|
|
Entries for the 'WEAs' Category
Jennifer Wilson posted on February 24, 2012 17:52
 The Water Environment Federation announced a new strategic direction this week, that coupled with a new "Water's Worth It" campaign, will allow this 84 year old organization to continue to serve a vital role in our industry.
We're sharing this as an item we "love" this week, because we are excited about the implications for small water supplies, members and non-members alike. Here are SmallWaterSupply.org's top three reasons we love WEF's new strategic direction.
3. Innovation Saves. WEF's commitment to innovation will help lower costs across the industry. Energy innovation, especially, will help trim costs for small systems that implement new technologies when performing infrastructure upgrades.
2. Easy Access. WEF's new strategy for professional development creates a more open culture where information is more easily accessed (of course we're a fan of that). Free webinars are part of this new plan.
1. Water's Worth It. WEF's new messaging campaign aims to have far-reaching public perception impacts on valuing water and the professionals in our industry. A deeper awareness will help small communities implement the needed changes to become sustainable.
You can learn more by watching WEF's video or downloading the strategic direction PDF. Do you love WEF's new strategic direction too? Share with us in the comments.
Stuff We Love is posted on Fridays and includes favorite documents, links and other resources for small water and wastewater systems. We'll find the cream of the crop so you don't have to.
Steve Wilson posted on May 25, 2011 22:51 
Membership Has It's Privaledges
Operator associations offer many benefits to their members. They are a resource you can call on when you have questions. They know and understand the rules in your state and can help you evaluate how you are doing. They also are there to support you. They fight for you in Washington as well as your state capital. They keep up with all of the political happenings and can provide you guidance on how to act on those things when they arise. They develop supportive legislation and lobby for its passage. Their staffs have years of experience that you can call on when questions arise. They organize meetings and conferences that provide you with opportunities to gain CEU's. They organize training events. Their efforts lead to networking opportunities for your neighbors and peers.
In addition, they provide resources through newsletters and magazines that provide you with both assistance and knowledge that you can use to develop your own skills and careers. Many associations also have specialized services that you can request. Some of those services include leak detection, loaning of equipment, specialized training trailors, and business services for things like determining rates and developing business plans. I also believe that being part of your peer organizations helps you just by meeting other members and getting to know them.
But Being A Member Isn't Enough
We are all busy, but being active in an association is an important part of becoming a better operator. By getting involved, even if a little out of your comfort zone, you will have the opportunity to work with others and see how others deal with situations that you might not have had to deal with. For instance, being on a committee, you get closer to the association staff as well as the other committee members. This leads to new supportive relationships that will pay benefits for you down the road. It builds "community" among you and your peers and helps you to learn more about others, their issues, and creates a support network. Ask anyone on an association board or committee about their service and what it has meant to them, and most, if not all, will say it has taught them more than they ever imagined, and provided them with some of their closest professional friendships.
For Water Operators
The two largest associations for water operators are the National Rural Water Association (NRWA) and the American Water Works Association (AWWA). To join either, you do so through their state affiliate association. In Illinois, I am a member of the Illinois Rural Water Association and of the Illinois Section of the American Water Works Association. Both organizations are a great resource for their operators and offer a variety of benefits, from reduced fees for training, to providing leak detection services, to assisting communities with compliance problems in their dealings with their state primacy agency, to meeting with a town board to explain to them why their system needs an upgrade. To find out more about what your state association offers, check out their websites.
For Wastewater Operators
The largest wastewater operator association is the Water Environment Federation (WEF). The Federation is made up of state affiliate associations, and in Illinois that is the Illinois Water Environment Assocation. I am ashamed to say that I have not joined our state wastewater association yet, but I do plan to. They also offer many of the same services I have already mentioned, just for the wastewater side of things. Your state rural water association also has wastewater staff and resources that you can call on. Their approach to technical assistance looks at the whole of the community and takes into account that for smaller systems, many times the water and wastewater operator might be the same person.
That's It?
Actually, no, thats not it. In many states, distance issues or geographic issues, like mountains, make it necessary to create regional groups that allow operators to stay closer to home. Some of these smaller associations are affiliated with the state organizations and some are totally independent. What they offer, however, is a chance to get to know the operators in your immediate area, or with more like interests. As an example, here is a list of the Indiana Associations that provide wastewater training (From IDEM): Alliance of Indiana Rural Water (the state RW affiliate), Indiana Section of AWWA, Indiana Industrial Operators Association, Indiana Rural Water Association, Central Indiana Operators Assocation, Indiana Water Environment Association, Northern Indiana Operators Association, and the Southern Indiana Operators Association. There are a lot of opportunities out there for you to network and get involved, so check out whats available in your state. You'll be glad you did.
The Big System-Small System Issue
I don't know any simple way to address this, but the perception is out there that for water operators, small systems typically belong to the state rural water association and the large systems typically belong to the state AWWA section. Maybe thats typical in your state, maybe not. As the manager of SmallWaterSupply.org, I see benefits to belonging to both, no matter what your system size is. I have come to rely on both of my state associations for advice and support. There are differences in services, sometimes signifiant ones, but that doesn't mean they don't compliment each other. For instance, I get the IRWA newsletter and magazine, and both have information that helps me do my job. I also get the ISAWWA magazine and the AWWA magazines (Opflow and Journal), all of which provide timely information on operator topics and other relevant information.
How Did I Do?
Our motive is simple, to use SmallWaterSupply.org to support small system water and wastewater operators, and so far, I haven't ran across anyone who doesn't see what we are doing as beneficial. Being involved in my state associations is one way I am able to stay engaged. I suggest you look at what groups are available to you and find the best fit. I realize that services and associations vary from state to state, so please send us an email if you want us to highlight a special feature of an association you belong to. I know I haven't done justice to these groups in this post and each probably deserve their own, so please speak up.
Steve Wilson posted on February 11, 2011 09:28 
 If you get our newsletter, you already know that on Tuesday we mentioned our new YouTube site. On it we have not only our 4 help videos, but we have linked to many other YouTube videos we have found related to water and wastewater operations that we feel will provide some benefit to water and wastewater operators. Our YouTube Channel, SmallWaterSupply.org, will continue to grow, both with videos and operator interviews from us, and with links to other favorites we find. More and more organizations and TA providers are posting videos on YouTube, and some are definately worth a look.
The Power of One
One of those sites is CAWastewater.com. I found their videos on YouTube, but this young wastewater operator also has a website devoted to helping other wastewater operators prepare for the California wastewater exams, specifically the math problems. His website has 4 videos for the Class 1 exam, 6 for the class 2 exam, and 6 for the Class 3 exam. His YouTube Channel has all of those, and in addition, 2 videos with math problems related to the Class 4 & 5 exam.
But There is More to this Story
The site is managed by a very young wastewater operator who has been working in wastewater since he was a 16 year old intern (about 6 years!). He loves what he does, is involved with his WEA section, and understands the need for more qualified operators. So, he created these videos solely to help others and all are free to use. It's really great to see a site like this, one guy who just wants to help, that is really making a difference. And by making a difference, I mean his Class 1 videos already have thousands of views, which tells me they are really filling a need.
I encourage you to take a look at YouTube, and give it a chance. Take a look at CAWastewater.com and SmallWaterSupply.org's YouTube Channels and let us know what you think. If you have any ideas for helpful videos, for instance one of the agency's was considering developing videos for things like jar testing, please let us know. As always, if you have comments, questions, or problems finding information, please contact us, and we will be glad to assist you and do the legwork for you.
Stuff We Love is posted most Fridays and includes favorite documents, links and other resources for small water and wastewater systems. We'll find the cream of the crop so you don't have to.
Steve Wilson posted on November 09, 2010 16:49 
If you are looking information on decentralized wastewater (septic or on-site systems), there are a growing number of resources on the web that can help you learn more about them, find ways to manage and operate them better, and understand the regulatory issues related to them.
Did You Know?
The USEPA put out a fact sheet a few years ago about decentralized wastewater treatment that has some interesting information. 20% of households use decentalized treatment, thats 26 million homes. 50% of those are in rural areas, 47% are in suburbs, and 3% are inner city. Wow!
Finding The Facts
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) and their affiliated research organization, the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF), are the national association for wastewater operators and industry professionals, along with their state affiliated associations (WEA's). They provide a tremendous amount of information on a number of wastewater issues, including Biosolids, Decentralized Systems, Nutrients, Stormwater, Water Reuse, as well as other wastewater-related topics. Some of their research and support information are free, and some have a charge, but many of the basic, helpful documents they produce are now being made available on the web.
Where To Find Decentralized Wastewater Information
WERF maintains the Decentralized Water Resources Collaborative webpage. It's development was funded by USEPA, and the collaborative is made up of 6 partnering organizations. The collaborative provides free information about all things related to individual and neighborhood wastewater treatment systems and provides down-to-earth guidance on what they are, responsibilities of owners and operators, what it means to be a part of one of these systems. Their decentralized systems page is here.
Are You An RME?
A Responsible Management Entity is the term used for any organization, business, or association that is legally responsible for a wastewater system. The term was coined by USEPA and is so generic because of the wide variety of rules and regulations governing these systems across the country. But, the RME webpage at WERF is a great place to start in trying to understand all there is to know about decentralized systems. At the bottom of the page are a series of fact sheets that are easy to understand, have comprehensive explanations, and cover everything you need to get started. Also, within each factsheet are links to additional information, like the EPA Handbook for managing Decentralized Systems and their Voluntary National Guidelines, and a glossary of terms. They are full of examples of successes from across the country and provide the framework for understanding this complex topic.
If you have questions or can't find what you are looking for, please let us know and we will try to find it for you.
|