For over thirty years FRWA has partnered with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to bring you this vital training to keep the operators in the State of Florida up to date on the regulations and issues affecting the industry.

The agenda has not been finalized at this time, however, the time schedule will be the same as in the past: Classes and registration will begin at 8:00 am with lunch on your own from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm with classes ending at 4:00 pm daily. All attendees must remain until 4:00 pm and complete a CEU form that will be handed out at the end of the session in order to receive CEUs for your attendance.

CEUs will be submitted to DEP by FRWA by the 2025 CEU deadline as required by DEP. CEUs earned at this class cannot be applied to the 2027 cycle.

To register online, click on the location below. To complete a registration form and register by mail, click here. For complete information, click here.

See you there!

Source Water Protection Specialist Position

The Florida Rural Water Association is hiring a full-time Source Water Specialist to provide training and technical assistance in the development of source water plans for public water supply systems in Florida. The start date for this position is determined when filled.

The position will require a wellhead and source water protection background, along with local water system operation. The position will require overnight travel, a dependable vehicle, and a willingness to make evening presentations. Computer and presentation skills are a must. Special consideration will be given to those individuals with GIS mapping experience and the use of ESRI ArcView and GPS Pathfinder Office. The salary range is negotiable, plus benefits. A complete job description is available upon request. Also, an Employment Application can be requested.

Submit resumes/application to:  

Florida Rural Water Association

2970 Wellington Circle

Tallahassee, FL 32309

E-mail to: frwa@frwa.net

Position open until filled and subject to being closed without notice. To find out additional information on FRWA visit www.frwa.net.

EOE/M/F/D/V/H/AA/S/DFW Employer

Representatives from the Florida Rural Water Association will be visiting Washington DC next week to attend the Rural Water Rally sponsored by the National Rural Water Association. Representatives include FRWA Board of Directors, Bay County Utility manager and staff from the FRWA Tallahassee office.  The Rural Water Rally provides an opportunity for supporters of our industry to educate our elected officials on the importance of FRWA programs and services. FRWA has scheduled meetings planned with Representatives, Senators and their staff, so that we can share the Rural Water success stories, answer questions, and build important relationships. Do you have a great story how FRWA has helped you this past year? Please email admin@frwa.net and share your story with us!

During the DC visits, our representatives will discuss many topics facing water and wastewater utilities today. These topics will include lead service line inventory funding, workforce development, PFAs, resiliency funding, grant opportunities and lead in schools as well as other important issues that affect our industry.

If you have questions about these visits or would like to discuss our role as we represent you in DC, please contact us at frwa@frwa.net or give us a call at 850.668.2746.

NATIONAL NEWS

The EPA Is Investing $2.4 Million To Bring New Technologies To Market-The U.S Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $100,000 in small business innovation grants to encourage 24 companies to develop their ideas, such as repurposing waste, into products that help the environment. more

Trump taps new EPA acting boss-President Donald Trump has switched in his own choice to lead EPA on an acting basis, rather than stick with former President Joe Biden’s plan. more

EPA Identifies Significant Concerns for Producers Due to Biosolids That Contain PFAS-As part of the agency’s efforts to regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the EPA released a draft risk assessment for use of sewage sludge that is land-applied as a soil conditioner or fertilizer. more

Trump’s EPA Nominee Vows Clarity on WOTUS, Cooperation with USDA-Former Congressman Lee Zeldin, President-elect Trump’s nominee to head the EPA, vowed at his Senate confirmation hearing last week clarity on WOTUS rules, timeliness on renewable volume targets, and cooperation with USDA. more

EPA Signs MOU with USDA NRCS to Collaborate on Agriculture and Water Quality-On January 14, EPA’s Office of Water announced a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) more

STATE NEWS

Red Tide Status Update: 1/22/25-Over the past week, red tide was detected in 23 samples collected from Southwest Florida. more

Local leaders in SWFL focus on sustainable water solutions-Captain Ozzie Lessinger, a fishing guide, emphasized the importance of maintaining water quality, stating, “If this water quality degrades to the point that people don’t want to be here, we don’t, we don’t have a lifestyle down here.” more

Community leaders discuss Sanibel’s future-A recent meeting at the Marriott Sanibel Harbour brought together over 200 people, including local leaders and nonprofits, to discuss recovery efforts. more

Miami-Dade advances plan to test wastewater sludge as ship fuel-If the test succeeds and the technology proves scalable, a next step could be a sludge-to-fuel facility at one of Miami-Dade’s wastewater plants. more

Saildrone To Map Coastal Waters Off Florida-The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has awarded Saildrone a contract to map the state’s coastal waters in the Gulf of Mexico. more

City of Bradenton Wastewater Facility Faces Challenges Following Last Year's Hurricanes-The City of Bradenton has reported a wastewater release that led to 450,000 gallons of partially treated wastewater being bypassed from the city’s reclamation facility into local stormwater drains. more

‘Putting it to work’: FPL, Miami-Dade aim to reduce aquifer water usage at Turkey Point-Miami-Dade County and Florida Power and Light (FPL) officials Wednesday celebrated the opening of a new facility aimed at making the Turkey Point power plant more resilient. more

Century Meets Lead And Copper Water Standards, State Reduces Monitoring Requirements-

In 2022, Century failed to test drinking water for lead and copper for an entire year as required by the state. more

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.”

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

2970 Wellington Circle | Tallahassee FL 32309

850.668.2746 | Contact Us