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  • Lead Service Line Inventory Symposium

    Lead Service Line Inventory Symposium: 2022

    – Summary Information –

    ASDWA’s Lead Service Line Symposium was held as a series of eight 90-minute online sessions each Wednesday throughout February 2022.

    Day 1 – Wednesday, February 2

    Overview of LCRR 

    Panelists:

    • Eric Burneson, US Environmental Protection Agency
    • Chad Kolstad, Minnesota Department of Health
    • Kurt Souza, California State Water Resources Control Board
    • Colin White, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
    • Diane Moles, Consultant
    • Beth Messer, Consultant

    Summary Materials:

    Notes from the Field: State and Utility Experiences with Existing LSL Inventory Rules 
    Panelists:

    • Jessica Sibriski, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
    • Robert Orthman, Boston Water and Sewer Commission
    • Ann Hirekatur. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
    • Mike Mahloch, Allouez Waterworks
    • Hayden King, Indiana Department of Environmental Management
    • Tyler Steury, City of Bloomington
    • Vic Kelson, City of Bloomington

    Summary Materials:

    Day 2 – Wednesday, February 9

    Capitalizing in Innovations for LSL Inventories 
    Panelists:

    • Brandon Onan, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
    • Dan Duffy, Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority
    • Jonathan Cuppett, Water Research Foundation

    Summary Materials:

    Small Systems, Big Challenges: Implementing LSL Inventories and Replacements at Small Systems 
    Panelists:

    • Jeff Oxenford, Rural Community Assistance Partnership
    • Ted Stiger, Rural Community Assistance Partnership
    • Matt Holmes, National Rural Water Association
    • Tim Neumann, Michigan Rural Water Association
    • Mark Stasyszen, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality
    • Cathy Tucker-Vogel, Kansas Department of Health and Environment

    Summary Materials:

    Day 3 – Wednesday, February 16

    Water System Inventory Case Studies
    Panelists:

    • Maureen Schmelling, DC Water
    • Jeff Swertfeger, Greater Cincinnati Water Works
    • Alexis Woodrow, Denver Water
    • Tom Barger, South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority
    • Joseph Lanzafame, New London Department of Public Utilities
    • Suzanne Grendahl, Scottsdale Water

    Summary Materials:

    Show me the Money: Funding for LSL Inventories and Replacement 
    Panelists:

    • Lori Mathieu, Connecticut Department of Public Health
    • Eddie Rhandour, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality
    • William Carr, Kansas Department of Health and Environment
    • Cindy Christian, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
    • Stephen Marshall, New York Department of Health

    Summary Materials:

    Day 4 – Wednesday, February 23

    The Other Side of the Meter: Practical Tools for Collecting Private-Side Service Line Material 
    Panelists: 

    • Yigliola Lorang, City of Minneapolis
    • Robert Orthman, Boston Water and Sewer Commission
    • Brandon Onan, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy

    Summary Materials:

    Tell Me About It: Mapping and Communicating Your LSL Inventory and Replacements 
    Panelists:

    • Christa Campbell, ESRI
    • Tiffaney Hardy, Greater Cincinnati Water Works
    • Maureen Schmelling, DC Water
    • Mike McGill, Water PIO

    Summary Materials:

  • TSCA Webinar Series: TSCA Overview (Webinar One)

    TSCA Webinar Series: TSCA Overview (Webinar One)

    July 24th from 1:00 – 2:30 pm ET

    The first in a series of ASDWA webinars on the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA). In this webinar, speakers from EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics will highlight the key programs of TSCA with a particular focus on programs and provisions that relate to drinking water issues.

    Slides and Supporting Materials:

  • AASHTO-ASDWA Webinar: How State Highway and Drinking Water Programs Can Work Together for Mutual Benefits and Reduce Impacts from Road Salt

    AASHTO-ASDWA Webinar: How State Highway and Drinking Water Programs Can Work Together for Mutual Benefits and Reduce Impacts from Road Salt

    Original Broadcast: Thursday, March 8, 2018
    Slide Deck:     AASHTO-ASDWA Road Salt Webinar – March 2018

    The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Center for Environmental Excellence (CEE) and the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA) are pleased to announce a free webinar entitled, “How State Highway and Drinking Water Programs Can Work Together for Mutual Benefits and Reduce Impacts from Road Salt.” The webinar will include an introduction from AASHTO, a brief presentation about ASDWA’s new handout and web page on the “Intersection of Roads and Drinking Water,” and feature presentations from representatives for each of the state programs in New Hampshire and Maryland, who will share how they work together, along with a few examples and some more specific information on best practices for road salt applications and impacts to drinking water. State drinking water program and state highway program personnel are encouraged to attend, along with anyone else who is interested and would like to participate.

    Webinar Presentations

    New Hampshire’s Experience and Approaches to Reducing Salt Impacts Upon Drinking Water Resources:  Pierce Rigrod, a Supervisor with the Drinking Water & Groundwater Bureau in the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) and Caleb Dobbins, the State Highway Maintenance Engineer for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT), will share how NHDES and NHDOT have been working together to protect drinking water for over 20 years through a mutually agreed upon set of source protection measures that apply to common road construction projects and have coordinated closely on major interstate projects to minimize salt impacts upon nearby community wells and reservoirs. The presentation will discuss the way the two agencies operate and coordinate on winter maintenance activities to minimize salt use and work to prevent salt impacts upon drinking water resources, and will focus on policy, project reviews, equipment, technology and design changes.

    Managing Chloride in Maryland’s Surface Waters:  Lee Currey, Director of the Water and Science Administration for the Maryland Department of Environment, will present how increasing chloride levels are leading to degraded water quality in Maryland’s drinking water reservoirs, and in its streams and rivers, with the potential to adversely impact drinking water systems and aquatic life. Available information and data show this increase is due to winter road salt application. The state is looking for approaches through its MS4 permits to reduce the usage of road salt and quantify the impacts of these efforts.

    Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration Salt Management Best Practices:  Russ Yurek, the Director of the Office of Maintenance for the State Highway Administration in the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), will provide an overview of MDOT SHA’s best practices used for winter resource management while balancing public safety and environmental stewardship.

    Speaker Biographies

    [author name=”” image=”” name_text_color=”#578fbf” background=”#578fbf”][/author]
    [author name=”Pierce Rigrod” image=”https://www.asdwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/PierceRigrod.png” name_text_color=”#ffffff” background=”#578fbf”]Pierce Rigrod is a supervisor within the Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau at the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services in Concord, NH.  He oversees drinking water source protection programs including the Local Source Water Protection Grants, Chemical Monitoring Waiver Program and the Groundwater Reclassification Program. He provides technical assistance to public water systems and municipalities concerning how to better protect local drinking water resources through land conservation, zoning, and better management of chemical substances that can affect public health and the environment. Pierce holds a master’s degree in regional and urban planning and has worked in NHDES’ Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau for the last 12 years.[/author]
    [author name=”Caleb Dobbins” image=”https://www.asdwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/calebdobbins.png” name_text_color=”#ffffff” background=”#578fbf”]Caleb Dobbins is the State Highway Maintenance Engineer for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) and has served in that role since 2006. His position has the responsibly for all aspects of the administration of the Bureau of Highway Maintenance, encompassing the Headquarters section based in Concord, NH as well as the operation of the six highway districts located throughout the state. Also included in the headquarters section is the management of over 90 fuel sites statewide, the issuance of all OS/OW travel permits and the salted well contamination section. Caleb is currently a member of the AASHTO Subcommittee on Maintenance, the AASHTO Region 1 Representative to the Snow and Ice Cooperative Program (SICOP) as well serving on several FHWA/NCHRP/TRB research projects and committees.  He has also served on the FHWA Clear Roads Winter Maintenance Pooled Fund group from 2009 until 2016.  Caleb is a licensed professional engineer and holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University.[/author]
    [author name=”Lee Currey” image=”https://www.asdwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/leecurrey.png” name_text_color=”#ffffff” background=”#578fbf”]Lee Currey is the Director of the Water and Science Administration at the Maryland Department of the Environment. He oversees both the States Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act Programs as well as serving as lead staff on the Governor’s Chesapeake Bay Cabinet supporting Chairman Grumbles. Lee’s administration is currently leading priority efforts to advance Chesapeake Bay Restoration, to provide a water quality certification for Conowingo Dam Relicensing, revise the next round of NPDES stormwater permits and test for lead in drinking water in schools, to name a few. Over Lee’s 17 years with the Department he has served in various roles ranging from engineer to director. Prior to MDE Lee worked as an engineer in the private sector. Lee has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Civil Engineering with a focus on Water Resources and is a registered professional engineer.[/author]
    [author name=”Russ Yurek” image=”https://www.asdwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/russyurek.png” name_text_color=”#ffffff” background=”#578fbf”]Russ Yurek is in the 40th year of his career with the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration. He began his career as a Highway Maintenance Worker and worked at all the various levels within a maintenance shop, before becoming the Resident Maintenance Engineer for Harford County, the Assistant District Engineer of Maintenance for the Baltimore Metropolitan District, and then the Director of the Office of Maintenance, which he has been for the past 19 years. He previously served as the Chair of the Maintenance Management System Task Force, and Vice-Chair of the Sub-Committee of Maintenance for the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials (AASHTO).  Russ is currently the Maryland delegate for the Sub-Committee of Maintenance within AASHTO and is serving a second stint as the Vice-Chair for the Subcommittee. Russ has had an active role in performance management, and in promoting efficiency within maintenance operations.[/author]

     

  • Opening Pandora’s Box – Disinfection Data Accuracy for Water Systems

    Opening Pandora’s Box – Disinfection Data Accuracy for Water Systems

    This webinar was broadcast on January 22nd, 2018

    Slide Deck: Evaluating the Integrity of Water System Monitoring

    In 2014 – 2015 the Washington State Department of Health conducted the Disinfection Data Integrity Project. The yearlong study investigated disinfection measurement, recording and reporting practices in 33 surface water treatment plants located in the Northwest Region of Washington State. Deficiencies were identified in all 33 treatment facilities that affect the accuracy of the calculated pathogen inactivation achieved by the disinfection processes. Pathogen inactivation level errors of over 100% were identified when more accurate data was used.

    Accurately determining chlorine disinfection inactivation levels is complex. Three water quality (WQ) parameters: chlorine residual, pH, and temperature are used along with the time the disinfectant is in contact with water before the first customer (contact time) to determine disinfection efficiency. Contact time is dependent upon three more parameters: the volume of the contact vessel, the baffling efficiency of the contact vessel, and the water flow rate. Each one of these components (three WQ parameters, contact vessel size, efficiency, and flow rate) can and do affect data integrity and impact the accuracy of calculated disinfection inactivation levels used to ensure public health protection.

    An average of eight issues that affect data accuracy were found at each utility suggesting that water monitoring data integrity is not robust. This presentation will share study findings and explore ways to improve practices at your utility.

    Our Presenters:

    Nancy is a professional engineer with 29 years’ experience with the Washington State drinking water program, where she coordinates statewide implementation of surface water treatment rules.  Three years living among the Mossi people in the Sahel region of West Africa sparked a lifelong interest in safe drinking water.  She received her MS degree in environmental engineering from Stanford University and her BS degree in civil engineering from the University of Washington.

    Steve is a professional engineer with 29 years’ experience in water and sanitation issues. He works for the Washington State drinking water program and is a consultant for Water 1st International, a non-profit water and sanitation development organization. His experience encompasses a myriad of settings, from the Kurdish refugee camps in Northern Iraq to post-war rehabilitation in Bosnia Herzegovina, and from simple pipe systems in the slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh, to development efforts on onsite non-potable water systems for urban buildings in the USA. He received his MS degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Washington and his BS in civil engineering from Marquette University.

  • Unlocking the Black Box – Exploring Turbidity Data Integrity at Water Treatment Plants

    Unlocking the Black Box – Exploring Turbidity Data Integrity at Water Treatment Plants

    This webinar was broadcast on Jan 08, 2018

    Slide Deck: Turbidity Data Integrity 1-8-18

    Turbidity measurements are the single most important parameter used to determine that surface water treatment plants are working correctly and that the filters are removing potential pathogenic organisms from the source water. The accuracy of the turbidimeter data generated, recorded and reported to utilities and oversight agencies is affected by a surprising number of factors that include instrument settings, sampling locations, electronic data manipulation, operational practices and human actions. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) conducted a study of turbidity monitoring, recording and reporting practices in 25 rapid sand filter plants located in the Northwest Region of Washington State and found deficiencies in all 25 plants that could or did affect the accuracy of the turbidity data reported to the DOH. For instance, 100% of the surveyed plants had turbidimeters set to incorrectly hold and send the last shown turbidity value to SCADA when communication with the sensor is lost. With this setting treatment plant staff and alarm systems do not know that the sensor is no longer operational.

    Our Presenters:

    Nancy is a professional engineer with 29 years’ experience with the Washington State drinking water program, where she coordinates statewide implementation of surface water treatment rules.  Three years living among the Mossi people in the Sahel region of West Africa sparked a lifelong interest in safe drinking water.  She received her MS degree in environmental engineering from Stanford University and her BS degree in civil engineering from the University of Washington.

    Steve is a professional engineer with 29 years’ experience in water and sanitation issues. He works for the Washington State drinking water program and is a consultant for Water 1st International, a non-profit water and sanitation development organization. His experience encompasses a myriad of settings, from the Kurdish refugee camps in Northern Iraq to post-war rehabilitation in Bosnia Herzegovina, and from simple pipe systems in the slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh, to development efforts on onsite non-potable water systems for urban buildings in the USA. He received his MS degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Washington and his BS in civil engineering from Marquette University.

  • Source Water Collaborative Learning Exchange Webinar Series: Conservation Grant Funding & Drinking Water Utilities: Partnering for Success

    Learning Exchange Webinar Series

    “Conservation Funding & Drinking Water Utilities: Partnering for Success”

    Identifying and securing a source of funding and the right partners is often the biggest challenge to implementing source water protection. This webinar will showcase efforts of drinking water utilities and conservation groups who are partnering with farming operations and landowners to protect their water supplies through the US Department of Agriculture’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

    This webinar was broadcast on Thursday, January 11th, 2018

    Moderator
    Adam Carpenter, Environmental and Policy Manager American Water Works Association (AWWA)

    Speakers:
    Jimmy Bramblett, Deputy Chief of Programs, US Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

    Tariq Baloch, Water Utility Plant Manager, Cedar Rapids, IA

    Sandi Formica, Executive Director, Watershed Conservation Resource Center

     

  • EPA’s Water Finance Clearinghouse

    EPA’s Water Finance Clearinghouse

    Original Broadcast: September 28, 2017

    The Water Finance Clearinghouse is an easily navigable web‐based portal to help communities locate information and resources that will assist them in making informed decisions for their drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure needs. The Water Finance Clearinghouse includes two searchable databases: one contains available funding sources for water infrastructure and the second contains resources, such as reports, weblinks, webinars etc. on financing mechanisms and approaches that can help communities access capital to meet their water infrastructure needs.

    The Water Finance Clearinghouse was developed by EPA’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Resiliency Center, an information and assistance center identifying water infrastructure financing approaches that help communities reach their public health and environmental goals.

    Slide Deck: Water Finance Clearinghouse General User Presentation

  • ASDWA CWA-SDWA Webinar: Leveraging CWA 319 and SDWA Programs for Surface and Ground Water Quality Planning

    ASDWA CWA-SDWA Webinar: Leveraging CWA 319 and SDWA Programs for Surface and Ground Water Quality Planning 

    Date:  Tuesday, November 7, 2017
    Time:  1:00pm – 2:30pm (eastern), 12:00pm – 1:30pm (central), 10:00am – 11:30am (pacific)

    Slide Deck: Combined Webinar Presentations

    Purpose:  The purpose of the webinar is to build on the efforts of ASDWA, the Association of Clean Water Administrators (ACWA), the Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC), and EPA to share and promote Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act (CWA-SDWA) coordination activities across state and EPA water programs.

    Audience:  State, interstate, tribal, and federal water programs, water utilities, technical assistance providers, and anyone else who would like to participate.

    Objective:  Learn how the Nebraska and Nevada state water programs coordinated with EPA and local communities to leverage the CWA 319 non-point source (NPS) program for surface and groundwater quality protection planning in drinking water supply areas.

    Agenda

    • Nebraska: Ryan Chapman with the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, and Heather Duncan with the EPA Region 7, will present how they have partnered over the course of several years to address source water and drinking water protection issues impacted by non-point source pollution. After documenting the drinking water protection priorities in the Nebraska’s Non-point Source Management Plan, the state has undertaken planning and restoration efforts in four communities, including the Bazile Groundwater Management Area, Waverly, Auburn, and Fairbury. This presentation will share the status of those planning efforts and describe the 319 documentation process that supports the state’s accomplishments.
    • Nevada: Kim Borgzinner, with the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) Bureau of Safe Drinking Water’s Integrated Source Water Protection Program (ISWPP), and Birgit Henson with the NDEP Bureau of Water Quality Planning’s Nonpoint Source Branch, will share how they coordinated and kick started a joint source water protection and watershed management planning effort. This effort aligned with the goals outlined in Nevada’s 2015 Nonpoint Source Management Plan and resulted in working with the ISWPP contractor to develop a stakeholder group and initiate a comprehensive regional watershed plan that includes source water components in Washoe County and the Truckee River Watershed.

    Presenters

    Ryan Chapman is the Water Quality Assessment Section Supervisor with the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.  He has been with the Department since 2009 and served as the Wellhead Protection Program Coordinator for 5 years. He also works with several of the Section 319 Non-Point Source grants that the Department awards annually. Ryan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources from the University of Nebraska Lincoln, and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Iowa State University.

     

     

    Heather Duncan is the EPA Region 7 liaison to Nebraska’s nonpoint source/319 program. Heather has been with EPA Region 7 since 2006. Prior to working in water quality programs, Heather spent time with EPA Region 7’s pesticides program and was the co-chair of Region 7’s Agriculture Team. She’s an Iowa farm girl by upbringing and a graduate of Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Service and Administration in Agriculture – Agricultural Meteorology.

     

     

    Kim Borgzinner is the Source Water Coordinator for the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection. She has been managing the State’s Integrated Source Water Protection Program for the past 10 years and has worked successfully with many communities in Nevada to develop and implement comprehensive countywide source water protection plans. Prior to working for NDEP, Kim worked in private consulting on projects related to public water system capacity building. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Nevada Reno.

     

     

    Birgit Henson is the Non-point Source Branch Supervisor managing the Clean Water Act 319 Program at the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection. She has over twenty years of experience in the water quality field. Birgit previously worked for Nevada’s Underground Injection Control Program where she was responsible for permitting discharges to groundwater, and also worked for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and Basin Management Unit. She has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Natural Resource Management and Engineering from the University of Connecticut and is a Certified Public Manager.

  • Legacy and Emerging PFAS Challenges Facing Small Surface Water Treatment Systems in North Carolina Webinar

    Legacy and Emerging PFAS Challenges Facing Small Surface Water Treatment Systems in North Carolina Webinar

    Original broadcast: Sep 26, 2017 at 1:00PM.

    Perfluorinated substances (PFAS) are a growing concern in many states due to increasing occurrence and increasing concern from the public and elected officials. The Cape Fear River, a source for surface water systems in North Carolina, has been impacted by discharges of PFAS from a Chemours manufacturing plant. Dr. Detlef Knappe from North Carolina State University will present his research on both legacy (PFOA and PFOS) and emerging (GenX) PFAS in this watershed and will summarize some of the challenges with analytical methods and treatment.

    Slide Deck: Knappe_PFAS_F2017

    Supporting Materials:

  • AWOP National Meeting: 2017 (Remote Attendance Webinar Series)

    AWOP National Meeting: 2017 (Remote Attendance Webinar Series)

    ASDWA scheduled a series of webinars that took place during the 2017 AWOP National Meeting on August 8 and 9 in Cincinnati, OH.

    AWOP National Meeting – Final Agenda

     

    Video and Presentations

    All video and presentations from the National AWOP Meeting can be accessed via the AWOP States Only page [requires login].