Monthly Newsletter for Section Leaders - Volume 1, Number 3 (July 2008)

SECTION CHAIR’S MESSAGE

Shyam S. Mohanka, Ph. D., P.E., BCEE
Civil & Environmental Engineer

Most Critical Issues Facing the water industry – According to the American Water Works Association’s (AWWA) 2007 State of the Industry Report, the most critical issues facing the water industry involve:

• regulatory factors (Complying with new regulations)
• business factors (Financing repairs/replacements/upgrades)
• water resources (water supply/shortage and Source water protection)
• infrastructure (aging and failing infrastructure)
• workforce (lack of qualified workers/salary/prestige and Aging workforce/loss of industry knowledge)

In addition to the top five issues, second tier of critical issues include:

• water treatment (Concerns about disinfectant choices and disinfection by-products)
• security (Preparation to handle terrorism and natural disasters)
• macro factors (Impact of global warming/climate change and population growth)
• drinking water quality (All issues associated with water quality and safety)
• consumers (Image of tap water versus bottled water, the lack of public communication about the true value and cost of tap water service, and the need for more education)
• industry leadership (Absence of an industry wide strategic direction)
• technology (Need to implement effective, affordable state-of-the-art technology)
• energy (Concerns about high price of energy in recent years)
• wastewater (Bio-solids disposal and storm water handling).

Chair’s new initiatives – 2008-09 new initiatives have been drafted to support section’s long term goals adopted during the 2005 summer workshop and include the following proposals:

1. Establish NYSAWWA Education Fund – Permanent funding source for education/training/scholarships to the operators of small & medium water systems
2. Establish Outstanding Water Utility & Engineering Design Awards – Awards to Water Utilities (Best operation & maintenance of a water system in New York State) and Consulting Engineers (Best WTP Design in New York State)
3. Develop NYSAWWA Centennial Celebration Calendar – The planning calendar will serve as the road map leading up to the centennial celebrations in 2014
4. Recognition of NYSAWWA Leaders & Volunteers – Chair’s Citation or Certificate of Appreciation for Board Members, Committee Chairs and Volunteers for handling special projects during the term 2008-09

AWWA & NYSAWWA MILESTONES (1900-1909)
1900 - Approximately 20 Slow Sand Filter facilities in USA and 5 in Canada. Typhoid deaths 36 per 100,000
1901 – William R. Hill was elected AWWA President from New York and AWWA Annual Conference was held in New York City, New York
1902 – First Rapid Sand Filtration plant built in Little Falls, N.J., USA
1905 – First Standard Methods for Examination of Water & Wastewater published by APHA
1906 – New York City experiments with ozonation, it works, but is costly. Slow Sand Filters used for water treatment in Philadelphia, PA. July 10, 1906, AWWA has 596 Members
1909 – William P. Mason was elected AWWA President from New York

WATER FACTS, NEWS, IQ & TIPS
Bottled Water in News - An Associated Press article on “Bottled versus Tap Water” dated June 18, 2008 notes that consumers, feeling the pinch of the current economy, are shunning bottled water. The report highlights not just the cost implications, but also the environmental impact associated with the bottles. In addition, consumers are quoted as questioning the health benefits of bottled water.

Water Conservation Tips – A leaky toilet can waste as much as 200 gallons per day (Source: US Environmental Protection Agency).

EVENTS CALENDAR
August 6 – AWWA WEBCAST on Pump Station Maintenance

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
Martha Bednarz (Envista Corporation), Gary Brosman (South Farmingdale Water District), Shihua Chen (Valparaiso City Utilities), Paul Dalia (Lexington Technologies), John L. Fick and Jay Garcia (Pall Corporation), Scott Gibson (City of Ithaca), James D. Mastic (Mastic’s Mobile Home court), Michelle McCadden (utility Service Company Inc.), Heather McVeigh and Udomlug Sinphonlai (Westchester County Health Department), Joel A. Merrill (Municipal), Harold Miller ((Skanska), Abhinav Poddar and Richard Rados (Hamilton College), Matthew M. Rodak and Brian Russell (Stearns & Wheler LLC) and John Silvanic (childfen’s Home RTF Inc.

Change isn’t something to stay away from – it’s the challenge, the excitement, the incentive, the reason you move forward. It’s the basic driver. The issue is whether we create the agenda for improvement or others create it for us. Stephen Gordon