ORD Small Systems Workshop: 2017
August 22 – 24, 2017
Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza
35 West Fifth St.
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Phone: (800) HILTONS
2017 ORD Small Systems Workshop Prelim Agenda [updated 6-29-17]
Registration is now open for EPA’s free annual workshop held in partnership with the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA). Attendees will be provided with in-depth information and training on various solutions and strategies for handling small drinking water system challenges. The workshop is primarily designed for state personnel responsible for drinking water regulations compliance and treatment technologies permitting; however, others may also benefit, including system owners and operators, local and tribal government personnel, academics, design engineers, technical assistance providers, and consultants.
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Register Now: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/14th-annual-epa-drinking-water-workshop-small-systems-challenges-and-solutions-tickets-35897288757
There is no registration fee to attend. The pre-registration deadline is Friday, August 12, 2016. Registrations will continue to be accepted after that date (including on site at the workshop), but attendees who register after the deadline will not be included in the List of Attendees distributed at the workshop.
The workshop will begin at 8:30 am on Tuesday, August 22, 2017, and will conclude at approximately 10:45 am on Thursday, August 24, 2016. There will also be an optional optimal corrosion control treatment (OCCT) training session from 1:00-4:00 pm on Thursday at EPA’s Andrew W. Breidenbach Environmental Research Center. The speakers and group leaders are experts in their fields from EPA and other federal agencies, state and local agencies, academia, associations, and other groups. The workshop will include multiple sessions and activities:
- Opening and wrap-up sessions
- Nine technical sessions, including a hot topics session
- Ask the experts session
- Poster session
- Breakout groups
- Optional OCCT training
The technical sessions of the workshop include distribution systems and monitoring and treatment topics, such as challenges in the water sector, grants funding for small systems, pathogens and biofilm, premise plumbing, corrosion control, infrastructure and modeling, manganese and iron, contaminants of emerging concern, inorganics, data management, compliance monitoring, and lead in schools and lead service line replacement.
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A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza; rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis at a group rate. The group rate is $136.00 plus 17.5% tax per night. The cut-off date for reservations within the group room block is Tuesday, August 1, 2017.
For reservations we recommend booking a room online through the group reservation site. If you prefer to book a reservation by phone, call the Hilton Hotels Reservation Center at (800) 445-8667 and mention the workshop name, “14th Annual EPA Drinking Water Workshop,” in order to receive the group rate. If you have any trouble obtaining the group rate, please contact The Cadmus Group, Inc. at 14thAnnualDWWorkshop@cadmusgroup.com.
NOTE: For accurate driving directions to the Hilton, please use the following address: 418 Race Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202.
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[toggle title=”Workshop History”]
To support the efforts of state and local officials to assist small systems, EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) and Office of Water (OW), in cooperation with ASDWA, has held an annual workshop for the past 13 years in Cincinnati, Ohio to provide timely information on a variety of drinking water topics relevant to small systems. When the first workshop was held in 2004, it was by invitation only and was designed as an educational workshop for state field staff working with small communities to install arsenic treatment technologies. In 2008, at the encouragement of state agencies, the workshop was open to the public, and was expanded to include multiple small drinking water system topics, including treatment technology options, infrastructure challenges and solutions, regulation implementation, compliance issues, and emerging contaminants. Past workshops have attracted close to 400 participants, with the majority being state personnel representing over 40 state drinking water programs.[/toggle]
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In the United States, there are 151,119 operational public water systems (PWS). Of these, 97% (146,767) are considered small systems under the Safe Drinking Water Act, meaning they serve 10,000 or fewer people. Although the majority of our PWS are considered small systems, they serve the fewest number of people—approximately 27% (69,070,729) of the population (255,923,859) receiving drinking water from PWS. While many of these active small systems consistently provide safe, reliable drinking water to their customers, many face a number of challenges in their ability to achieve and maintain system sustainability. Some of these small system challenges include lack of expertise to choose, operate, and maintain systems; lack of financial resources; aging infrastructure; limited options for residual disposal; and state primacy agencies with limited resources to support the large number of small systems.
EPA’s small systems research is developing tools, technologies, and approaches to help small systems provide safe drinking water now and in the future. This helps communities’ lower costs and provides safe drinking water. EPA also conducts a monthly small systems webinar series, which is providing a forum for EPA to communicate directly with state personnel and other drinking water small systems professionals, which allows EPA to provide training and foster collaboration and dissemination of information. This, in turn, provides state agencies with the information and resources they need to communicate the latest scientific advancements and current guidance to their small systems.
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[toggle title=”Contact Information”]Questions regarding the workshop or lodging may be directed to Ashley Arayas of The Cadmus Group (EPA contractor) at 703-247-6155 or 14thAnnualDWWorkshop@cadmusgroup.com.[/toggle]
Jeff Wells is the Field Director for the Office of Drinking Water in the Virginia Department of Health, Danville Field Office. He has over 24 years of experience with environmental compliance and has worked with VDH in various capacities for the last 14 years. His Office covers a 22-county region in south central Virginia and regulates over 450 waterworks. Services provided include inspections, technical services, monitoring compliance, enforcement and engineering services for the regulated systems. Jeff is a registered Professional Engineer and holds a BS in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University and a MS in Civil Engineering from the University of North Carolina – Charlotte.
Corina Hayes is the Source Water Protection Program Manager in the Office of Drinking Water for the Washington State Department of Health. She provides regulatory oversite of the source water protection program through training and technical assistance. She also provides utilities with the necessary assistance to address source water protection issues, for both water quality and quantity, and provides funding for protection activities. Prior to her current position, Corina worked as a regional planner for the Office of Drinking Water and a planner for Thurston County. Corina received a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources from Oregon State University.
Bill Trueman is the Environmental Services Coordinator for the Skagit Public Utilities District. He is involved with regulatory compliance and permitting, source water protection, and water rights. Recent projects have included a comprehensive updating of the District’s Watershed Management Plan and upgrades to surface water diversion facilities. Prior to joining Skagit PUD, Bill worked in industrial forest management and with civil construction contractors. Bill received a Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources from the University of Washington and enjoys the outdoors with his family and their horses.