Upcoming Water Operator Certification Exam Dates Disinfection Byproducts/Surface Water Rules Take Effect By David Rindal The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator signed notices for final versions of the Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (Stage 2 DBPR) and the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2 ESWTR) on December 15, 2005. The tables below outline upcoming deadlines for the rules, which strengthen protection against microbial contaminants, especially Cryptosporidium, and potential health risks of DBPs. They also include significant public water system (PWS) monitoring requirements prior to the standard threeyear post-rule period. EPA has developed web-based data collection and analysis tools that are expected to facilitate compliance with its early implementation provisions. March 9, St. Cloud March 31, Rochester April 4, Wells April 7, Bloomington April 28, Grand Rapids June 9, Deerwood See calendar on back page for more details For more on the rules, go to page 6 >>> Initial Distribution System Evaluation (IDSE) Imminent Stage 2 DBPR Deadlines 40/30 Certification OR Standard Monitoring Plan OR System Specific Study Plan Complete IDSE (if no 40/30) Submit IDSE Report (if no 40/30) Community Water Systems (CWS) serving at least 100,000 AND all consecutive systems (9 in Minnesota) October 1, 2006 September 30, 2008 January 1, 2009 CWSs serving 50,000-99,999 AND all consecutives (2 in Minnesota) April 1, 2007 March 31, 2009 July 1, 2009 CWSs serving 10,000-49,999 AND all consecutives October 1, 2007 September 30, 2009 January 1, 2010 Imminent LT2 ESWTR Deadlines Submit Source Water Monitoring Sampling Schedule Begin Source Water Monitoring End Source Water Monitoring Surface Water PWSs serving at least 100,000 (2 in Minnesota) July 1, 2006 October 1, 2006 September 30, 2008 Surface Water PWSs serving 50,000-99,999 (2 in Minnesota) January 1, 2007 April 1, 2007 March 31, 2009 Surface Water PWSs serving 10,000-49,999 January 1, 2008 April 1, 2008 March 31, 2010 Public Water Systems (PWS) Public Water Systems Spring 2006 Volume Thirteen/4 Inside: Agendas for Spring Water Operator Schools Ely SWAMP Becomes a Training Haven Below-Market-Rate Loans for Public Water Systems Training News 2006 Metro School The 2006 Metro Waterworks Operators School will be held from Wednesday, April 5 through Friday, April 7 at the Ramada Mall of America and Thunderbird Convention Center in Bloomington. The certification exams will be held on Friday afternoon, and a representative from the University of Minnesota Raptor Center will bring various raptors, including an eagle, and make a presentation during the breakfast that morning. Participants in the school will receive 16 credit hours for their attendance at the school. The registration for the school is $135 ($170 after March 24 or at the door). Registration will begin at 7 a.m. on April 5 with the sessions beginning at 8 a.m. A registration form is on page 7. Those wishing to stay at the Ramada Inn can make guest room reservations by calling the hotel at 952-854-3411 by March 17. Mention AWWA to get the rate of $86 + tax per night. Wednesday, April 5 Friday, April 7 8:00-11:30 • Water Installation in a Remote Village in Tanzania and Water for People 7:30 Breakfast Minnesota AWWA Section Chair John Lapointe • Meth Labs • • • • Speaking Program: University of Minnesota Raptor Center • 12:30-3:30 Concurrent Session I • Chlorine and Ammonia • Testing of Chlorine, Phosphate, and Fluoride • Chemical Feed • Chlorine Safety 9:00 Product Exposition with Mini-Sessions 10:30 TopOps Competition or 9:00 Study Session • or • • • • 12:30 to 3:00 • Certification Exams Concurrent Session II • Dig Safely • Web-based Ticket Management • Records Retention • Maps and Recordkeeping For updates on the Metro School agenda, as well as agendas for other district schools, go to http://www.mnawwa.org/section/districtschools.html or New Home for Metro School in 2007 Thursday, April 6 After many years at the Thunderbird Hotel in Bloomington, the Metro District school will be moving to the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center starting in 2007. A sharp increase in meeting room costs at the Thunderbird made the move necessary. The 2007 school will be held from Wednesday, April 18 to Friday, April 20. Exam Study Session 7:30 to 11:00 Concurrent Session I • What Do You Do When OSHA’s at Your Door? • Workplace Violence Prevention • Fall Protection • Emergency Planning Issues Change in Date for Spring Teleconference The American Water Works Association teleconference originally scheduled for Thursday, March 9 is now scheduled for Thursday, March 16. The topic will be Innovative Operator Tools with a focus on SCADA, automated meter readings, and geographic information systems. The downlink locations serving the Minnesota Section will be the Minnesota Department of Health (Snelling Office Park) in St. Paul, Memorial Union Hall on the campus of the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, and Lake Superior College in Duluth. Participants will receive 4 contact hours. A registration form is on page 7. Additional information is available at http://www.awwa.org/Education/teleconf/ teleconfsites.cfm. or Concurrent Session II: Wells or Exam Study Session • • • • • 11:45-3:30 Off-site sessions (choice of one) • Waterous • St. Paul Meter Shop • Eagan, Bloomington, Lakeville, Minneapolis Water Plants 2 Spring 2006 Schools Other spring schools are the Southeast School, March 29-31 at the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center (formerly the Best Western Apache), Rochester; Southwest School, April 4; Northeast School, April 26-28 at Ruttger’s Sugar Lake Lodge in Grand Rapids; and Central School, June 6-9 at Ruttger’s Bay Lake Lodge in Deerwood. For the Northeast School, Ruttger’s is holding a block of rooms until March 26 at the rate of $65.70 per night for a studio room and $104.03 per night for a lodge room (prices include tax). Attendees may call 1-800-450-4555 and mention American Water Works Association to get the special rate. For the Central School, licensed operators in the region will receive a school and lodging registration form in the mail. Others may obtain one by contacting Jeanette Boothe at 651-201-4697 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Below are agendas for the Southeast and Northeast schools. A registration form for the schools is on page 7. Southeast School Agenda Northeast School Agenda Wednesday, April 26, 2006 8:45-noon • Grant Monies • Water System Security • Minnesota Department of Health Update • Water Resources Program or Wednesday, March 29, 2006 8:00-11:30 • Panel: Southeastern Minnesota Water Systems • Water System Security • Iron and Manganese Operation & Maintenance • Water for People or Exam Study Session Exam Study Session 12:30-3:30 • Filter Maintenance for Water Operators • Distribution Issues Panel • The Nutts and Bolts of Hydrant Maintenance • Disinfection Byproducts of the DBP Rule 1:00-4:00 • Northeast District Business Meeting • Gopher State One Call • Trends in Membrane Treatment • Recreational Surface Water Technologies or or Exam Study Session Exam Study Session Thursday, March 30, 2006 7:30-11:30 • Operator Breakfast • Exhibitor and Product Fair • TopOps Competition 4:00: Operator Interface Thursday, April 27, 2006 8:00-4:00 • Tour of Blandin Paper Mill and/or Grand Rapids Water Plant • Tour of Forest History Center 12:30-3:30 • Polypigging • High-Density Polyethylene • Water Audits/Leak Detection Friday, April 28, 2006 8:00-noon • Meters • Hydrant Maintenance • Automation and Flow Control • Sampling Techniques and Preservation • Panel Discussion on Operator Issues or Exam Study Session Friday, March 31, 2006 8:00-noon • Southeast District Business Meeting • Changing Workforce • Certification Corner • Contamination Plumes • The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly or • Certification Exams MRWA Technical Conference The 2006 Minnesota Rural Water Association (MRWA) Technical Conference will be held at the St. Cloud Civic Center from Tuesday, March 7 through Thursday, March 9. For more information, contact the MRWA office at 218-685-5197 or via e-mail at [email protected]. or Certification Exams 3 SWAMP Provides Training, Networking Experiences in Unique Setting “Our biggest obstacle has been An existing generic classroom at convincing people that ‘free’ really the OLC has been used for water means free,” says Steve Kleist of courses as well as other kinds of Vermilion Community College’s skills training, such as law enforce(VCC) small-system water training ment. But with the new training near its campus in Ely. came a specialized classroom, added Kleist has been with the college onto the existing building, that is a since it began its water-wastewater hands-on treatment facility. Begun technology program in the in mid-2005 and completed by the mid-1970s. A former operator who end of the year, the classroom has a had worked in the environmental groundwater and a surface-water field in other capacities, Kleist has source as well as a place to do lab taught courses on water quality and work, water testing, and operations watershed science and is now a key SWAMP training is held on Fall Lake outside of Ely. training. The groundwater is part of the SWAMP program (an acronym for Safe Water provided by a 285-foot-deep well outside the classroom buildfor All Minnesota People). ing, and the surface water from Fall Lake. Kleist says that SWAMP began as a result of money from the U. S. the water from the lake is hard and colored, providing treatEnvironmental Protection Agency to state primacy agencies ment challenges in the classroom process demonstration. to assist with the training of operators from small water With a faculty of a dozen experts from around the state, systems. An advisory committee developed a curriculum for SWAMP courses were first offered in 2004 in the generic the program; unlike the water technology courses at VCC, classroom with topics that include groundwater, surface it was not geared toward a degree but rather for specialized water, general operations, lab testing, wells and well training for existing operators as well as those just entering maintenance, and pipes, pumps, and plumbing. Employees the profession. “Having lots of rural, surface, and small of public water systems that serve fewer than 3,300 people systems in northern Minnesota, it was a perfect fit,” said are eligible for up to four free two-day classes (as well as Kleist. “Our students come from small communities, resorts, free food and lodging) as long as the grant money lasts. campgrounds, rural schools, trailer parks, and other water Kleist notes the opportunities afforded by the unique systems that benefit from those grant dollars.” setting of a remote complex, pointing out that students Beyond the curriculum was the need for a facility. network as well as learn by spending time together during “In addition to the college, one of the things we wanted and after the classroom sessions. Activities such as was a place available anytime of the year that small-water cookouts and lake excursions are a normal part of the students to go to,” added Kleist. That place is the Outdoor experience. “Fishing might be the excuse,” he says, “but it Learning Center (OLC), which is approximately five doesn’t take very long and pretty soon people are talking miles northeast of Ely. Formerly a resort and now owned shop. There’s certainly a wealth of information to be learned by the U. S. Forestry Service, the OLC is on Fall Lake, in classes, but making those other professional connections, which is partially in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. sharing perspectives, sharing solutions is as much of a The OLC has been in operation for a number of years and learning opportunity as sitting in a classroom.” has eight cabins (with enough room to handle the maximum More information is available on the SWAMP of 20 students per class), a food service, and waterfront at http://www.vcc.edu/departments/swamp or by calling access. 1-800-657-3609. “The SWAMP is a legacy that will go on long past the time the grant is gone,” says Steve Kleist, standing by the well (left) and in the under-construction specialized classroom building (right). Kleist calls the program, “An opportunity to help a lot of people.” 4 Below-Market-Rate Loans for Public Water Systems By John Schnickel If it is time to upgrade your water system, then we have the loan program for you. Proposals are being accepted to place public water system construction projects on the Drinking Water Revolving Fund (DWRF) Project Priority List (PPL). Projects must be on the PPL to be eligible for belowmarket-rate DWRF loans. Interest rates vary by project, but they have recently averaged in the 2 percent range. Loans are typically for wells, treatment plants, water towers, and distribution lines. Priorities are for projects that solve a public health problem, bring systems into compliance with drinking water standards, and that are for communities below the median household income. Funding is not for economic expansion nor for fire suppression improvements. May 19, 2006 is the deadline for receiving proposals for the Project Priority List. A project must be on the list if a city is to eventually obtain a DWRF loan, but listing a project does not obligate a city to obtain a loan. Projects must also be placed on the DWRF Intended Use Plan if a loan will be sought, and construction is expected to start before June 30, 2007. The deadline for placing a project on the intended use plan is June 9, 2006. Please note there is no guarantee that all projects placed on the Intended Use Plan will be in the funding range. Within the last eight years, the fund has been used to finance 190 projects for a total of $291 million. The Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority jointly manage the DWRF program. Instructions for submitting a proposal for the project priority list can be found at the department of health web site at http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water/dwrf. Click on Project Priority List, and then in the left margin click on Instructions. An alternative is to call 651-201-4658. Instructions for placing a project on the intended use plan can be found at the public facilities authority web site at www.deed.state.mn.us/community/assistance/pfa.htm. Scroll down to Drinking Water Revolving Fund. Click on Instructions for Placement on 2007 PPL and IUP, and then scroll to the IUP section. Contact the authority at 651-296-2838 if you do not have web access. If you have any questions, contact me at 651-201-4658 or [email protected]. Waterworks Quiz Words to Live By 1. In cases where carbon dioxide gas is produced in a submerged combustion chamber or purchased in some form for stabilization, extreme care must be taken to: a. apply a protective coating on submerged piping. b. control resulting taste and odor problems. c. install an adequate ventilation system. d. post “no smoking” signs. It’s easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them. The person who starts by saying, “Maybe I’m wrong,” is often right. Experience is what you get when you were expecting something else. 2. Breakpoint chlorination is achieved when: a. free ammonia can be tasted in the water. b. no chlorine residual is detected. c. the strong chlorine taste at the plant did not persist in the distribution system. d. a corresponding increase in residual is detected when chlorine dosage is increased. Do your worrying before you place your bet, not after the wheel starts turning. The best way to succeed in life is to act on the advice we give to others. 3. When the static level of the groundwater is 50 feet below the ground surface, the most suitable type of pump is a(n): a. air lift pump. b. gear pump. c. horizontal centrifugal pump. d. turbine pump. Be thankful for problems. If they were less difficult, someone with less ability might have your job. Make other people like themselves a little better, and you can rest assured they’ll like you very much. Bonus Question Translate: Exclusive dedication to necessitous chores without interludes of hedonistic diversion renders John a hebetudinous fellow. “If I knew I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.” —Mickey Mantle Answers on page 7 5 More on the Disinfection Byproducts/Surface Water Treatment Rules page 1). Two systems will fall into the second stage of IDSE requirements and must submit an IDSE plan by April 1, 2007. Seven of the 11 systems are those that purchase water from a utility that serves more than 50,000 people. The low DBP concentrations found at most Minnesota systems may allow MDH to grant “40/30 certification” to the remainder of state CWSs. Such certification is possible for systems where no individual Stage 1 DBPR sample exceeded 0.040 milligrams per liter (mg/L) TTHM or 0.030 mg/L HAA5 during a specified two-year period. As a result, many Minnesota systems will be allowed to skip the IDSE step of the compliance process. The remaining 11 will need to begin their planned IDSE monitoring within 12 months from plan submission. The LT2 ESWTR will prompt source water monitoring plans from two Minnesota surface water systems by July 1, 2006 and two more systems by January 1, 2007 (see Table 2 on page 1). Such source water monitoring (for those four systems) will include sampling for Cryptosporidium, E. coli, and turbidity, and will be required to start only three months following plan development. Systems may use (grandparent) previously collected data in lieu of new monitoring if the data was generated using EPA-approved methods. Minnesota utilities will work with the MDH Laboratory in arranging source water monitoring. The various early implementation requirements of both rules have prompted EPA to develop a more comprehensive set of guidance documents and to design a group of webbased tools for use by water utilities and MDH. EPA provided an introduction to, and training with, those tools during a pair of web presentations during January 2006. MDH expects to work closely with PWSs during early rule activities while routing much of the utility data submission through the EPA tools. Resources such as the Information Processing and Management Center (IPMC) and IDSE Tool may allow utilities to simplify Stage 2 DBPR IDSE electronic data submissions. Similarly, the IPMC and Data Collection & Tracking System will allow utilities, laboratories, and MDH to work with a central LT2 ESWTR Web portal. At the same time, EPA plans to publish several written guidance documents that utilities may use to assist with Stage 2 DBPR IDSE and consecutive system issues and LT2 ESWTR source water monitoring and grandparenting, microbial toolbox choices, and simultaneous compliance issues. By David Rindal—continued The Stage 2 DBPR and LT2 ESWTR are the second phase of rules required by Congress through 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act. Stage 2 DBPR built upon the existing Stage 1 DBPR to reduce potential cancer and reproductive and developmental health risks from DBPs in drinking water. Compliance monitoring requirements were stiffened for trihalomethanes (TTHM) and haloacetic acids (HAA5). Some Minnesota community water supplies (CWSs) will be required to include an Initial Distribution System Evaluation (IDSE) process to locate sites with high DBP levels. IDSE results will be used to determine Stage 2 DBPR compliance monitoring locations. Compliance with TTHM and HAA5 maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) will be evaluated for each distribution system monitoring location, using what is referred to as a locational running annual average. Finally, it is important that all consecutive systems note that the Stage 2 DBPR regulates CWSs and nontransient noncommunity water systems that produce and/or deliver water that is treated with a disinfectant other than ultraviolet light. The LT2 ESWTR was promulgated to reduce illness linked with Cryptosporidium and other pathogenic microorganisms in drinking water. Higher risk systems, identified through the rule’s required source water monitoring, may need to improve microbial treatment based on classification in a treatment category (bin). Also, systems must review their current level of microbial treatment before making a significant change in their disinfection practice. The LT2 ESWTR and Stage 2 DBPR were promulgated simultaneously due to concerns about risk tradeoffs between pathogens and DBPs. Finally, compliance deadlines are based on the sizes of public water systems (PWSs) and are generally staggered from larger population to smaller population (with consecutives following the schedule of the largest system in their combined distribution system). Two significant deadlines will affect water utilities serving greater than 50,000 people (one affecting systems that purchase water from such utilities) within the next 18 months. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) expects that nine Minnesota systems will be required to submit a Stage 2 DBPR IDSE plan by October 1, 2006 (see Table 1 on Waterline Published quarterly by the Drinking Water Protection Section, Minnesota Department of Health Editor: Stew Thornley Staff: Dick Clark, Jeanette Boothe, Noel Hansen To request this document in another format, call 651-201-4700; TDD 651-201-5797 or toll-free through the Minnesota Relay Service, 1-800-627-3529 (ask for 651-201-5000). Past issues of the Waterline are available at: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water/newsletters.htm 6 Lead and Copper Data Declared Private and Nonpublic The Minnesota Department of Administration has declared that lead and copper results that are tied to a specific address, as well as the name, address and telephone number of the owner/participant, are nonpublic and private and cannot be released to the public except for test results that can be shared with homeowners for their residence only. The ruling was the result of an application made to the Department of Administration by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the cities of New Hope, St. Paul, Moorhead, and Fairmont after a media request was made to obtain street addresses with the corresponding lead and copper results. The MDH and the cities objected to releasing address-specific data because it might render the entire sampling program unworkable by discouraging voluntary participation and be considered an invasion of privacy of the participating homeowners; in addition, since results can vary from day to day (based on a variety of factors), the results are not necessarily representative of the amount of lead and copper a homeowner may be exposed to on a continuous basis. The MDH and all community water systems are still obligated to release lead and copper results that are associated with site numbers but not addresses. Community water systems must not release owner’s names, addresses, and telephone numbers of participants in the lead and copper sampling program. The classifications of nonpublic and private for certain data associated with lead and copper testing at community water systems is considered temporary until the state statute is amended by the legislature during the 2006 session. Any questions you might have on this topic should be directed to Dick Clark at 651-201-4667 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Answers to Quiz Bonus Question: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. 1. c 2. d 3. d REGISTRATION FORM FOR TELECONFERENCE AND SPRING SCHOOLS You may combine fees on one check if more than one person is attending a school; however, please make a copy of this form for each person. Questions regarding registration, contact Jeanette Boothe at 651-201-4697. To receive an exam application and/or study guide, contact Noel Hansen at 651-201-4690 or Mark Sloan at 651-201-4652. AWWA Teleconference, Innovative Operator Tools, March 16, 2006. Fee: $65 ($85 after March 9 or at the door) for Duluth; $55 ($75 after March 9 or at the door) for St. Paul (no lunch served at this site); $65 for Grand Forks until March 9 (no late registrations accepted for this site). Check the location you wish to attend: ____ Duluth ____ St. Paul ____ Grand Forks Southeast School, March 29-31, 2006, Ramada Hotel and Conference Center, Rochester. Fee: $125 ($135 after March 20 or at the door). Southwest School, April 4, 2006, Wells. Fee: $25 ($30 at the door). Metro School, April 5-7, 2006, Ramada Inn and Thunderbird Convention Center. Fee: $135 ($170 after March 24 or at the door). Northeast School, April 26-28, 2006, Ruttger’s Sugar Lake Lodge, Grand Rapids. Fee: $115 ($125 after April 19 or at the door). Name Employer Address City Zip Day Phone E-mail Address Please enclose the appropriate fee. Make check payable to Minnesota AWWA. Mail this form and fee to Drinking Water Protection Section, Minnesota Department of Health, P. O. Box 64975, St. Paul, Minnesota 55164-0975. 7 CALENDAR Water Operator Training Minnesota Section, American Water Works Association *March 29-31, Southeast Water Operators School, Ramada Hotel and Conference Center, Rochester. Contact Paul Halvorson, 507-292-5193. *April 4, Southwest Water Operators School, Wells. Contact Mark Sweers, 507-389-5561. *April 5-7, Metro Water Operators School, Ramada Inn and Thunderbird Convention Center, Bloomington. Contact Jeanette Boothe, 651-201-4697, or Stew Thornley, 651-201-4655. *April 26-28, Northeast Water Operators School, Ruttger’s Sugar Lake Lodge, Grand Rapids. Contact Jeanette Boothe, 651-201-4697, or Stew Thornley, 651-201-4655. *June 6-9, Central Water Operators School, Ruttger’s Bay Lake Lodge, Deerwood, Contact Lyle Stai, 320-212-8590. Minnesota Rural Water Association Contact Kyle Kedrowski, 800-367-6792. *March 7-9, Technical Conference, MRWA Nonmunicipal and St. Cloud Civic Center Class E Training April 12, Operation & Maintenance, Elbow Lake March 8, St. Cloud April 11, Austin April 20, Cohasset American Water Works Association Teleconference March 16 (note new date), Innovative Operator Tools, St. Paul, Duluth, and Grand Forks, N. D. Contact Stew Thornley, 651-201-4655. Midwest Regional Water Utility Management Institute March 13-15, Continuing Education and Conference Center, St. Paul. Contact Glen Gerads, 952-563-8775. *Schools/meetings marked with an asterisk include a water certification exam. To be eligible to take a certification exam, applicants must have hands-on operations experience at a drinking water system. For an up-to-date list of events, see the training calendar on the MDH web site at: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water/wateroperator/trng/wat_op_sched.html MDH Drinking Water Protection web page: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/water Presort Standard US Postage PAID Permit No. 171 St. Paul, MN Environmental Health Division 625 North Robert Street P. O. Box 64975 St. Paul, Minnesota 55164-0975 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
© Copyright 2026 Paperzz