Breeze Issue 195, Fall 2023

Team Lab’s Sludge Boat is a state of the art, high-performance survey boat that produces a 3D Image of your stabilization pond. This image will show the operators how much and where their sludge accumulation is.

HIGH PERFORMANCE, REMOTELY-OPERATED SURVEY BOAT

WHY SHOULD I GET A SONAR SURVEY FOR MY WASTEWATER TREATMENT POND?

● To determine your wastewater treatment ponds sludge volume and Retention time.

● A Sludge Survey is the first step in proactive pond maintenance.

● The best investment your city can make!

Message from the Chair

A Salute to Our Most Valuable Asset: Our Members

“Our greatest resource isn’t revenue or conferences, operator schools or membership dues. Although each of these things are important, our greatest resource is YOU, our members”

It’s difficult to believe that this is my final Chair’s message for the Breeze. It’s likely that every Chair before me has said something similar, but the leadership year goes by so quickly! Just as I feel that I’ve gotten up to speed on everything happening, it’s time to turn the gavel over to our next leader.

It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve as Chair of the Minnesota Section AWWA. After years of participating as a Committee member, Council Chair, and Board Member, I wanted to help guide the Section forward through its continued growth, both financially and organizationally. This year, we focused on being more strategic as a Board and an organization. Our aim is to be more deliberate in setting goals and priorities so that the Section achieves its mission with the best use of its resources.

Our greatest resource isn’t revenue or conferences, operator schools or membership dues. Although each of these things are important, our greatest resource is YOU, our members. Members and active volunteers make the MN Section such a vibrant and successful Section of AWWA because you represent water professionals from such a diverse range of backgrounds and skill sets. And no matter what community, education level, age, ethnicity or economic circumstances, MN AWWA members are collectively passionate about providing safe water to our fellow Minnesotans.

I hope to see many of you at our AWWA Annual Conference in Duluth. As the former Conference Council Chair, the event in Duluth holds a special place in my heart and mind. I’ve always been proud of the quality technical presentations on our program, the array of products and services showcased by our vendors, not to mention the many activities and opportunities we offer for networking during the Conference. I know how hard our conference volunteers work to make the event a success, so I hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to participate in our annual event.

I want to take a moment to thank the Executive Committee and the entire Board for their support and assistance during my tenure, and I would like to thank you, members, for the opportunity to serve as your

Section Chair. It’s been an honor leading the Section, and I know that our incoming Chair, Doug Klamerus, will do a great job next year and will carry our initiatives forward. Be well, be safe, and here’s to creating a better Minnesota through better water! •

Robert Isabel

WATER WATER

TREATMENT'S TREATMENT'S TOTAL TOTAL SOLUTION SOLUTION

Best-in-Class

Process-Pump-Flow Control Equipment

Custom

Chemical Feed Skids

Local Service and Product Support

Proudly Serving

Municipal & Industrial Markets

Message from the Director

Cheers to Clean Water

It is a professional milestone and honor to write to you as the new Director of the Minnesota Section of the AWWA. I am deeply humbled by the trust and confidence placed in me by the membership of this great organization. Thank you to past Director Eric Volk for his mentorship, leadership, and friendship. We are a better organization because of your service.

Not sure if anyone can effectively ‘settle into the role’ of director; as most past Directors will convey, the time goes very quickly, and progress on the ‘to-do list’ never gets to the final task. As part of this role, communicating the importance of community, shared goals, and collective action top my ‘to-do list.’

My path to the position of Section Director wasn’t a result of any grand gestures, but rather consistent involvement and dedication to the water profession and Section. Through incremental efforts in volunteering and participation at a District, Section, and now Association level, I have learned of the depth and breadth of our Association and the impact we can make working together.

The Annual Conference provides an excellent forum to discuss and move forward on the important issues. The Conference is more than a gathering of professionals; it’s a strategic opportunity. For both seasoned members and newcomers, this event provides a platform to engage in meaningful dialogue, shared expertise, and understand the nuances of the world of water.

One focus of the annual Conference is to provide members an opportunity to determine their place within our committees. Each committee serves a critical role in advancing the mission of AWWA, and by finding your fit, you can channel your expertise and passion. It cannot be emphasized strongly enough: WE NEED YOU.

I strongly encourage all attendees to explore our committees; many are hosting meetings that week, and your attendance is welcome and appreciated (check the online schedule to learn more). Ask questions, and discover where you can make an impact. The collaborative environment of the Conference, amplified by the surroundings of Lake Superior, offers the perfect backdrop for you to contribute and grow in the organization.

While the Conference is a space to engage in dialogue that shape our local water future, it’s also an opportunity to discuss and align with national initiatives, most notably AWWA’s Water 2050.

Water 2050 isn’t merely a vision; it’s an actionable blueprint for the water community’s next three decades. With sustainability, technology, economics, governance, and social/demographics as its core drivers, this initiative calls for an inclusive approach. AWWA’s series of think tanks surrounding this initiative serve as hubs of innovation, drawing expertise from within and outside the water sector. Now, as

Patrick Shea

“By finding your fit, you can channel your expertise and passion. It cannot be emphasized strongly enough: WE NEED YOU. ”

we transition into the implementation phase, there is a profound opportunity for all members to contribute.

In the spirit of unity and collaboration, I urge attendees of our conference to explore involvement in both local committees and the broader Water 2050 initiative. Whether you’re inclined towards education, conference planning, policymaking, technological advancements, sustainability, or any other facet, there’s a space for your expertise and passion.

To truly make an impact, our actions must resonate at all levels. As we gather for the Conference, let’s embrace the opportunity to not only refine our local strategies, but also align them with the goals of Water 2050.

This organization remains deeply rooted and committed to water in Minnesota. We take pride in our responsibilities and influence as it extends far beyond our collective strength as a Section and Association. This is not possible without the individual contributions of our members. The future of water is a shared vision, and together, through local action and national collaboration, we can pave the way for a sustainable, resilient, and prosperous water future.

I look forward to discussing these pivotal topics and more over the next three years as I serve the role of Director for MN-AWWA. Together, let’s shape the narrative of water for Minnesota. •

don’t hire

who are “good enough.”

design lets us help you be fully-integrated in the design

and get what truly works for

Seibert, ead BIM/Revit Specialist

EPA’s Research Vessel Lake Guardian Begins 40th Annual Sampling of Great Lakes

source: epa.gov

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s largest research vessel, the Lake Guardian, has begun its annual spring sampling survey of water quality and biological life in the Great Lakes. This year marks the 40th anniversary of EPA’s spring and summer water quality surveys in the Great Lakes. In 1983, EPA started annual sampling in Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie; Lakes Ontario and Superior were added to the annual survey thereafter.

“Samples of water, sediment and lower food-web organisms are collected at designated stations throughout Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario and Superior.”

The Lake Guardian conducts sampling surveys on all five Great Lakes in the spring, when the water is cold and well-mixed, and in the summer, when the surface waters are warm and the lakes are stratified. Samples of water, sediment and lower foodweb organisms are collected at designated stations throughout Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario and Superior. Since 1983, the surveys have provided the only existing set of data with 40 yearsworth of water quality sampling information across all five Great Lakes. This dataset helps EPA identify Great Lakes ecosystem trends over the 40-year timeframe.

During this spring survey, scientists will study nutrient concentrations, algae, and zooplankton communities, as well as the diversity of the Great Lakes microbial community.

Participating scientists are from:

• EPA Great Lakes National Program Office

• U.S. Geological Survey

• Cornell University

• Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth

• Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education

• Michigan Tech Research Institute

• University of Chicago

• Cleveland State University

• Purdue University

The Great Lakes National Program Office’s water quality and biology monitoring surveys help EPA fulfill its monitoring and assessment commitments as specified in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between Canada and the United States and in the U.S. Clean Water Act. The Lake Guardian is funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, launched in 2010 to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the world’s largest system of fresh surface water.

Contact Allison Lippert (lippert.allison@epa.gov) for more details on how to get involved. •

The Lake Guardian docked at Chicago’s Navy Pier. Photo courtesy of U.S. EPA.

Industry News

Minnesota Goes to Washington DC: Water Matters! Fly In

Scott Anderson, Chair AWWA MN Section Water Utility Council and Naeem Qureshi, Client Service Manager Sambatek, participated in a fly-in to Washington DC in March 2023 organized by AWWA Washington DC Office. Both Scott and Naeem contacted and met with members of our congressional delegation staff to discuss issues faced by the water industry. The issues discussed included.

• Per-Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) Liability Exemption Water utilities must meet PFAS standards for drinking water and the disposal of waste products may be designated as a hazardous substance under Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). We advocated support of explicit legislative exemption liability under CERCLA for water systems.

• Invest in Nation Water Infrastructure Support full funding of Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) and Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, at or above the authorized amount. Stop the practice of taking funding for earmarks (FY 2023 53% of DWSRF) out of annual State Revolving Fund appropriations. Restore the tax-exempt benefits of refunding of municipal bonds.

Support Source Water Protection

Protect the 10% set aside for source water protection in the upcoming Farm Bill and ensure that 10% set side applies to conservation funds.

Build Cyber Resilience in the Water Sector

Authorize EPA to recognize a New Risk and Resilience Organization to develop minimum cyber security requirements like North American Electric Reliability Council for electric utilities and provide for third party audits. Provide targeted funding for training and to support expediated implementation of important and timely cyber security projects.

A bill (HR 1837) was introduced in the Congress to restore the benefits of advance refunding of municipal bonds because of the Fly in. Recently another bill (S-1430), sponsored by seven senators, was introduced in the Senate to provide water utilities an exemption from CERCLA liability in the event of PFAS contamination from treatment byproducts. •

Naeem Qureshi and Scott Anderson with Senator Amy Klobuchar

Eective Corrosion Control Starts Here

Learn how to demystify corrosion control planning and implementation through AWWA’s Corrosion Control eLearning program. Geared toward utility staff, laboratory specialists, engineers, and regulators, this online education program will guide you all the way—from the chemistry of corrosion to performing a corrosion control evaluation. Courses are self-paced and may be completed on your own schedule.

• Course 1: Corrosion Control Theory and Treatment Options

• Course 2: Assessing Need for a Corrosion Control Evaluation

• Course 3: Performing a Corrosion Control Evaluation

• Course 4: (coming soon): Using a Corrosion Control Evaluation to Help Meet the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR)

Stay ahead of LCRR, become an expert on corrosion control theory and treatment, and help protect your community.

Real challenges require real solutions. WE DELIVER.

Bolton & Menk has provided professional design and construction engineering services for approximately 150 water towers and reservoirs. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution. We recognize that every project and client are unique and we treat them that way.

MWRF | Minnesota Water Research Fund

PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY

Partnership Opportunity

Water research conducted at the University of Minnesota is essential to the future of our cities, states, and nation –economically, socially and environmentally. Water resources touch virtually every aspect of our lives encompassing the water we drink, the quality of our streams and lakes, water supply and wastewater treatment, storm water management, and the infrastructure necessary to make it all work together.

GIVE NOW AND DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT:

$20,000 MATCH AVAILABLE!

Water research and training the next generation of water experts takes resources – your gift to the Minnesota Water Research Fund will make a difference. All gift commitments made by December 31, 2023, will be matched dollar for dollar (up to $20,000)! Organizations, private companies, and individuals are invited to join and be recognized at MWRF partnership levels.

MWRF PARTNERSHIP LEVELS

$2,500 Gold Partners receive:

¨ All benefits listed at Silver and Bronze levels (below)

¨ Opportunity to meet in person with MWRF funded researcher or tour lab, visit with CEGE department head and/or with MWRF Advisory Committee

¨ Your gift makes an impact by supporting MWRF’s short- and longterm goals ($1,500 to research project, $1,000 toward endowed water research chair)

$1,000 Silver Partners receive:

¨ All benefits listed at Bronze level (below)

¨ Annual recognition in CEGE newsletter

¨ Opportunity to receive a virtual water research update from funded researchers or MWRF Advisory Committee

$500 Bronze Partners receive:

¨ Recognition on MWRF webpage and in selected MWRF printed materials

¨ Recognition on MWRF conference table displays and slide decks

Join the growing list of organizations, private companies, and individuals supporting MWRF! Sign up online:

z.umn.edu/SponsorMNWaterResearch

MWRF RECOGNIZES OUR GENEROUS PARTNERS

Gold Partners

• Bernie Bullert

• SL-serco

Silver Partners

• American Waterworks Association - Minnesota Section

• CDM Smith

• Naeem Qureshi

• Karl and Pam Streed

• TKDA

Bronze Partners

• M.E. Simpson Co., Inc.

• Stantec

• Tenon Systems

• WSB •

Anoka Water Keeps Up with City’s Growth

By Stew Thornley, Minnesota Department of Health

For decades, Anoka was a free-standing city about 25 miles northwest of Minneapolis. The confluence of the Rum and Mississippi Rivers brought together pine logs, sawmills, and people to create a robust lumber industry, leading to the incorporation of Anoka in 1878.

Now part of the Twin Cities metropolitan area – by its own growth, but more by the development of swelling suburbs between the cities –Anoka has a population of just over 17,000. It is known for tornadoes (the nickname of the city’s high school) and pumpkins (as the self-proclaimed Halloween capital of the world), as well as being the hometown of luminaries ranging from Briana Scurry to Garrison Keillor.

Anoka retains an independent nature distinct from its neighboring communities. “The unique thing is, it’s like being in a small town,” says Mark Anderson, Anoka’s director of public services. “Everybody knows everybody, but it’s still connected to the metro.”

Independent and self-sufficient, Anoka has had a public water system for more than a century, first using the Rum River as a source.

Aerial photo shows the increased height and footprint of the addition to the water treatment plant. Below is an interior look of the addition.

Anoka Water Keeps Up with City’s Growth

A disease outbreak prompted the city to drill two wells and construct a building to house both water and electric operations. Remnants of the structure and wells still exist, although Anoka has moved on to have four water treatment facilities to serve six wells. Ranging in depth from 274 to 657 feet, and drawing from the Mt. Simon and Mt. SimonHinckley aquifers, the wells are in close proximity to the plants, which are spread out around the city.

All of the water plants contain pressure filters, consisting of silica and anthracite to remove iron and manganese, as well as radium. Three of the wells have radium issues, and the city operated under a compliance agreement with the Minnesota Department of Health for a few years.

The radium in the water was reduced through co-precipitation with the addition of hydrous manganese oxide (HMO). “Radium is actually really easy to remove,” said John Thom of SEH, Inc., which has worked with the city on the issue. “Raise the manganese level in the effluent in the wells, to the point that the radium will attach to the manganese. Then take that out.”

Blending is also used as a treatment technique, including at wells six and eight, which are within or near a treatment plant that is being expanded on the north side of the city, adjacent to Anoka High School and the municipal ice arena. In 2022, construction began for an expansion of this plant.

The project will entail two more pressure filters, doubling the plant’s capacity, as well as a laboratory, chemical-feed room, office, and a restroom (precluding the need for employees to make frequent visits to a nearby Casey’s store). In addition, the utility is switching from gas to liquid chlorine. “With the high school next door, it makes sense for safety reasons,” said water superintendent Pete Klingenberg.

While the number of filters is doubling, the structure size will be many times that. The footprint of the expansion is much larger than

Marcus Mihelich, Donny Roseth, and Pete Klingenberg in front of the filters in the existing plant.

Little space exists above the filters in the current plant.

Well 5 inside the existing plant.

Anoka Water Keeps Up with City’s Growth

that of the existing plant, and the ceiling height will be greater. “That will make for easier maintenance,” said Donny Roseth, the facility’s main operator. “It’s pretty tight now with not much extra room.”

“They should be commended for being pro-active and planning for the future,” said Minnesota Department of Health district engineer, Brian Noma.

Financed through bonding, the $6.9 million expansion will feature other changes, including a change from pneumatic to electric valves, pumps, and a change from the effluent traveling down and out, under the building. “Now it will go up and out,” said Thom, “which makes it easier to tie in with the new filters.”

The new filters were installed in the spring of 2023 with completion expected by the end of the year.

“We’re going to increase our ability to treat water and meet all the growth that the city will see in the next 10 years,” said Anderson. “This will be our main plant. We still have a number of other wells, but this will do our heavy lifting.” •

has revolutionized dechlorination of potable water during field applications such as hydrant flushing, reservoir overflows, in-line backwash lines, splashpads, waste water flow,

new main installations, pipeline sanitizing.

What you get with Vita-D-Chlor:

Pair it with ZDe-Chlorinator equipment, designed specifically to work with Vita-D-Chlor Tablets, and you have a perfect setup for hydrant flushing and in-line applications.

• 100% organic and environmentally safe

• Does not reduce oxygen levels in water

• Instantaneous reaction time with total chlorine in water

• Operator safety in product handling

• Available in both tablet and granular forms

The original water treatment facility, opened in 1889, is now idle on the banks of the Rum River.

Pressure filters and the original well inside the now-idle plant.

•

•

•

•

•

•

Cybersecurity: What Water Utility Leaders and Professionals Should Know

AWWA can help systems of all sizes, with essential planning resources to start your water utility on the path to cyber resilience. Clarify your exposure to cyber risks, set priorities, and execute an appropriate and proactive cybersecurity strategy.

Connect And Collaborate With Your Water Industry Peers

There’s nothing quite like working with others to find solutions to shared challenges. AWWA members are a community of water professionals who are dedicated to the world’s most important resource. In member value surveys, respondents state that connecting and collaborating with others in the industry is the primary reason they are a member.

Join AWWA and start connecting today! awwa.org

Would Da Vinci Have Been an AWWA Member?

By Mona Cavalcoli

“

You can take me out of the country, but you can’t stop me from thinking about water.” While on vacation in France at the beginning of May, I definitely unplugged from my day-to-day work, but my mind was still drawn to things related to water. I was constantly trying to pull off the road to take pictures of French water towers; and I startled my dad by shouting out “that’s my water utility!” as we were passed by a Veolia service truck while driving in Normandy (I would have tried to snap a picture had I not been driving!).

I also had an unexpectedly water-rich experience while visiting Chateau Clos de Luce, where Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) spent his final years. My dad and I spent a few days in the Loire Valley, which you may know as home to some of France’s most magnificent castles, or ‘chateaux.’ As my dad and I both love science, art and history, we elected to visit Leonardo’s home, and explore the museum and park there, which features life-sized replicas of Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions. I knew he was a prolific artist, architect and inventor, but even I didn’t realize the scope of his work related to water.

“Leonardo was fascinated by the properties of water at both the micro and macro level, and accurately described the hydrological cycle— the endless loop of evaporation, condensation and precipitation that binds our global water supply.”1 Many pages of the Codex Leicester a compilation of Leonardo’s writings, focus primarily on the earth and its waters – this codex is almost totally dedicated to an indepth study of a sole theme: the study of water.

“Currents, whirlpools, waves, heads, canals, banks, locks, dams, tunnels, projects for docks, for land reclamation, lists of machines for making use of the energy supplied by water and projects for the use of water for military purposes, take up most of the illustrations, accompanied by texts dense with theories, propelling that great

Would Da Vinci Have Been an AWWA Member?

leap forward which science was to make from the Renaissance on.” He recognized the relationship between flow speed and pressure in water, principles that underlie airplane wings and venturi injectors. (In turn, the inventor of the venturi tube, Giovanni Venturi, turned the world’s attention to Leonardo as a scientist –not just an artist – in 1797).1

I was amazed by the number of drawings, writings, and inventions that illustrated how ahead of his time Da Vinci was. In the Chateau itself, we were able to see small scale versions of his work, including:

• a model of his work connecting a water wheel to an Archimedean screw to draw water

• a drawing and model of a hydraulic turbine

• a drawing and model of a machine to pump water and empty bilge in a ship

• scuba gear, flotation devices, and even shoes to walk on water

• models and machines for motion, including the precursor to modern cars, helicopters and parachutes

• models and machines for war, including a tank, machine guns, and giant crossbows

The time we spent exploring this fascinating history made me think about the impact it has had on the world of water that we now inhabit. Fundamental tools and machines that are part of how we treat and deliver water have their origins in the knowledge-seeking minds of those who walked centuries before us. And while we focus much of our attention

on new products, techniques, services, or technologies that will shape the future of things, what knowledge and experience should we take from the past? And how will we shape the minds to come centuries after us?

I hope you’ll take my thoughts of the history of water and then I encourage you to take time to read about Water2050 and AWWA’s initiative to think and strategize about the future of water. We can marvel and appreciate the past – but we have only one choice, and that is to move forward into the future.

1 From “Opinion: What Leonardo da Vinci can teach us about water;” J. Lauria; “Waterworld,” June 2018 issue. •

12016 RIVERWOOD DR, BURNSVILLE, MN 55337 ( 952 ) 242-1960

SALES@METERTECHSOLUTIONS.COM

www.MeterTechSolutions.

Minnesota Riparian Project

Project Improves Water Quality

source: USDA Forest Service

“Ultimately, maintaining and enhancing tree canopy to reduce water temperatures and stabilize soil sediments will improve water quality.”

Acollaborative partnership used a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) grant to restore more than 600 acres of riparian forest, improving water quality and forest resilience along Minnesota’s waterways.

Forest quality along many North Shore streams and riverbanks has been degraded in recent years, with heavy growth of hazel and alder brush and a lack of continuous forest canopy. This is compounded by a balsam fir die-off caused by spruce budworm infestations, according to The Nature Conservancy (TNC), which is leading the project.

The work took place on about 90 miles of stream and riverbank bordering Lake Superior’s tributaries in Lake and Cook counties, on both state and county land, as well as privately

owned conservation easement land. There, contractors planted more than 29,000 oneto two-year-old tree seedlings that will grow to maintain the tree canopy in critical riparian areas and reduce soil sediments entering Lake Superior’s tributaries.

More than 3,000 acres of riparian areas in forest gaps were also enhanced through the project. Trees were planted in forest canopy gaps along streambanks where the forest was degraded, specifically heavily brushy spots or areas impacted by spruce budworm-related die-off.

Planting conifers will help to stabilize stream banks and decrease erosion. It will also provide shade to streams to maintain the cool water necessary for trout habitat. Ultimately, maintaining and enhancing tree canopy to reduce water temperatures and stabilize soil sediments will improve water quality.

These newly planted trees contain a mixture of conifers and deciduous species

such as red oak, bur oak and yellow birch. Together, they serve to enhance the forest’s climate resiliency. After planting, the project provides for follow-up maintenance of the trees.

TNC’s goal of restoring 30,000 acres in the Lake Superior watershed aligns well with the key strategy focusing on riparian buffers as outlined in Lake Superior North One Watershed, One Plan.

As part of the project, the North Shore Forest Collaborative hosted a landowner workshop in August 2022 focusing on the work done on private landowner conservation easement properties. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) also helped coordinate with private landowners who have conservation easements.

The collaboration between TNC, the state counties, Minnesota DNR, private landowners and others furthers state

When you partner with MSA, it’s more than a project. It’s a commitment.

If it involves water, MSA Professional Services has the expertise to address it. Big or small, we do whatever it takes to meet each need, working to make Minnesota municipalities stronger in the process.

DULUTH | ST.PAUL www.msa-ps.com

plans for water quality, climate change resilience, landscape connectivity and fish and wildlife habitats.

“TNC is pleased that through this project we have been able to work with public and private partners to enhance these resources along the North Shore of Lake Superior,” said Hannah Friesen-Holmes, TNC project coordinator. “Forests and fresh water are integral components of healthy ecosystems in northern Minnesota.”

Forests naturally provide valuable services to ecosystems by filtering out water and air impurities, and they take in carbon in the form of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The USDA Forest Service is providing $200,000 in GLRI grants for the project, which is matched by $53,305 in direct funding and in-kind services from TNC and Minnesota DNR.

“This project is an outstanding example of how the Forest Service’s GLRI grant program can be used to increase forest resilience and positively impact water resources in the Great Lakes basin,” said Ryan Toot, the Forest Service Eastern Region acting regional forest stewardship landowner assistance program manager.

Project results at a glance:

• Stream miles impacted: 91

• Approximate acres enhanced (assuming 2.5 acres of enhancement per gap): 3,135

• Additional riparian acres affected by large-scale planting: 76.5

• Total gaps planted: 1,254

• Trees planted in gaps: 12,540 (at 10 trees per gap)

• Additional trees planted in large-scale plantings adjacent to riparian areas: 64,150 The project was awarded in 2020 and completed in 2022, though there are plans underway to continue the work there. •

EPA ANNOUNCES FINANCIAL CAPABILITY GUIDANCE TO SUPPORT COMMUNITIES AND ENSURE CLEAN, AFFORDABLE WATER

The U.S. EPA announced its updated Clean Water Act Financial Capability Assessment (FCA) Guidance to help communities ensure public health protections and financial feasibility as they make plans to comply with the Clean Water Act (CWA). The Guidance outlines strategies for communities to follow to support affordable rates while planning investments in water infrastructure essential to protecting our Nation’s waters.

“EPA is committed to ensuring all communities have access to clean water and critical water services. We also recognize that a growing number of people struggle to afford their water bills,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “The updated FCA Guidance provides a better process to assess communities’ ability to afford water quality improvements, and also highlights a variety of tools, including assistance programs, grants, and subsidized

loans, to help communities plan and pay for necessary water infrastructure improvements.”

When discharges from municipal wastewater treatment facilities violate the CWA, EPA sets a schedule for the municipality to implement control measures to address the discharges as soon as possible. When negotiating CWA compliance schedules, EPA considers public health, environmental protection, and a community’s financial capability. The FCA Guidance

EPA is committed to ensuring all communities have access to clean water and critical water services. We also recognize that a growing number of people struggle to afford their water bills.

outlines the financial information and formulas used to assess a community’s financial ability to make the needed water infrastructure investments essential for CWA implementation. The FCA Guidance is also used to evaluate the economic impacts

on public entities of certain water quality standards (WQS) decisions.

For communities seeking extended CWA compliance schedules or certain changes to water quality standards, the updated FCA Guidance provides a clear

process to demonstrate financial capability and ensure that a financial strategy is in place to support needed infrastructure upgrades without overburdening their most vulnerable ratepayers. The updated FCA Guidance also contains new measures that provide a

The FCA Guidance recognizes that a variety of factors should be included in CWA schedule negotiations and encourages communities to bring their individual circumstances to those discussions.

better description of a community’s ability to afford water services, including communityspecific poverty factors that are available and easy to find from census data. The FCA Guidance incorporates feedback from nearly 3,000 comments received during the public

comment period and provides clear, stepby-step instructions for evaluating financial capability, including options for communities with less capacity.

The FCA Guidance is a starting point for negotiations and is not legally binding.

The FCA Guidance recognizes that a variety of factors should be included in CWA schedule negotiations and encourages communities to bring their individual circumstances to those discussions. If a community has additional information that justifies a longer schedule than the general schedule benchmarks, this information can be submitted to EPA. Where appropriate, this information can result in different schedules than those suggested by the baseline analysis in the FCA Guidance.

The updated FCA Guidance provides ideas for working within legal boundaries and broadly consider how to minimize rate impacts to residents. For example, the FCA Guidance provides links to resources for obtaining available federal funding or for establishing programs to help low-income customers. In addition, EPA’s Water Finance Center can connect communities to technical assistance providers who can help with rate design and analysis, asset management planning, identifying sources of funding, and/or developing State Revolving Fund applications.

The Updated FCA Guidance supersedes the 1997 Guidance for Financial Capability Assessment and Schedule Development to evaluate a community’s capability to fund CWA control measures in both the permitting and enforcement context. The FCA Guidance also supplements the public sector sections of the 1995 Interim Economic Guidance for Water Quality Standards to assist states and authorized tribes in assessing the degree of economic and social impact of potential WQS decisions.

During a 60-day public comment period on the proposed FCA Guidance, EPA received nearly 3,000 public comments from a wide range of stakeholders, including local governments, state governments, utilities and municipalities, environmental organizations, NGOs, and private citizens. The final FCA Guidance has been informed by the input provided during the comment period. •

AWWA STANDARDS

CREDIBILITY & LONGEVITY

When you turn to AWWA Standards, count on:

Since the first American Water Works Association (AWWA) committee on product standardization was formed in 1881, we have been on the forefront of product and operations standards for the water community. From our first official standard released in 1908 to the formation of the AWWA Standards Council in 1920, to the 190+ standards we’ve produced to-date, we’ve been a constant expert resource.

190+

Standards

100+

Years of the AWWA Standards Council’s dedicated service to public health

1600

Volunteer subject matter experts

72

60+ Nearly

Committees

AWWA Manuals of Practice

From source to storage, from treatment to distribution, AWWA Standards cover all areas of water treatment and supply.

Learn more about AWWA Standards and get involved: www.awwa.org/standards

Breeze is made possible by the companies below who convey their important messages on our pages. We thank them for their support of The Minnesota Section of the American Water Works Association (MN AWWA) and its publication, and encourage you to contact them when making your purchasing decisions. To make it easier to contact these companies, we have included the page number of their advertisement, their phone number, and, where applicable, their website.

Maximizing Performance and Longevity

Your Partners for Valve Solutions for Water and Wastewater Systems

The Vessco/DeZURIK team of technical experts can provide the valuable advice and support you need on the selection, installation and maintenance of valves and related equipment for your water and wastewater systems.

Our broad catalog of valves includes

• Eccentric Plug Valves

• AWWA Butterfly valves

• Check Valves

• Pump Control Valves

• Surge Relief Valves

• Air Valves

• Pinch Valves

• Knife Gate Valves

These quality brands, combined with in-depth expertise of our technical team, uniquely positions us to provide options for systems that operate efficiently, effectively and reliably.

Contact us today for valve solutions that provide superior performance and value. Vessco.com

DeZURIK.com