TEX Sh2o | Winter 2019 |
The Official Newsletter of the Texas Section AWWA | Every Drop, Every Day, Everywhere©
TWDB’s New Public Water System Service Area Boundary Viewer Application Page 3
All-Woman Committee is a Unique Mix Page 9
What Makes a Utility Resilient? Page 10
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TWDB’s New Public Water System Service Area Boundary Viewer Application BY BILL BILLINGSLEY water use & planning data manager at the texas water development board
A
thorough understanding of municipal water use is one of the building blocks of Texas’ regional water planning process. With the state’s evergrowing population (among other factors), the service area boundaries for many water utilities continue to change. In partnership with the United States Geological Survey, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) recently introduced an online mapping application to house the active water service boundaries for all retail water suppliers in Texas and to serve as a hub for related water utility information. The Texas Water Service Boundary Viewer (Viewer) operates in conjunction with the TWDB’s annual Water Use Survey and allows utility personnel to review and propose modifications to their boundaries every year. Accurate service area boundary information is integral to developing municipal water use estimates
and population projections, which are essential to the regional water planning process and the development of the 2022 State Water Plan. Historically, there has not been a complete up-to-date map of the more than 4,500 public water systems in Texas. Now, when a utility provides their annual Water Use Survey data to the TWDB, they will be asked to also upload, edit, add, or verify their retail service area boundaries through the Viewer. The application is updated nightly to include any TWDB-approved boundary updates, and each system’s boundary displays the date of the last update. The Viewer is available to the public to view system boundaries and related reports, but it also provides many benefits to planners and local decision makers. With supplemental information such as historical Water Use Survey data and a direct link to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s Drinking Water Watch, it ultimately serves as a one-stop data portal for water system information in Texas. The Viewer has a host of other potential benefits to the water planning process, including more accurate water use gallons per capita daily (GPCD) data, improving utility-level population projections, as well as visually evaluating the characteristics of service areas for existing development and potential build-out. The Viewer also helps Groundwater Conservation Districts compare the groundwater pumping data reported within their boundaries to volumes reported by CONTINUED PAGE 28 | twdb
www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2019 | 3 |
| letter from the texas section chair |
Looking Back on 2019 Texas Section American Water Works Association P.O. Box 80150 Austin, Texas 78708 www.tawwa.org Elston Johnson, Chair 512-809-7552 Melissa Bryant, Chair-Elect 210-302-3611 Theresa H. Pedrazas, Vice-Chair 512-338-2850 Ron Tamada, Imm. Past Chair 469-499-6152 Mike Howe Executive Director/Secretary-Treasurer 512-238-9292 Fax: 512-238-0496 mikehowe@tawwa.org This publication is distributed bi-monthly to the more than 3,500 members and friends of the Texas Section – American Water Works Association. Contributing writers can contact the editor: Cliff Avery GCP Association Services, LLC PO Box 676 Pflugerville, TX 78691 512-251-8101 Fax: 512-251-8152 texwater@texas.net The publication name, TexasH2O: © 1996-2019 Texas Section – American Water Works Association, Inc. © 2019 Texas Section – American Water Works Association, Inc.
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BY ELSTON JOHNSON texas section chair
I
t is hard to believe that we are winding down 2019 and rushing quickly into 2020. I am truly amazed at all the activity going on in the association, section and chapters. I am honored to be apart of such an active and vibrant organization. I wanted to take this opportunity to recap some of the highlights of 2019 and what to look forward to in 2020. The year started with continuing the ELSTON JOHNSON planning for the return of Texas Water to 512-809-7552 Houston. In January, the planning committee elston@ejohnsonconsulting.com toured the Houston Convention Center to get a feel for the facility and what to expect during the conference. After the conference facility walk through, the planning process kicked into high gear to get everything ready. In February, amid the planning for Texas WaterTM 2019, the Section held a strategic planning workshop to drive the effort of evaluating the current goals and mission of the section. Charlie Anderson is still leading the charge to help determine the direction of the Section. The strategic planning effort is ongoing and working in sync with the AWWA strategic planning efforts as part of AWWA 2020. In March, the Section leadership joined other sections and the Water Utility Council in the annual Fly-In to Washington, D.C. The Fly-In provides AWWA members an opportunity to meet with the Texas Congressional Delegation about issues in the water industry. One of the most important pieces of legislation for the water industry to come out of congress in recent history is the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill that allocates a significant amount of funding for agricultural conservation practices that protect sources of drinking water. The effort put in by AWWA in partnership with USDA in 2018, including the meetings during the Fly-In, was a major factor in the passage of the bill. The passage of the Farm Bill started a project that Daniel Nix is spear heading, coordinating the coordination activities with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) in Texas. Those activities have culminated in a plan to spend a portion of the Conservation title money on CONTINUED PAGE 31 | letter from the texas section chair
| 4 | WINTER 2019 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org
| executive director report |
Getting to the Source of the Problem BY MIKE HOWE tawwa executive director
T
ry this. Google “Source water for granted.” When you do, you get a whole list of stories, some better than others, about how we need to stop taking the quality of source water "for granted." Some of the articles are: • Do We Take Water for Granted (Ah, yes, we do) • Not Everyone has the Opportunity to Take Water for Granted (Over 2 million people in the U.S. don’t have that luxury.) • Stop Taking Water for Granted and Know What You’re Drinking (It’s not a finite source) • Stop Taking Water for Granted (It’s only been since after WWII that many communities had reliable water systems) OK. You get the idea. Lots of folks make some pretty substantial arguments that we should not take source water, or for that matter, water in general, "for granted." But we both know that for as long as I can remember, and certainly in the thirty-three years I have been deeply swimming in water (yeah, I really did that), we in the water community have made it a point to just do the work and make the public think that every time they turn on the tap, then safe, clean water will gush forth, and they can go on about their daily business. Of course, until that doesn’t happen. Then they are really, ah, starts with a 'p' but I’ll just say—"upset." Of course, this can happen due to natural disasters like hurricanes or giant rain events (expect more of those). Without question, there are any number of things water utilities can’t control. We call them All Hazards Consequences, and many of them are truly outside of a utilities manager’s control. If you don’t run the power company, you can’t control the electricity to your system. Or, if a "rain bomb" occurs, the effects of flooding could wipe out your operations (again, kudos to Houston for keeping the
| 6 | WINTER 2019 TEXASh2o
water system running during Harvey. We know not everyone was that fortunate.) You know all this stuff. But, to cut to the heart of the issue, knowing this stuff, and doing something about it are not totally out of your control. MIKE HOWE If your utility serves more 512-238-9292 mikehowe@tawwa.org than 3,300 customers, sometime in between this March and the next two years or so, you will need to do a substantial All Hazards Risk Assessment of your utility followed six months later with a new Emergency Response Plan to address those risks. For many years through our TXWARN Program, we have addressed All Hazards Consequence Management. Early in December, we presented a webcast with a series of tools and information to help you with your pending and Federally required assessments, including the cyber assessments. In the future, we will provide additional training on Emergency Response Plans. If you would like to view the recent webcast, go to our website at www.tawwa.org, upper left, to register to view the recording (also, see page 10). But there is another and equally important issue we are helping to address in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the USDA State Conservationist. It is how utilities can become partners in protecting their own source water. You all can recall the numerous instances when water systems were "out of business" due to contamination of source water. Remember Lake Erie CONTINUED PAGE 30 | executive director report
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| desert mountain chapter |
All-Woman Committee is a Unique Mix BY VALERIE EDGREN multimedia coordinator for parkhill, smith & cooper, inc.
B
ecause water is a precious resource, especially in the Southwest, more and more professionals are becoming dedicated to bettering their community through the industry. The Desert Mountain Chapter of Texas AWWA represents a great cross-section of engineering fields. The committee, which happens to be all female, has two engineering minds in water resources, a chemist, and a woman who oversees educational outreaches in the field. For example, Kimberly LaBree, Chapter President, has seen the need for people to have access to clean water.
"Knowing that I can help people with that need, a need that is a basic necessity to people, is what keeps my passion going," she said. She wanted to be a structural engineer but fell in love with the water field. She has worked on and managed projects as small as designing water and wastewater systems for Canutillo, Texas, to as large as the award-winning T-Bar Ranch project in Midland, Texas. LaBree is a professional engineer and Project Manager with Parkhill, Smith & Cooper Inc. in the El Paso office. She has a passion for getting clean water CONTINUED PAGE 14 | desert mountain chapter
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| resilience |
What Makes a Utility Resilient? BY KEVIN M. MORLEY awwa’s federal relations manager at the association’s government affairs office
R
esilience is defined by an array of indicators that characterize a desired end state or goal. According to Section 2013 of America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) of 2018, resilience is the "ability of a community water system or an asset … to adapt to or withstand the effects of a malevolent act or natural hazard without interruption to the asset’s or system’s function, or if the function is interrupted, to rapidly return to a normal operating condition."AWIA requires community water systems serving populations of 3,300 or more to perform two tasks: (1) conduct
a risk and resilience assessment and (2) pre- pare or revise an emergency response plan on a prescribed schedule every five years, starting in 2020. For more information, see Priority Action on Risk and Resilience, Journal AWWA, February 2019 (https://doi.org/10.1002/ awwa.1229). Drinking water and wastewater systems have been designed to be resilient given the critical functions they provide to the communities they serve. However, CONTINUED PAGE 21 | resilience
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| desert mountain chapter |
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 | desert mountain chapter to people in need. She specializes in finding the most costeffective ways of obtaining financing from various funding agencies. LaBree has planned, modeled and designed about 77 miles of pipeline. She earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from UTEP in 2012. "I do love engineering," she said. "I do love that we help people. It’s rewarding, giving people water for the first time." Protecting that water is what motivates Teresa T. Alcala, Chapter Vice President. A quality control chemist at the International Water Quality Laboratory, she is celebrating her 29th work anniversary with El Paso Water. She was born in El Paso and raised in Juarez, Mexico. Her love of natural sciences, biology and chemistry led her to pursue a degree from UTEP in microbiology with a minor in chemistry. El Paso Water readily hired her. She has risen from laboratory technician to chemist, then senior chemist, and now she is Assistant to the Laboratory Manager. "It has been my passion to serve the people of El Paso by doing my job with the principle in mind, that all that I do CONTINUED PAGE 17 | desert mountain chapter
The Desert Mountain Chapter leadership (clockwise from top left): Anai J. Padilla, Evelyn Rios, Kimberly LaBree and Teresa T. Alcala.
| 14 | WINTER 2019 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org
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| desert mountain chapter |
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 | desert mountain chapter contributes to protecting their health, with the understanding that water is a natural and vital resource that can eventually become scarce if we do not take care of it," she said. Alcala said she focused on microbiology testing at one of El Paso’s water plants. "I obtained the certification for our water bacteriological testing when the laboratory that I put together was stationed in one of the water plants." She proved she could master heavy metal analysis and instrumentation, developing methods for a new inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrophotometer. "Loving what I do, perseverance, research, dedication and self-motivation is what has helped me out throughout my career," she said. Evelyn Rios, Chapter Treasurer, is Assistant Engineer at Hazen and Sawyer, a 1,000-member nationwide firm. In El Paso, she has overseen designing a biofilter odor control system, helped with the design of
a chemical scrubber system, and helped retrofit an existing chemical scrubber system to meet clients’ needs. Rios is trained in BioWin and Transient modeling, which allows her to gather historical data and compile all the data to analyze it in models. "I got into the industry because it fascinates me a lot. I think it is the most beautiful thing in the world that we are able to treat wastewater into drinking water. It is the true definition of recycling. Also, because water is life. Without water, we would not survive. "I stay in the business because I enjoy designing and coming up with different ideas as to how to approach a problem. The water/wastewater industry is always different, although there might be the same problem. There is the flexibility to approach and solve the problem differently because you not only focus on one process, but you have to take into consideration the whole plant since it is a cause and effect situation." Anai J. Padilla, Chapter Secretary, has been the Manager of the Carlos M. Ramirez TecH2O Water CONTINUED PAGE 18 | desert mountain chapter
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www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2019 | 17 |
| desert mountain chapter |
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 | desert mountain chapter Resources Learning Center at El Paso Water since 1994. She was drawn to the field to provide customers the tools and knowledge to promote the efficient use of water in urban landscapes. In her 25 years with El Paso Water, she has administered various residential and commercial conservation programs, leading to a 30 percent reduction of water use per person. She also created a landscape CD-ROM guide of more than 400 plants, trees, flowers and vines suitable for the Chihuahuan desert region landscapes. It began with a grant from the Bureau of Reclamation and now is available as a webpage at www.elpasodesertblooms. org. Padilla is on the Texas AWWA Education Committee strategic planning for the next year, promoting the education section of the AWWA. She handles a wide range of workshops and public events to highlight and educate about regional water issues. She plans public events such as the Water Festival, which interlaces the sciences with arts and
culture to celebrate the importance of water in our daily lives. "I like to share my experiences as a Horticulturist so people can learn that conservation and having a beautiful landscape is achievable. I try to surround myself with very talented individuals because I also love to learn from others," Padilla said. "I love being a member of this group, where we all work toward a common goal.” The Desert Mountain Chapter serves three states — Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico. It also stands out because of the diversity of the committee, which in past years has been made up of engineers. The talents of the members seem to be pointing toward educational outreach. For example, the group is making plans for educational tours of local water facilities such as water plants and planning to encourage girls to get involved in Meter Madness, an AWWA contest measuring an individual’s skill at assembling a water meter quickly and accurately.
| 18 | WINTER 2019 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org
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| resilience | swift program| |
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 | resilience various incidents have revealed the need for a more strategic perspective to resilience that goes beyond some of the tactical actions typically defined in an emergency response plan. This need led to the development of the Utility Resilience Index (URI) as a means to provide an all-hazards, system-level assessment of resilience.
• Operational (O) indicators reflect the utility’s tactical capacity to react quickly and/or cope with various incidents that have the potential to disrupt service. • Financial (F) indicators reflect the utility’s fiscal capacity to react quickly and/or cope with various incidents that have the potential to disrupt revenue and costs. CONTINUED PAGE 22 | resilience
PUTTING THE URI INTO PRACTICE The URI is based on 12 indicators of resilience that a utility can readily and quickly assess to determine where potential gaps or opportunities exist to improve its capacity to respond and recover from an incident. These resilience indicators were selected based on findings from historical records, after-action reports, best practices, and lessons learned from multiple incidents. When considered as a whole, the indicators provide a snapshot of a utility’s resilience capacity. The URI includes two classes of indicators that either affect utility functions or the community served:
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| resilience |
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21 | resilience Let’s apply the URI to a medium-size mid-Atlantic utility that is considering AWIA and what actions may be beneficial after some close calls in recent years. The utility’s manager inputs the utility profile to the URI and finds the utility scored a 44 out of 100. What does that mean? It means there is a lot of opportunity for improvement, including accepting certain limitations that should inform strategies for alternatives, as it may not be feasible to "fix" all the limiting indicators. Consider the following URI inputs, as reflected in the accompanying table: O1: Emergency Response Plan (ERP) shows that while the utility has a plan, it hasn’t been exercised with tabletop or functional exercises. In addition, the utility hasn’t prepared any resource typing for its system that could help the utility’s staff determine what they may need to request from others and what they may be able to provide others during an incident. This is all about pre-incident planning and preparedness, which reduces the stress and chaos associated with an actual
incident. Training, exercises, and resource typing are examples of strategies, plans, and procedures that support the intent of AWIA’s ERP provisions. For more information, download AWWA’s new Water Sector Resource Typing Guidance manual at https:// bit.ly/2G7hczw. O2: National Incident Management System (NIMS) Compliance is voluntary, but it’s an eligibility requirement for certain federal homeland security grant programs. The utility has participated in basic awareness training available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). However, staff who are most likely to lead (i.e., the incident commander) would benefit from higher-level training to facilitate engagement with other stakeholders during a significant incident. Understanding the process for incident management tracking and documentation pre-incident is much better than learning it while trying to manage an emergency. CONTINUED PAGE 24 | resilience
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| resilience |
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22 | resilience O3: Mutual Aid and Assistance has been critical to water-sector resilience for years. The value of these agreements has been demonstrated time after time, spanning myriad incidents from hurricanes to earthquakes to blizzards. This utility is part of its state’s Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (WARN), which provides state-level support and means by which interstate mutual aid can be facilitated. O4: Emergency Power for Critical Operations is often the rate-limiting factor in recovery following an incident that affects power supply. This utility reports the ability to sustain power for critical operations for up to 24 hours, which is likely limited by fuel capacity. Regulation can also hamper investment in backup power generators, as their use during nonemergency periods often triggers stringent Clean Air Act limits. The cost of generators has made them a key shared resource among WARN utilities, especially in regions depending on multiple booster pump or lift stations. O5: Ability to Meet Minimum Daily Demand or
Treatment is at the core of a utility’s function. In the case of a drinking water system, how long can typical daily demand be sustained? The answer depends on a combination of finished water storage and, where applicable, the ability to service customers with gravity. Whatever the threshold, this represents a critical planning decision point at which alternative water supply options may become necessary. This is one of the new provisions in AWIA that a utility is expected to determine. Resources such as the USEPA’s report Planning for an Emergency Drinking Water Supply (https://bit.ly/32zADL0) can be used to assess options and consider how distribution would be achieved in coordination with state/local partners. In less than 24 hours this utility would be in crisis, which could be caused by source water contamination, cyanotoxins, or the plant’s physical impairment from a natural or man-made incident. This low threshold suggests that some critical planning is needed to ensure options to mitigate the impacts on the community are developed and ready to be implemented if necessary. AWIA requires systems to develop
| 24 | WINTER 2019 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org
| resilience | swift program| |
alternative source water options. O6: Critical Parts and Equipment is an important factor in recovery, especially in this era of just-in-time delivery. A robust asset management program may aid a utility considering this indicator. This utility has a moderate maintenance yard with a limited stock of critical spares, meaning it could take several weeks to locate and deliver a replacement. Mutual aid has facilitated the location and delivery of unique parts. It’s important to consider these limitations within a risk and resilience assessment, and staff knowledge should support preparation of a "what if" strategy if a spare part isn’t economically feasible. Resource typing can also help a utility assess the limitations of its capacity to assist others and identify resources it may need to request. O7: Critical Staff Resilience is the percentage of response-capable staff available for critical operations
and maintenance positions who have cross-trained backups. Given the size of this utility, there is a fair amount of cross-training—likely out of necessity. Utilities that have prepared for staffing outages for pandemic planning or work stoppage may have a higher level of capability in this category. F1: Business Continuity Plan (BCP) provides an indication of the integration of risk management into the utility’s culture. A BCP is often where/how a utility has addressed some level of cybersecurity risk management as part of a disaster recovery plan. In addition, a BCP is typically where continuity of enterprise functions like payroll and accounting are documented. This utility hasn’t developed a BCP, suggesting there is likely a need to address critical AWIA provisions related to securing cyber assets and financial infrastructure. CONTINUED PAGE 26 | resilience
www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2019 | 25 |
| resilience |
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 | resilience F2: Utility Bond Rating indicates a utility’s financial stability and capacity to repay debt. This utility has received a good rating from an independent bond agency, and the utility’s fiscal health is sound. F3: GASB Assessment entails determining how the utility has evaluated its infrastructure risk. Specifically, it determines how much of the system has undergone a condition assessment to evaluate the remaining life of its assets so rehabilitation and replacement investments can be properly considered with financial risk management plans. This utility has assessed a small proportion of its system, meaning it doesn’t have a complete estimate of prospective future financial obligations. F4: Unemployment and F5: Median Household Income are included to reflect the capacity of the community to react quickly and/or cope with various incidents that
have the potential to disrupt utility revenue and/or influence operational response. Research has demonstrated that communities with high levels of unemployment and low median household income are more vulnerable. Although a utility can’t directly alter such measures, it can provide key indicators of the potential impact a loss-of-service incident may have on the population served. LOOKING AHEAD Collectively, the URI provides a utility with a highlevel assessment of its general resilience status. Preparing the URI is also a good opportunity to consider risk and resilience management options to ensure AWIA compliance. Also, AWWA has developed free training on AWIA and offers resources that facilitate compliance, all of which are part of the association’s Utility Risk & Resilience Certificate Program (www.awwa.org/risk).
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MIKE AMBROZIAK, P.E. ■ 602.228.5040 mike@constructionproductmarketing.com
Keep up with the latest Section events at www.tawwa.org! | 26 | WINTER 2019 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org
| twdb |
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 | twdb utilities. Additionally, the application can link to valuable system contact information related to public health and emergency response. The TWDB plans to enhance the Viewer in the future with links to water loss audits, water conservation plan data, and socioeconomic information. The success of the Texas Water Service Boundary Viewer depends on the continued efforts of utility managers to verify and edit their system boundaries in conjunction with their submittal of the annual Water Use Survey. As the 2019 Water Use Survey reporting season opens in January 2020, the TWDB appreciates the continued involvement of local utilities by providing information that will help plan for dependable water supplies for Texas. For more information on the Texas Water Service Boundary Viewer, including frequently asked questions and a user guide, please visit http://bit.ly/ServiceBoundaryEditor.
BOLTED STEEL TANKS
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| 28 | WINTER 2019 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org
TEXAS COMMITTEE
SILENT AUCTION
Auction Donations Wanted!! Commit to donating at: www.txwater.org/wfp_auction_ submission_2020.cfm
All proceeds will benefit Water For People, a global non-profit bringing water and sanitation to every family, every school, and every clinic in which it works, forever!
Visit us at the Auction booth in the Exhibit Hall, or use Handbid to view and place bids!
BIDDING ENDS
1:15 PM Thursday, April 2
| executive director report |
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 | executive director report and Toledo? The issues of agricultural runoff into the source waters of utilities, and protection of source water from any negative impacts, has become more important than ever. AWWA has been leading the way in source water protection efforts and was successful in adding considerable funds to last year’s Farm Bill for this purpose. The legislation mandates that these funds are to be used to improve the land use around source waters of public water supplies. This is an ongoing effort with Texas AWWA and our USDA partners. If you were unable to watch our November webcast on Source Water Protection, you can watch it at no cost just by going to our website, www.tawwa.org, to learn more. Look in the upper left corner of the home page for the link. It was an eye-opening experience for this "city boy" and my hat is off to some of the amazing work being done by many, including the Tarrant Regional Water
District, LCRA and others. I invite you to take some time to watch it. I was most impressed by the cost analysis showing the relatively inexpensive efforts to protect source water compared to the potential treatment costs by the utility. You can also learn more if you Google USDA NRCS, but I’ll save you the trouble. Just go to https://www. nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/tx/home/ And, if you want to really "Get to the Source," be sure to register for the Largest Regional Water Conference in the U.S.©, Texas Water™ 2020, March 31-April 3, in Fort Worth. Just go to www.txwater.org in early January. It is your best source on everything water. I’ll see you there!
Want to see your ad here? Call Tracy at 512-251-8101 about advertising in TEXASh2o today!
NEW LOOK, SAME COMMITMENT TO INTEGRITY AND EXCELLENCE. For more than 40 years, Plummer has provided innovative water and wastewater services based on our founder’s principle ‘what’s best for the client is best for our company.’ Our name and logo signal a new era of growth rooted in cultivating client relationships through technical expertise and exceptional service. 817.806.1700 | www.plummer.com Alan Plummer Associates, Inc. is now Plummer.
Plummer provides intelligent solutions for water challenges — what can we solve for you?
| 30 | WINTER 2019 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org
| letter from the texas section chair |
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 | letter from the texas section chair source water protection projects in Texas. Texas WaterTM 2019 in Houston was a success. The conference had the highest turn out in Texas Water Conference to date with more than 5,000 in attendance. Attendees were treated to a great technical program, a busy and vibrant exhibit hall and wonderful events. After Texas Water, we jumped right into discussing the new section initiatives, like the revamping of the Small Systems committee and the new Resiliency and Cybersecurity committee with the State of the Section Webinar. After attending the AWWA Annual Conference and Exposition (ACE), the Section’s Education Division, led by Christianne Castleberry, held its second Catalyst Mastermind Conference on June 19-21 in San Antonio. The Catalyst Mastermind Conference helps to build a network of water educators/communicators around the state. The summer activity continued with the AWWA Summer Workshops. The Summer Workshops provide section leadership from across AWWA an opportunity to come together with the Association leadership to learn more about what’s going on at AWWA. While all the Section activity goes on, the chapters continue their great local programs. I had the opportunity to attend the Capital Area and Central Texas chapter meetings. I was very happy to see several enthusiastic meeting attendees and listen to some fantastic programs. The Capital Area Joint Summer Social with WEAT was also a very successful event, with many from both organizations taking an
engineers surveyors landscape architects www.tnpinc.com
Fort Worth 817.336.5773
Denton 940.383.4177
opportunity to hang out and have some fun. I also had the pleasure of spending some time in the metroplex in the fall. I was honored to participate in the Robert F. Pence Drinking Water Seminar 2019 with some very intelligent presenters and great food. Then just two short weeks later the AWWA Water Quality Technology Conference was held in Dallas. The local planning committee for that event put together an excellent program! Now here we are preparing for Texas WaterTM 2020 and the Conference Facility walk through. I am amazed at how quickly the year has passed. There are so many other chapter and section activities, beyond what I’ve been able to share in this message. The high level of activity is a reflection of a strong and vibrant Texas Section, driven by a committed and passionate membership. I am truly grateful to be part of the Texas Section of AWWA.
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www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2019 | 31 |
| new members |
TAWWA Welcomes New Members Joining Sept. 16–Nov. 30, 2019 Christopher Ackerman San Antonio, TX
Clifton Beene Carrollton, TX
Ryan Cottle Joshua, TX
David Adam Missouri City, TX
Mariah Benedick Pasadena, TX
David Cowan Wylie, TX
Julie Allegretti Amarillo, TX
Meredith Brown Austin, TX
Kendall Crawford Montgomery, TX
Anna Almaroad Fort Worth, TX
Robert Burgess North Richland Hills, TX
Eve Crockett Euless, TX
Wesley Alvey Houston, TX
Gary Carr Roanoke, TX
Kevin Cronin Carrollton, TX
Jesse Andrews San Antonio, TX
Chase Chandler Dallas, TX
Maryam Daneshparvar Dallas, TX
Ariana Arredondo College Station, TX
Gary Chauvin Austin, TX
Abby Davis Dallas, TX
Jorge Bastidas San Antonio, TX
City of Hudson Oaks Hudson Oaks, TX
Patricia Davis Pflugerville, TX
Mildred Bautista Dallas, TX
City of Willow Park Willow Park, TX
Justin Dean North Richland Hills, TX
Jim Becker Boerne, TX
Margaret Cockerell Houston, TX
Mark Denn Montgomery, TX
Raul DominguezRamirez Fort Worth, TX Chris Dunlop North Richland Hills, TX Mattie Engels Garland, TX Gregory Frank College Station, TX Bennie Frazier North Richland Hills, TX Peter Fyfe Houston, TX Laura Garber Spring, TX Arturo Garcia Laredo, TX Jacob Garcia Weatherford, TX Leandro Garcia Brownsville, TX
Rosa Garcia Corpus Christi, TX
Tori Haugvoll Fulshear, TX
Hunter Garza Austin, TX
Clay Hightower Houston, TX
Kelley Gawlik San Antonio, TX
James Hoelscher San Antonio, TX
Carla Glass West Lake Hills, TX
Tim Holland Allen, TX
Laura Gloria New Braunfels, TX
Phillip Hollis Kilgore, TX
Steven Gluck Lake Jackson, TX
Allison Jenkins Austin, TX
Erika Gomez McAllen, TX
Lori Joyce Fort Worth, TX
Jose Gonzales Progreso, TX
Kim Keefer Austin, TX
Ben Grunau College Station, TX
Bailey Keller Houston, TX
Curtis Harper Granbury, TX
Mythri Krishnamoorthysujatha Austin, TX
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| 32 | WINTER 2019 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org
| new | texas members water ||
TAWWA Welcomes New Members Joining Sept. 16–Nov. 30, 2019 Stephanie Lacy Dallas, TX
Robert Marunowski Pasadena, TX
Fabiola Padron Richmond, TX
Dana Reed Houston, TX
Chris Talley North Richland Hills, TX
Howard Williams Roanoke, TX
William Lane Houston, TX
Drew McMillan San Antonio, TX
Matt Patel Dallas, TX
Ramon Rosales Jr Progreso, TX
Imokhai Tenebe San Marcos, TX
Clint Willis Pasadena, TX
Jose Lara Progreso, TX
Jeffrey Meadows Austin, TX
Padma Patla Richardson, TX
Dennis Runyan Austin, TX
Angela Thomas Horseshoe Bay, TX
Bethany Womack Cypress, TX
Chris Legg North Richland Hills, TX
Juana Medina Houston, TX
Mark Pearson Austin, TX
Maryam Salehi Lubbock, TX
Clifford Woods Fort Worth, TX
Gary Lester Irving, TX
Jennifer Miller New Braunfels, TX
Ana Pena-Tijerina Arlington, TX
Lennart Savhed San Antonio, TX
Trains Cnty Water Control & Improv. Dist. #10 West Lake Hills, TX
Mihna Lewis Houston, TX
Rachel Munson Spring, TX
Alan Pereqrino Wichita Falls, TX
Matt Seng Grapevine, TX
Jessica Li College Station, TX
Subodh Nayar Austin, TX
Jeff Phillips Houston, TX
Tim Smith Pampa, TX
Zhen Li Dallas, TX
Joe Newton Houston, TX
Cynthia Pierce Pflugerville, TX
Samir Solanki Houston, TX
Jiaqi Liu Waco, TX
Clarke O'Connor Wichita Falls, TX
David Stewart Lago Vista, TX
Sarah Lobsenz Houston, TX
Kevin Olson Kilgore, TX
Quail Valley Utility District Missouri City, TX Jacqueline Rambo College Station, TX
Arlo Swanson San Antonio, TX
Tubi USA, Inc. Dallas, TX Jonathan Velez Mansfield, TX Adryll Warren Tyler, TX
Craig Wynant Clawson, MI Lou Zambrano Houston, TX Ted Zamora San Antonio, TX
Chelsea Wells Grand Prairie, TX Nadia Whitehouse Rockwall, TX Broderick Williams Dallas, TX
Save the Date! Texas WaterTM 2020! March 31 - April 3, 2020 Fort Worth Convention Center Attendee registration will open January 2020
www.txwater.org www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2019 | 33 |
| classified | CLASSIFIED: Cla-Val
CLASSIFIED: SAMCO Leak Detection
Field Service Technician
Leak Detection Technician
COMPANY DESCRIPTION: Cla-Val is a leading manufacturer of automatic control valves, serving waterworks, industrial, fire protection, aviation fueling, and marine customers in more than 100 countries worldwide. JOB DESCRIPTION: Our growing company is searching for an outstanding candidate to hire for the position of Field Service Technician in Texas for our Waterworks division. We are seeking a highly motivated individual that enjoys problem solving, technical consulting, and possesses a willingness to learn. POSITION REQUIREMENTS • Possession of valid driver’s license and acceptable driving record • Waterworks and well service background a plus • Moderate overnight travel required • Excellent verbal and written communication skills • Knowledge and experience us Microsoft Office products; Outlook, Word, and Excel • Customer-oriented
BRIEF JOB DESCRIPTION: Under supervision of the Project Manager, perform acoustic leak detection on various water distribution systems, water conservation consulting and GPS data collection services. EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES: • Leak detection and water distribution field knowledge: 1 year experience • Water Distribution license preferred • Knowledge of GPS applications and data collection • Must be proficient with computer skills and applications • Must live in the Austin area to commute daily to SAMCO office building • Able to travel and stay overnight while working on outof-town projects Salary pending qualifications • Employee Incentive Programs Please go to website samco-leakservice.com under "Contact" tab and email application with resume to owner Sam Godfrey 512-751-5325 if you have any questions.
The position offers competitive salary/benefits and growth opportunities. Interested individuals should submit resume to txservice@cla-val.com.
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Want to see your ad here? Call Tracy at 512-251-8101 about advertising in TEXASh2o today! | 34 | WINTER 2019 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org
|| calendar calendar |
What’s Happening Across Texas DATE
ACTIVITY
JAN 15
EPA Community-Based Water Resiliency Workshop
FEB 6
TIME
LOCATION
INFORMATION
San Antonio Water System San Antonio
www.tawwa.org
SE Chapter Half Day Seminar
Norris Center - Red Oak Ballroom Houston
www.tawwa.org
FEB 27
Capital Area Chapter Seminar
Austin Water Center for Environmental Research
www.tawwa.org
FEB 27
NCT "Tappin' It In Texas" Pipe Tapping Competition
DN Tanks Facility Grand Prairie
www.tawwa.org
MAR 31
Texas WaterTM 2020
Fort Worth Convention Center Fort Worth
www.txwater.org
8:30 am
5 pm
Want to share your event with the Texas water community? Contact Mike Howe, 512-238-9292, or mikehowe@tawwa.org. Check the Section’s website, www.tawwa.org, for the latest information on Section activities.
Texas H20 Ad_2.pdf 1 4/25/2019 3:59:00 PM
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www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o WINTER 2019 | 35 |
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