pumping the water out of our natural springs and shipping it across the country is unsustainable, especially since we are already pulling so much water out of our aquifer for our daily use. more

Idalia Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Deadline March 29th This is a reminder that FDEM's Bureau of Mitigation is offering technical assistance for the development of subapplications for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) DR-4734 Hurricane Idalia funding.  more

Groundwater awareness week is going on now - The Villages Daily Sun  Most of Florida’s drinking water comes from the Floridan aquifer system, meaning the ongoing National Groundwater Awareness Week has special importance for Florida. more

March 17, 1909: Drinking water chlorination begun at Poughkeepsie, New York. Chlorine was tested at the Poughkeepsie, New York filter plant in early February 1909 but the application of chlorine on a permanent basis at Poughkeepsie did not begin until March 17, 1909. Therefore, the Poughkeepsie water supply was the third example of chlorine disinfection in the U.S. and the first time that chlorine was used as an adjunct to slow sand filtration. George C. Whipple suggested the third application of chlorine to a water supply in a report to the City. As noted in The Chlorine Revolution: Water Disinfection and the Fight to Save Lives, Whipple was on the opposite side from Dr. John L. Leal in the two Jersey City trials. Poughkeepsie, NY is a medium-sized city that is located on the Hudson River about 70 miles north of New York City.



Whipple recommended that the coagulant preceding the slow sand filter at Poughkeepsie be replaced with chloride of lime, which began as a test on February 1, 1909. On March 17, 1909, continuous chlorination was begun using a permanent chemical feeding apparatus.

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

2970 Wellington Circle | Tallahassee FL 32309

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