National Rural Water Association's magazine Rural Water is the only national publication targeted to the operators, managers, and board members of rural and small municipal water and wastewater utilities.

The latest edition is now available! Click on the magazine cover below to browse through the entire magazine.

This issue features such hot topics as:

Energy Efficiency Water and wastewater operator buy-in is required for success.

Solar Energy for Water Systems A cost-effective solution for uninterrupted power at all times.

Blazing New TA Trails USDA Decentralized Wastewater Program is making impact in first year.

Nation-States, Exposed Devices, and Ransomware! Oh My! Simple cybersecurity measures for utilities of all sizes.

The Workhorse of Rural Wastewater Treatment Unveiling the efficacy of passive treatment.

Small-Scale Pretreatment Solves Big Problem Plant meets DBP mandates with magnetic ion exchange system.



ALSO INSIDE

From the President

A Day in the Life of a Circuit Rider: Jigar Patel

Rural Water Profile: John Montgomery

Regulatory Update

From the CEO

The Energy Efficiency Technical Assistance Program is designed to promote energy efficient practices in small water and wastewater systems. There is no charge for the program. The program consists of performing energy assessments, recommending energy-efficient practices and technologies, and providing support in achieving recommendations. Technical support includes operational assistance, assist­ing with presentations to governing boards, accessing financing, training, and developing documentation.

Because energy is one of the largest costs for utilities, the program has substantial impact on operating costs, present and future financial sustainability, and product affordability. Energy savings can help your system save for improvements, expansions, emergencies, and more.

The Energy Audit Process entails the following:

• Consultation Once you provide us with the power bills, we will schedule a visit to evaluate the facilities current energy consumption, practices and operation. 
• Data Collection After a preliminary evaluation of the power bills we will conduct a facility walk-through gathering the necessary data to analyze and evaluate various alternatives.
• Report Submission You will receive a professional energy efficiency report documenting your present energy consumption, energy saving recommendations and potential savings. This can then be presented to your management, board or council. The goal of this program is to reduce your energy consumption by at least 15%.
• Implementation & Follow Up We will maintain contact with you to assist you in any way we can to implement the program, obtain funding, assist in educating your staff, management and any other stakeholders, access financing, provide training and document success.

Save 15% or more on your utility bills. Our Energy Audit Includes:

• Utility Bill Analysis
• Estimated Energy Consumption for Seasonal Variations and Inclement Weather Events
• Inventory and Analysis of Major Equipment Energy Consumption
• Evaluation and Recommendations on Alternative Operation Strategies
• Lighting Upgrades (where applicable)
• Estimated Annual Savings
• Comparison with Industry Benchmarks
• Additional Energy Savings Tips

For more information on getting an Energy Audit for your system, contact Jason Golden at Jason.Golden@frwa.net or call 850.668.2746.

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NATIONAL NEWS

Nomination Deadline Approaching for Women in Rural Water Award The Women in Rural Water Luminary Award is a dignified and empowering award that recognizes the exceptional achievements and contributions of women in the field of rural water. Submit your nomination by June 20!  more

USGS-Led Study Estimates Lithium in Groundwater New estimates can help health researchers determine potential connections between lithium exposure and human health outcomes.  more

'Forever Chemical' Discovery Can Aid Drinking Water Cleanups A discovery by UC Riverside scientists could assist water providers across the nation as they face new federal standards to limit “forever chemical” concentrations in drinking water.  more

USDA To Invest $50M In Projects That Restore Natural Functions And Values Of Wetlands USDA to invest up to $50M in FY24 through the Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership to support conservation partners with local projects that help protect, restore and enhance critical wetlands on agricultural lands and help mitigate climate change.  more

New Process Results In Near Complete Destruction Of PFAS Chemicals US researchers have discovered a new strategy to clean up “forever chemicals” from contaminated water and importantly, it can do so at room temperatures.  more

Biden-Harris Administration Reports Significant Progress Toward Protecting Children From Lead Poisoning The President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children is publishing the Progress Report on the Federal Lead Action Plan, a comprehensive update on the government’s progress since 2018 toward reducing childhood lead exposures.  more

An Impact-Based Forecasting System For Improved Early Flood Warning Climate change increases frequency of extreme events such as flooding. This reinforces the need to develop methods for more precise and faster flood forecasting in order to better protect the population in the future.  more

Combatting the Ongoing Threat of Cyberattacks | June 13, 2024 | 2:00 pm CT Water utilities have increased automation over the past two decades to improve efficiency. IIoT has expanded the connectedness between networks and pushed a larger volume of data onto the network.  more

EPA Revamps Risk Management, Hazardous Substance Programs - CBIA  Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unveiled two new rules aimed at safeguarding at-risk communities from chemical and environmental hazards, signaling a pivotal shift in how certain manufacturers manage extremely hazardous substances and respond to potential spills.  more

A Georgia City Has Spilled Millions of Gallons of Raw Sewage Into 2 Pristine Rivers Besides its inclusion in Stephen Foster's song “Old Folks at Home,” the Suwannee River, along with its sister river, the Withlacoochee, are off most people’s radars. Both are wild rivers that flow through Georgia and Florida, and offer top-notch kayaking and canoeing opportunities.  more

NOAA Predicts Above-Normal 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season La Nina and warmer-than-average ocean temperatures are major drivers of tropical activity. NOAA National Weather Service forecasters at the Climate Prediction Center predict above-normal hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin this year. more

The Water Research Foundation Funds 26 New Research Projects Totaling $5.9M The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is seeking volunteer participants for 26 new research projects funded through WRF's Research Priority Program.   more

Inexpensive Microplastic Monitoring Through Porous Materials And Machine Learning Optical analysis and machine learning techniques can now readily detect microplastics in marine and freshwater environments using inexpensive porous metal substrates.  more

Water Utility Response On-The-Go App The Water Utility Response On-The-Go App Plus consolidates and makes accessible from the field, information and tools that water utility operators and their response partners may need during an emergency.  more

Hurricane Incident Action Checklist A hurricane is a severe tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 74 miles per hour or greater. Hurricanes and tropical storms have the potential to cause a great deal of damage to drinking water and wastewater utilities due to heavy rainfall and inland flooding, coastal storm surge, and high winds.  more

Lawyers sharing more on new EPA PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation   The United States Environmental Protection Agency recently passed new federal regulations that target PFAS or forever chemicals. The EPA believes the changes will prevent thousands of deaths nationwide.  more

EPA Releases More User-friendly Calculator for Estimating Pesticide Concentrations in Water Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the release of a faster, more user-friendly version of the Pesticide in Water Calculator.  more

A new hurricane cone will look different this season. What to know. The way we present the cone relative to the other bits of information is what's changing.   more

EPA Webinar on 2024 State Asset Management Initiatives | Wednesday, June 26, 2024 | 12-1 The document provides information about how states are encouraging and assisting public water systems to develop asset management plans as described in their capacity development strategies.  more

FEMA Announces $300 Million to Strengthen Community Resilience to Flooding FEMA is announcing the third round of Swift Current funding, making $300 million available through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help National Flood Insurance Program policy holders across the nation become more resilient to flooding.  more

Biden-Harris Administration Delivers $179M For Innovative Water Reuse And Drought Resilience Projects Large-scale water recycling projects will lead to more than 182,000 acre-feet of additional water supply, increasing resilience and water security across the West.  more

STATE NEWS

Crystal River/Kings Bay, Homosassa/Chassahowitzka Springs Groups and Weeki Wachee Stakeholders A public meeting was held on May 30, 2024. The meeting materials are now available. Please email Chandler Keenan or call 850-245-8555 with any questions.  more

Silver Springs and River, and Rainbow Spring Group and Rainbow River Stakeholders A public meeting was held on May 30, 2024. The meeting materials are now available. Please email Jessica Fetgatter or call 850-245-8107 with any questions.  more

Lake Worth Beach reopens road after costly sewer line repair, seeks $15 million loan Some Lake Worth Beach residents are breathing a sigh of relief after a major road that was damaged by a ruptured sewer line months ago is reopened.  more

Florida blames EPA for high lead pipe estimates after watchdog says 'unverified data' was used The data was used to distribute federal money to states to replace the pipes. An advocate thinks Florida's numbers were likely inflated. Florida's DEP says the feds' methodology is flawed.  more

Clear Lake, source of WPB drinking water is shrinking - CBS 12 The city of West Palm Beach is now pumping water from underground wells to supplement the city's supply of drinking water.  more

Inland areas can see devastating flooding during hurricanes | WESH Tropical storms and hurricanes don’t just affect the coast, we know firsthand in Central Florida inland spots can see devastating storm concerns.  more

Wekiwa Spring and Rock Springs Stakeholders Meeting Materials A public meeting was held on May 29, 2024. The meeting materials are now available.  more

DeLeon Spring, Gemini Springs and Volusia Blue Spring Stakeholders Meeting Materials A public meeting was held on May 29, 2024. The meeting materials are now available.  more

Feds still weighing Florida wetlands case appeal The Biden administration said Monday it is still deciding whether to appeal a U.S. district judge's ruling that the federal government improperly shifted permitting authority to Florida for projects that affect wetlands.      more

Orange County Commissioners hear updates on projects meant to help prevent flooding | WFTV County-wide flooding prevention was a major point of concern for Orange County Commissioners Tuesday.  more

Report: 500K South Florida Homes at Risk of Storm Surge | Miami New Times The newly released report highlights the Miami metro area's mass exposure to coastal flooding risk from hurricanes.  more

Florida emergency management executive director offers tips to prepare for hurricane season The head of Florida's Division of Emergency Management says now is the time to prepare for the expected busy hurricane season, including taking advantage of the current sales-tax holiday on hurricane supplies.  more

Major Wastewater Project Completed | City of Tampa  After four years of a design build wastewater project to replace an aging 54" force main, crews are nearing completion of the infrastructural marvel.  more

Pinellas County leaders urge water conservation amid heat and dry weather | ABC Action News Pinellas County leaders are urging water conservation. Floridians have been experiencing intense heat lately, but local officials said the lack of rain has been hurting the Tampa Bay area.  more

City of St. Augustine starts smoke testing of sanitary sewer system | News4Jax  According to the city, the goal of the smoke testing is to identify sources of stormwater runoff or groundwater intrusion entering the city’s sewage collection system.  more

Santa Fe River Basin Meeting Materials Available A public meeting was held on May 24, 2024. 

The meeting materials are now available.  more

Suwannee River Basin Meeting Materials Available A public meeting was held on May 24, 2024. 

The meeting materials are now available.  more

Brooksville City Council Moves Forward with Wastewater Management Plan At this point, the plan calls for the completion of a local sewer interconnect, while there is a desire to raise funds to complete the $20 million expansion of the William S. Smith Water Reclamation Facility.  more

SFWMD Provides Tips to Help Reduce Flooding During Hurricane Season | Lake Okeechobee News The annual Atlantic hurricane season begins on Saturday, June 1, and it is important for all of us living in Florida to begin preparing and taking proactive steps to help support flood control in our communities.  more

Florida Tap Water Temperature Measured Over 86 Degrees  It’s not just the Gulf of Mexico that’s heating up, our Florida tap water temperature is feeling the effects of summer, too. You didn’t really want to take a cold shower – did you?  more

GRU Authority eyes electric, wastewater rate increases over next four years - Gainesville Sun  Budget proposal documents from Gainesville Regional Utilities show new authority members are on track to increase electric rates over the next five years despite the supposed mission of the authority and many previous promises to keep rates down and even decrease them.  more

Here’s why some Fort Lauderdale residents are seeing yellow water coming from their faucet | Local 10  Residents in southern neighborhoods of Fort Lauderdale are noticing yellow water flowing from their taps, but city officials assure it’s safe to drink.   more

St. Pete fertilizer ban to begin June 1st | ABC Action News To help protect the local environment, the City of St. Petersburg is implementing a citywide fertilizer ban that will run from June 1 until September 30.  more

Although the quality of the photo on the left is not of the best quality, it is interesting to see what a horse drinking fountain looked like in 1915. This photo was taken from an old newspaper where the article first appeared.

June 1, 1915:  Municipal Journal article. Watering Horses in Cities. “The years 1914 and 1915 saw an epidemic of glanders in several sections of the Atlantic coast states, and many cities closed their existing horse drinking fountains, as it was believed that the disease was spread by the common use of bowls or troughs. Instead, drivers were asked, or required by ordinance, to carry with each horsedrawn vehicle a pail for watering horses. It remained to provide facilities for filling these pails, and this was done in different ways.

In Boston, New Bedford and some other cities, fountains of the horse bowl type known as the H. F. Jenks pattern were adapted as follows: The bowls were removed and replaced with new castings containing three or more self-closing faucets, designed with a special view to being non-freezable. This appears to have given entire satisfaction.

Commentary: This article is interesting on at least two levels. Transportation of goods and people by horse was still prevalent in 1915 in cities. The automobile was making definite inroads but there were still millions of horses in cities across the U.S. (21.5 million in one estimate of all domestic horses in 1915). In 1908, Henry Ford started production of the Model T automobile that would revolutionize transportation in the U.S.

Glanders is an infectious disease in horses and other animals that is caused by the bacterium Burkhoderia mallei. The disease can result in coughing, fever and the release of an infectious nasal discharge. The serious form of the disease can result in death of the animal. The bacterium can infect humans. In 1915 with the heightened awareness of human diseases passed by intimate contact with contaminated items, it is only reasonable to protect horses from the same contamination route. If banning the common cup for humans makes sense, it sure makes sense for our equine friends.

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

2970 Wellington Circle | Tallahassee FL 32309

850.668.2746 | Contact Us