What's the Farm Bureau's Beef with Rural Water Utilities?
Also Inside:
Financial Viability of Water Systems Meet the 2019 Winners of TRWA's Awards of Excellence March/April 2019 www.trwa.org
TRWA Today Established in 1969, the Texas Rural Water Association (TRWA) is a statewide nonprofit trade association with an active membership consisting of over 750 nonprofit water supply corporations, water districts, small-town water departments and investor-owned utilities. In addition, more than 200 water industry suppliers participate in TRWA activities as associate members. TRWA members provide water and wastewater service to 3 million customers throughout Texas. TRWA is dedicated to helping directors, managers, operators and office professionals provide efficient service and clean, safe drinking water to their customers. Through on-site technical assistance, education and information exchange, TRWA helps its members better meet their needs as well as the needs of their customers.
Board of Directors Officers
President Brian Macmanus Cameron (District 6) Vice-President Chris Boyd Denton (District 3) Secretary Bruce Alexander Medina (District 2) Treasurer Robert Nettles Walker (District 13) Immediate Past President Pat Allen Guadalupe (District 9)
District Directors Mark Gardenhire Shackelford (Distict 1) Steve Adams Brown (District 4) Dave McMurry Bastrop (District 5) Johnny Rudisill Collin (District 7) Charles Beseda Hill (District 8) Kent Watson Brazos (District 10) Kevin Spence Franklin (District 11) Shirley Thompson Kaufman (District 12) Rhonda Shaw Rusk (District 14)
TRWA Staff
Leadership Team
Lara Zent Allison Kaminsky Lisa Adams Larry Bell Celia Eaves Janice Gibbs, CPA Trent Hightower Jason Knobloch Angela Russell, CMP
Executive Director & General Counsel Deputy Executive Director Foundation Development Director Technical Assistance Director Professional Development & Training Director Finance Director Assistant General Counsel Environmental Services Director Member Services Director
ext. 101 ext. 107 ext. 105 cell: 512-964-8133 ext. 134 ext. 102 ext. 106 ext. 137 ext. 108
Amanda Ashcraft Melody Bennett Ross Brookbank Pam Cantrell Emily Collins Kelsey Copeland Patti Flunker Angela Harris Andrew Montemayor Ariane Walker
Office Manager Project Support Specialist Assistant Environmental Services Director Accounting Support Specialist Administrative Assistant Communications Specialist Paralegal Project Support Specialist Instructional Designer Training Support Specialist
ext. 100 ext. 130 ext. 132 ext. 139 ext. 138 ext. 155 ext. 110 ext. 131 ext. 135 ext. 111
Thomas Acker, Jr. Michael Beadnell Nathan Cantrell Alex Eaves Paul King Deborah McMullan Charles Perkins Bruce Pearson Refugio Rodriguez James Smith Quentin Turner William White Scott Willeford Gilbert Ybarbo
Instructor Instructor Wastewater Technician Wastewater Technician Circuit Rider Source Water Protection Specialist Circuit Rider Instructor FMT Specialist Circuit Rider FMT Specialist Assistant Technical Assistance Director FMT Specialist FMT Specialist
cell: (512) 751-6337 cell: (512) 924-4552 cell: (512) 924-7158 cell: (512) 964-7203 cell: (512) 913-9753 cell: (512) 923-5842 cell: (512) 964-2108 cell: (512) 922-4942 cell: (512) 923-5812 cell: (512) 964-9234 cell: (512) 517-9889 cell: (512) 924-4233 cell: (512) 657-8813 cell: (512) 317-2003
Office Staff
Field Staff
Contact the Editor
Editorial and advertising inquiries may be directed to the Communications Department at editor@trwa.org. Join the conversation at: www.facebook.com/TexasRuralWaterAssn 2
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Find us at @TexasRuralWater for industry and legislative news relevant to you!
Features:
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Letter from Former Executive Director Tom Duck
TRWA's former Executive congratulates the Association on 50 years of service to our membership!
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RuralWaterCon 2019 Photo Recap
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What's the Farm Bureau's Beef with Rural Water Utilities?
See photos from our annual convention and 50th Anniversary celebration!
By Trent Hightower, Texas Rural Water Association; and Morgan Johnson, McGinnis Lochridge Read our response to the Farm Bureau's article mischaracterising our legislation on groundwater permitting practices.
10 Financial Viability of Water Systems In Every Issue: Letter from the President Letter from the Executive Director
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Ask Larry
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Keep it Legal
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Answers to your technical questions Answers to your legal questions
Classified Ads Advertiser Index Plan Ahead
TRWA’s Calendar of Events
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On the Cover: Carpenter's Bluff by Shannon Orr, 2019 PH2OTOSTREAM Grand Prize Winner
By Paul King, Texas Rural Water Association Our Circuit Rider makes the case for treating your system more like a business with regard to finances and asset management.
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From the Hole
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TRWA Briefs
Wastewater Treatment Methods for Phosphorus Removal By Scott Willeford, Texas Rural Water Association Protecting our surface water sources and their ecosystems starts with the proper treatment and disposal of effluent into the environment.
Texas Forests and Drinking Water Partnership Meeting
By Deborah McMullan, Texas Rural Water Association Earlier this year, TRWA was among 75 leaders and stakeholders from Texas forestry, drinking water and conservation communities who convened for this meeting.
Meet the 2019 Winners of TRWA's Awards of Excellence
By Allison Kaminsky, Texas Rural Water Association Help us celebrate these three individuals and two systems who demonstrated excellence and achievement! By Michael Beadnell, Texas Rural Water Association Tales from the road from one of TRWA's instructors as he travels to Morgan's Point Resort for a Pump and Motor Maintenance Class. Getting the Most from the TRWA Phone System; Have You Joined the TXWARN Network; TRWA Welcomes New Board Directors and Alternate Directors; Announcing the Winners of Our PH2OTOSTREAM Contest Quench — March / April 2019 3
President’s Message Howdy Texas Rural Water Association!
“It is an awesome feeling to see our PAC donations and grassroots efforts come to fruition in such a wonderful way that benefits our TRWA membership.”
Our Texas Legislature is wrapping up another session, and we all need to remain engaged here in the end-run. I know many of you have stayed in tune with our TRWA Legislative Team emails requesting help to promote or stop key legislation. I personally saw the effects of local constituents calling their representatives with concerns about HB 4031, which would prohibit WSCs from charging up-front capital fees to school districts. During the House Natural Resources Committee meeting on HB 4031, key legislators asked the TRWA opposition witnesses the very difficult questions they didn’t want to answer. It is an awesome feeling to see our PAC donations and grassroots efforts come to fruition in such a wonderful way that benefits our TRWA membership. Thank you to everyone who engaged! Speaking of PAC, it isn’t too late to provide your bronze, silver or gold sponsorship. Email it or mail it in, however it works, just do it. We truly need your help. We raised just shy of $19,000 for the PAC so far this year in fundraising efforts, which is great, but we are still quite a ways from our $50,000 goal for the year. We have had many victories against expedited decertification of CCNs with the utilization of 1926(b) federal debt protection. I am excited to see this approach pay dividends in stopping the Public Utility Commission (PUC) from decertifying rural water systems with federal debt. However, I would strongly encourage all of our members to utilize this defense mechanism cautiously. Don’t let a bad set of water service circumstances (facts) at your individual utility create bad law for all your fellow Texas systems. I hope you all are enjoying the end of a beautiful green spring and wildflower spreads and are preparing for the warmth of summer. Show some sunshine of your own with GREAT Customer Service and little acts of kindness. Looking forward to seeing many of you at the State Capitol or at the Office Professionals Conference in San Antonio. Until then, keep the water going with a “true to rural” Texas smile. Be Good,
Brian E. Macmanus, P.E. President Texas Rural Water Association
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Letter from the Executive Director Thank you to all of you who attended this year’s Annual Convention and celebrated TRWA’s 50th Anniversary with us! We held our annual member meeting and director elections in conjunction with Convention. We welcomed two new board members and two new alternate directors to our leadership team. Dave McMurry, GM of Aqua WSC, is our new director for District 5. Johnny Rudisill, GM of Nevada SUD, is our new director for District 7. Our new alternate director for District 5 is Roby Jekel, GM of D&L Service Co. that manages North Milam WSC, BellMilam-Falls WSC, Little Elm Valley WSC, Marlow WSC, Minerva WSC and Gause WSC. Adam Telfer, Operations Manager of Canyon Regional Water Authority, is our new alternate director for District 9. Convention took place just as the 2019 Texas Legislative Session was kicking into full gear. We had a very successful Rural Water Day at the Capitol with approximately 200 individuals joining together to discuss legislative issues with their state senators and representatives. Your TRWA legislative team has been hard at work fighting against bad bills and promoting our legislative agenda. We have spent many late nights at the Capitol in committee hearings and many hours working with other stakeholders on compromise language for several pieces of legislation. It’s too soon to predict how it’s all going to come out in the end, but we will continue to keep you updated.
“Your TRWA legislative team has been hard at work fighting against bad bills and promoting our legislative agenda.”
If you have not been receiving our weekly legislative e-newsletter, the Capitol Pipeline, and would like to receive it, please call the office and dial extension 115 to get signed up. It’s a new service we launched this year to keep our members up-to-date on our legislative efforts. We have also sent out a few targeted calls to action requesting that our members call their legislators to vote “for” or “against” a bill. Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to do this for the benefit of all rural water systems in Texas! I would like to extend a special thank you to the following individuals who have traveled to Austin to testify for or against a bill — Kent Watson, Chris Boyd, Brian Macmanus, Barry Miller, Herb Williams, Mark Gardenhire, Kyle Eppler, Charles Beseda, Randel Kirk, Clyde Bryant, Sherilyn Dahlberg and Pat Allen. Thank you for all you do in service to rural Texans! My best,
Lara Zent Executive Director and General Counsel Texas Rural Water Association Quench — March / April 2019 5
Letter from Former Executive Director Tom Duck Congratulations on the 50th Anniversary of the Texas Rural Water Association. It was an honor and privilege for me to have served as your Executive Director for 27 of those 50 years. In June of 1986, I took the reins as Executive Director of TRWA at a time when the Association was struggling to survive. Thanks to a progressive Board, we were able to quickly turn things around. In 1987, we introduced and passed legislation allowing for the creation of Special Utility Districts (SUDs). This historic legislation gave our WSC members the flexibility to take advantage of additional sources of financing for rural water projects, among other benefits. That same year we also created the Rural Water Political Action Committee which helped establish TRWA as a formidable advocate for rural interests and a major player in the legislative process. In subsequent legislative sessions, we were able to introduce and pass a constitutional amendment giving non-profit water supply corporations an exemption from ad valorem taxes. We also were successful in passing legislation establishing the Rural Water Assistance Fund at the Texas Water Development Board. As a result of these and other legislative successes, membership in the association tripled. This rapid growth in membership was extremely beneficial to the Association in that it allowed us the financial resources to expand our core mission. We hired a full-time in-house attorney and created the Rural Water Legal Assistance fund to help members with precedent setting legal cases. We employed an in-house CPA and Engineer to bolster our credibility with regulatory and financial agencies. We secured a new headquarters building in downtown Austin which put TRWA close to the action at the state capitol. We improved our member communications and publications, offered Operator Certification Training and provided more comprehensive technical assistance outreach programs. We developed Sample Tariff Manuals and Reference Materials to help educate local water system managers and board of directors on best management practices. These are just a few of the many historical milestones that we were able to achieve on behalf of TRWA members. These accomplishments would not have been possible without the support of the strong, loyal and dedicated rural water leaders that I had the pleasure of working with. I commend President Brian McManus, Executive Director Lara Zent and the current Board of Directors for their work in continuing the traditions and vision that the founders of the Association established in 1969. The strong partnership that exists between the staff, board and members is what makes TRWA the great organization that it was yesterday, that it is today and that it will be for the next 50 years. Congratulations for a job well done! Tom Duck
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RuralWaterCon 2019 Photo Recap
To see more photos from Annual Convention and TRWA's 50th Anniversary celebration, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TexasRuralWaterAssn.
Wickson Creek SUD meets with House Representative Kyle Kacal during Rural Water Day at the Capitol.
Representatives of SS WSC meet with Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, Dennis Bonnen.
TRWA members, along with legislators and their staff, were invited to mix and mingle at an afternoon dessert reception at the Capitol Grill during Rural Water Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, March 27.
Texas Comptroller Glen Hagar addresses attendees at opening general session.
Special 50th anniversary logo cakes were enjoyed by those who attended the Welcome Reception on Wednesday evening.
From left: TRWA President Brian Macmanus, NRWA President Kent Watson and TRWA Executive Director Lara Zent.
Honoring Board Presidents at the opening general session. From left: Leahmon Bryant, Richard Gist, Clay Hodges, Steve Adams, Pat Armstrong, Kent Watson, Terry Kelley, James Morrison and Brian Macmanus.
Thursday evening's President's Banquet included casino games attendees could play for chances to win a variety of door prizes.
Attendees visited the Exhibit Hall for special events and during breaks to meet with vendors and enjoy refreshments. Quench — March / April 2019 7
What's the Farm Bureau's Beef with Rural Water Utilities?
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By Trent Hightower, Assistant General Counsel, Texas Rural Water Association; & Morgan Johnson, Associate, McGinnis Lochridge
exas Farm Bureau recently published an article in its monthly magazine entitled “The Public Wants Landowners’ Water,” in which it characterizes legislation promoted by the Texas Rural Water Association as “an unconstitutional water grab.” This is simply not true. The legislation, House Bill 2249 by Rep. Eddie Lucio, III, strikes a balance between the rights of landowners within a water utility’s service area and the obligation of utilities to provide adequate water supply to meet the demand of their landowner customers. Groundwater conservation districts, or “GCDs,” are responsible for managing production from aquifers within their geographic boundaries by requiring permits for the production. The law currently allows, but does not require, GCDs to take into account a utility’s service area when deciding how much water the utility is authorized to produce. This makes sense considering the unique functions and legal obligations of water utilities. A water utility is not your typical applicant for groundwater – utilities do not ordinarily own large amounts of acreage, and they are seeking water to serve all of their customers, including residences, businesses, and agricultural users. Utilities produce water not for themselves, but on behalf of hundreds or perhaps thousands of their customers. While the utility’s customers are free to drill a well on their own property, doing so is often cost-prohibitive. Therefore, customers look to the water utility to provide the water since the utility is able to take advantage of economies of scale to produce the necessary water for its customers at a lower cost. Recognizing the unique nature of water utilities, many GCDs across Texas take a utility’s service area into account when issuing the utility’s groundwater permits. For those GCDs, nothing would change if House Bill 2249 becomes law. This bill would require all other GCDs that regulate by acreage and/or tract size and do not consider service area to consider the utility’s service area. The bill does this while still ensuring that this requirement does not interfere in any way with a landowner’s right to obtain a permit or drill a well. Without recognizing a utility’s service area, the acreage-based approach to permitting 8
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has devastating effects on rural communities. With only a small amount of land owned by the utility for its well site, utilities in this type of permitting scheme are required to obtain additional land or water rights at a high cost that is then passed on to consumers. Worse, when a GCD ties production to an applicant’s contiguous acreage, utilities can find themselves unable to fully utilize their wells if adjacent landowners are unwilling to sell their land or lease their water rights. To balance the interests of utilities, their customers, and landowners within their service area, House Bill 2249 includes several safeguards to ensure that water utilities are not over-permitted and that landowner rights are protected. First, GCDs cannot consider any of the utility’s service area that does not overlie the aquifer. Additionally, the utility would not receive credit for any acreage within its service area that is already subject to another permit, and the utility’s permit will be reduced annually to subtract acreage assigned to a landowner permit issued after the utility’s permit. Under the bill, utilities are prohibited from interfering with or protesting landowners’ requests to obtain their own permits. House Bill 2249 is a reasonable compromise to the complex issue of allocating a managed resource among competing interests while keeping water rates reasonable for rural communities and ensuring that landowners’ property rights are not restricted. House Bill 2249 does not create an unconstitutional taking as the Farm Bureau asserts. It does not take or constrain the landowner’s right to drill a well, use the water or encumber the water. It only allows the utility to use the water to serve these same landowners. Landowner rights are recognized and are superior to the utilities’ authorization to use the water. Requiring these utilities to acquire groundwater rights from its landowner customers will unnecessarily result in huge rate increases. If you have any questions about this article, contact Trent.Hightower@trwa.org.
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Financial Viability of Water Systems By Paul King, Circuit Rider, Texas Rural Water Association
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he financial viability of a water system is the ability to obtain sufficient funds to continuously maintain, operate, construct, develop and manage a public water system in compliance with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements. In simple terms, this means you need to treat your non-profit water supply corporation or district more like a business with regard to finances and asset management. Systems should manage their finances to have enough funds not only for today, but also for future needs. Unfortunately, many rural systems are plagued with old and failing infrastructure because they have not been run like a business in the past. When I hear board members of water systems say they are proud of their low rates and just breaking even every year, I know the system will have problems, maybe not today, but some day in the future. When a system is truly financially viable, that system is better equipped to provide safe and reliable drinking water not only for the customers they have today, but for those customers’ children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. One of the first steps to creating a financially viable water system is to develop a five-year plan and operating budget. This budget should have enough income to pay for all regular operational and maintenance needs. If creating a multi-year budget, you should also adjust each year for projected inflation. A good place to start in the development of a budget is with your annual audit. It will have the previous year’s expenses, but it may not take into consideration improvements you are planning for your system. For this reason, it should only be used as a baseline or a starting point for budget development. Other things that should be included are debt payments and contributions to your reserve accounts. Reserve accounts play a big role in a water system’s financial health. There is not a one size fits all approach when it comes to planning a budget for your system and how much money goes toward each reserve account. Your water system’s 10
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management, board and operations staff should work together to decide how much to contribute annually to each reserve account based on the water system’s needs. There are two types of reserve accounts that are accepted by the Public Utility Commission (PUC). The first is a cash reserve account. A reasonable cash reserve account of up to 10 percent of annual operation and maintenance expenses must be maintained, and revenues to fund it may be included as an allowable expense. Funds from this account may be used to pay expenses incurred before revenues from rates are received and for extraordinary repair and maintenance expenses and other capital needs or unanticipated expenses. When you have enough funds set aside for your water system, you can continue paying your bills even if you have a lag in your income such as emergencies or natural disasters. The other type of reserve account allowed by the PUC are accounts created to address recurring capital improvements, replacements and extensions that are not debt-financed. Capital assets, repairs or extensions that are a part of the normal business of the utility may be included as allowable expenses. This does not include routine capital expenses that are specifically debt-financed. These types of reserve accounts allow your system to have adequate savings to ensure that aging equipment and infrastructure do not become a financial burden. A capital improvement plan should be adopted to determine how much to save in your capital improvement account and equipment replacement reserve. In developing a capital improvement plan and operating budget you should develop a list of equipment and infrastructure that will need to be replaced within the next five years. This can be accomplished by using historical data or even a best guess of how many remaining years each item has and its approximate replacement cost. A straightline depreciation method can be used to calculate a monthly amount to charge for replacing each item. Just add the totals together to determine the annual
contributions to this reserve fund and work this annual amount into your rates to fund your capital improvement plan.
Lastly, remember that water systems do not deteriorate overnight nor will they be fixed overnight. Many water systems were built in the late 1960s and early 1970s, so many water systems’ basic infrastructure is 50 years old or older at this point. Unfortunately, the life cycle of the most expensive asset that water systems have is about 50 years. This asset is the pipe you have in the ground, and although it will last long time, it does not last forever and plans to replace it need to be in place. The sooner systems begin to educate customers and gain support to help ensure their current and future financial viability, the sooner we can all rest assured that our community will have a strong utility with the ability to serve its needs and the needs of future generations.
Once you have a budget developed you will need to fund that budget, using your water rates. Duct tape and bailing wire will only keep your water system running for so long, and many water systems are currently not charging enough to pay for basic maintenance and operations or debt payment, much less enough to contribute to a reserve account. Many systems have started implementing inclining block rates so the customers who use more water and are having a greater financial impact on the water system take on more of the financial burden. These types of rates also encourage customers to use water efficiently and are recommend by the Texas Water Development Board.
If you have any questions about this article, email Paul.King@trwa.org or contact your Circuit Rider.
Communication and engagement are necessary to explain the need for infrastructure investment and other operating needs of the utility to customers. Creating an open discussion with your customers about the system’s operations and financial needs will help to gain support and public acceptance for rate increases. By using methods such as social media and your system website (and for those of you that do not like computers, community message boards), you can continually promote the value of water and water services within the community to increase public support for the utility. TRWA member systems can also sign up for our new direct-toconsumer magazine, Texas on Tap, to achieve these goals. With standard and custom content, this quarterly publication gives rural systems a cost-effective option to produce and distribute a high-quality print publication to inform the public. For more information about Texas on Tap, contact editor@trwa.org or call 512-472-8591, ext. 115. This communication and community engagement will help pave the way for acceptance and understanding of future investment needs and rate adjustments. Engage board members, community decision makers and other community members with financial viability information. By communicating the reasons behind rates and utility operating costs, you will gain understanding and support for your system’s financial viability from your customer base. Very few customers know how expensive it is to operate a water system properly. By communicating and educating your customers, it will enable you to make the necessary rate increases to properly fund your water system now and in the future.
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Ask Larry A Q&A column with TRWA Technical Assistance Director Larry Bell
Q:
A current member of our WSC has asked for a second meter on their property. Is it ethical for us to charge a second equity buy-in fee for this meter if we already charged such a fee for their first meter? A: The answer is yes, it’s not only ethical, it’s also both fair and necessary. Think of it this way: what if that property owner was requesting not one meter, but four new ones? And what if one or all of those new meters were located on the same property, but a half mile away from the end of your current line? Wouldn’t it make sense for the owner to have to pay the cost of extending the line(s) out to those structures? The purpose of an equity buy-in fee is to establish parity between the new customer or applicant and those who have already been receiving service. All new customers or applicants for water service use some of the system’s existing facilities and capacity that was already in place — things like pipe lines, tanks, wells, pumps and so on. These existing capacity components were and are being paid for through monthly water rates. Therefore, existing customers have been paying for extra capacity for many years and these new customers are being asked to provide a portion of the cost associated with the capacity they will be using. Some of this cost will be paid by these new customers once they start paying their monthly water bill, but the previous customers not only have been paying for what it costs for them to receive water delivered to their homes, they have also been paying a bit extra toward the complete debt-service for all existing capacity. Additionally, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) rules require that all public water systems be designed with a minimum of 15 percent “extra” capacity. The rules go on to state that once a system begins to use some of that extra capacity, they need to begin designing specific improvements which will replace this used capacity. Then, once the system reaches 100 percent capacity, that system should begin constructing 12
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these new facilities to replace or build that extra 15 percent or more back into their system for future growth. It doesn’t matter whether the extra capacity is used to supply brand new customers who have never had service or to existing customers seeking an additional meter. The capacity is being used either way, and these new meters and customers are utilizing their share of the system’s resources. That availability to use that capacity should be paid for, but not by tacking the costs onto existing customers. Instead, growth should pay for growth, even if a current member is responsible for the new growth through the addition of a second meter on their property. Going back to my earlier example, if a current customer wanted a new meter placed at the end of a road a 1/2 mile past the end of the existing water line, that new customer should pay their costs for extending that line and not have that cost be paid for by the rest of the members. Q: The person who tests Reduced Pressure Zone (RPZ) assemblies for our WSC bills each customer directly and then notifies us for our file. We have a member who insisted on installing his RPZ himself and is refusing to pay the tester for his annual inspection. Can we add the testing costs to his water bill so the tester can get paid? If so and the member doesn’t pay, can we lock his meter? A: You present several potential critical situations. First, you will want to see if your system’s tariff or other policies contain any requirement that all RPZ assemblies must be installed by a recognized contractor who is properly trained and licensed to install them. Most systems have a list of recognized installers and testers and do not allow for a homeowner to install these assemblies themselves to ensure compliance with TCEQ regulations. While some systems have allowed a homeowner to install their own RPZ, TCEQ is ultimately going to hold the public water system responsible if an improper self-installation fails and a sickness, injury or backflow event occurs. The public water system is responsible to
adopt and withhold service until the applicant has complied/met all the system’s requirements for service contained in its tariff or other adopted policies. Next, you will want to verify that the tester conducted the proper testing of the RPZ and provided you with the TCEQ form indicating that the assembly is working properly. Assuming this has occurred, your system has no reason to disconnect the customer’s water service because you have properly-documented test results showing that the RPZ is functioning properly. As far as payment to the contractor, the WSC is not responsible for collecting fees for a third party. The law provides individuals with remedies for nonpayment for services, and it is the contractor’s responsibility to pursue those on his own behalf when necessary. Q: What best practices should we follow when customers request a line location on their property? It’s important to have a clear idea of where exactly the customer needs a line location before you begin line location work. Many hard feelings and legal costs have been racked up due to “he said she said” when there was no documentation to back up what type of work was to be provided and where the work was to take place. There is no telling how many times something like this exact scenario has happened at systems I worked for before I started with TRWA and how many I’ve seen since I’ve been here.
a specific request in written form if the customer performs work elsewhere on the property and claims the system failed to accurately locate its lines. Some systems have made several trips out to where they thought the locate work was to be done, only to find out there were no marks, ribbons, flags or paint on the ground showing the area where the customer needs the work done. Other systems may have marked their lines several times only to have the owner claim that it was not in the right spot. In some cases, utilities have had to resort to the extreme measure of assessing a service trip charge if the owner makes too many line locate requests without giving the system adequate instruction on the specific area in which the work is needed. Ultimately, systems are not in the guessing business, and they need to know things like which side of the water meter, how far from the water meter or gate valve, or some other landmark on the property so they can accurately locate lines and prevent damage due to various construction and other projects. If you have a technical question you would like answered, please e-mail larry.bell@trwa.org.
In general, customers or land owners should provide the utility with some type of description of where they are intending to excavate, dig post holes, bulldoze the top of a hill, cut a ditch or install a pond dam. This is especially true if the landowner has a lot of frontage or the system’s line is located through the middle of their property. It’s just common sense for the utility to know where to start and stop locating the water line. Aerial views of most all properties in the world are now available online. You might consider printing out a copy of their tract of land and showing that the water main is located within a filed easement on their property or off their property in the public right of way. This may resolve some of their questions and your staff’s questions about the water main being in the way of new construction. Have the customer place “X” on the spot where they intend to do any excavation or activity, and sign and date the printed map. That way, the system has Quench — March / April 2019 13
Wastewater Treatment Methods for Phosphorus Removal By Scott Willeford, FMT Specialist, Texas Rural Water Association
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rotecting our surface water sources and their ecosystems starts with the proper treatment and disposal of effluent into the environment. Nutrient removal is imperative in safeguarding our surface waters for their aesthetic value, recreational use and domestic necessity. Today’s wastewater operators are continuing to battle nutrient removal in their treatment facilities due to tougher permit parameters and an ever changing influent stream of chemicals and household products. Phosphorus discharge limits are becoming more prevalent in permits for wastewater treatment facilities with more stringent effluent limits being implemented. Municipal wastewater contains between 5 to 20 mg/l of total phosphorous, 1-5 mg/l of which is organic and the remainder is inorganic. Normal secondary wastewater treatment methods remove 1-2 mg/l of the inorganic levels. Removing phosphorous from municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant effluent is an important component in preventing eutrophication in lakes, rivers and streams. Eutrophication occurs when the presence of high phosphorus levels in surface waters increase the growth of phosphate-dependent organisms, such as algae and duckweed. These organisms use great amounts of oxygen and prevent sunlight from entering the water, which causes many water quality problems. Increased treatment costs, decreased recreational and conservation value of an impoundment, loss of livestock and the possible lethal effect of algal toxins in drinking water can all occur when recommended phosphorus levels are exceeded. Biological treatment methods are increasing in wastewater treatment, but the most widely used phosphate removal method is accomplished through chemical precipitation, which can be expensive and cause sludge volume to increase up to 40 percent.1 Enhanced biological phosphorus removal, or EBPR, is a wastewater treatment method applied to activated sludge systems for the removal of phosphates. Implementing an EBPR system requires an anaerobic basin where nitrates and oxygen are 14
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absent, thus creating conditions conducive for a type of heterotrophic bacteria called polyphosphateaccumulating organisms (PAOs). Volatile fatty acids provide the food for PAOs, and these bacteria accumulate large quantities of polyphosphate within their cells achieving increased phosphorus removal. The EBPR configuration removes considerably more phosphorus when compared to phosphorus removal in conventional activated sludge systems. The primary advantages of biological phosphorous removal are decreased chemical costs and reduced sludge production as compared to chemical precipitation.2 Chemical precipitation is the favored method of phosphorus removal in most wastewater treatment facilities. Precipitation is a chemical reaction that forms solids in solution. Soluble phosphorus is changed to a solid that will settle and can be removed with the sludge. Various metal salts are utilized to precipitate phosphorus chemically in wastewater treatment such as aluminum sulfate, aluminum oxide, ferrous sulfate, ferric chloride and ferric sulfate. Coagulation occurs when the chemical neutralizes the electrical charges of the fine suspended solids in the wastewater causing the particles to form floc, which gradually become larger masses. This process makes it easier to separate the solids from the water by settling, skimming, draining or filtering. Chemical treatment is the most common method used for phosphorus removal to meet effluent concentrations below 1.0 mg/L. The addition of chemicals is used in combination with EBPR to create a polishing step in secondary treatment when effluent limits are lowered, providing substantial phosphorus removal. Ferric sulfate is widely used for phosphorous removal and when dosed at proper levels, phosphorus reduction can be up to 95 percent.3 The capital costs of enhanced biological phosphorus removal include installed equipment, various structures, piping, electrical, instrumentation, site preparation, engineering and construction costs making this a pricey option. This process is more prevalent in large systems where funding is more
readily available for new construction. The cost of installing or retrofitting existing systems for EBPR is generally thought to be greater than that for chemical phosphorus removal. In order to meet phosphorus limits, the expense of chemical phosphorus removal includes chemical feed systems, a chemical storage tank, a chemical treatment building, chemicals and additional sludge handling and storage equipment.3 When faced with decreasing phosphorus limits, utilities will have to make an educated decision regarding treatment methods. Protecting our surface water sources from excessive nutrient levels will be required to ensure a safe and adequate water supply for human consumption in the future. If you have questions about this article, email Scott.Willeford@trwa.org.
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Keep It Legal Answers to Members’ Questions by TRWA Assistant General Counsel Trent Hightower
Q:
We have a customer whose residence is located at the end of a private road, which they have severely neglected over the years. The road is so damaged and washed-out in places that our trucks are unable to reach the customer’s meter. What are our options? Can we disconnect service until they fix their road? A: As a threshold matter, no, you probably cannot disconnect service due to the condition of the road. Public Utility Commission (PUC) Rule 24.167 lists the specific situations in which a utility may disconnect service, none of which would seem to apply here. Most of these reasons relate to failure to pay certain charges owed to the utility, operation of non-standard equipment or violation of the utility’s rules in a manner that interferes with the service of others.
has simply let the road fall into disrepair rather than intentionally damaging it to prevent access. Additionally, the meter is presumably located where it is because your utility agreed to place it in that location at one point in time. My advice is to have your staff access the meter by foot, if that is feasible. You might also discuss the condition of the road with the property owner to see if there is some way to work out a local solution to making it more accessible. You can also talk to them about moving the meter to a more accessible location, if that is feasible. Since you would not be moving the meter at the customer’s request, you could not look to them to cover the associated costs. However, in the long-term this might still be a more cost-effective option if reading the meter in its current location continues to be a significant burden on your staff.
"Personal loans from employers to employees are legal, but whether making Q: An employee of our such a loan is advisable or WSC has asked our system a personal loan or not will depend on the nature for advance on his wages, which of your system, its employees he would repay through a reduction over his as a whole and this employee salary next few paychecks. Is such an arrangement legal or specifically."
You should consult your system’s tariff or district service policy to see what responsibilities you place on your members or customers when it comes to meter access. The TRWA Sample Tariff and Sample District Service Policy both have a section that requires the member or customer to provide access to the meter or sewer tap locations as per their easement and service agreements. Both documents allow for an estimated bill to be sent to the customer or member if “access to the meter is hindered or denied, preventing reading of the meter.” That said, if you were to disconnect service, I believe the PUC would likely come down on the side of the customer, given the agency’s pro-consumer leanings. The Sample Tariff and District Service Policy both contemplate overt acts of hindrance, such as placing locked gates, objects placed on top of meter boxes or unrestrained animals as examples of things that prevent the system from reading the meter. In this case, the meter is presumably still accessible on foot, and it appears the owner 16
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advisable?
A: The short answer is that personal loans from employers to employees are legal, but whether making such a loan is advisable or not will depend on the nature of your system, its employees as a whole and this employee specifically. Your board should carefully consider whether granting this seemingly simple request could lead to substantial administrative headaches in the future. For example, would giving a one-time salary advance or loan to one employee open the door to multiple such requests in the future, either by this employee or by other employees of the utility? If so, giving the loan or salary advance could end up being more trouble than it’s worth. Perhaps most importantly, what happens if the employee quits before the advance is repaid and you no longer have wages to withhold? You cannot
force someone to work for you until a debt is repaid, so in that situation your only recourse would be a civil lawsuit against him. All that said, there is nothing illegal about such an arrangement, and employers are free to make loans or salary advances if they wish to do so. The United States Department of Labor, which is the federal agency overseeing compensation issues, has long held that when an employer makes a loan or an advance of wages to an employee, the principal may be deducted from the employee’s earnings, even if the deduction would take the employee’s paycheck below the federally-mandated minimum wage. Note, however, that the employer cannot make an assessment for administrative costs or charge an interest payment that would bring the employee below the minimum wage. Further, Section 61.018 of the Texas Labor Code imposes one more substantial requirement on employers — to be valid under state law, employers must have an employee’s written authorization to deduct part of the employee’s wages for a lawful purpose. In this case, the Texas Workforce Commission has reiterated that deductions for outof-pocket loans and advances of wages are made for lawful purposes, but they are only allowed if the employee authorizes the deduction in writing.
particular. Section 552.221 of the Government Code states that, upon receipt of a request for information, the person in charge of Public Information Act requests “shall promptly product public information for inspection, duplication, or both.” The Act clarifies that an entity may comply with the Act by arranging for a time for the requestor to inspect the information in the entity’s offices, or by sending copies of the information by first class U.S. mail. This may be a case where the law has not yet caught up to the modern, electronic way of doing business. Until the law is updated to allow for electronic production, however, old-fashioned first class mail is likely the best option for responding to an out-of-state request. If you have a legal question you would like answered, please email legal@trwa.org.
Q: We received a Public Information Act request by email from an out-of-state individual whom we do not know. The individual wants us to produce the requested documents by email as well. Do we have to honor this request, and if so, may we send the information by email? A: The Public Information Act does not require the entity receiving a request to know the requestor, nor does it limit its application to only Texas-based requestors. In general, a governmental entity, including water supply corporations (WSCs) for purposes of the Act, must comply with any written request for information unless the information is protected by one of the Act’s exceptions. For our readers’ information, TRWA has heard of several member systems receiving requests for vendor information from out of state sales and marketing professionals. The requestors are likely seeking leads for new business, and while their requests may be annoying or seem suspicious, they are generally valid requests for information under the Public Information Act. When it comes to the proper format for the production of requested information, the Act is very Quench — March / April 2019 17
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Texas Forests and Drinking Water Partnership Meeting
E
By Deborah McMullan, Source Water Protection Specialist, Texas Rural Water Association
arlier this year, 75 leaders and stakeholders from Texas forestry, drinking water and conservation communities convened at McKinney Roughs Nature Area for the Texas Forests and Drinking Water Partnership Meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to explore the connections between forests and drinking water in Texas and to brainstorm specific ways to collaborate and continue to sustain these two very important and interdependent resources. The Texas Forests and Drinking Water Partnership Meeting was convened with the knowledge that forests and drinking water are strongly connected and dependent on each other. Southeastern forests that are actively managed can help protect and increase drinking water supplies while also providing economic benefits. The Forum included a half-day field tour the afternoon of February 5th at Bastrop State Park. The tour focused on restoration and management of the Lost Pines after the 2012 Bastrop Complex Wildfire which destroyed much of the rare Lost Pines forest. The tour was led by Jamie Creasy, Superintendent of Bastrop State Park, along with presentations from Bobby Humphrey, Susan Meckel, and Marshall Trigg with Lower Colorado River Authority. The tour consisted of an initial tour introduction, followed by four stops to view, learn about and discuss the Bastrop Complex/Lost Pines Wildfire; forestry recovery efforts on state and private lands in the area; active forest management approaches and techniques including prescribed burn, thinning, pine breeding (natural regeneration vs. hand planted seedlings); water quality and flow impacts, water quality monitoring and riparian conservation of the Lower Colorado River. Background and History The Texas Forests and Drinking Water Partnership Meeting was the third such meeting in four years, all of which were initiated and supported by the Southeastern Partnership for Forests and Water, an initiative funded by the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and 20
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Communities to strengthen regional, state and local watershed collaboration focused on the connection between forests and drinking water. The states included in this partnership are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. The Southeastern Partnership for Forests and Water initiative recognizes that healthy forests benefit drinking water quality and quantity. Stewarding, enhancing and maintaining healthy forests in key Southeastern drinking water source watersheds is necessary due to increasing population growth and urbanization in the Southeast, which is resulting in forest fragmentation, forest losses (conversion to other land uses) and a decline in forest health. The overall purpose of the Partnership is to maintain healthy watersheds that provide safe, reliable drinking water, healthy forests and strong local and regional economies. Ultimately, the goals are for drinking water utilities/customers, the forestry sector, businesses and corporations to value forest landowners and forest lands for source water protection, and for forestry, drinking water and conservation sectors to collaborate on long-term watershed stewardship throughout the region. The goals of the Southeastern Partnership for Forests and Water are to: •
Help maintain or expand healthy forests in drinking water source watersheds
•
Maintain and improve water quality and quantity through healthy forest retention and stewardship
•
Initiate and develop working relationships among water utilities, the forestry sector, state and local agencies, Rural Water Associations and conservation groups
•
Identify watersheds and initiatives that have high potential for cooperative forest conservation and long-term stewardship
•
Explore pilot projects to implement creative long-term stewardship strategies such as Payment for Watershed Services and forestry best management practices that demonstrate
potentially support) Houston watershed efforts
the interdependence of healthy forests and drinking water Forum Follow Up Actions Participants identified three areas of Texas that action items would be of particular benefit. These areas included the Austin/Hill Country Watershed, Houston/San Jacinto River/Lake Conroe Watershed and what was referred to as “The Rest of Texas.” Attendees broke out into these three groups according to their personal interest. The groups then developed specific follow-up actions:
•
Lay the groundwork of political and public support to adopt a local bond for natural infrastructure stewardship/protection/ conservation (similar to the recent City of Houston $2.5 million bond for flood mitigation)
“The Rest of Texas” •
Create incentives for low-income land owners to retain their forests/agriculture land — especially in areas where the land base is smaller. Perhaps create a co-op to provide incentives.
•
Educate “heir” and new land owners to become stewards of their lands
Austin/Hill Country Watershed •
Perform a cost-benefit study on green vs. grey infrastructure for source water protection/treatment
•
Create a Regional Watershed Cooperative and regional watershed protection plan that includes commitment to developing sustainable funding/financing
•
Figure out a way to tap into oil and gas funding for watershed protection/stewardship
•
Explore utility use of rates and fees to generate local, sustainable watershed funding
•
Develop sustainable local funding/financing approaches
•
•
Initiate a focused project on land stewardship and reforestation in the Pedernales Basin
Explore purchasing land for protection to help keep forests as forests and private land in private ownership
•
•
Create a focus group to address wastewater discharge issues throughout Hill Country watershed
Communicate with landowners about the importance of protecting source water
•
Identify programs to fund conservation easements in rural areas with a smaller tax base, using the message of “No Land, No Water”
•
Identify priority forest restoration needs in the face of deforestation and erosion
•
Collaborate with those seeking funding for other purposes in the watershed (recreation, wildlife/habitat, agricultural preservation, etc.)
Houston/San Jacinto/Lake Conroe Watershed •
Create and facilitate a Houston Watershed Group focused on partnerships, collaboration, funding and action.
•
Use existing data and analysis tools to tell the story of the Houston region’s source watershed and forests, focusing on return on investment for protecting green infrastructure (for both source water protection and flood prevention/mitigation)
•
Use existing outreach mechanisms to teach the public about Houston’s source watershed including the city’s drinking water Consumer Confidence Report and website. Teach water customers about how source water protection might impact their rates and water availability.
•
Strengthen the City of Houston’s (and the region’s) Source Water Protection Program and ultimately update Source Water Protection plans. Connect source water protection to flood prevention/mitigation.
•
Create a Houston-Galveston Area Council with other partners; create a directory of programs and funding that support (or could
The groups are committed to continue momentum toward enhanced watershed stewardship and protection in these key Texas forested drinking water watersheds. Future meetings will be taking place across Texas during the coming months. Anyone interested in finding out more information or wishing to join one or more of these groups is encouraged to contact Deborah McMullan, TRWA Source Water Protection Specialist, at Deborah.McMullan@trwa.org.
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Meet the 2019 Winners of TRWA's Awards of Excellence Compiled by Allison Kaminsky, Deputy Executive Director, Texas Rural Water Association
T
he TRWA Awards of Excellence program is designed to honor excellence and achievement within our membership of rural utilities across Texas. Texan water systems are built on merit, and TRWA proudly salutes that spirit and determination with these awards. We announced our winners at RuralWaterCon at the end of March. Our Individual Award winners each received a commemorative plaque and a check for $500, and our System-wide Award winners each received a commemorative plaque and a check for $1000. We are proud to now be able to share their stories with you! Excellence in System Management: Jo E. Ball, Bolivar Peninsula SUD Thank you to AIA Insurance Agency for sponsoring this award!
the location of the missing and hidden water meters with drawings and metal detectors. Once the meters were located, their positions were tracked using GPS technology along with any new installed meters. These two things greatly reduced the District’s monthly water loss, along with having the District’s employees walking the right of ways seeking water leaks. Now, the District’s water loss total is amongst the lowest in the industry. After Hurricane Ike, the District had numerous claims with FEMA, and Jo was relentless in dealing with them. It took until early 2018 to resolve these claims with numerous “back and forth” meetings and conversations with FEMA. Besides all his accomplishments, Jo is a man well suited for his position, respected by all of his employees and the Bolivar Peninsula Special Utility District’s Board of Directors. Jo is always looking after the welfare of his employees by encouraging them to obtain various water licenses. He also has had outside trainers conduct diversity and sexual harassment training for the employees. Jo makes it a point to know local government officials in Galveston County and state officials in Austin. Through these contacts he is able to keep abreast of existing and future rules and regulations that will affect the District. Excellence in Administration: Kathy Hinson, Walker County SUD Thank you to Live Oak Bank for sponsoring this award!
From left: TRWA Board President Brian Macmanus, Jo E. Ball, and TRWA Board Secretary Bruce Alexander.
Jo E. Ball started his employment at Bolivar Peninsula Special Utility District a year and a half after Hurricane Ike devastated the Bolivar Peninsula in September 2008. He has been instrumental in bringing the District back from the “abyss.” There were water leaks in the marshes along the Peninsula and customers’ water meters were lost and hidden because of the large deposit of sand covering the Peninsula from the hurricane. Jo spearheaded finding 22
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Kathy Hinson accepts her plaque and award check during Opening General Session at RuralWaterCon 2019.
Kathy’s best attribute is her unbelievable “work ethic.” She makes every minute count while on the clock. In her position as Office Manager, Kathy is responsible for payables, payroll, Board Meeting minutes and agendas. She also handles Human Resources tasks, such as keeping up with and serving as intermediary between employees and their insurance and retirement benefits. Kathy also has oversight responsibilities for the receivables portion of the front office and is the problem solver regarding billing issues. She is also responsible for hiring, firing and evaluating the employees in her department. She is frugal with purchases and expenses even when there is no policy in place to require her to be. Kathy is always willing to put forth the extra effort to get the job done. She maintains a strong technical knowledge about field matters in order to be able to better keep her office staff and the customers as accurately informed as they can be. She has worked hard in the field as well to learn the necessary skills to get first her “D” Operators Certification and she continues to prove her proficiency by maintaining her Class “C” Groundwater Operators Certification for the last 15 years. She is always willing to take on new challenges. She has a strong knowledge of the District's policies and procedures as she helped to write or rewrite most of them. Having a thorough knowledge of how policies are derived enables her to have the ability to administer with accuracy and fairness and her compassionate nature allows customers to feel that they have been treated decently. Kathy understands that good customer relations are the life blood of a smooth-running operation. Excellence in Operations: Robert Woodall, Rockett SUD Leader. Visionary. Good steward of the District. These are all fitting descriptions of our Excellence in Operations winner Robert Woodall. Robert began his water career with Rockett Special Utility District in October of 2000. He was hired as an operations crew member and quickly advanced to a crew leader, then was promoted to foreman in 2007. Due to his leadership qualities, knowledge of the system and his ability to manage multiple facets of Rockett’s operations department, Robert was promoted to Operations Manager in 2015. As Operations Manager, Robert is responsible for managing the District’s average 3.3 mgd system that serves 12,500 connections. He also manages 14 field employees, reviews plans for all new construction of
Robert Woodall accepts his plaque and award check during Opening General Session at RuralWaterCon 2019.
infrastructure within the District’s distribution system, process controls, sampling, state reporting and budgeting. Robert takes pride in the operations department and ensures that it is up to date and has wellmaintained equipment allowing the operators to efficiently address both daily tasks and unexpected events. You can often hear Robert saying, “my goal is for my customers not to be out of water.” He strives for efficiency when it comes to fixing leaks, with minimal water outages and rapid repair times. His in-depth knowledge of Rockett’s system allows him to operate and utilize the SCADA system for 9 different pressure planes from his iPhone or tablet, and isolate areas when needed. Robert holds a B water license and is diligent about passing down the knowledge he gained over the years working in the field. He is grooming the next generation to be prepared to continue Rockett’s excellent operating standards. For over 18 years Robert has been a 24/7, 365 day a year employee. Whenever he has a day off he always says, “I’m always available and only a phone call away.” He has shown his passion, dedication, and commitment to Rockett Special Utility District. Large-System Excellence Award: D&M WSC Thank you to Master Meter for sponsoring this award! Douglass Water Supply was established in 1964 and later consolidated with Moral Water Supply in 1976, forming D & M Water Supply Corporation. Their purpose has always been to provide quality, affordable, water to their rural communities. They have over 2,060 water connections and about 275 sewer connections. Their system experienced some major stresses due to aging infrastructure, sporadic growth and multiple changes in management over Continued on page 24 Quench — March / April 2019 23
Continued from page 23
D&M WSC General Manager Robert Shumate accepts the system's award from TRWA President Brian Macmanus, Master Meter VP of Marketing Ian MacLeod, and TRWA Board Secretary Bruce Alexander.
the years. In 2009 and 2010 the board of directors implemented a series of changes that dramatically improved the water system. They prioritized capital improvement projects and critical maintenance issues. Through these changes, the system has achieved a high level of improvement and success. Two booster stations were replaced with newly constructed facilities, providing quality water and pressure to areas that were suffering from ongoing low-pressure issues. Several sections of distribution lines were upgraded. A customer meter change out program was implemented throughout the system to minimize unbilled usage, which increased revenue. Valves and check meters were added in critical areas of the distribution system to reduce water loss and increase controls. Automated alarm call outs were installed at all plants and at the corporate office, improving security and response time to maintenance issues. A corporate website was added along with online billing and pay by phone options. An automated alert system was also added, used primarily for boil water notices and to notify customers of impending disconnection for past due accounts. All of these additions have greatly improved customer satisfaction. Small-System Excellence Award: Robertson County WSC Thank you to CoBank for sponsoring this award! The Robertson County Water Supply Corporation was created in 1972 due to the efforts of a group of local residents who wanted to increase access to quality water. Since their inception, this local 24
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involvement has continued to be the driving force for their strategic investment within the community and plans for growth. The system now serves approximately 1,300 members. They have expanded their services to support three plants with more than 450 miles of water lines. Recently, they cut their water loss by 10 percent, improved their electrical usage efficiency at all plants, implemented technology in their plants to run SCADA systems, converted to a radio read system and prepared their technicians to conduct on-site repairs with fully equipped trucks and knowledge. This success and growth is contingent on local and regional support. They believe that in order to raise awareness about water they must start with a bottom up approach, which prioritizes community input and leverages citizen collaboration to advocate for local water supply. As a rural water organization, they use a grassroots approach to organize and activate public support for this work. They encourage members, workers and friends to be involved through customer interaction during daily phone calls and in-office visits, as well as conversations with members while on location.
Robertson County WSC General Manager John Elliott and Board Member Bill Riley accept their system's award at RuralWaterCon 2019.
To foster political participation, they work closely with local government, meeting with the county judge, county commissioners and city officials to discuss ways to promote growth and the most efficient ways to supply water to the community. Through their ongoing grassroots involvement, it is their desire to continue to work with local, state and national government to unify water systems and conservation districts for the preservation of water for generations to come. *** Congratulations to all of our winners! A big thank you to everyone who helped spread the word
about this program and to those who nominated outstanding individuals and systems. Without you, these programs would not be possible. The nomination period for the 2020 awards will open in August! More information can be found at www.trwa. org under the "Programs" tab. If you are an Associate Member and are interested in sponsoring an award, contact Allison.Kaminsky@trwa.org.
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From the Hole Tales from the road by Michael Beadnell, Instructor for Texas Rural Water Association
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Pump and Motor Maintenance, Morgan's Point Resort
n the morning of March 5th, I left my home office in route to the city of Morgan’s Point Resort, located on Lake Belton. There is no prettier lake in Texas than lake Belton. It’s formed by the Leon River as it flows through deep valleys and steep limestone hills of the central Texas hill country. It is one of the deepest lakes in the state with depths over 124 feet and is controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Lake Belton is in the center of the most populated areas in the Southwest and lies in the heart of Texas. Two and a half hours from Dallas and Fort Worth, minutes from Waco and Austin, and 8 miles from the cities of Temple and Belton. I traveled there to teach Pump and Motor Maintenance. The backdrop of their classroom overlooked the city’s outdoor recreational area, boat ramp and marina. The classroom was a good size and had plenty of room to set up work stations for some friendly team competition. The Pump and Motor Maintenance course covers a number of aspects. Most pump and motor questions are math questions, so the course has a good bit of math in the curriculum. Operators attending class learn to identify types and uses of pump curves; calculate water, break and motor horsepower; and use the affinity laws to calculate the effects of changes in pumps. At first It may not make a lot of sense to some students, but we take a look at each one of these concepts as little individual pieces, and then we pull it all together and look at pump curves. You may be asking why an operator needs to know anything at all about pump curves — most of the time an operator is not asked to select a pump or to read a curve. However, as I travel throughout the state, I find there are a lot of things an operator can do if they have a curve and know how to use it. For instance, curves will tell you a lot about the effects of changes in discharge pressure and suction lift. Curves show impeller diameter, what effects speed will have on how the pump performs as far as flow, horsepower requirements and efficiencies are concerned. 26
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Students get hands-on experience as part of TRWA's Pump and Motor Maintenance Course.
I greeted my class, and once introductions were made and the required paper work was completed, I began with the History of Pumps and Motors. Pumps have been used to move water since before the time of Rome. One of the earliest pumps used is known as the Persian wheel or the waterwheel, since this device was a waterwheel with buckets. As the wheel turned, the buckets would carry the water to a high point. The water then gravity-flowed to its point of use. Another early pump was the Archimedean screw pump. It is still used today for pumping applications involving low head and trashy liquids. Next, the class looked at developing a maintenance program, followed by a lesson on electricity. Electricity is an energy source created by the imbalance of protons and neutrons. It is transmitted through conductive material by a force called voltage and must have a complete circuit to flow. Electricity makes things work by creating a magnetic force of heat. We then took a good look at
an electric motor by actually tearing into one so we could examine the internal parts, locating the stator and rotor and identifying just how the magnetic force is created to make things work. After that, students were provided with an introduction to Sir James Watts and his theories of horsepower and we covered centrifugal pumps. Then we talked about lubrication, stressing the importance of food grade oils and grease, and bearings. At this point, the class took turns replacing and installing bearings on a piston pump and making gaskets.
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The final chapter was on safety, where we discussed developing an effective safety program, including a lock out tag out program, first aid and CPR. After the lesson was over, students were given the end-of-course final exam, which I call the meat and potatoes of the course. When everyone was finished, I went over the questions with the class and let them correct their own exam, so they could later use it as a study guide. Morgan’s Point Resort is a real gem in the heart of the central Texas hill country. I’m scheduled to go back on May 21-22 for a Customer Service Inspections 16-hour course. Get registered and bring your fishing pole! More information on our training courses, including our current course schedule, can be found at www.trwa.org. If you are interested in hosting a TRWA class, please email training@trwa.org or call 512-428-5754.
Continued on page 30 Quench — March / April 2019 27
TRWA Briefs
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Getting the Most from the TRWA Phone System
O
We sincerely appreciate your support and understanding as we continue to improve our services. Please reach out to us with feedback at any time!
ur goal is to provide the best assistance possible to every member, from every department, every day. Some of you may have noticed that there has been a change with the phone system at the main office, and now there is a selection of menu options to choose from when you call in. With this change, we endeavor to make the most of the resources available to us and to improve our service to you.
Have You Joined the TXWARN Network?
Below you will find additional information to improve your experience with the updated phone system. Please share this important material with your staff and board, so they can all benefit from the new system. Beginning with this issue of Quench, the inside front cover of every magazine will include Austin Staff direct extensions and Field Staff cell phone numbers. When you call the office, just dial your party directly by extension! Tip: if you reach a voicemail box from the main menu or staff directory, you can press # to return to the main menu! Additionally, you will find a new “Contact Us” link on the TRWA website with a
L
ast year, TRWA partnered with TXWARN, a free, well-established emergency response mutual aid network that connects its members with emergency response assistance. Our partnership with TXWARN is the best way to meet everyone’s water-related needs in the event of a disaster. The TRWA Team will mobilize in the same way, reaching out to our members before, during and after an emergency and providing boots on the ground emergency assistance. TRWA is also connected with a network of other state rural water associations who will come to our aid if needed. If your utility is not already a member of this network, we encourage you to sign-up by visiting https://www.txwarn.org and clicking "Register" in the upper right-hand corner of the page. If you’re already a member, please update your information in the TXWARN system before hurricane season begins.
To help you navigate our automated phone menu system, here is a brief overview of each menu selection as well as the staff member directly associated with it. Menu Selection
Department/Staff
Area of Assistance
2
Training (Ariane Walker)
All things related to online & classroom courses, instructional manuals and credit hours.
3
Legal (Patti Flunker)
For TRWA members to directly connect with the legal team to get assistance.
4
Technical Assistance including Circuit Riders, Waste Water Techs, FMT
You can leave a message with us to reach the field staff for technical assistance.
5
Conferences & Membership (Angela Russell)
Questions about membership and upcoming conferences.
6
Magazine & Advertising (Kelsey Copeland)
Quench magazine, online and print advertising, job postings, website, etc.
7
Office Manager (Amanda Ashcraft)
General direct help, publication sales, assistant to the Executive Director, and facilities management.
8
Texas Rural Water Foundation (Lisa Adams)
For TRWF programs including Veteran Employment & Rural Water Workforce Initiative.
9
Accounts Payable/Receivable (Pam Cantrell)
To inquire about a payment or invoice.
28
Quench — March / April 2019
TRWA Welcomes New Board Directors and Alternate Directors
T
he Texas Rural Water Association held its annual elections on March 29, 2019, in conjunction with RuralWaterCon. In addition to regular elections, TRWA held a special election to fill the remainder of a term in District 4, meaning seven TRWA districts had something on the ballot this year. TRWA District Directors up for re-election this year were Pat Allen, Green Valley SUD, for District 9; Kent Watson, Wickson Creek SUD, for District 10; Kevin Spence, Cypress Springs SUD, for District 11; and Robert Nettles, Riverside SUD, for District 13. All four of these elections were uncontested, so all were re-elected to serve another three-year term on the TRWA Board. Standing District Directors Barry Miller, Gonzales County WSC, for District 5 and Clay Hodges, Cash SUD, for District 7 did not seek re-election. The Alternate Directors for those Districts stepped up to run for the open seats. Both elections were uncontested, so we welcome Dave McMurry, Aqua WSC, as the new District 5 Director and Johnny Rudisill, Nevada SUD, as the new District 7 Director. Late last year, the Board appointed Steve Adams, Brookesmith SUD, to fill a vacancy in District 4 after former Board Director Delores Goode stepped down from her position. To determine the remainder of the term, a special election was held in this District. The race was uncontested, so we also welcome Steve Adams as the new Director of District 4. A special thank you to these three departing TRWA Board Directors for their years of service. Five of the six Districts with regular elections this year also had candidates for Alternate Director on the ballot, all running unopposed. New faces include Roby Jekel, representing North Milam WSC, BellMilam-Falls WSC, Little Elm Valley WSC, Marlow WSC, Minerva WSC and Gause WSC, for District 5; and Adam Telfer, Canyon Regional Water Authority, for District 9. Alternate Directors that were re-elected were Kyle Eppler, Wickson Creek SUD, for District 10; Kristi Hirsch, Fouke WSC, for District 11; and Randall Baker, One Five O WSC, for District 13. There were no candidates for Alternate Director in District 7, so the seat remains vacant.
Thank you to everyone who voted in the 2019 TRWA Elections, either by casting an absentee ballot or by sending a delegate to your district’s caucus at the annual convention. If you have questions about any of these election results, please feel free to contact us at: 512-472-8591, ext. 107.
Announcing the Winners of our PH2OTOSTREAM Contest
A
s part of a continuous effort to shine a spotlight on the past, present and future of rural water and wastewater systems, the Texas Rural Water Association and Texas Rural Water Foundation are proud to host the annual amateur photography contest PH2OTOSTREAM! PH2OTOSTREAM responds to a need for images from, and for, rural Texas water and wastewater. This contest gives Texans and outlet to share their experiences while bringing awareness to the role of utilities in Rural America. Thank you to those who submitted photos into this year’s contest, providing a closer look at Texan water infrastructure, staff and scenery. We received many fantastic entries and are thrilled to share the Grand Prize and category winners listed below: Category
Name
Photo Title
*Rural Texas Water
*Shannon Orr
*Carpenter's Bluff
Water Infrastructure
Kelsey Copeland
Small Town Sunset
Utility Workers in Action
Cash SUD
Fate Trans Line
*Grand Prize Winner (highest scoring entry): Featured on the cover of this issue!
Each category winner will receive a cash prize and the grand prize winner will also receive a matted and framed print of their photo. We thank all who entered photos. Your images of Texas water and water infrastructure greatly benefit the Association and Foundation by providing high-quality images for use in educational documents, informational handouts and other Foundation and Association materials. Look for the other contest photos in issues of Quench throughout the year!
Quench — March / April 2019 29
Classified Ads Angus Water Supply Corporation Water Operator Angus WSC, located 6 miles out of Corsicana off I-45, has an open position for a Water Operator. Qualified applicants must be able to work in all weather conditions. A minimum Class "C" Water License is required. The applicant must have a Texas Drivers License and be able to pass a drug test and a criminal background check. Any past experience working for a water utility company would be a plus. Starting hourly pay will be based on past experience in the water utility field. Overtime will be paid after a 40 hour work week. Some weekends and after hours may be required. This position will be open until filled. Applicants may pick up an application and submit or mail a resume to our office at: Angus Water Supply Corporation 212 FM 739 Angus, Texas 75109 For any questions you may call 903-874-6773.
Texas on Tap
TRWA's Direct-to-Consumer Magazine Educate Utility Customers & Build Industry Support Provide Insight: Decrease the divide in industry comprehension by educating consumers through content developed by an editorial team. Maximize Resources: Outsource communication services: our team will save you time and energy while producing a quality and consistent product. Customize Messaging: Take advantage of customizable pages to highlight your system, provide notices or to include key messaging.
Subscribing Systems Can Choose From Two Options: Standard Version
Custom Version
Universal Content (8 Pages) $0.79 per piece*
Universal Content (8 Pages) Custom Content (4 Pages) $0.99 per piece* *includes production, mailing and handling costs.
"Texas on Tap was well-received by our customers and the customization allowed us to include important memos, as well as a closer look at the history and future of our utility district. The process was simple on our end, and we look forward to participating in future issues." — Clay Hodges, Cash SUD General Manager
Visit www.trwa.org/consumer for more information! 30
Quench — March / April 2019
Quadvest Water and Wastewater Utility Company is in search of the top talent in the industry. We have been in business since 1978 and have recently made it our focus to grow—becoming one of the few privatelyowned utility companies that are classified as a Class A utility company. Achieving success through our happy employees, we have become “Houston Business Journals” top 40th best company and “Texas Monthly’s” 14th best company! Our Core Values set us apart and take us down an ‘E-P-I-C P-A-T-H’ to success. They are Employee Centricity, Professionalism, Innovative, Customer Centricity, Passion to Win, Accountability, Trust and Hard Work. If you want to be a part of a top Texas Utility Company and our Core Values are important values to you, please contact us at http://quadvest.com/careers or email Mandi Brown at mbrown@quadvest.com. “The Glass Is Always Full”
Advertiser Index AIA Insurance Agency........................................... Page 9 Childress Engineers......................................................27 Chlorinators Incorporated............................................15 CoBank...........................................................................19 Daniel & Brown, Inc.......................................................15 Dedicated Controls........................................................15 Esri.................................................................................. 11 IntegraChem..................................................................13 J.F. Fontaine & Associates...........................................27 KSA Engineers...............................................................25 Maguire Iron...................................................................17 Pittsburg Tank & Tower Maintenance Co., Inc............27 Preload...........................................................................15 Russell Drilling Co., Inc................................................27 SAMCO...........................................................................18 Schaumburg & Polk, Inc...............................................25 Smith Pump Co., Inc......................................................27 Texas Aquastore............................................................25 USA BlueBook............................................... Back Cover
Plan Ahead CONFERENCES: June 6-7, 2019
Office Professionals Conference, Embassy Suites, San Marcos
July 10-11, 2019
Training and Technical Conference, Galveston Island Convention Center
October 9-10, 2019
Fall Management Conference, Marriott Plaza, San Antonio
November 6-7, 2019
Fall Management Conference & Districts Conference, Courtyard Marriott, Allen/Dallas
OPERATOR TRAINING COURSES: Water Credit Courses
Basic Water Works Operations: San Antonio, May 7-9 Groundwater Production: Kilgore, May 14-16 Atascosa, June 18-20 Surface Water Production 1: Harlingen, May 7-9 Jonestown, May 28-30 Surface Water Production 2: Harlingen, June 11-13 Water Distribution: San Antonio, May 21-23 Denton/Aubrey, June 4-6 Water Laboratory: Bastrop, May 14-16 Kilgore, June 18-20
Water and Wastewater Credit Courses
Chlorinator Systems and Chemical Handling: Customer Service Inspections: Gainesville, May 14-15 Morgan's Point Resort, May 21-22 Harlingen, May 29-30 Pump and Motor Maintenance: San Antonio, June 4-6 Utility Safety: San Antonio, June 11-13
Wastewater Credit Courses
Basic Wastewater: Mesquite, June 18-20 Wastewater Collections: Quitman, June 25-27 Wastewater Laboratory: San Antonio, June 25-27
Quench — March / April 2019 31
1616 Rio Grande| Austin, TX 78701-1122 Telephone: (512) 472-8591 | Fax: (512) 472-5186 www.trwa.org