Texas on Tap: 2019, Issue 2

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How Do Water Permitting Policies Impact Customers?

Also Inside: What are the Responsibilities of Your Water Utility's Board of Directors?

Have You Considered a Career in the Water and Sewer Utility Industry?

Your Texas Rural Water News Source Texas Rural Water Association | www.trwa.org | (512) 472-8591

How Do Water Permitting Policies Impact Customers?

By Trent Hightower, Assistant General Counsel, Texas Rural Water Association The Texas Rural Water Association (TRWA) and the Texas Farm Bureau are two trade associations that serve rural communities, but they are on opposite sides of an ongoing debate about the way groundwater conservation districts (GCDs) should issue production permits to water utilities.

Your water utility is a member of TRWA, and you benefit from TRWA’s advocacy work to ensure a safe and affordable supply of water to rural and suburban communities around Texas. Many customers of TRWA member utilities are also members of the Texas Farm Bureau, so you might be surprised to learn that the two organizations have found themselves on opposite sides of this issue.

After all, in addition to common membership, both organizations share in the desire to strengthen rural communities, so they should be natural allies. While that may be true on many issues, when it comes to groundwater permitting, the Farm Bureau’s position promotes the interests of farmers and ranchers with large tracts of land seeking to profit from water under their property, over the interests of water utility customers who rely on their utility to supply safe and affordable water to their homes.

GCDs are responsible for managing production from aquifers within their geographic boundaries by requiring those who wish to produce water to obtain permits for pumping. GCDs may adopt rules to regulate production in a number of different ways. Most have spacing requirements, meaning that they decide how far apart wells must be from other wells and from property lines. They also regulate production amounts by setting limits on wells based on various factors. One factor that some GCDs consider is the number of acres or tract size of the applicant.

While permitting based on tract size may work for most production applications, it does not for water utilities. The way utilities are designed, they do not own large amounts of land. They typically only own the land where their wells are located and where their utility office and other facilities are located. Acreage-based permitting rules, therefore, do not provide a utility with the amount of water needed to serve a community that relies on this supply. A utility would have to purchase additional land, otherwise not needed for utility operations, in order to obtain enough water to meet current demands. This comes at a significant cost that is then passed on to customers through their rates. That is why the current law allows, but does not require, GCDs that permit based on surface acreage to make an exception for utilities 2

Texas on Tap — June 2019

by considering a utility’s service needs or service area when deciding how much water they can produce. Many GCDs already consider service needs or service area in making permitting decisions, but others do not.

Remember that the sole purpose of a water utility is to provide water to customers in its service area, including residences, businesses and agricultural users. Unlike your typical applicant for groundwater, utilities seek to produce water not for themselves, but on behalf of hundreds or perhaps thousands of their customers. While a utility’s customers are free to drill a well on their property to serve their own needs, doing so is often cost-prohibitive.

Therefore, customers look to the water utility to provide their water because a utility can take advantage of economies of scale to produce, treat and distribute the necessary water for the community at a lower cost.

The unique needs of utilities should be considered by GCDs to ensure that customers continue to have access to safe and affordable water. Permitting rules based on surface acreage, with no exception for production by utilities, only benefits those who own large tracts of land and seek to require utilities to purchase land or water from them.

This is to the detriment of others who depend on the local utility to produce their groundwater. TRWA supported legislation this session that balanced the interests of utilities, their customers and landowners. Farm Bureau supported legislation that removed the current authority for GCDs to consider a utility’s service needs or service area in granting permit applications and would have required utilities to purchase land or interest in land to meet current demands at great additional cost to customers.

This current rift between the Texas Rural Water Association and the Texas Farm Bureau on groundwater permitting is unfortunate because these organizations should be working hand in hand on issues that impact the Texans they serve.

What are the Responsibilities of Your Water Utility’s Board of Directors?

By Allison Kaminsky, Deputy Executive Director, Texas Rural Water Association Your water or sewer utility is governed by a board of directors. Do you know who they are and what they do?

Here are three things you might not know about who is serving on your water system’s board of directors.

They are your neighbors: Water Districts and Water Supply Corporations are typically governed by people whose families drink the water every day. They are elected by their fellow community members to serve on the water system board of directors.

They are volunteers: These board members are volunteers who devote their time and energy to providing a better quality of life for their community by ensuring a clean supply of drinking water and/or sewer services. These individuals realize the importance of these services to the sustainability and public health of their communities.

They are ambassadors: They are the public’s representative to help oversee the water system, and they are also the system’s representative to tell the system’s story to the media and the public.

Now you know a little more about who is governing your water system, but do you know what they actually do?

The specifics may change based on the size of the system, but generally, here are eight things your water or sewer system’s board of directors are responsible for: 1. POLICY: The governing body’s major role is to develop policy, while leaving operations to the water system’s staff. However, in very small systems with part-time or volunteer staff, the board may help operate the system. Policies set by the board are the “how to” of running a utility and cover all aspects of the organization, varying in scope from rates and customer service polices to purchasing/ procurement policies to personnel policies.

2. UNDERSTANDING REGULATIONS: There are many federal and state regulations and laws that affect your water and/or sewer system and how it does business. It is a responsibility of the water system’s board of directors to keep abreast of them and ensure the system and its business operations are in compliance.

3. PLANNING: One of the board’s jobs is to look forward and try to best position the system for the future. Managing a water or sewer utility is expensive and extensive, so it is up to the board to determine goals and objectives and major ways to achieve them.

This includes securing future water supplies, asset

management, financial security, customer relations and recruiting for future board members, just to name a few.

Just like managing our personal finances and assets, water and sewer systems must be constantly planning for short-term and long-term needs.

4. BUDGETS: The board approves the system’s annual budget and periodically reviews its progress to ensure the system is on track to meet its goals for the year. The budgeting process helps the board focus on the system’s mission, assess if planned expenditures are achieving the desired results, determine operational and capital spending, and highlight key measures of performance.

5. MANAGEMENT: A water or sewer utility’s board of directors has just one employee—the utility manager.

The board recruits, selects, compensates, appraises and (if necessary) terminates the utility manager. The utility manager then manages the rest of the staff and implements the board’s policies.

6. MONITOR SYSTEM PERFORMANCE: The board of directors is not involved in the day-to-day operations of the water or wastewater utility, but they do monitor the overall performance of the system.

This information is gathered through monthly reports, customer feedback, and audits. The board uses this information to gauge the success of their short-range and long-range planning.

7. MEETINGS: There are two major reasons for a board meeting—discussing and deciding on water system business. It is the board’s responsibility to set and post the agenda, and then conduct business openly, lawfully and ethically.

8. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: Man-made and natural disasters, along with everyday breakdowns of facilities and equipment, can drastically affect your water or sewer system’s ability to meet the customers’ needs. The board of directors is responsible for ensuring there are emergency plans in place to guide the system’s board and staff on what to do in a crisis.

Essentially, water and sewer utility boards are responsible for ensuring that their system is well staffed, well maintained, meets all state and federal requirements and is prepared to serve the current and future needs of the community. Your local water or wastewater utility stands at the intersection of three major public policy areas: public health, environmental protection and local economic growth; and the board of directors must ensure that the utility successfully meets the demands of all three.

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Safe Drinking Water: Not Just the Responsibility of the Water System

By Deborah McMullan, Source Water Protection Specialist, Texas Rural Water Association Providing safe drinking water starts with the federal government and the state regulatory agencies. This is where laws and rules are developed for monitoring and maintaining all public water systems. These laws dictate the safety levels of contaminants found within our drinking water. They also dictate how water is to be treated and tested, as well as when and how the public is to be notified if a safety concern arises.

Your first line of defense is utilizing a backflow device outside your home. There are many different types of backflow prevention devices available, some costing as little as $5. All homes should be equipped with an inexpensive vacuum breaker at each outside water faucet. These can be purchased at any hardware store and they are easy to install.

They simply screw onto the hose bib and the water hose is then attached to the vacuum breaker.

The second level of protection comes from the water system itself. This includes the office staff, managers and water operators. All operators must receive Texas Commission on Environment Quality (TCEQ)-approved training and pass a state license exam to legally operate a water system. During the training the operators learn many ways to protect and provide their customers with safe water.

In the last issue, you may remember reading an article about how the common water hose is the biggest culprit when it comes to cross connections in the home and business.

I’ll explain why. One common example deals with animal watering troughs which are common in rural areas for watering cattle or horses. The automatic system for filling a trough is very popular and makes life easy for the owner; however, they require a garden hose or plumbing line to be present. A few years ago, a horse rancher was having a periodic problem where he would suddenly find lots of dirt in the bottom of his swimming pool, brown ice cubes in his freezer and brown water coming from his faucets. After several months of investigations, the water utility staff found the problem.

There’s a third level of protection that most people never stop to consider. That’s you, the water utility customer!

Yes, you too are responsible for protecting your drinking water.

There are many ways that you may be of assistance, but the biggest assistance comes in the form of what we refer to as “Cross Connection Control and Backflow Prevention.”

Occasionally, a situation occurs where there is a temporary loss of water pressure due to the breakage or maintenance on a water supply line or main. This can cause the backflow of pollutants or contaminants from a cross connection to enter the water system and threaten the safety of your drinking water. Often your home is the first to receive that contaminated water, then it moves into the water main going on down the street to your neighbors. Even if the backflow event doesn’t cause a health hazard, it could adversely affect the taste, odor or appearance of the water.

The contaminant may also be corrosive to your home’s plumbing.

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Every month the utility staff would perform a routine, state required, flushing of the water lines close to the rancher’s home causing a temporary drop in water pressure. The rancher had a very large horse watering trough just outside the back yard of his home. There was a garden hose lying inside the trough and the end of the hose lay in the muck at the bottom of the trough. Every month when the utility flushed the lines, a backflow event was occurring sucking all that muck back into the home’s plumbing system.

There was a simple fix to the problem. The rancher first installed vacuum breakers at all his outside hose bibs.

Next, he installed plastic PVC piping with an air gap at the trough. An air gap is simply the area between the end of a hose or piping and the surface of the water. This prevents the backflow of water into the water system. If you happen to have a similar situation that needs correction, remember that the air gap should be two times the diameter of the hose or pipe.

(Continued on Page 5)

Consumer Confidence Reports: Coming Soon

By Ross Brookbank, Assistant Environmental Services Director, Texas Rural Water Association In today’s world, most organizations communicate via the internet, email, social media or other form of online communications, so sometimes important information that you need to focus on gets lost in the mix. However, you will be receiving notification of a document by July 1, 2019, that you will want to give your attention to.

The document is entitled “Consumer Confidence Report (CCR)” which serves to inform you about the quality of your drinking water. The document will be written in plain language, making it easy to understand. The CCR summarizes previously collected water sample data by your water utility in accordance with regulations established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

Information contained in the CCR includes chemical and bacteriological data; your water utility’s compliance with drinking water standards; information regarding the source(s) of water used by your water utility (i.e.., rivers, lakes, reservoirs or aquifers); educational health information; water utility contact information; and

information about public participation opportunities.

Electronic delivery is the way most utilities are now delivering these reports. Your water utility may notify you in a billing statement or by other means that the report has been posted on their website along with the URL where it can be found. Some utilities are still mailing the reports and those with 500 or fewer customers may choose to deliver them door-to-door. If you live in a multi-family housing unit or work in a school or community center, the utility may post notices that the CCR is available or make other efforts to ensure that everyone who consumes their water knows where to access the report.

Again, the purpose of the Consumer Confidence Report is to keep consumers informed about the quality of their drinking water. Therefore, it is important that you keep an eye out for this document and take the time to read the information enclosed within. Should any questions or concerns arise, do not hesitate to contact your local water utility for an explanation.

Safe Drinking Water: Not Just the Responsibility of the Water System (Continued from Page 4) With the hot weather approaching, there will be a lot more activities involving the garden hose and with these, other potential cross connection problems. Help protect yourself, your family and your neighbors by removing your water hose from Fido’s bath bucket, the kids wading pools and the garden sprayers. These are other common uses that can cause problems during the summer months. Help spread the word about how everyone in the community can take prevention measures to protect the water system and your homes from contamination.

knowledgeable and willing to assist. They can perform a cross connection inspection and make recommendations on devices or processes to prevent back flow events from occurring.

Remember that education, back flow protection devices and changing habits are your best friends when preventing cross connections and backflow events.

If you are concerned that you have activities within your home or business that may be causing a cross connection and require backflow protection, we recommend contacting your water system operator. Water operators are very

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Have You Considered a Career in the Water and Sewer Utility Industry?

The water and wastewater utilities of Texas are hiring, and job growth is expected to continue. Between continued population growth and aging workforce, the need for new workers in the water and wastewater industry is greater than ever. Based on a 2017 study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, it is projected that in the next 10 years, 37 percent of water utility workers and 31 percent of wastewater utility workers will retire. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics states that 7,000 water and wastewater operators will be needed in the next 10 years to replace these workers.

Coupled with this projected loss of the industry’s workforce is the projected increase of demand in these careers.

Careers in the water and wastewater industry in the U.S. are expected to increase 6 percent by 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2014, there were 117,000 Water and Wastewater plant and system operators nationwide—in 2024, it is projected to jump to 124,000.

Plants will also need more operators to ensure compliance with increased environmental and safety regulations. New regulations often require that plants install new systems or features that need operators to control. Although some work can be automated, plants will need skilled workers to operate increasingly complex controls and water and wastewater systems.

Water and wastewater positions are rewarding for individuals interested in serving their communities and building long-term careers. Every community needs water and sewer service, which means these positions are secure and have career advancement opportunities. Water and wastewater utilities employ workers in a variety of areas, including management and supervision, design and construction, operations and maintenance, accounting and bookkeeping, customer service and office and administrative support.

There are many opportunities for advancement in the utility industry. Beginning with entry level positions as operators or meter readers, many utility workers gain experience through on-the-job training to advance their careers.

Management positions, as well as higher-level operator licenses (Class C, B, or A licenses), are all attainable with a combination of experience, training and determination.

If you have an aptitude for basic math, science and mechanical work, consider a future as a water or sewer system operator. Every day is different when you work as an operator—from locating and repairing system leaks, 6

Texas on Tap — June 2019

A Career You Can Grow With

to testing and treating water, to performing collection system and plant operations duties. A 20-hour course (also available on-line) qualifies you to take the basic D license exam through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. According to the Texas Rural Water Association (TRWA) 2018 Salary Survey, Distribution or Field Operators at rural water systems earned a median annual salary of $39,208 and Wastewater Operators earned a median of $31,200 annually.

As you gain skills and experience working at a water or wastewater utility and take continuing education courses, you qualify to take the next level license exam, with Class A being the highest level. As you advance, there are new career opportunities with more responsibility and higher earning potential. For example, in 2018, Lead Operators/ Field Managers earned a median annual income of $49,960, and Manager/Operators earned a median annual income of $53,155, according to the TRWA 2018 Salary Survey.

TRWA’s Salary Survey also analyzed General Manager and Assistant General Manager positions at rural Texas utilities.

Assistant General Managers earned a median annual income of $67,500 and general managers earned $70,652.

The minimum education preference for these roles is a bachelor’s degree with five years or more experience.

The water and wastewater utility industry also has a need for administrative positions, such as office managers, administrative assistants, customer service representatives, and accounting clerks/ bookkeepers. Salaries vary based on education, licensure and experience.

Generally for all these positions, the larger the utility, the better the pay and salaries are higher in areas with market competition from other sectors. If a career in the water and wastewater utility industry sounds like the right fit for you, contact your utility to discuss career opportunities.

Help Mr. Droplet Reach the Faucet

Watch out for clogged pipes! If the pathway is blocked, find a new route!

Kora Applegate

Wiley Wet-Wipe

Denny Floss Shelly Eggland

Tish Oopaper Gordon Grease

1. Which of the following items are safe to flush?

A) Cotton balls B) Paper Towels C) Flushable Wipes D) None of the above 2. What nickname was given to a sewer system blockage made up of non-biodegradable solid matter, such as wet wipes, and congealed grease or cooking fat?

A) Clog blob B) Fatberg C) Dinkleberg D) Floater

3. Blockages caused by incorrect disposal can cause which of the following?

A) Flooding and Sewer Backups C) Community-wide Repair Costs

B) Health Hazards D) All of the above

4. You probably don’t think twice about all the lavatories in your life, but around the world, many people don’t have that luxury. In fact, more people own ________ than have access to a toilet.

A) Mobile phones B) Automobiles C) Computers D) Toasters

[Sources: www.fatbergfree.nyc; www.unicefusa.org] 1) D: None of the above; 2) B: Fatberg; 3) D: All of the above; 4) A: Mobile Phones; Texas on Tap — June 2019 7

Texas Rural Water Association

1616 Rio Grande | Austin, Texas 78701

Texas on Tap Published by Texas Rural Water Association 1616 Rio Grande, Austin, TX 78701 www.trwa.org

TRWA Editorial Staff Lara Zent, Editor in Chief Allison Kaminsky, Managing Editor Kelsey Copeland, Art Director

Questions?

General correspondence should be directed to your utility office.

Editorial inquiries may be directed TRWA Communications Staff at (512) 472-8591 or editor@trwa.org On the cover: Rural Silhouette Photo Credit: Kelsey Copeland