The TRWA Membership Drive is Now Underway

By Ross Brookbank, Membership and Outreach Manager, Texas Rural Water Association

As 2020 comes to a close, I want to personally thank you for your support and for being a member of TRWA during these ever-changing and unprecedented times. I have had the opportunity to engage with a lot of you throughout this year and look forward to making more valuable connections in 2021 and beyond. Your continued commitment to TRWA enables us to be a valuable resource to water and wastewater utility providers across Texas.

In 2021, we will continue to work hard to be the preeminent water and wastewater association in Texas by providing our members with the assistance and guidance they need to meet the challenges facing our industry. We want to continue to be your one stop shop for everything water related. Membership dues will continue to be based on your number of water connections and the cost will not increase for 2021. All members that renew by January 15, 2021 will enjoy a 20 percent discount on a conference registration in 2021. Remember, as a member you receive numerous benefits that include, but are not limited to, the following:

AWIA Compliance Tool

In 2020, TRWA developed the Water/Wastewater Risk Assessment and Planning Tool (WRAPT), a members-only cloud-based software to help utilities comply with the America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018. WRAPT is free for members will help you build your Risk and Resilience Asessment and Emergency Response Plan, generate your finished reports so you can easily review your information and also includes certification documents and instructions on how to self-submit certification to the EPA. For more information on WRAPT, visit www.trwa.org/wrapt.

Salary and Rate Reports

TRWA conducts a biennial Salary and Rate Survey to collect member data that we analyze to produce two members-only publications — the Salary Survey Report includes summaries of salary ranges and averages for key personnel positions, as well as benefits and demographic information; and the Rate Study Report summarizes water rate ranges and averages based on utility type, location, size and water source. We published our updated reports in October 2020, and these reports are free for those who participated in the survey or are available for purchase for those who did not.

Technical Assistance

The TRWA field staff provide training and onsite technical assistance on issues such as water audits, rate studies, leak detection, preventative maintenance, budgeting, personnel policies, and management. We can also provide Energy Efficiency Audits. TRWA also maintains emergency generators that we can deploy to member systems impacted by a natural disaster or other local emergency situation.

Education and Training

Member systems and their employees receive discounts on all training classes and conferences. TRWA continues to provide 25 classroom training courses and multiple online and virtual training opportunities as well. Our new online instructorled courses and self-paced virtual classes have become a valuable resource this year. These courses are approved for TCEQ operator license credit. Additionally, our conferences offer networking opportunities and great educational programming. Our 2021 conferences will include the Water Law Seminar, RuralWaterCon (Annual Convention), Office Professionals, Technical and Training, Water Districts and Fall Management Conferences. Except for the Water Law Seminar, we expect all events to be inperson events in 2021.

Advocacy

TRWA will remain passionately engaged in representing our members interests at state and federal regulatory agencies and legislative offices. We continue to meet with agency staff and lawmakers, attend stakeholder meetings and provide comments on rule packages and will keep you abreast of regulatory updates and changes that may affect rural water providers. When the 87th Texas Legislature commences in January, TRWA will ensure rural water’s voice is heard during session.

Legal Consultation and Services

TRWA members also have access to our fulltime attorney and paralegal who are just an email or

phone call away. They will respond to your utility’s legal questions and offer advice as part of your membership. They also provide additional legal services, including filing required eminent domain reports with the Comptroller and applications for sales tax exemption for WSCs and IOUs. Members receive a discounted rate on these services. TRWA also maintains a legal defense fund to assist members with representation regarding issues with a statewide impact.

District Meetings

New in 2020, we launched an initiative to bring regional district meetings to our members so you can engage with local leaders, TRWA board and staff, and fellow water professionals in your area. Additionally, you can earn free water/wastewater training credits by attending. Due to COVID-19, the majority of these meetings were held virtually in 2020, but we plan to move these back to an inperson format in 2021! You will be sent an email to inform you when your district’s meeting is scheduled.

Additional Resources

TRWA offers many resources to keep members informed, including manuals and training materials, legal resources such as sample personnel policies, service policies, board policies, and a sample tariff. Members also enjoy access to online resources, including sample templates and forms, operations and maintenance manuals, monitoring plans, WSC election procedures, rate study worksheets, vulnerability assessments, emergency response plans, SUD conversion manuals and more.

Publications

Don’t forget, your TRWA membership includes five subscriptions to Quench! You can have those subscriptions sent to whoever you want, including board, staff or simply to your system. New in 2021, we will also offer a subscription-based digital consumer magazine exclusive for members for a nominal charge. You may send this by email or post it online to educate your customers about our industry. You also have access to our online membership directory free of charge, and print ones may be purchased.

Thank you for the dedication and hard work you provide every day serving the rural communities of Texas. We are honored to continue to serve you.

If you have any questions about your membership or need any further assistance please don’t hesitate to contact me by email at Ross.Brookbank@trwa.org or on my cell at (512) 954-1360.

ONLINE TRAINING AVAILABLE

Earn training credit hours through self-paced courses.

Learn More:

www.trwa.org/59 training@trwa.org (512) 428-5754