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TRWA Briefs
TRWA Awards of Excellence Applications Being Accepted
We are now accepting applications for TRWA's annual Awards of Excellence! Don’t miss the opportunity to nominate your system or one of your colleagues for these prestigious awards honoring those who exemplify excellence, dedication and achievement.
Our individual awards were created to recognize the shining stars of our member utilities, seeking to honor their spirit and commitment in support of their system and the larger community. Individual awards are given in the following categories.
The Excellence in System Management award recognizes managers of member water/wastewater systems who exemplify exceptional leadership and oversight skills. We want to hear about what makes these leaders so important to you!
The Excellence in Administration award is meant for any and all office personnel whose support and dedication keep their utility’s office administration running smoothly on a day-to-day basis. This includes office managers, administrative assistants, bookkeepers, accounting clerks, customer service representatives, secretaries, receptionists, etc. Take this opportunity to appreciate the unsung heroes of your utility's office.
The Excellence in Operations award is designed to recognize any personnel who are instrumental in the technical operations of your utility, and go above and beyond the call of duty in their work. This could include any operator, instrument or maintenance technician, field manager, utility service worker, etc., whose expertise and hard work are an invaluable asset to your system. Don’t miss your chance to recognize your employee or coworker for working tirelessly to keep your system operations running smoothly.
To nominate an individual, fill out our Awards of Excellence form and tell us in 750 words or less why the nominee qualifies for this award!
In addition to our individual awards, we also give out two system-wide awards each year. The Small System Excellence Award is designed to honor a deserving system serving 1,500 or fewer connections, and the Large System Excellence Award is designed to recognize a system serving more than 1,500 connections.
Use this opportunity to showcase whatever it is that sets your system apart from the rest, and share your ideas with your industry peers who can learn from your successes. Are you employing innovative technologies or processes? Did you do something special to engage with your community? Did you make significant efforts to improve your system? Did you successfully launch a grassroots campaign or activity to foster political participation? Tell us about it! To nominate your system, fill out our Awards of Excellence nomination form and tell us in 1000 words or less why your system stands out and deserves this award.
Get started on your nomination now and submit it online at www.trwa.org. Please remember that eligibility is limited to TRWA members and their employees and that former award winners are not eligible. Anyone can nominate you or your system for an award! All entries must be postmarked or delivered by February 1, 2021 to be considered.
All award winners will be honored during the Awards Ceremony at RuralWaterCon in March and will be featured in the spring issue of this magazine. Individual winners will each receive a $500 prize and a commemorative plaque. The system-wide winners will each receive a $1000 prize and commemorative plaques.
If you have any questions about the nomination form or the awards process, or if you are interested in sponsoring one of the awards, please contact us at 512-472-8591 or editor@trwa.org.
Eminent Domain Filing Began November 1
TRWA is in our sixth year of offering the Eminent Domain Reporting Service to our Members!
State law requires all entities with eminent domain authority to report specific information in the Texas Comptroller Eminent Domain Database. This is an annual requirement and any changes from the previous year must be reflected in the subsequent eminent domain report. Entities that are subject to this statute include water and wastewater supply corporations, water districts (special utility districts, water improvement districts, municipal utility districts, etc.) and cities.
Filing began on November 1, 2020 and ends on February 1, 2021. After the deadline, the Comptroller will notify entities who have failed to file their report. At that time, systems will have 30 days to submit their report or be subject to a civil penalty of $1,000. If the system does not submit their report within another 30 days after the initial notice, the Comptroller will issue another notification with an additional $1,000 penalty. In 2018, the Comptroller began enforcing this rule, and several systems were required to pay the fines.
TRWA takes the administrative burden off member systems by offering a reporting service to participating members. To sign up for this service, visit www.trwa.org and click on the "Legal/Legislative" tab. You can either fill out an online form, or download a PDF that you can fill in and send to the TRWA Legal Department at eminentdomain@trwa.org.
TRWA does not automatically file your report for you each year because we need to know if any of the necessary information has changed since we last filed for you. You must submit a new form every year for TRWA to file on your behalf. Once we receive your report, we will submit your data to the Comptroller and send you an email confirmation of your report along with an invoice. The fee for this service is $100.00 for members and $150.00 nonmembers. Please note that due to COVID-19, we are not accepting fax submissions this year. Quench Bus Card Ad 2018 .qxp 2/22/18 8:01 PM Page 1
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Cross Country Water Supply Corporation, a medium-sized rural water supply utility in McLennan County, is accepting applications for General Manager. Qualified applicants will have prior experience in management and the water utility business. Experience in the mechanical/electrical maintenance field will be a plus. A TCEQ groundwater class C license preferred, and a valid Texas Driver’s license is required. Must have effective communication and computer skills, and flexibility to work occasional evenings/weekends as needed. The General Manager will work closely with the office manager, the system operator, contract engineers, outside contractors, and the board of directors to oversee all aspects of the business including daily operations, maintenance, communications, safety, improvements, compliance and finances. This is an exempt position. Compensation will be based on experience and qualifications, and comes with an excellent benefit package. A job description is available on our website: www.crosscountrywsc.org. Resumes must be received at the water office via email, hand delivery or mail prior to November 30, 2020. Contact information follows: • Offices located at 14933 Wortham Bend Rd. (FM 2490) in China Spring • Mailing address: Cross Country Water Supply Corporation, 14933 Wortham Bend Rd., China Spring, TX 76633 • Email: Kristi.bauer@crosscountrywsc.org • Phone: 254-836-9962 • Website: www.crosscountrywsc.org EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
Bolivar Peninsula Special Utility District in Crystal Beach, Texas distributes water to approximately 5,500 customers along the Bolivar Peninsula in Galveston County. Bolivar Peninsula SUD is seeking candidates for the position of General Manager to provide guidance, oversight and manage the growth of the District. The General Manager will be interfacing with governmental officials in Austin, Texas, TCEQ, Texas Rural Water Association, Texas Water Development Board, Lower Neches Valley Authority, the District’s Board of Directors and local officials on the Bolivar Peninsula.
Qualifications:
• A minimum of a TCEQ class C license • Extensive professional utility supervision and administrative experience • A background in water distribution • A proven track record in management • Excellent written and verbal communication skills • Ability to direct both field and office personnel • Working knowledge of human resource requirements and work force regulations • Prepare and administer budgets • Forecast short and long-range plans • Able to interact with engineers, CPAs, builders and contractors, regulatory agencies and the Board of Directors • Have a lead by example attitude The District offers a competitive salary based on qualifications with benefits including paid health and dental insurance, 401K plan, paid vacation and paid sick leave. Interested candidates should send resumes (with salary requirements) to: Hollis C. Gassen, Jr., Board President, BPSUD, P. O. Box 1398, Crystal Beach, Texas 77650. Please mark “GM Resume” on the envelope. The District’s office number is (409) 684 – 3515, and the District website is www.bpsud/com.
CONFERENCES:
January 21-22, 2021 TRWA/TWCA Water Law Seminar, Virtual March 25-26, 2021 RuralWaterCon 2021, Renaissance Austin
OPERATOR TRAINING COURSES:
Learn more about our upcoming classroom and online training options at www.trwa.org/training
Answer to "From the Hole" math question from page 25: This is a typical pipe question we tend to see on exams. The only way to find weight is to find gallons. The only way to find gallons is to find cubic feet. The radius is half the diameter and because we buy our pipe in inches a conversion to feet is first calculated: 3.14 x .25 x .25 x 1000 = 196.25 cubic feet Cubic feet of any object will hold 7.48 gallons and each gallon weighs 8.34 pounds: 196.25 x 7.48 x 8.34 =12242.703 lbs To get twice the weight, you'd multiply it by two which would equal 24485.406 lbs
