| | | | Are You Ready for Your Next Sanitary Survey? |
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Whether it's months away or just around the corner, it's never too early to be thinking about your next sanitary survey. Fortunately, the Washington State Department of Health has developed a factsheet with some great tips for systems across the country. For example - Gather, review, and organize records to share with the surveyor before your survey date. This includes water facility inventory, water quality results, maintenance records, planning documents, and so on.
- Inspect your well or spring source facility and inventory all structures, man-made materials, and land use within 100 feet of any well and 200 feet of any spring.
- Identify all microbial and chemical contaminant threats and prepare a plan to eliminate or mitigate them to share with the surveyor.
- Verify that the roof hatch, vent, and roof structure of your reservoir facilities are weatherproof.
- Ensure your storage tank overflow pipe outlet is built with an approved air gap and screen.
Click here to view the complete factsheet. |
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The Future of Water Utilities: Exciting and Unfunded |
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In an interview with Bloomberg's Parts Per Billion podcast, DC Water CEO George Hawkins said a broken funding system is one of five factors driving financial pressure on water utilities. The other factors—which together Hawkins compares to the five fingers of a fist—are rate payers not understanding the value of water, the condition of infrastructure, industry resistance to change, and federal mandates that are “extremely expensive” for utilities.
Click here to listen to the 11-minute interview. |
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Recently at WaterOperator.org |
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Tribal Utility News Subscribers Give Us Insight into Tribal System Needs
Our Tribal Utility News subscriber survey gives insights into the unique challenges and needs facing tribal utilities.
Common Treatment Deficiencies
This article from Spigot News is the second installment in a series of articles to help small water systems identify the most common problems found during a sanitary survey or other investigatory site visit conducted by Ohio EPA staff.
Developing a Better Understanding of Drinking Water Technology Approval: WINSSS Center Project B1
When EPA in 2014 chose to fund the National Centers for Innovation in Small Drinking Water Systems, their vision for the Centers was much more than developing new drinking water technologies. This post walks through the non-treatment pieces of the vision.
Common Source Water Deficiencies
This Spigot News article covers the Ohio EPA sanitary survey or other investigatory site visits conducted at the water source and concentrates on the most common deficiencies found during the visit of small public water systems.
Educate Decision Makers With Help from RCAP
Take advantage of increased public attention surrounding water and wastewater issues to give leaders the information they need to make more informed decisions about drinking water and wastewater operations, maintenance, and expansion. |
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 Storage and Distribution
Wednesday, August 3 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific
Hosted by the Rural Community Assistance Corporation
Participants will learn common components and types of water distribution system piping and storage; maintenance guidelines and programs that reduce long-term expenditures; possible pathways of and how to reduce contamination; and inspection and record-keeping procedures that improve water quality. Recommended audience includes system operators, new board members, and those considering becoming certified operators of a water system.
Click here for more information. |
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| Want to find additional training opportunities for operators,
including events in your area? |
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 A Strategy for Funding Without Federal Assistance
Water Research Foundation
This three-page factsheet discusses methods utilities can use to fund infrastructure projects on their own. Water utilities should conduct an integrated planning process that consists of three important components: strategic business planning, capital planning, and financial planning.
Click here to view. |
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| Have a different question?
You can find thousands of helpful resources in our database. |
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Featured Video: ACE16 Tuesday Keynote |
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Couldn't make it to Chicago for ACE16? No problem. You can watch recordings of some of the speeches and hear from featured exhibitors on the American Water Works Association YouTube channel. While you're there, check out this keynote discussion on the events in Flint, Michigan and what can be done to prevent similar events in the future, including greater infrastructure investment.
Click here to watch the video. |
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| Have a great video? We're dedicated to bringing you helpful, entertaining, or inspiring videos to you. If your organization has a relevant video to share, let us know! |
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 Aging water infrastructure is a leading cause of the estimated 240,000 water main breaks per year in the US.
Source.
Share This offers useful of interesting information that can be shared with the public and other stakeholders. |
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The Time to Invest in America's Water Infrastructure is Now
This blog post highlights U.S. EPA efforts to identify and promote practices that help local leaders make informed decisions for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure.
Wastewater Treatment Plants Meet Bay Goals 10 Years Early
Sewage treatment plants in the Chesapeake Bay watershed have upgraded operations so much that they are collectively meeting nutrient pollution reduction goals nearly a decade ahead of the 2025 target date.
Scientists: California Needs More Groundwater Data
Research groups at Stanford University are emphasizing that a lot of aquifer data is either missing or highly uncertain. Note: This story includes a 17-minute video.
Unsafe Lead Levels Found in House Office Building
At the same time Congress is facing pressure to do more about lead in drinking water across the country, staffers have had to switch to bottled water in response to unsafe lead levels in the Cannon House Office Building.
New Technology to Help Cut Costs at Wastewater Treatment Plant in Martinsville
Martinsville, Virginia officials are hoping a new treatment for turning waste into fertilizer will help cover the cost of upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant. |
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 WaterOperator.org is a free service, grant-funded to support small community water and wastewater operators with comprehensive resources and information in one easy-to-use place. We also serve the 800+ training, primacy, and technical service organizations, by helping operators get to their information. We aren't buying, selling, or advertising anything. You can call us at 1-866-522-2681 if you need assistance. |
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