Where the Buffalo Roam

Irecently attended the AWWA Region 3 RMSO in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Being my first experience in the Black Hills, I found the atmosphere and experience richly rewarding. What was interesting though was the diverse background brought forward by each of the section officers who attended. Each group had similar but different issues facing the water industry within their Section. Indiana seems to be leading the charge on several fronts including requiring an Asset Management Plan to be completed and submitted to obtain State Revolving funds (SRF). We seem to be proactive in giving marching orders to our communities on completing service inventory and I cannot forget the start of discussion on PFAS.

Which brings me to the meat of my takeaway from the RMSO event in which I would like to highlight two topics. The first being lead services and the second being Water 2050. Although many topics were discussed during the RMSO event including PFAS, licensed operators, and on and off boarding staff as they transition into and retire out of the water industry.

As many of you throughout the state are aware the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) requires each Indiana community to complete a service inventory and submit the information to IDEM by October 16, 2024. The intent is to collect data on the amount of lead services in your community and throughout Indiana. This does not require you, currently, to start replacing lead services but it does help each community identify the level of staff, time and money required to remove lead from your systems. More importantly it is a start to develop a road map on removing lead from your system. Simple request with varying consequence for each community. Several communities have no lead. Others have a good history and can easily complete the inventory. Some communities will struggle to complete the inventory requirement. Please do not wait till 2024 to start the inventory requirement. Sit down with your staff develop a game plan, ask for assistance, and filter through the requirement in 2023 leading into 2024.

My second topic is Water 2050. What will the water industry look like in 2050? To be honest, 2050 isn’t that far away and as fast as technology is changing where will we be? I know in Indiana regionalization is a hot topic. Will this continue forward? You can bet on it! How about our staff and licensed operators. More is placed upon them with limited resources. 27 years from now these skill sets will be enhanced, more efficient equipment will have been developed, and the demand for trained personnel will be at an all-time high. Utility management will evolve just as we are seeing today. Management will focus on efficiency in the operations, maximizing resources, and rates will be determined by asset management plans. If I was starting out at 19 again? Yes, I would step directly into a utility job because the opportunity and growth are there to support my family. We are evolving! Thank you for your time!