Completion of Multiyear Infrastructure Project Readies Sharyland WSC for Oncoming Growth Also Inside: A Bridge to Tomorrow: Using Interim Financing to Build Rural Water & Wastewater Systems New Contract Disclosure Requirement Applicable Effective January 1, 2016 January / February 2016 www.trwa.org
TRWA Today
TRWA Board of Directors
Officers
Leadership Team Lara Zent Executive Director and General Counsel
Larry Bell Technical Assistance Director
Clay Hodges President Hunt (Dist. 7)
Celia Eaves Environmental Services Director
Pat Allen Vice President Guadalupe (Dist. 9)
Janice Gibbs, CPA Finance Director Allison Kaminsky Communications Director Angela Russell, CMP Member Services Director
Michael Vollmar Professional Development and Brian Macmanus Secretary Training Director Cameron (Dist. 6)
Office Staff
Barry Miller Treasurer Gonzales (Dist. 5)
James Morrison Immediate Past President Walker (Dist. 13)
Pam Cantrell Accounting Support Specialist
Angela Harris Member Services Coordinator
District Directors
Finley Barnett Taylor (Dist. 1)
Chris Boyd Denton (Dist. 3) Delores Goode Lampasas (Dist. 4) Charles Beseda Hill (Dist. 8)
Kent Watson Brazos (Dist. 10)
Kevin Spence Franklin (Dist. 11)
Vickie Armstrong Kaufman (Dist. 12)
Vacant District 14
TRWA is dedicated to helping directors, managers and operators 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. 2
Quench — January/February 2016
Pauline Word Legal Assistant
Thomas Acker, Jr. Instructor
Michael Beadnell Instructor
Ross Brookbank FMT Specialist
Alex Eaves Wastewater Technician Paul King Circuit Rider Len Klandrud Instructor Steven Mindt FMT Specialist George Patterson Instructor
Charles Perkins Circuit Rider
Refugio Rodriguez FMT Specialist
Established in 1969, the Texas Rural Water Association (TRWA) is a statewide nonprofit trade association with an active membership consisting of more than 750 nonprofit water supply corporations, special utility districts, municipal utility districts, small cities, investor-owned utilities and individual members. In addition, more than 200 water industry suppliers participate in TRWA activities as associate members. TRWA members provide water and wastewater service to 2.5 million customers throughout Texas.
Jeramie Judd Training Support Specialist Deborah McMullan Assistant Projects Manager
Field Staff
Bruce Alexander Medina (Dist. 2)
Melody Bennett Project Support Specialist
Anne Ruthstrom Source Water Protection Specialist
James Smith Circuit Rider
William White Circuit Rider
Contact the Editor Your comments and opinions, as well as editorial and advertising inquiries, are welcomed and should be directed to the Editor, Allison Kaminsky, at (512) 472-8591 or at editor@trwa.org. Find TRWA on Facebook “Like” our Page and join the conversation at: www.facebook.com/TexasRuralWaterAssn
Follow TRWA on Twitter! Find us at @TexasRuralWater for all water industry news and @TRWALegislative for legislative updates relevant to you!
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In Every Issue: Letter from the President
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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
Advertiser Index
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Plan Ahead
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TRWA’s Calendar of Events
Features:
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New Contract Disclosure Requirement Applicable Effective January 1, 2016
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A Bridge to Tomorrow: Using Interim Financing to Build Rural Water & Wastewater Systems
By Tony Corbett, Freeman & Corbett LLP It is important that all governmental entities adopt new procedures to ensure compliance with HB 1295.
By Jake Good, CoBank Read about how Military Highway WSC used bridge financing to get a USDA-funded project started.
Art of Sustainability: 10 Principles of 12 The Sustainable Utility Management
By John Padalino, Kemp Smith LLP This article is the fourth in a five-part series focused on sustainable utility management, centering on the fifth and sixth principles.
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The Pulse of the Texas Economy
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Completion of Multiyear Infrastructure Project Readies Sharyland WSC for Oncoming Growth
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By Glenn Hegar, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts The Texas Comptroller’s office gives a report on the current state of the Texas economy
By Allison Kaminsky, Texas Rural Water Association A ribbon cutting ceremony marked the end of a $31.5 million, seven-year project for Sharyland WSC.
TRWA Briefs
TRWF Makes it Easy to Get Free Tools to Educate on Conservation; Foundation Program Helps Water Utilities Fill Vacancies with Veterans; Basic Water Works Operations Study Guide Now Available for Sale; New TCEQ License Application Process Beginning in 2016; TRWF Announces Winners of PhotoStream Contest; Know Your System’s Water Sampling Schedule; The Texas Rural Water PAC Needs Your Support
O n the C over : Water Tower P hoto C redit : Karla Tharp, Grand Prize Winner PH 2OSTREAM 2016 Quench — January/February 2016 3
President’s Message
RuralWaterCon, Texas Rural Water Association’s annual convention, will be in Fort Worth on March 22–24, and I hope you or a representative from your system will attend. This year, we are starting one day earlier so you can get back home before Good Friday. There is a wide range of interesting topics to be discussed and a tract just for board members. The convention is TRWA’s “big show” of the year. Just like last year, we have a program filled with timely regulatory updates, training hours and networking opportunities.
“Money raised by the PAC will be used to ensure TRWA is represented as important decisions that affect our industry are being made in Austin and Washington.”
Please plan to come early on Tuesday, bring your shotgun and shoot in the PAC Sporting Clays Tournament that afternoon. Information about this event can be found in the RuralWaterCon brochure or on the TRWA website. I have shot this course and I guarantee it will be a “blast!” If you can’t come to the Sporting Clays Tournament, please consider a gold or silver PAC contribution. On Tuesday night, all gold level contributors are invited to a special reception with Senator Charles Perry who is Chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Water and Rural Affairs Committee. Don’t forget to bring something unique from your area, county or town to put into the silent auction. Money raised by the PAC will be used to ensure TRWA is represented as important decisions that affect our industry are being made in Austin and Washington. If you don’t want to shoot clays or participate in the PAC auctions, you can still help by simply meeting with your elected representative or senator. Explain to them the challenges you face each day, host a fundraising event for them at your office or just volunteer to help them in their election. Building relationships with them now will help TRWA in the future as we face new issues and work to amend existing laws during the 2017 legislative session. Finally, don’t forget to purchase your banquet tickets. This year, we will be having a stage show with dancing and a live auction. Keep Texas Rural!
Clay Hodges President Texas Rural Water Association
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Quench — January/February 2016
Letter from the Executive Director
I hope all of you are having a great 2016 thus far! It has already been a very busy and productive year for us at Texas Rural Water Association. We have been active in our lobbying efforts gearing up for the 2017 Legislative Session. TRWA’s board members Clay Hodges, Brian Macmanus, Chris Boyd and Pat Allen have traveled to Austin to join me for meetings with staff for Chairman Charles Perry, Chairman Robert Nichols, Senator Brandon Creighton and House Rural Caucus Chairman Representative Doc Anderson to discuss our concerns about the decertification laws. We learned that the Senate Agriculture, Water and Rural Affairs Committee will be having a hearing on certificates of convenience and necessity in August, and we are excited that we will have an opportunity to have a seat at the table and provide testimony. This same group traveled back to Austin to meet with Public Utility Commissioner Brandy Marquez, Executive Director Brian Lloyd and Commissioner Ken Anderson’s policy advisor. We received a great reception in each of these meetings and we are looking forward to working with them to address some of the challenges facing small rural water systems. At the end of 2015, San Antonio Water System notified us that they will continue their relationship with us as their operator training provider. We now have the schedule for all our training classes online, including the SAWS classes that others may sign up for, through the end of May. Also, we have been conducting special training classes through our EPA contract on the Revised Total Coliform Rule and Nitrification Action Plans, regarding new requirements that take effect on April 1. Our Training Department instructors, along with staff from our Environmental Services Department, have teamed up with Larry Bell to provide 12 of these classes in January and February. Attendance at these trainings has been at capacity and they have been receiving great reviews. Our new eminent domain reporting filing service has been a success. We completed the filings for 278 systems that subscribed to our service. This proved to be more challenging than anticipated given all the glitches in the Comptroller’s new online database, including a launch delay and periods of time when it was offline for repair. Although the deadline was February 1, the Comptroller will provide a 30-day grace period for systems to file before assessing the first $1,000 penalty, so noncomplying systems may still subscribe for our service or otherwise file their information. Finally, many beautiful photo entries were entered into the Texas Rural Water Foundation’s PhotoStream contest. We will be featuring these photos in upcoming issues of Quench, and you can see our grand prize winning photo on the cover of this very issue! I’m so proud of our TRWA team who work hard every day to serve our member systems. I look forward to seeing many of you at our RuralWaterCon in Ft. Worth!
“It has already been a very busy and productive year for us at Texas Rural Water Association.”
Lara Zent Executive Director and General Counsel Texas Rural Water Association Quench — January/February 2016 5
New Contract Disclosure Requirement Applicable Effective January 1, 2016 By Tony Corbett, Partner, Freeman & Corbett LLP
D
uring its 2015 legislative session, the Texas Legislature adopted House Bill 1295, which added a new disclosure obligation applicable to many governmental contracts (and amendments to existing contracts) entered into after January 1, 2016. The law (codified at Section 2252.908 of the Texas Government Code) generally requires business entities seeking to contract with governmental entities (or state agencies) to disclose “interested parties” before the governmental entity may enter into the contract. Since the law prohibits a governmental entity from entering into a contract without the required disclosure, it is important that all governmental entities adopt new procedures to ensure compliance with the law. The disclosure requirement applies to any contract (including any amended, extended or renewed contract) of a governmental entity or state agency entered into after January 1, 2016 that requires an action or vote by the governing body or state agency before the contract may be signed. It also applies to any contracts that do not require an action or vote by the governing body if the value of the contract is at least $1 million. Since the disclosure requirement is applicable only to contracts entered into by governmental entities and state agencies, TRWA members that are water districts (including special utility districts, water control and improvement districts, and municipal utility districts) are subject to the new law, but it is not applicable to water supply corporations. The Texas Ethics Commission was charged with implementation of the new law and adopted rules to do so on November 30, 2015. The agency has also adopted a “Certificate of Interested Parties” (Form 1295) for purposes of making the required disclosure. A business entity must deliver a signed and notarized Form 1295 to the governmental entity before the governmental entity may sign the contract (or amendment). The Texas Ethics Commission rules generally define a “business entity” as any entity (including a nonprofit entity) through which business is conducted with a governmental entity or state 6
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agency, including a sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation. The disclosure obligation does not apply to contracts with other governmental entities or state agencies. Business entities subject to the disclosure obligation must disclose any “interested party,” which is defined as: (i) any person with a “controlling interest” in the business entity (determined by the person’s ownership or participation interest, or whether they serve on the board or as an officer of the business entity); or (ii) a contract “intermediary” (a person who is not an employee of the business entity but who actively participated in the facilitation of the contract or negotiation of the contract for compensation). It is the obligation of the business entity, and not the governmental entity, to identify and disclose interested parties. In the event a business entity asks questions about the disclosure obligation, you may refer them to the Texas Ethics Commission website. The website includes instructional videos and a FAQ about how to register and file a report (both for business entities and governmental entities). In general terms, a business entity must complete an electronic filing application on the Texas Ethics Commission website to complete and obtain a Form 1295. After completion, an authorized representative of the business entity must print and execute the form and have the form notarized. The notarized form must then be submitted to the governmental entity at the time the business entity submits the signed contract. It is important to note that the burden of complying with the new law does not rest solely on business entities, and governmental entities must actively participate in the disclosure process. A business entity must include on the Form 1295 an “identification number” used by the governmental entity in order for the business entity to complete the Form 1295. Therefore, governmental entities will have to assign a unique number to each and every contract (and amendment) subject to the disclosure requirement in order for a business entity to complete the disclosure form. Further, the governmental entity must notify the Ethics
Commission, using the Commission’s electronic filing system, of receipt of the executed Form 1295 not later than 30 days after the date the contract binds all parties. In summary, all members of TRWA that are governmental entities are subject to the new law for any contract, contract amendment, or contract extension entered into after January 1, 2016 that is subject to approval or vote by the board of directors. Members subject to the new law should make sure that they assign a contract number, and receive an executed Form 1295 from any business entity, before approval of the contract by your board of directors. Further, members are required to electronically register receipt of the Form 1295 on the Texas Ethics Commission website within thirty days after execution of the contract.
Hickory Water Supply 3193 MSWT Melvin, Texas 503,898 Gallons Potable Water Owner: San Angelo Water Utilities General Contractor: Archer Western
For more information regarding the new disclosure requirement and how governmental entities may register, please view the Texas Ethics Commission website (https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/ whatsnew/elf_info_form1295.htm). You may also call TRWA at (512) 472-8591.
Grand Lake PWA 4820 SFWT Ochelata, Oklahoma 260,000 Gallons Potable Water
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Texas Aquastore Phone 561.994.2400 • www.florida-aquastore.com Quench — January/February 2016 7
A Bridge to Tomorrow: Using Interim Financing to Build Rural Water & Wastewater Systems By Jake Good, Water and Community Facilities, CoBank
R
ural Texas water suppliers seeking to improve their infrastructure often turn to the capital expenditure programs offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Military Highway Water Supply Corporation, a notfor-profit utility serving 10,200 customers in the lower Rio Grande valley, is a case in point—it is currently upgrading and expanding its water pipes to increase capacity to its customers and comply with requirements issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and secured financing for these projects through USDA. But Military Highway WSC had a lot of work to do before USDA would offer its approval and its loans would kick in, allowing construction on the pipe projects to begin. The corporation had to engage in several rounds of engineering, surveying and securing of easements before the new pipes
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could be installed. It also planned to build a new 150,000-gallon water tower, which necessitated the purchase of land before construction could begin. “USDA has a procedure that we needed to follow, but that meant a lot of delays,” says Ramon Rosales Jr., Military Highway WSC’s general manager. “The construction phase of the pipe project is going to take us every bit of a year, so it was important to find a way to accelerate the process.” On top of the timeliness issues, none of those pre-construction costs were covered by government programs. That’s where bridge financing comes in. Military Highway WSC, headquartered in Progreso, Texas, worked with CoBank, one of the nation’s largest private lenders to the rural water industry, to secure bridge financing that would get the new projects off the ground.
“One thing we really appreciate is that it doesn’t take long to get things processed with CoBank,” Rosales says. “The bridge loan helped us get all the legwork out of the way.” On top of that, CoBank’s competitive interest rates helped the system reduce its debt payments as well. “Given all the expenses that come before a municipality can even break ground, these bridge loans can be crucial,” says Christopher Shaffner, sector vice president with CoBank. “In many cases, the bridge loan can be the difference between being able to pay your engineers up front and having to wait to pay them until all their work has been completed.” In some ways, interim financing is designed specifically with engineers in mind. Civil engineers often have to decide between working for customers who are able to pay them right away for the work they’re doing and working for those who can’t pay them until their financing from the state or federal government comes in. That puts the municipalities at a disadvantage when they’re seeking engineering firms for pre-construction work. Bridge and interim financing allows the borrower to pay the engineering firms immediately for that work.
Wondering how to
FUND your next infrastructure project?
Interim financing generally follows a Letter of Conditions that the borrower receives from USDA, specifying the steps that must be taken before USDA funding comes through at project completion. Since it can take a long time to fulfill the requirements of that Letter of Conditions, a bridge loan can buy crucial time. Rosales has worked with CoBank on several projects over the years. In 2014, Military Highway WSC built a new micro-filtration reverse-osmosis water treatment plant. CoBank provided bridge loans to help with the planning and design of that project, which also involved the construction of a customer service center in Relampago, Texas, and came at a total cost $8.2 million. In addition, CoBank has been able to refinance some of Military Highway WSC’s older USDA loans at lower interest rates, which helped them save money on their monthly payments and ease their cash flow. Shaffner says CoBank partners closely with customers and USDA to ensure water systems like Military Highway WSC have as seamless an experience as possible in financing projects. “Since USDA is the entity ultimately paying back the loan, no collateral is required on the part of our borrowers,” says Shaffner. “And at the end of the bridge process, we can help communities create a smooth handoff to the permanent loan from the USDA.” Military Highway WSC has found CoBank’s financing options to be vital to keeping their system improvements smooth and continuous. “The bridge loans have been critical to helping us expedite the USDA financing,” says Rosales. “This helps us get off the ground.”
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MARCH 22-24, 2016
Quench — January/February 2016 9
Ask Larry
Q:
A Q&A column with TRWA Technical Assistance Director Larry Bell
Where can I find some information regarding a member selling a meter back to water corporation? Is that even possible? A: We advise against this practice. Some “members” of WSCs think that because they paid $1,000.00 for getting a meter set that they own it and should get their money back when they leave the system. However, except for the membership fee, the system has already spent those funds (or should have) to pay for additional capacity, line improvements and the actual meter installation costs. Therefore the only amount left to refund is the membership fee. In addition, there’s the regulatory issue—once a meter service has been established at a service location, TCEQ has stated several times that the water system is henceforth responsible to maintain water service to that location regardless of whether someone moves out and the property is vacant for a period of time. The system can’t come back and charge a new customer any upfront type fee or a new meter, meter box, valves, tubing and so on that was already installed at that location.
Q: We have a developer operating within the WSC’s CCN with some lots receiving active service. These lots have a meter installed and a monthly bill is charged and paid. Twenty of the 94 platted lots are still owned by the developer. These lots have no meter, no bill is generated and no monthly fee is collected. These lots are not added into our engineer’s count of active meters. Our engineer counts the number of active accounts and allocates a gallons per minute (GPM) flow for each to be deducted from our total GPM of available water inventory from wells and surface water. In our system’s case, that volume for each connection is 0.48 GPM. The WSC has communicated to the developer that, in the future, should our water capacity be totally allocated to those requesting service within our CCN on a first come first served basis, then the WSC cannot guarantee water will be available for his inactive lots when his purchasers request service. The developer has been told the decision as to when all our capacity is utilized is the call of the WSC’s engineer. Does a WSC have the authority to refuse applications for water service if the system’s engineer determines the system is maxed out? Do property owners not having an active water account serving their tract bear the risk of water service not being available if they wait too long before activating water service?
“Neither the WSC nor their engineer has the authority to limit the number of connections on their WSC based on the engineer’s system studies.”
So even if your system charged $1,000 as an up-front type fee in addition to the actual cost of setting the meter plus the membership fee plus the administrative /easement filing fees plus the CSI Fee, this does not mean that the $1,000 is available for refund. That $1,000 should have been earmarked to pay for the service capacities required to provide water service to that particular service location. Even if the board wants to refund some of these funds, this does not relieve the WSC from being responsible to maintain service capacities for that service location. The end result would be that the system would be out a lot of money that was supposed to be used to pay for system improvements as well as current capacities. 10
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A: You pose a very common question and one that can cause a lot of confusion to the system, as well as to the developer seeking service. Neither the WSC nor their engineer has the authority to limit the number of connections on their WSC based on the engineer’s system studies. Rather, the system may need to work with their engineer to determine what level and manner of service is being requested and then design accordingly so that any applicant will know what it will cost for them to receive service from the WSC.
If the applicant refuses to pay for these necessary improvements, then the system is not denying service, it is the applicant that is refusing to comply and pay their share of these improvements in order to qualify for service.
only responsible to pay what it costs for them to get service to their lot and not supply additional capacity for all the other existing or future customers within the WSC’s CCN.
The WSC is under the capacity regulations of the TCEQ and the customer service regulations of the PUC. So there are potentially two agencies that may become involved in any dispute over the system’s ability to provide continuous and adequate service to all qualified applicants within the WSC’s CCN. Capacity issues relate to the 85 percent rule, which boils down to the fact that when the system installs enough additional meters on a single line, section of the system or the entire system to reach this 85 percent level, then the system must begin planning necessary improvements to increase the capacity shortfall before the capacity reaches 100 percent.
As a WSC, the system can’t make this developer purchase additional meters “while capacity exists.” But if the system is just making this developer aware of the existing capacity limits and what the potential future costs may be for major improvements, then that is letting this developer have some important information that they can either use or discard based on their current financial condition. Q: A member owner-financed the sale of her property to someone who did not pay their note on the property, so the property has been transferred back into her name. The person she sold the property to also left an unpaid bill at the WSC. Whose responsibility is it for the previous amount owed on the property?
Many systems have enacted some sort of “upfront-capital contribution/equity buy-in fee” that is charged to each new customer to help defray the future costs the WSC will be facing when the existing capacity is “used up.” By charging these type of up-front fees, these previous customers are paying for improvements yet to be made so that the system can manage their construction of these future capacities at a time when the system is near the 100 percent capacity limits. This has been referred to by using the phrase “Growth pays for Growth.” Growth of new customers taking current capacities are paying for the future “growth/ construction” of necessary facilities so the system can always be able to set more meters as the applications trickle into the water office.
A: Water systems cannot collect a debt from a past owner from the current owner of the property. It is important that the WSC’s tariff clearly states whether the membership is refundable or non-refundable, as well as if that membership can be liquidated for non-payment of utility charges. If the membership is refundable, which TRWA recommends, it is duty of the WSC to charge any outstanding balance from the previous owner toward the membership fee and then refund the balance to the previous owner. The bottom line is the water meter should be disconnected/locked in accordance with the WSC’s tariff until the new owner comes in to show proof of ownership and pays their new membership fee and any other inspection, administrative and reconnect fees.
Yes, if the engineer says that the system has to install a new 6” water main at some “off-site location” to be able to supply capacity to these 20 unsold lots, then all or part of that new 6” water main cost would be passed on to this applicant/ developer.
If you have a technical question you would like TRWA Ad 2016 (bleeds).pdf 1 2/2/2016 7:57:33 PM answered, please email Larry.Bell@trwa.org.
The reason I say either all or part of the cost depends on whether this new 6” water main is only going to be used to supply these remaining 20-connections or if part of that 6” line capacity will also be used to supplement existing or other future customers within that part of your system. This system part of the costs is paid for by the previously collected Up-Front Contribution/Equity Buy-In Fees and/or additional general funds from the WSC’s savings, or a loan. Past determinations by the TCEQ have been that the customer/applicant is
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Quench — January/February 2016 11
The Art of Sustainability: 10 Principles of Sustainable Utility Management
Principle 7: Operational Resiliency, and Principle 8: Community and Economic Development By John C. Padalino, Partner, Kemp Smith LLP This article is the fourth in a five-part series focused on sustainable utility management.
I
n the previous issue we focused on financial viability and infrastructure stability and how vital those principles are to building community support for your water or wastewater system. This article is the fourth in the series based on 10 principles of system sustainability listed in the Rural and Small Systems Guidebook to Sustainable Utility Management. The Guidebook was published in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) while I was at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) serving as the Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service. This article examines how operational resiliency and community and economic development play a role in sustainability. Principle Seven — Operational Resiliency Do you know your Kryptonite? The EPA, USDA and other regulatory agencies require you to have an emergency response plan and a vulnerability assessment in place . A water utility’s level of preparedness, both for a sudden problem or general upkeep over time, can mean the difference between a small lapse in service and serious health and environmental issues. In Texas, for example, our biggest threat may be the lack of water or water scarcity. Since many Americans rely on water utilities to provide things like sanitation and drinking water, being prepared can have a large impact on how quickly your community can recover from any issue. When I was operating a groundwater plant outside of Houston back in the 1990s, we were experiencing a cycle of droughts similar to what Texas has been going through the last few years. Between 1996 and 1998, two of the three years were record drought years. Systems were placing water restrictions on customers to limit non-essential use and implemented additional water conservation measures. The weather was hot, the pumps seemed to never stop and the aquifers became dangerously low. 12
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We had an emergency response plan in place for the drought. We placed water restrictions on lawn watering and other non-essential uses, and the board instituted a rate structure to encourage people to use less water. We were diligent in running the plant and system. We began planning to share resources with a neighboring system through our interconnect agreement. Nevertheless, as the aquifer kept getting lower and lower, that meant more and more rust and black particles started coming out of the well and into the system. As we got closer to the well screen, we were stirring up the iron and manganese in the water. Operationally you can treat this with chlorine, treating the water with air, and other methods. All of these methods need to be articulated in an emergency response plan ahead of time so no time is wasted when the plan has to be put into action. The one thing the plan may not have—that most don’t think to plan for—is how to deal with unhappy customers and the media. It’s hard to hide water that contains black flakes or is rust-colored. I remember days when angry customers would glare at me as I flushed water out of a hydrant to clear the rust and black flakes. Nothing prepared me for the Saturday morning when I arrived at the water plant to find a TV van, camera and reporter shoving a microphone in my face. In crisis management we run tabletop exercises to know our Kryptonite and plan our responses. It is critical to not only go through the motions in preparing your plans, but to act them out and think through the public relations component of your response. You need all of your employees trained on what to do, when to do it and how. You need to plan for the possibility that any of them could get a microphone and camera suddenly in front of them and a reporter asking what they are going to do about the rust-colored water. Being prepared, not just for the crisis, but for the possible aftermath, is crucial to your operational resiliency.
Principle Eight — Community and Economic Development On one hand, you do not want to build and hope they will come. On the other, you have to know how the operation of your system might impact the current and long-term health and welfare of the community. For example, the lack of clean, safe drinking water is not only a health concern, but an economic growth issue as well. A poor performing water system will deter people and businesses from moving to your community. As a result, it is important for you to participate in your community’s economic development plans, as water is such a vital part of almost any project. Many of you might know the President of the National Rural Water Association, Charles Hilton. Charles became the manager of the Breezy Hill water cooperative in Aiken County South Carolina in 1988. At the time, the cooperative had about 2,500 residential customers. Charles knew that the long-term sustainability of the system meant that he needed to plan to shift from groundwater resources to surface water. He also knew that he needed to increase revenue to the system. For the longest time, the county relied on the textile industry as its economic driver. In the mid 90s, the textile firms moved away and the county ended up owning the textile site. The county’s economic development plan was to shift the site to an industrial park and begin recruiting industrial firms into the area. Seeing an opportunity, the water system decided to invest in the park. When the recovery act rolled around, the water system had a plan to help the industrial park expand by building a new water plant and a high-service distribution line to serve as the backbone of the system. Charles knew that industrial customers wanted to be sure that they would have water even if one part of the system were down for repairs.
This is just one example: by working with the county on the economic development plans for the area, the water system is able to provide up to four feeds to ensure an industrial facility is up and running. Through careful planning and investment, Breezy Hill’s strategy paid off. In 1995, a tire manufacturer built a large facility on 500 acres, bringing 600 jobs to the area and another 300 jobs throughout the area. By 2000, Breezy Hill was serving 4,500 taps and is still experiencing continued commercial growth today. Being engaged in your community and its economic development is important to having a successful water system. As witnessed in the previous example, being connected with the growth of the area can be beneficial to all involved. By having the reputation of a good water system, which is important to any project, that is involved with the economic development of a space can lead to more and more people, businesses, investors, etc., as it builds confidence in those wanting to move to the area. *** John Padalino is a partner in the Kemp Smith Law firm. He has held licenses as a water and wastewater operator, represented water systems as general counsel, and served as Administrator of the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service. With his combined experience, John advises and represents water and wastewater systems in many areas of water law, including legislation, regulatory matters, system operations and development, real estate, finance and litigation. The National Rural Water Association recognized John as a Friend of Rural Water. He is a staunch advocate for water and wastewater systems and the rural communities they serve. John Padalino can be reached by email at John. Padalino@kempsmith.com or by phone 512-3205466.
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The Pulse of the Texas Economy By Glenn Hegar, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
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or the past few months, I’ve been traveling across the state, meeting with Texans from all over, talking about our economy — and doing quite a bit of listening, too. I’ve found that Texans are very interested in the state economy, and a little worried about the tumultuous times in which we live. Their questions are basically pretty simple, even if the answers aren’t — how are we doing? And where are we headed? Supplying those answers is my job, of course. As Texas’ chief financial officer, I’m charged with managing the state’s finances and monitoring the economy to make sure our revenues stay strong. Our economists and researchers have to keep their eyes fixed on the road ahead, staying abreast of trends and events that could affect our economy and the tax revenues it generates. And despite a slowdown caused by slumping energy prices, I’m happy to report that the Texas economy is doing well — particularly in comparison to most other states, many of which are still mired in one of the weakest recoveries on record. There’s no question our growth will be more moderate than it was during the shale rush. We expect employment growth to drop into lower gear, at less than 2 percent, but the unemployment rate should remain steady, at about half of what it was during the Great Recession.
for every job created by the industry, 0.89 jobs are created in other industries across our state. Through this multiplier effect, the water and wastewater industry in Texas generated an additional 5,105 jobs in other industries in 2015. In the next two years, we expect the growth in Texas’ real gross state product (GSP) and personal income to track U.S. growth rates pretty closely. Our GSP grew by 2.4 percent in 2015 and should do about the same in fiscal 2016 and 2017. Texas personal income rose about 4.8 percent in 2015, and we estimate similar growth rates over the next two years. As for state revenues, tax collections in the 2016–17 biennium should generate more than $93.1 billion, about 1.5 percent more than in the previous budget period. Our most recent budget was well below the state’s spending caps, and we anticipate no problem in meeting our obligations over the next two years. As the state’s chief financial officer, I’ll continue to monitor the Texas economy closely, and inform you of any significant changes. As always, you can stay up to date via our website and through our Twitter (@txcomptroller) and Facebook accounts. For more information on the Texas economy, please visit the Comptroller’s website at www. Comptroller.Texas.Gov.
In Texas, we added 319,000 nonfarm jobs in fiscal 2015, more than any other state except California. Our unemployment rate has fallen from an average of 5.3 percent in fiscal 2014 to just 4.4 percent in 2015, well below that of the U.S. Our state’s diverse economy puts us in a good place. For example, jobs in the Texas water and wastewater industry grew 12.9 percent from 2005 to 2015, compared to 9.2 percent nationally. And in rural Texas, job growth in the sector was even higher at 22.4 percent during the same period. This industry is also an important part of our workforce. In 2015, the water and wastewater industry employed about 5,700 Texans at an average annual salary of nearly $63,000. And Quench — January/February 2016 15
Keep It Legal Answers to Members’ Questions by Lara Zent, TRWA Executive Director and General Counsel
Q:
What is TRWA’s recommendation on guns in the workplace now that the new open carry law is in effect statewide? Also, what is the law about guns in our system building and in our open meetings? I thought the law changed to allow us to prohibit guns in our meetings, but how do we give notice? A: We continue to receive a lot of questions on this issue. The open carry law went into effect on January 1, 2016, and the Attorney General’s office has now issued opinions on the issue. The two most important gun laws passed in 2015 were Senate Bill 273 and the omnibus open carry bill, House Bill 910. The biggest change is that handgun license holders no longer must conceal, and now have the option to conceal or carry in a belt or shoulder holster.
room. Also see Attorney General Opinion KP-0059 (December 21, 2015). The new law prohibiting a person from carrying a gun in an open meeting ultimately places the burden on the individual who is carrying. It is a Class A Misdemeanor if a license holder “intentionally, knowingly or recklessly carries a handgun” into an open meeting. Q: We received a voluminous request for open records from our system. This will take some time to gather, as the records are in two different buildings. We know we can charge for copies, but what about labor and preparation? Do we have to let the requestor know how much this will cost? A: Government Code Section 552.261(a) allows a governmental body to recover costs related to reproducing public information. A request for copies that results in more than 50 pages may be assessed charges for labor, overhead (which is calculated as a percentage of the total labor), and materials. You must give the requestor a written estimate in advance before undertaking the work if you estimate the charges for the request will exceed $40.
“A water system may still prohibit an employee from carrying a weapon on utility property and in a utility-owned vehicle under Labor Code Section 52.062.”
A water system may still prohibit an employee from carrying a weapon on utility property and in a utility-owned vehicle under Labor Code Section 52.062. An employer cannot prohibit an employee from keeping a gun in their personal locked vehicle in the employer’s parking lot (Labor Code Section 52.061).
Water supply corporations and investor-owned utilities can still prohibit licensed carry for persons other than employees in buildings, but not in parking lots, sidewalks or outdoor areas. Districts and cities cannot prohibit licensed carry anywhere on their premises, including inside their buildings. SB 273 specifically prohibits districts and cities from displaying the sign preventing a licensed handgun owner from entering their property. SB 273 also amended the law prohibiting a person from carrying in a meeting conducted in accordance with the Open Meetings Act. This prohibition applies only to the room or rooms for meetings subject to the Open Meetings Act. So districts cannot prevent a license holder from carrying into their building, but can prevent them from carrying into the meeting 16
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The following is an example from the Attorney General’s Public Information Act Handbook on how to calculate costs: A governmental body receives a request for copies of the last 12 months’ worth of travel expenditures for employees, including reimbursements and backup documentation. The records are maintained in the governmental body’s main office. The governmental body determines there are about 120 pages, and it will take one and a half hours to put the information together, redact drivers’ license numbers pursuant to section 552.130 and credit card numbers pursuant to section 552.136, and make copies. The total allowable charges for this request would be: Copies, 120 pages @ $.10/page $12.00 Labor, 1.5 hours @ $15.00/hour $22.50
If you have a legal question you would like answered, please email legal@trwa.org.
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The statement to the requestor also must advise if there is a less costly method of viewing the records, such as an in-person inspection in your office. The statement also must contain a notice that the request will be considered automatically withdrawn if the requestor does not respond in writing within 10 business days of the date of the statement that the requestor: (a) accepts the charges, (b) modifies the request in response to the estimate, or (c) has sent, or is sending, a complaint regarding the charges to the Attorney General.
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We recommend calling the Attorney General’s Cost Hotline at 888-672-6787 or 512-475-2497 if you are unsure what to charge. The Attorney General also has a handy online cost estimator model that will help determine allowable costs for you. This system also will generate a sample letter on what you must include in the cost estimate back to the requestor. The Attorney General cost estimator link is: https:// www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/og/public-informationcost-estimate-model.
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Many veterans already have the skills needed to work in the water industry.
Help them continue to serve. Contact the Texas Rural Water Foundation Veteran Employment Program: 1616 Rio Grande Austin, TX 78701 www.texasrwf.org • foundation@texasrwf.org • 512-472-8591 Quench — January/February 2016 17
Completion of Multiyear Infrastructure Project Readies Sharyland WSC for Oncoming Growth By Allison Kaminsky, Communications Director, Texas Rural Water Association
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anuary 19, 2016 marked the end of a multiyear infrastructure project for Sharyland Water Supply Corporation. The $31.5 million dollar project spanned the course of seven years and culminated with a ribbon cutting ceremony for the system’s third water treatment plant. The project was made possible by loans and grants made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), as well as funds paid out-of-pocket by the system itself. The system began working with USDA Rural Development in October 2009 to secure financing for the project. In record time, just six months later, Sharyland WSC had approval for the largest USDA RD loan granted for a single project at that time. USDA ultimately approved $18.5 million in loans and $3.5 million in grant funds, with the stipulation that the system spend $9 million of its own money to begin the project before USDA financing would kick in. Out-of-pocket funds for the system ended up being more—approximately $12 million—but USDA did reimburse some of the exceeded amount. “The return of our investment is the quality of life of our rural residents and hopefully increasing economic opportunity,” said USDA Regional Director Roel Gomez. “This is going to be a big game changer for the whole region. This is going to change lives and we’re very happy to be a part of it.” The entire project consisted of a two million gallon ground storage tank, a high service building with pumps and motors, a water delivery line from the United Irrigation District canal to the system, a 48 million gallon reservoir and a water treatment plant. Construction on the new plant began in late 2013 and followed an aggressive two-year plan for completion. Located at 1310 W. Saint Jude Ave., the plant will allow the system to better serve the areas it already services, and expand to serve the new Texas A&M campus coming to the area in 2017 and the sustainable Tres Lagos Community in north McAllen, which will house approximately 8,000 residents. Plant No. 3 can serve more than 9,000 connections for homes in the Sharyland WSC service area and will produce an estimated eight million gallons daily (MGD). That means service for up to 18
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USDA Regional Director Roel Gomez and Sharyland WSC General Manager Sherilyn Dahlberg listen as TRWA Board Secretary and District 6 Director Brian Macmanus addresses the crowd.
27,775 people, according to Brian Macmanus, Board Secretary and Director of TRWA District 6. “I truly believe this facility is a testament to the vision and dedication to the board members who have served our community and have planned for the future,” Sherilyn Dahlberg, general manager for the system, said. Sharyland WSC was chartered in 1968 and in the past 48 years has grown from 700 to 17,200 customers. The system has two other water treatment plants: one that produces two MGD and another that produces eight MGD. Both eight MGD plants have the capacity to be built out to 16 MGD, which would enable the system to add another 18,000 customers, effectively doubling the system, without needing to acquire additional land. “The leadership of Sharyland Water Supply Corporation recognizes the potential for growth, the responsibility to be ready for that growth and the reality of implementing a plan and building infrastructure for that oncoming growth,” Macmanus said. Speakers at the ribbon cutting ceremony included Dahlberg, Macmanus, Gomez, Sharyland WSC Board President Mark Moseley and Randy Winston of Sigler, Winston, Greenwood & Associates. Also in attendance at the ceremony were other board members and staff, as well as community members representing Alton, Palmherst, Edinburg, McAllen, Mission, and McCook.
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TRWA Briefs TRWF Makes it Easy to Get Free Tools to Educate on Conservation
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ecause of the recent drought, Texans have learned a great deal about the importance of water, where it comes from and how to use it more efficiently. The challenge for water utilities will be to continue this awareness and efficiency as the drought continues, and especially after the drought ends. Texas Rural Water Foundation can help utilities in their efforts to educate their customers on water conservation. There are now two on-hold phone recordings available for free on the Foundation website that focus on the importance of water conservation and techniques for customers to conserve water in their daily lives. The recordings, which were created by the Texas Water Foundation (TWF) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), are great tools for utilities to use for public outreach. The first recording entitled “TCEQ 60 second” gives customers suggestions on simple ways to conserve water. These suggestions include watering lawns early in the morning to avoid excessive evaporation and waiting for a full load before running the laundry machine or dishwasher. The second recording is entitled “TWF Home Water Use.” This recording is 30 seconds long and explains why conservation is important in general by giving facts about home water use in Texas. Most notably, this recording highlights that Texans use six trillion gallons of water annually. This is enough water to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool for every family of three in the state. TRWF is currently working to make more phone recordings available for free use. Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TexasRWF/) and Twitter (@texasrwf) to stay informed about new recordings and other exciting news. To access these recordings, go to the Utility Resources page on the TRWF website: http:// www.texasrwf.org/#!utilities/c1k5o. The links for downloading the recordings are under the heading “Water Conservation Phone Messages.” Clicking on either link will take the user to a Dropbox
webpage where the recording can be downloaded for phone use. A Dropbox account is not necessary to download the files. If you have any questions, contact Foundation Development Specialist Colleen Zarek via email at colleen.zarek@texasrwf.org or by phone at 512-472-8591. TRWF would like to thank TCEQ and TWF for permitting public use of their recordings.
Foundation Program Helps Water Utilities Fill Vacancies with Veterans
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he Veteran Employment Program (VEP) has only five more months to spend funds from our Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans Assistance grant, and we still have spots to fill. If you have an operator position open, the VEP is ready to help you fill it with a veteran. If your system has recently hired a veteran, you may still be eligible for VEP benefits, such as having the veteran employee’s basic water or wastewater course and exam fees reimbursed. The Texas Rural Water Foundation’s (TRWF) VEP goals are to attract veterans to careers in the water and wastewater utility industry, assist them as they enter the field, foster their successful transition into civilian life and help rural utilities fill job openings with veterans. Last May, TRWF received a grant from the Texas Veterans Commission to help achieve these goals. The grant’s cycle began in July 2015 with a goal of serving 10 veterans by June 30, 2016. Now, with five months left until the cycle ends, we must serve five more veterans in order to meet our goal. You can help us by letting us assist you with attracting veteran applicants to an open position at your system. The VEP has had great success matching veterans with positions at rural utilities. When we begin working with a utility to fill a position, we reach out to their local veteran representatives and manage online job postings to deliver motivated and qualified veteran candidates. Once a veteran has been hired and the utility is formally partnered with the VEP, the veteran employee’s first training course and exam fees are covered. The VEP has also developed materials to assist utilities to apply to become On-the-Job Training providers with the Texas Veterans Commission. Continued on page 24 Quench — January/February 2016 23
Continued from page 23
Once a utility becomes an On-the-Job Training provider the utility’s eligible veteran employees may use their GI Bill benefits to receive a stipend in addition to their operator wages, and the utility is listed in a directory of approved providers which can attract future veteran employment candidates. If you would like to get started seeking veteran applicants for your open position please send an email to foundation@texasrwf.org, or call (512) 472-8591. More information and applications for veterans are on our website at http://www.texasrwf. org/. We look forward to hearing from you.
Basic Water Works Operations Study Guide Now Available for Sale
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he Texas Rural Water Foundation (TRWF) is proud to offer the Basic Water Works Operations Study Guide, a tool to help prepare for the D level license exam in basic water. The study guide was originally developed by TRWF as a resource for the Veteran Employment Program. The study guide has been provided to veterans preparing for their basic water license exam in order to earn their first water operator license, and after two ears of success, we have decided to make it available on a larger scale. It is now available to all operators and utility systems to purchase online at the Texas Rural Water Association’s website at www.trwa.org. The Basic Water Works Operations Study Guide has 10 chapters, which cover operation of a water system, water characteristics, water quality standards, disinfection, groundwater and wells, surface water production, distribution, safety, and basic water utility math. Each chapter contains learning objectives and directories of terms that have been included to make the study guide easier to understand for someone new to the field. It is written so that the student operator can guide their reading and measure what they have learned against the objectives clearly stated in each chapter. The study guide begins with an introductory chapter with simple information about water treatment, such as the role of a water operator, the requirements to achieve different levels of licenses administered by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the three 24
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classifications of public water systems. It then goes on to chapters with more complex topics, such as the general characteristics of the Total Coliform group of bacteria, how to identify the names and functions of the various components of a well and instructions to recite the TCEQ minimum distribution system pressure requirements. The Basic Water Works Operations Study Guide can be purchased for $30.00. To access the TRWA store, navigate to www.trwa.org and click on the “Publications” tab in the navigation pane. Once you have navigated to the store, click on the “Training Manuals” category to be directed to the correct area. The proceeds from each copy of the study guide sold will go to supporting the Texas Rural Water Foundation’s programs, such as the Veteran Employment Program. Thank you for continuing to support the Texas Rural Water Foundation. If you have questions about this guide, please contact the Texas Rural Water Foundation at foundation@texasrwf.org or call 512-472-8591.
New TCEQ License Application Process Beginning in 2016
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eginning September 1, 2016, the TCEQ is planning to initiate a preapproval process for all new license applications. This process will be similar to the process already used for preapproving “A” Water or Wastewater license applications and CBT applications. This means that new license applicants will not be eligible to register for an exam until their application is administratively complete, approved by the TCEQ and they receive a letter from the TCEQ notifying them they are eligible to register for an exam session. This expanded process will result in a consistent approach for all licensees that will be simpler and easier to understand. Additionally, it will facilitate better exam scheduling as it frees up spots for those who are approved to register. It will also allow all licensees the option to schedule computer-based testing for their first exam. For Association schools, where TCEQ provides examinations immediately after the training, TCEQ will be developing a process that will allow conditional preapproval for those who are registered for Association training that would complete the required training and allow testing to immediately follow that training.
TRWF Announces Winners of PH2OSTREAM Contest
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exas Rural Water Foundation is thrilled to announce winners for its PH2OSTREAM photography contest! The following winners have been selected from each category: Category
Name
Photo Title
Rural Texas Water
Tammy K. Allen
Sunset in the ‘Heart’ of the Bayou
Water Infrastructure
*Karla Tharp
*Water Tower
Utility Operators in Action
Ben Worsham
Geyser at the End of the Rainbow
*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 Foundation and rural Texas by providing highquality images for use in educational documents, informational handouts and other Foundation and Association materials. Look for articles featuring each of our winners in an upcoming issue of Quench!
Know Your System’s Water Sampling Schedule
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RWA members are encouraged to check their sampling schedules annually to be aware of what schedules are open and which are due that year. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) no longer sends this information, and it is up to the water system to retrieve it. Sample schedules are easily accessible online on the TCEQ’s Drinking Water Watch website at http://dww2.tceq.texas.gov/DWW/. To locate your schedule, first enter your Water System ID number in the designated field to search for your records in their database. Once on our system’s profile, click “Sample Schedules/FANLs/Plans” to pull up your schedules. Remember, TCEQ collects samples in the last year of a multiyear schedule, and schedules labeled
as “continuous” do not have an established end date and are ongoing. Entries on the schedule in the “Req’s” column tell you sampling frequency and also how many samples must be collected. If you have questions about how to read your schedule, you may contact us at 512-472-8591.
The Texas Rural Water PAC Needs Your Support
T
he Texas Rural Water Political Action Committee (PAC) fundraising campaign is already under way, and there are several ways you can help! The first is to become a PAC sponsor by way of individual contribution. A sponsorship flyer was sent to all TRWA member systems in late January detailing the different levels, and contributions are already coming in! Sponsorship levels and gifts are as follows: Gold: individual contribution of $300 or more. • Solar Emergency Crank Radio • Invitation to RuralWaterCon PAC Reception featuring Senator Charles Perry on March 22 in Fort Worth Silver: individual contribution from $200–$299. • Bluetooth Speaker and Solar Power Bank Bronze: individual contribution from $50–$199. • Texas Flag Tote Bag Sponsors at all three levels will receive recognition in Quench and at RuralWaterCon in March. Those who contribute by March 10, 2016 will also be printed in the RuralWaterCon official program. In addition, please don’t forget to bring your items to donate to the Texas Rural Water PAC auctions at RuralWaterCon! In-kind donations made to the PAC will be featured at either the silent auction held throughout the event, or at our live auction in conjunction with the President’s Banquet on March 23. We encourage you to donate unique and locally sourced items, such as handicrafts, custom made gift baskets, jewelry, region-unique items, etc. If you would like to donate an item, please either send it to the TRWA office, c/o Texas Rural Water PAC, 1616 Rio Grande, Austin, Texas 78701, or you may drop your donation off at the PAC booth when you arrive at the Convention. If you plan to drop off your item, Continued on page 26 Quench — January/February 2016 25
Continued from page 25
please send a description of your item to: Celia. Eaves@trwa.org. The Texas Rural Water PAC’s strength lies in the involvement of water professionals like you. By pooling your contributions with hundreds of other TRWA members across the state, we can make the voice of our industry in Texas even stronger.
Classified Ad Public Water System Assistance Specialist Texas Rural Water Association The Texas Rural Water Association is seeking to fill an opening for a Technical Assistance Specialist. Water utility professional sought for position providing technical, managerial and financial assistance to public utilities. Successful candidates will have considerable knowledge of federal, state and local laws related to public water systems. This position requires extensive travel, good PR skills, computer proficiency and attention to detail. The minimum requirement for this position is a Class B Water License. Surface water preferred. Salary based on experience. Potential full-time, part-time or contract positions. If interested, please email your resume to our Environmental Services Director, Celia Eaves, at Celia.Eaves@trwa.org.
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Plan Ahead CONFERENCES: March 22, 2016
TRWA/USDA RD Engineering Conference, Fort Worth, Omni Fort Worth Hotel
March 22-24, 2016
RuralWaterCon, Fort Worth, Omni Fort Worth Hotel
June 9-10, 2016
Office Professionals Conference, San Antonio, Hyatt Regency Riverwalk
OPERATOR TRAINING COURSES: Water Credit Courses
Basic Water Works Operations: Argyle, March 29-31 Groundwater Production: San Antonio, March 22-24 Argyle, May 10-12 Surface Water Production 1: Edinburg, February 23-25 San Antonio, March 29-31 Surface Water Production 2: Denton, February 17-19 Edinburg, April 26-28 Water Distribution: Crystal Beach, March 1-3 Brownwood, March 22-24 Water Laboratory: February 23-25
Water and Wastewater Credit Courses
Chlorinator Maintenance: San Antonio, March 1-3 Denton,March 15-17 Customer Service Inspections: Brownwood, February 23-24 Harker Heights, March 15-16 Van, March 22-23 Kingsland, April 5-6 Harlingen, April 12-14 Pump and Motor Maintenance: San Antonio, March 8-10 Denton, April 12-14 Gainesville, April 26-28 Water Utility Calculations: San Antonio, April 12-14 Water Utility Management: Edinburg, March 15-17 Harlingen, May 17-19 Water Utility Safety: Texarkana, March 1-3 Rio Bravo, April 5-7 Kenedy, May 3-5
Wastewater Credit Courses
Basic Wastewater Operations: San Antonio, April 26-28 Operation of Activated Sludge Plants: Quitman, February 23-25 Wastewater Collections: Harlingen, March 8-10 San Marcos, April 5-7
Public Funds Investment Act Training PFIA Renewal: Fort Worth, March 21 PFIA Initial: Fort Worth, March 22
Advertiser Index
AIA Insurance Agency......................................... Page 14 Daniel & Brown, Inc.......................................................15 DN Tanks........................................................................19 Global Treat....................................................................20 Hayes Engineering........................................................19 HD Supply......................................................................21 KSA Engineers............................................................... 11 Maguire Iron...................................................................19 MA Engineers...................................................................9 NewGen Solutions...........................................................7 Pittsburg Tank & Tower Maintenance Co., Inc............13 RG3 Meters................................................................8, 22 Russell Drilling Co., Inc................................................19 Smith Pump Co., Inc......................................................13 Tabor & Associates, Inc..................................................7 Tank Connection............................................................17 Texas Aquastore..............................................................7 TraC-N-Trol, Inc................................................................9 Utility Service Group, Inc..............................................19 Quench — January/February 2016 27
1616 Rio Grande| Austin, TX 78701-1122 Telephone: (512) 472-8591 | Fax: (512) 472-5186 www.trwa.org
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