MOU Strengthens Decentralized Wastewater Management
The Water Environment Federation, the WEF Research Foundation, the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association Inc., the U.S. EPA, and other water quality organizations signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for Decentralized Wastewater Management, renewing a commitment to improve national decentralized treatment performance.
The goals include strengthening external partnerships and improving practitioner competency, management practices, research and technology transfer, accountability, control, and oversight through enhanced state, tribal and local program implementation.
Improving public awareness, education programs and information materials are viewed as ways to help officials make better decisions, as is supporting the principles outlined in the EPA Voluntary Management Guidelines and Management Handbook for Decentralized Systems. Besides the groups already mentioned, signatories to the three-year agreement are:
• Consortium of Institutes for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment
• National Association of Towns and Townships
• National Association of Wastewater Transporters
• National Environmental Health Association
• National Environmental Services Center
• Rural Community Assistance Partnership
• Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators
• Ground Water Protection Council
• State Onsite Regulators Alliance
• Association of State Drinking Water Administrators
• Association of State and Territorial Health Organizations.
MOU partners will work to advance the awareness of decentralized systems as potential answers to centralized infrastructure challenges, and provide opportunities to implement innovative technologies, develop water scarcity strategies, and implement long-term sustainability initiatives in urban and rural settings.
Stormwater Program Awards
At its annual conference, the Florida Stormwater Association issued its first awards to local governments that demonstrated creativity, innovation and excellence in protecting local water quality and controlling flooding. Awards were presented in two categories — stormwater programs and stormwater projects.
Sarasota County Stormwater Environmental Utility earned the Stormwater Program Excellence award. The City of Tallahassee Stormwater Utility and City of North Port Department of Engineering won Outstanding Achievement awards.
In the Stormwater Project category, Gainesville Clean Water Partnership received the Excellence award, and the City of Titusville’s pervious concrete project and the City of St. Petersburg’s lake restoration program took Outstanding Achievement awards. For more information, call 888/221-3124 or e-mail stormwater@ksanet.net.
Colorado League Proposes Fund
Looking for a permanent cash fund to help small communities improve water and wastewater systems, the Colorado Municipal League is seeking legislation that would create a $10 million grant program from additional taxes on oil and gas development. Communities of 5,000 people or fewer with median incomes of $28,000 or less would qualify for assistance. Some $750 million is needed to complete 439 small water and wastewater projects statewide.
Calendar
March 4-6
Utility Construction EXPO ’09 “The Big Show,” the Sheraton Phoenix (Ariz.) Convention Center. Contact Linda Holtz, 703/358-9300 or linda@nuca.com.
May 4-6
American Water Resources Association Spring Conference, Marriott, Anchorage, Alaska. Call Michael Lilly at 907/479-8891 or visit www.awra.org.
May 5-7
Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC), Anchorage, Alaska. Call 800/666-0206 or visit www.weftec.org.
June 7-10
PennTec Annual Conference, Lancaster Host Conference Center, Lancaster, Pa. Call Cindy Rock at 570/549-2204 or visit www.pwea.org.
June 14-18
American Water Works Association Conference and Exposition, San Diego (Calif.) Convention Center. Call 800/926-7337 or visit www.awwa.org.
June 17-19
Florida Stormwater Association Conference and Exhibits, Sanibel Harbour Resort and Spa. Call 888/221-3124 or visit www.florida-stormwater.org.
June 21-24
American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers International Meeting, Grand Sierra Resort and Casino, Reno, Nev. Call Sharon McKnight at 269/428-6333 or visit www.asabe.org.
June 29-July 1
American Water Resources Association Summer Specialty Conference, Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, Snowbird, Utah. Call 540/687-8390 or visit www.awra.org.
Learning Opportunities
University of Wisconsin-Madison Courses
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Engineering Pro-fessional Development is offering the following CEU, LU, PDH classes. They are at the Madison campus unless indicated otherwise:
• April 2-3 – Drainage Engineering Fundamentals for Non-Engineers (K347), Las Vegas, Nev.
• April 20-21 – Mastering the Fundamentals of Culvert Hydraulic Design (J966)
• April 22-23 – Implementing Effective Culvert Maintenance (J967)
• April 27-28 – Pumping Equipment and Systems: Selecting, Operating, Maintaining and Troubleshooting (K273)
• April 29-30 – Fleet Management (K326)
• May 7-8 – Preparing an Effective Municipal Capital Improvements Plan (K327)
• May 20-22 – Modeling Unsteady Flow Using HEC-RAS 4.0 (K731)
Call 608/262-2061 or visit http://epdweb.engr.wisc.edu.
American Public Works Association
APWA has these courses as classroom workshops or Web-based broadcasts:
• April 9 – Continuity of Operations – How to Stay on Top, Web
• May 5-7 – Public Fleet Management, Boston, Mass.
• May 6 – Public Infrastructure Inspector, Part 1, Web
• May 13 – Public Infrastructure Inspector, Part 2, Web
Call Carrie Merker at 800/848-2792, ext. 5213, or visit www.apwa.net.
American Water Works Association
The organization is offering the following CEU/PDH seminars or Webcasts:
• May 6-7 – Water Demand and Conservation Management: Planning, Policy and Rates, Orlando, Fla.
• May 20-21 – Distribution System Assessment and Rehabilitation, Charlotte, N.C. Call 800/926-7337 or visit www.awwa.org.
