Rural Water Officials Meet With Legislators in D.C.

During the 2006 NRWA Water Rally held in Washington, D.C, on April 2 - 4, 2006, DRWA Board Members and local officials heard comments regarding rural water issues and concerns throughout the morning from NRWA’s President, Bobby Scott; NRWA CEO,  Rob Johnson; and Sam Wade, NRWA Deputy CEO.

NRWA’s  Legislative Consultant, John Montgomery, along with NRWA’s Legislative Analyst, Mike Keegan, discussed several different strategies that attendees will need to know to be able to conduct productive meetings with their legislators during the week.  NRWA then welcomed comments from officials from various agencies such as Benjamin H. Grumbles, Assistant Administrator, U.S. EPA Office of Water; Teresa C. Lasseter, Administrator for the Farm Service Agency; and James M. Andrews from the Rural Development Administration.

During the next several days, we met with Lisa Boren from Senator Biden’s office and Tom Lawler from Sentator Carper’s office to discuss and provide information on the importance of getting the NRWA “Dear Colleague” letters signed.  These letters support the continuation and proposed increased funding for rural water programs, not only throughout the United States, but especially here in Delaware where we provide the much needed training and technical assistance to all the water and wastewater systems.  On Tuesday, April 4, Congressman Mike Castle met with us along with his legislative assistant, and our contact for water issues here in Delaware, Olivia Kurtz.

Congressman Mike Castle Tours Delaware Water Systems

First of all, we want to thank Congressman Castle and Kate Roher for taking the time out of their busy schedules to come and do some on-site technical assistance at the Towns of Greenwood and Blades on March 6, 2006, with our Circuit Riders, Sherrie Turner and Bob Slater.  Along with Delaware Rural Water staff, were Ed Hallock from the Office of Drinking Water; Dave Ruff, Mayor of Blades;  Mike O’Gara, Greenwood Town Manager; various councilmen and officials from Blades and Greenwood; Chuck Hauser and Edwin Tennefoss of Davis, Bowen & Friedel, Greenwood’s engineering firm; and Greenwood’s certified water operator, Finley “Butch” Jones. 

The technical assistance visits were a way to provide the Congressman with first hand knowledge of just how the federal monies are being spent on water system upgrades and about the lack of funding available to small systems.  Congressman Castle also heard comments from the local officials on how the circuit rider programs benefit all small systems and how the interaction  of technical assistance and on-site training is provided to the operators here in Delaware.

EPA’s Interactive Sampling Guide for Drinking Water System Operators

By: Steve Clark, Environmental Scientist

U.S. EPA - Drinking Water Protection Branch

Utilities Team 

Epa has developed this new interactive CD-Rom and website as part of our ongoing public drinking water sustainable infrastructure efforts.  The purpose of this guide is to help drinking water system owners and operators better understand the general procedures involved in collecting Safe Drinking Water Act samples.  Additional sample shipping suggestions, sample tips, and sample requirements are made available within the body of this interactive guide.  To find out more information about this CD-Rom, visit the following page:

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/smallsys/samplingcd.html

Ground Breaking Ceremony

By: Rose Cline-Lowe, Wastewater Technician 

The Town of Laurel celebrated the Wastewater Treatment Facility’s Upgrade and Expansion on November 15, 2005.  With loans from Delaware Pollution Control Revolving Fund in the amount of $4,021,680 and the 21^st Century Fund Grant for $6,525,000, this much needed upgrade began with the ground breaking where 15+ people each turned a golden shovel full of earth!

The engineering firm for the project is George, Miles and Buhr from Seaford, Delaware.  Judy Schwartz, engineer, and co-workers Jim Hoageson and Chris Derbyshire were proudly there as well as Jim Merrill, contractor with Bearing Construction, Sudlersville, MD.

DNREC was well represented with John Hughes, Secretary of DNREC, who spoke, as well as: Kevin Donnelly, Director of DNREC; Pedar Hansen, Surface Water Discharge Manager; John Schneider, Watershed Assessment Manager; Rob Ritter, Financial Assistance Branch.

Mayor John Shwed began the ceremony.  President of Council, Terry Wright; Councilpersons Chris Calio, Robin Fisher, Randy Lee, Don Phillips, William Trujillo; Former Councilpersons  Ann Davis, Kevin Taaffe; and Former Mayor Richard Stone were all present. The town employees and police department also attended.

Glenn Steckman, Town Manager, worked diligently with the assistance of Judy Schwartz, GMB, and the Wastewater Advisory Committee to achieve the funding.

The Enhanced Nutrient Removal (ENR) system includes: the new Headworks building for Grit Removal and Mechanical Screen, new Blower Building and Garage, Septage Holding Tank, construction of earthen Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) basins with concrete integral Clarifier and a continuous Backwash Filter System. There will be three Chemical Containment Basins, a new Laboratory/Office building, a new Outfall Structure and Control Building, a new Trojan Ultraviolet (UV) Disinfection/Post Aeration system, and SCADA system. Miscellaneous new mechanical and electrical equipment, and instrumentation and control and accessories.

As John Hughes stated: “THIS UPGRADE WILL BECOME THE MODEL FACILITY ON THE PENINSULA”.

And the Winner Is . . . Lewes Board of Public Works

Well another GREAT year at the conference; as usual bigger and better than last year.

 The 2006 Water Tasting Contest had twelve entrants:

A)  Long Neck Water Company

B)  Lewes Board of Public Works

C)  Selbyville

D)  Vera Lane, Tidewater Oak Orchard

E)  Ridgewood Manor

F)  Frankford

G)  Southern Shores Water Company

H)  Cape Windsor

I)  New Castle County — Artesian Water Company

J)  Rehoboth Beach

K)  Brumbley’s Family Park

L)  Henlopen Acres

The City of Lewes Board of Public Works was the winner of the 2006 Water Tasting Contest.

As the winner, Lewes was entered into the Great American Taste Test held in Washington, D.C., in April, where samples from across the nation were judged by Thomas Dorr, the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development; John Keys, Director for the Bureau of Reclamation;  Ryan Jackson, Council to the Committee of Environment; and Senator James Inhofe, the chairman of the Committee on Environment and Public Works.  Samples were rated based on taste, clarity, and smell.  Beaver City, Utah was the winner of the Great American Taste Test.

I would like to thank all of the participants for making the contest a success.

Rural Water Gets House Resolution Recognizing Delaware Water & Wastewater Operators

Delaware Rural Water Association worked with Representative Tina Fallon to get formal recognition for Delaware water and wastewater operators.   On May 11, 2006, the House passed House Resolution No. 66 (HR 66).  HR 66  resolves “that the second Thursday in May be set aside in recognition of the State of Delaware’s Water and Wastewater Operators.”  The full Resolution can be found at

http://www.legis.state.de.us/LIS/LIS143.NSF/vwLegislation/HR+66?Opendocument

Congratulations and thanks to all the water and wastewater operators for the great job you do 24/7/365!

Televising Collection Systems 

As most operators already know, Delaware Rural Water Association has a manual push TV camera reel.   You have to enter a confined space to insert the camera, so you are bent in an uncomfortable position to push the cable into the collection system to find I/I problems or to look for a lateral.

Doug Jones and Phillip were able to find a way to work smarter, not harder, by inserting the cable through the PVC.  Using this technique keeps you out of a confined space situation and keeps the cable straight.

Wow!  Now televising collection systems will be a breeze!

Thanks Phillip and Doug!

Operators of the Year

The Operator of the Year Awards Ceremony was held on Thursday, May 4, 2006, at the Carter Partnership Center, Delaware Technical & Community College - Owens Campus in Georgetown. 

Steven J. Baker, a Senior Operator at Artesian Water Company, was named Water Operator of the Year.  Wastewater Operator of the Year is Jeff Deats, a Level IV Operator and Superintendent of the City of Seaford’s Wastewater Treatment Facility. 

Environmental Lifetime Achievement Awards were given to F. James Burk, Jr., Wastewater Manager for the Town of Selbyville; G. Dean Melvin, a Level IV Wastewater Operator at Perdue in Georgetown; Kenneth H. Cross, Jr., Director of Production for Tidewater Utilities, Inc.; and James G. Harrington, Retired from Artesian Water Company.

These individuals together represent over 200 years of service in the water and wastewater industry!  Our congratulations to all the nominees and the winners on your accomplishments and contributions over the years.

Meet John Hayes, DRWA Source Water Protection Specialist

The Delaware Rural Water Association has hired John A. Hayes of Smyrna, Delaware, as its new Source Water Protection Specialist.  He comes to the Association with a Natural Resource Management degree from Sonoma State University, California and substantial conservation planning experiences in Delaware and California.  Prior to this new position, he served the citizens of Sussex County, Delaware, as a Water Resource Planner for the Sussex Conservation District. As a Planner with Sussex, his primary purpose was to create water protection plans and facilitate maintenance of storm water facilities following the Army Corp. of Engineer Guidelines in partnership with the Delaware Division of Soil and Water.  In California, Hayes was a Conservation Planner for the Solano Resource Conservation District.  While employed with this District, he worked closely with the California Rural Water Association to create and implement the Source Water Protection plan for the Putah Creek Watershed in Northern California. This project was a large, multi-agency collaborative project with a watershed that covers parts of four counties and represents more than 350,000 acres.  As well, he assisted large land owners and managers to create conservation plans to protect soil, water, rangeland and facilitate ecological restoration.  John was hired as a GIS/ GPS Technician for Contra Costa County, California Public Works Department.  He collected and synthesized data to create natural histories of watersheds.  County Planners and the Public Works Department used this information in their flood control and watershed protection plans.  Welcome to Delaware Rural Water John!

Hindsight

By: Kris R. Cash, APR

National Rural Water Association 

Larry Caldwell, Superintendent of Rural Water District #7, was swamped with end of month reports. A quick glance at the clock told him it was 3:15 p.m., and the school buses were running, delivering their precious cargo home.  He better get a move on if he were to make it home in time for the grandkids visit. Right then, Old Buck, Larry’s hound dog, started in with that pitiful howl which only could mean one thing, a siren was screeching somewhere.  As if on cue, far in the distance, Larry could hear the mournful wail of an ambulance.

Larry always hated sirens in the late afternoon.  It never could be a good thing.  He got up from his rickety chair and turned on the police ban.  Maybe he could catch Mildred from dispatch spilling out the location of what was going down in this small town.  As Larry turned up the volume, the police chief’s voice crackled to life, “All units, this is the chief.  I’m out at Fossil Creek Bridge and we have a nasty one.  Seems a rural water service truck has rear ended a stopped school bus.  The driver of the truck is pinned but conscience.  We also have two children injured and it appears one is a fatality.”

The next thing Larry remembered he was rushing to his vehicle.  The police chief’s words reverberated over and over through his head “school bus,”  “rural water truck,” “injured children.”  Larry knew he had to get to the bridge, a short 3 miles away.

He was one of the 1^st on the scene.  Sure enough, one of his trucks was lodged under the back of the school bus.  It was the new guy, Tim, who had only been with the system for 7 months.  Lying off to the side were two small forms.  The ambulance crew was working over one of the children.  To Larry’s horror, a bloody sheet covered the other tiny lump. 

Amid all of the carnage and chaos, Larry’s gaze was drawn down to a single paper blowing in the wind.  Although it was covered in blood, he could make out that it was a list of spelling words.  It bore the name Sarah at the top and had a gold star.  Sarah, Little Sarah, the light of the church choir, had made full marks on her test.  In that instant, Larry realized that his water system’s future would never be the same.  Sarah’s death was the result of an accident caused by one of his employees.

In the days following the wreck, the Rural Water District, learned that their newest employee had been driving under the influence on company time and in a company truck.  It appears that he had a long history of traffic violations and had even served time in prison. 

The water system’s board called a special meeting with its attorney to discuss the accident and to begin preparing for its potential liabilities.  Additionally, they wanted to learn what could have been done to prevent the tragedy.

During the meeting, an advocate for the State Rural Water Association told the board about the new Rural Water Background Screening Program.  Apparently, this program works in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act and is flexible enough to align with individual state requirements for privacy.  Larry, learned in a few minutes, that had he been a member of the rural water association and utilized this background screening service, he could have run a background check on the new employee. 

Through the program, the water system could have pulled a driver’s license check that would have revealed the prior traffic violations.  A criminal screening check would have revealed the time in prison.  Finally, a quick employment screening would have shown a three-year gap in employment, which substantiated the time served in prison.  To Larry’s amazement, the board’s attorney, said such a background check could possibly have been used to terminate employment prior to the wreck.  How? Larry asked.  It seems that since the employee falsified his employment history on his application, there were substantial grounds for pursuing the employees termination.

Just think, a simple background check that cost less that $100, could have prevented the horrific accident and could have saved Little Sarah’s life.

The Rural Water Background Screening Program is open to all members of National Rural Water Association and their 48 State Affiliate Associations.

The process for using the service is easy.  All it takes is 2 simple steps.

1.     Create an account by contacting your State Rural Water Association or going to National Rural Water Association’s website and following the online instructions (You will need to complete the Background Screening Package and FAX it to Kroll for the setup of your account).

                                         http://www.nrwa.org/backgroundcheck.htm

2.     Once your account is established you can immediately go online and start ordering your background checks.

Background checks are conducted through Kroll, Inc.  Fortune 500 companies and the United States Government depend on Kroll to provide current and accurate screenings in numerous areas including: Motor Vehicle Reports, Education and Employment Histories, Social Security Numbers, Address Histories, Criminal Records, Professional Licenses and Certifications, Credit Reports, Civil and Bankruptcy Records, Liens and Judgment Histories, Regulatory Sanctions, and other investigative areas.

Don’t just use any fly-by-night background screening company that you can find on the Internet.  You want to use one that verifies its information and if something looks peculiar, they will double check the information prior to reporting back to your water system.

Make sure you don’t end up like the Superintendent of Rural Water District #7.  Larry has already signed up for the service and his next employee is not going to have a criminal record!

Note:  This story is fiction and does not represent any state or water system.  You should always check with your labor department and/or attorney regarding the appropriate hiring and screening practices for your state.

Remember “The Mayberry Deputy”?

If you were at our Conference on Wednesday this year, or last, you may have been ticketed by “The Mayberry Deputy”, portrayed by David Browning and entertained by his performance after lunch.  The original Mayberry Deputy, Don Knotts, passed away shortly after our Conference this year.

David & Patty Browning were invited, and felt honored, to attend Don Knott’s memorial Celebration of Life in Los Angeles, California.  They were able to see his star on the Walk of Fame. 

Thanks for sharing the picture David and Patty!

Hach Regional Training Returns to Delaware in August

Delaware Rural Water Association will sponsor two more Hach Regional Training Courses on August 22, 23, and 24, 2005.  Practical Methods for Testing Water I will be held on August 22.  The Hach Nutrient Management Workshop, a 2-day session, will take place on August 23 and 24.  Both classes will be held at the Delaware Rural Water Association Training Facility in Milford, Delaware.

Practical Methods for Testing Water I is an expanded version of the Simplified Water Analysis course that was conducted in April.  This course has been approved for by both DNREC and the Office of Drinking Water for water and wastewater operator continuing education credits (6.5 credit hours).   The fee for this session is $100/person and includes lunch.

The Nutrient Management Workshop is designed as an introduction to regulatory requirements and the techniques available for sampling and the measurement of alkalinity, nitrogen, phosphorus and BOD in wastewater, environmental water, and industrial water.  Participants in this course should  have a strong knowledge of sampling and lab techniques. The fee for this 2-day session is $175/person and includes lunch on both days.  The course has been approved by DNREC for wastewater operator continuing education requirements (13 Credit Hours).

Both courses’ objectives will be met by presenting technical background, incorporating practical applications of sampling and analytical testing, and through “hands-on” experience using portable field use and laboratory instruments.  Students are required to analyze water samples of known and unknown values.

The registration information will be available by mid-June.  Hope to see you there!