Small Drinking Water Webinar Series Recap EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) and Office of Water (OW), in collaboration with the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA), host this free webinar series to communicate the latest information on solutions for challenges facing small drinking water systems. The series topics vary each month and are primarily designed for state, territory, and tribal staff responsible for drinking water regulations compliance and treatment technologies permitting. We have compiled the webinar recordings that were released in 2023 as part of this series below: Pathogens | February 2023 Presentation 1: Microbial and Disinfection Byproducts (MDBP) Rules Revision Update Presentation 2: Challenges and Perspectives of Studying Water Storage Tank Ecosystems in Distribution Systems Lead and Copper | March 2023 Presentation 1: EPA's Lead Service Line Inventory Guidance Presentation 2: Corrosion Test Methods Manganese | April 2023 Presentation 1: Manganese Interference with Disinfectant Residual Methods Presentation 2: Management of Manganese and Small System Considerations Harmful Algal Blooms and Algal Toxins | May 2023 Presentation 1: HAB Technical Assistance in El Salvador Presentation 2: Cyanobacterial Blooms Dynamics as Determined by Nucleic Acid Based Techniques Bipartisan Infrastructure Law | June 2023 Presentation 1: EPA Water Technical Assistance Opportunities Presentation 2: Supporting the Selection and Implementation of Technologies to Remove PFAS from Drinking Water and from Treatment Residuals Presentation 3: Applied Research and Technical Assistance Project on Lead Service Line Identification Technologies Wildfire Impacts on Drinking Water | July 2023 Presentation 1: Wildfire Implications for Drinking Water Systems Presentation 2: Wildfires Can Increase Drinking Water Contamination: Nitrate, Arsenic, and Disinfection Byproducts Cybersecurity | August 2023 Presentation 1: Tools and Resources to Help Your Small Systems Build Cyber Resilience Presentation 2: Water Distribution System Operational Technology Cybersecurity Research at the Water Security Test Bed Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5) and a Spotlight Presentation on EPA's Fraud Awareness | October 2023 Presentation 1: Update on the Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5) Presentation 2: EPA Fraud Awareness Presentation 3: PFAS Drinking Water Methods: Past, Present, and Future Risk, Crisis, and General Communication | November 2023 Presentation 1: Conversations With Customers: What We’ve Learned from Talking with Them Presentation 2: Drinking Water Risk Communication Toolkit Presentation 3: EPA Flint Water Response: Risk Communication Case Study The Small Drinking Water Systems Webinar Series is scheduled to continue in 2024. Some of the subjects that are likely to be featured this year include Lead Service Line Inventory Guidance, PFAS Treatment, Disinfection Byproducts, and many other topics. January 5, 2024 By Katelyn McLaughlin Drinking Water, Small System O&M, Small Systems O and M small drinking water system, small drinking water systems webinar series, webinar series 0 0 Comment Read More »
A Case for Regionalization Water and wastewater services are needed in every community in order to sustain it, but some communities need more assistance in order for their water utility to thrive. Many rural areas face challenges like meeting strict regulations while still providing affordable services to users. As technology becomes more sophisticated, the need to purchase new, expensive equipment becomes unavoidable for small utilities that often do not have the funding or resources needed. This is when regionalization can really benefit utilities and their customers alike. Regionalization helps two or more water systems to leverage and combine resources, equipment, personnel, and even physical plants. According to U.S. EPA, “the main benefit of regionalization is that it pools individual resources of two or more water systems to obtain services or facilities that one or both systems may not have been capable of obtaining by themselves.” In the Rural Community Assistance Partnership's (RCAP's) 2021 report: Affordability and Capability Issues of Small Water and Wastewaters Systems: A Case for Regionalization of Small Systems, they feature a case study that shows a successful model for regionalization from the Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW) in southwest Ohio. GCWW offers the smaller water systems in the area much assistance in the form of: lab testing services, billing services, call center operation, a source of project financing, construction management services, engineering services, and emergency help when needed. RCAP also released a report titled: Regionalization: RCAP’s Recommendations for Water and Wastewater Policy which contained 22 recommendations that should be integrated into policy decision-making. The research featured in this report was unveiled in a webinar that also focused on the experiences of five different states: California, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas, who spoke about what they have put in place to help support the various forms of regionalization. Further Regionalization Readings & Resources: Benefits of Regionalization How Regionalization & Consolidation of Water Utilities Creates New Projects Rural Matters | Issue 4: Let’s Talk Regionalization (2022) Learn About Water System Partnerships State Action on Water System Regionalization and Consolidation Developing Regional Economic Connectivity: Key Factors and Strategies for Urban and Rural Communities Funding Strategies to Promote System Regionalization June 16, 2023 By Katelyn McLaughlin Regionalization, Small System O&M, Small Systems O and M partnerships, regionalization, resource management, rural system, shared resources, small system 0 0 Comment Read More »
RCAP’s Free Quarterly Magazine is Focused on Rural Communities Rural Matters is the official magazine of the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP.) It features stories and insights that highlight the challenges and opportunities facing the rural communities that RCAP works with. Rural Matters is published quarterly in both print and digital formats and RCAP offers an archive of past issues on their website. Below are links to some of the most recent issues: 2022 | Issue 1: Let’s Talk Wastewater features topics like: loan management, the water access gap, mapping a septic system on tribal lands, developing an effective sewer board, and managing wastewater in U.S. territories. 2022 | Issue 2: Let’s Talk Drinking Water features topics like: boil water advisories and orders, COVID-19’s impact on water systems, violations and how the Agreed Order process works, options for additional water supply, and Lead and Copper Rule Revisions. 2022 | Issue 3: Let’s Talk Solid Waste features topics like: purchasing a solid waste collection vehicle, how a pandemic impacts solid waste management, a story of solid waste success in South Dakota, recycling program adaptation, and the unique challenges that come with solid waste management in the Grand Canyon. 2022 | Issue 4: Let’s Talk Regionalization features topics like: winterization tips, well ownership, a regionalization success story, fleet electrification, and multiple articles that emphasize the importance of community collaboration with water and wastewater systems. If you’re interested in contributing feedback or advertising in Rural Matters you can contact submissions@rcap.org or you can simply subscribe to receive each issue. February 10, 2023 By Katelyn McLaughlin Small System O&M, Small Systems O and M drinking water, o & m, operations and maintenance, regionalization, rural, Rural Water, small system, solid waste, wastewater 0 0 Comment Read More »