2012 SPLASH September

S P L A S H Summer 2012Illinois Section American Water Works Association

Illinois Section AWWA Water Trailer Illinois Section AWWA Water Trailer

www.isawwa.org/SPLASH Illinois Section American Water Works Association

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S P L A S H Summer 2012

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American Water Works Association (AWWA) is the authoritative resource on safe water, providing knowledge, information and advocacy to improve the quality and supply of water in North America and beyond. AWWA advances public health, safety and welfare by uniting the efforts of the full spectrum of the water community.

The Illinois Section of the American Water Works Association (ISAWWA) has over 2100 members throughout the State of Illinois. Illinois Section AWWA is the resource for seminars, workshops, video rental library and teleconferences. The Association develops and delivers low cost and convenient educational seminars for water industry professionals.

If you would like to place an ad in Splash, please fill out the form in this magazine and return electronically to [email protected] or mail to the address below.

Illinois Section AWWA545 South Randall RoadSt. Charles, IL 60174

About the Cover: Would you like to borrow the Illinois Section AWWA Water Trailer for your next event?

The Illinois Section AWWA Water Trailer allows municipalities to hook up their potable water supply and provide fresh drinking and wash water for events. The trailer features educational materials on water sources, treatment, and distribution, as well as water conservation concepts.

In addition to its integrated five drinking fountains, two sinks, and a pet spigot, it can be used as an excellent public relations and educational tool for school events, festivals, picnics, parties, etc.

Please check the calendar at www.isawwa.org to see where the Water Trailer will be next or if its available for your municipality or group. If you have a group that would like to use the trailer for an event, please contact the Illinois Section AWWA office at (866) 521-3595, ext. 3 and we can put you in touch with a municipality near your event to assist with the tap water hookups.

about illinois section awwatable of contents

Chair Report ..........................................................................06Chair Elect Report .................................................................07Vice Chair Report ..................................................................08CLC Hires Cassadra McKinney .............................................09AWWA Director Report ..........................................................13Legislative Report .................................................................14Trustee At Large Report ........................................................16District 1 Trustee Report .......................................................19District 2 Trustee Report (Putz) ............................................20District 3 Trustee Report .......................................................21District 4 Trustee Report ......................................................22Membership Committee .......................................................22District 2 Trustee Report (Jensen) .......................................25District 5 Trustee Report .......................................................25Water Efficiency Committee .................................................26T-CON .....................................................................................26Water Distribution Committee ..............................................27Illinois Public Service Institute .............................................28Outreach Committee .............................................................29Safety and Emergency Planning Committee .......................29Backflow Committee .............................................................30Visitation Day .........................................................................31MAC Committee .....................................................................32Young Professionals Committee ..........................................33Small Systems Committee....................................................38Valuing Valves ........................................................................39Source Water Protection Committee ....................................40Water Buffalo’s Ride with Purpose ......................................41Backflow Bulletins .................................................................442013 Awards .........................................................................45ISAWWA Board, Trustees And Committee Chairs ................48Splash Advertisement Order Form .......................................49Index Of Advertisers ..............................................................50

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chair reportKevin Lookis, Chair

What a heat wave this summer! For the first time in quite a few years most water supplies actually pumped more water than was anticipated. Between “green” initiatives, more efficient water devices, and extremely wet summers the last few years, pumpage in most Illinois communities has been trending down steadily for the last 5 years. While this summer could very well be an anomaly, it certainly was a change from the last few years.

Visitation Day this year was held in Champaign. It was a great success and the weather was perfect. Thanks go to all who attended the golf outing and tours and to Illinois American Water Company for the outstanding job hosting the 2-day event. We are still looking for locations for 2013 and 2014. If anyone is interested, please contact the Laurie Dougherty, the ISAWWA Executive Director. While

hosting this event can be a lot of work, it is very rewarding and a great opportunity to show off your facility!

AWWA’s Annual Conference & Exposition (ACE) was held in Dallas this year; and, while attendance was down, those who were there indicated that both the educational seminars and exposition were excellent. The conference next year will be held in Denver. This conference is a wonderful opportunity to network with colleagues from around the world, as well as to attend sessions that provide learning opportunities in every aspect of our industry. I was also fortunate enough to attend the AWWA Summer Workshop for section officers and staff in late July. The workshop was very informative and provided a unique venue for AWWA leaders from across the country to meet, discuss and brainstorm ideas to address the critical issues facing our association and our industry.

Recently, the Section Board and staff met to discuss two very important issues that are confronting the water industry and also our Section. One is the rapidly advancing average age of our members and subsequent retirement of these people; and the other is the meteoric speed at which technology is changing around us. I feel that the timing of the Summer Workshop was perfect, as these issues were discussed at length. There were some fresh ideas on how to continue to improve what the Illinois Section has to offer, and how to challenge our long

term members to become mentors and work on more ways to encourage the young professionals in our industry to get involved. In terms of technology, the Illinois Section has taken a giant step in staying ahead of the curve with our new website. If you have not had a chance to use the site, I encourage you to log in and check it out. The tools available for making communication and information sharing more efficient are incredible. Look for more interaction on the social media sites as well, especially Twitter, as we look to continue to improve communication in this rapid paced world!

Remember to check out the training schedule for the period of July through December of this year. These educational activities truly are one of the cornerstones of the Section and continue to get better each year. The Evanston Water Utility volunteered to host a Section training event, and it was a very rewarding experience. This helps the ISAWWA to place training sessions in convenient locations throughout the State, and also to reduce costs in terms of renting meeting facilities. Keep in mind that either you or some of your staff can then attend the training for no cost in return for hosting the event. Remember... “Training, Training, Training”!

Have a great rest of the summer and fall!

executive director reportLaurie Dougherty: www.isawwa.org/ExecDir

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chair elect reportJohn Van Arsdel

Greetings fellow ISAWWA members!

Here it is the dog days of summer, and we find across our great land that many are facing a serious shortage of water. It has been said that the last time the Midwest has been this dry was back in the 30’s. This, of course, means our work as water professionals is more important than ever as we strive to find new ways to conserve water and stretch our resources. There is a ripple effect that will carry out through the various economic chains as a result of this drought. Food prices will go up everywhere. Lawns are brown. Some trees are already dropping leaves.

The lack of rainfall was even noticeable at the Visitation Day golf outing in Champaign. The ponds on the golf course were, in many cases, dry. So when I hit my ball into the “water” I was able to walk out to it and retrieve it! It goes to show that, even though I am part Scottish, I was not able to live up to my heritage by being a good golfer. However, on that day, it did rain a little and everyone on the course stayed out and continued playing. The rain did not last very long; and, fortunately, the temperature was lower than predicted, resulting in a nice day of play. Illinois American did a fantastic job at hosting

the event. The course was very nice, dinner was great, and the fellowship of all the folks who attended was terrific!

WATERCON2013 is in the planning stages. The ISAWWA met with the IWEA recently to work on a memorandum of agreement for continuing to work together on the Watercon conference. This agreement spells out how the two organizations have worked out a strategy to continue building the conference into the premier water event for Illinois on an annual basis. Kudos to everyone who has worked so hard to make this event so successful and insuring the success continues.

For those of you who were not able to attend the AWWA ACE conference in Dallas in June, it was a great time. The ISAWWA Breakfast on Monday was well attended and made for a great start for the convention. Illinois was the recipient of some awards, but I was unable to attend the Tuesday afternoon

session where some of those were given. Congrats go out to Randy Lusk, our “membership dude” who received the Zenno Gorder Award from AWWA. That is a great award to be able to bring home. It says a lot about the efforts put forth to continue to strive for adding to and maintaining our most precious resource, our members.

As we move forward, there are many opportunities that the Illinois Section makes available to you. Our education seminars and webinars for the rest of the year are chock full of useful class material. Our website is one of the easiest to use that I have found, and has our calendar of events loaded with things to do.

I look forward to the rest of this year and hope everyone has the opportunity to be a part of and grow with this great experience we call the Illinois Section AWWA.

Left: This photo taken at the course is our Education Coordinator, Lisa Hoffhines who had the task of tracking down all of the golfers for their annual memorable foursome photos.

Right: Ron Smith of Illinois America Water

Co is presented with the Host award from

the ISAWWA Chair Elect, John Van Arsdel.

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First of all, I want to thank Illinois American for being a great host for the 2012 ISAWWA Visitation Day held in Champaign on July 26 and 27. Ron Smith and his staff at Illinois American did a great job planning the event and even ordered great weather. After watching the weather reports Thursday morning, I thought we might get drenched at the golf outing. It sprinkled a little bit, which was refreshing, but the heavy rain held off until after the event was over. If you were unable to attend,

vice chair reportTheresa O’Grady

hopefully you will have an opportunity to visit the Water Treatment Plant another time. I always learn something when visiting different water facilities. If you have a new facility or recently upgraded your facility, consider hosting Visitation Day in the future.

Although WATERCON 2013 is many months away, preparations are already underway. As Vice-Chair, one of my duties is Chair of Technical Program Committee for the annual conference. By the time you are reading this, the deadline for abstracts has past. So the Technical Program Committee will be meeting soon to develop the technical program for the conference. Even if you did not submit an abstract, there are many other ways to get involved. If you need ideas on how to get involved, you can contact me, ISAWWA Section staff or any of the Board members. My contact information appears below.

I recently attend an ISAWWA webinar at the comfort of my own computer. It was easy to register for the webinar. (I registered online the morning of the webinar.) And best of all, it was free because I am an AWWA member. Whether you are an operator or engineer, continuing education is

required. Webinars are an easy and free way to get education credits. And there are many live webinars coming up. So check out the website, www.isawwa.org, under the Training tab on the left hand side of the screen, click on Webinars. Past webinars have been archived and are also available on the website. When you register for an archived webinar (also free if you are an AWWA member), you will get an email with a link to the webinar video and a survey. Once you watch the webinar and return the completed survey, you will get a certificate with the training hours received for that webinar. This is a great resource if you are a field person and the weather has interfered with your plans for the day. Use the free time for training!

Hopefully everyone had a great summer! Even though it has been a hot, dry summer, I will wishfully think of the hot days when the snow starts flying in a few months…

630-820-1022 [email protected]

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clc hires cassandra mckinney as director of the green economy and sustainable water center

GRAYSLAKE -- Cassandra McKinney became director of the College of Lake County Green Economy and Sustainable Water Center, effective July 2.

Most recently, McKinney worked as water resources manager for McHenry County Government in Woodstock, Ill., where she started and directed the county’s water resources program for five years. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Western Washington University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Dakota.

As director, McKinney will provide leadership for two major efforts: the Lake Michigan Center for Sustainable Water Practices and its academic programs,

indoor and outdoor facilities, outreach, research and educational activities. She will also develop and deliver programs and services designed to prepare both individuals and businesses for operating within a green economy.

“I am looking forward to collaborating with the Illinois Green Economy Network (www.igencc.org) businesses, local governments, residents, CBO’s and others engaged in green jobs training and education programming as the Green Economy and Sustainable Water Center is developed and established,” she said.

To reach McKinney, call (847) 543-2645, email: [email protected] or visit www.clcillinois.edu/gogreen.

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Greetings, from your Section Director. I have now completed my first year as your Director.

We barely had a winter, and now we have had to endure one of the driest summers of all time. Although the weatherman said that July was not the warmest on record; that dubious distinction goes to July of 1953 by 0.3 degrees. And I am quite sure that very few people had air conditioning at that time! And what about this drought? More on that in a minute.

Being ever sports minded I MUST bring up all the fun sports viewing that has been keeping me company this summer.

awwa director reportKyla Jacobsen

First, there was the Wimbledon tennis match from the All England Club. Just before that ended my favorite sports event of all time started, the Tour de France. This year’s race was fantastic and exciting to watch. Now, we are embroiled in the 2012 Summer Olympics. Go Team USA. And, as you will note, one of the “fab five” gymnasts shares my name!

Now on to matters of the Section. I have requested, and received, the support of the Section to run for Vice President on the National AWWA Board for the second time. I was unsuccessful in my bid the first try, so I’m following the old adage of “try, try again”. Wish me luck and the support of my other Board members at the winter board meeting in January.

While I’m talking about “boards” and “elections”, I should share the most EXCITING NEWS!! Our own John Donahue, former ISAWWA Chair and Director and General Manager from North Park Water District, will be running for National AWWA President Elect at the upcoming winter AWWA Board meeting. The exciting part is that John will be running unopposed and therefore, in June 2013 will be installed as the President Elect. In June 2014, at the gavel passing, John will become our National AWWA President. We will be partying in Boston! John will become the 9th National AWWA President from

Illinois (coincidently, the first National AWWA President was from Illinois, Jacob Foster, 1881-1882). New York is the only Section to have provided more National presidents with 15.

Meanwhile, back to the drought. The drought is something that has affected every water utility in the State of Illinois. According to the State’s drought website, HYPERLINK “http://drought.illinois.gov” http://drought.illinois.gov , the first half of 2012 was the sixth driest on record. Precipitation throughout the State averaged just 12.6 inches for the January through June period, or nearly seven inches below normal. The local climatologists are saying that the drought is not over by a long shot. Many utilities have instituted some type of outside water use ban and several have been faced with catastrophic challenges.

In northeastern Illinois, about 80 communities are collaborating in the Northwest Water Planning Alliance. NWPA’s goal is to provide a sustainable water supply for the region in a manner that is both economically and environmentally sound. Their Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) is looking at water conservation issues, drought management, water loss goals and other items from a regional perspective. These items were on the Alliance’s agenda BEFORE the drought took hold of the State.

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summer 2012 legislative newsTerry Steczo and Maureen Mulhall

Pension Action on the Horizon?When the legislature adjourned in May, there was an announcement that pension reform discussions would take place during the summer and that the General Assembly would be called back if/when an agreement was reached. Over the last two months pension reform meetings have taken place and have faltered over how to address pension payments by school districts outside of the City of Chicago. Despite what has been a summer-long stalemate, there is a need by legislators on the ballot this November to address pension reform or possibly suffer electoral consequences. And, of course, addressing pension reform certainly has it downside for many constituents as well - a classic “no win” situation. Now it appears that their hand has been called.

The House is scheduled to convene on August 17 to take up accusations regarding Rep. Derrick Smith (D-Chicago) who was indicted earlier this year for, allegedly, taking a bribe to write a grant letter for a constituent. Even though Smith has not yet been on trial or convicted by the courts, the House initiated a disciplinary process that is expected to end with Smith’s expulsion

when it convenes. The Senate has no part in this expulsion process, but since the House will already be in Springfield, Governor Quinn announced that he is calling both Chambers back into special session on August 17 to consider comprehensive pension reform.

Just prior to adjournment, the Senate approved House Bill 1447, as amended, which includes State employee pension reform provisions that, for the most part, had been agreed to by legislative leaders and the Governor. HB 1447 does not include the controversial downstate school district provisions, but it does address the issue of compounded COLAs that put extreme pressure on the pension system. State employees and retirees would be given a choice to keep their current 3% compounded COLA and, in doing so, give up access to state health care; or choose a simple, non-compounded COLA and retain access to state health care. By providing those impacted with a choice, there is some opinion that the plan could withstand a constitutional challenge. “Access” to state health care was not defined; but, should SB 1313 (which is effective July 1, 2012 and rewrites the State employee & retiree insurance rules) be ruled constitutional, retirees may

be required to pay for their health care based on their retirement income. The simple COLA would be 3% or ½ of CPI simple, whichever is less, delayed for five years, and a guarantee that future salary increases are pensionable.

To legislators, the provisions of House Bill 1447 are the low hanging fruit of pension reform.Even though State employees, impacted retiree groups, labor unions and others will object strenuously and, most assuredly, will file a suit immediately if the plan is approved, many (a majority?) legislators feel that their constituents will understand and even approve of limiting these benefits. With school pensions it’s a different ball game altogether; because, no matter how justified it might seem to require non-Chicago school districts to pay a portion of the pension benefits for their own employees, the fear that the result may increase property taxes gives legislators heart palpitations. Coupled with that fear is the knowledge that Chicago receives a disproportionate share of State aid to schools, which is hard to justify.

The Governor has released figures to show that most districts could easily absorb those amounts from cash reserves, even though school districts throughout the State have relied on those reserves to cover them during this time of grossly delayed State payments. Essentially, he is arguing that school districts should delete their “rainy day” funds. Republicans have objected and want no part of anything that could, in any way, even remotely be looked upon as a tax increase. They insist that school districts be responsible for portions of pension decisions moving forward. The Governor’s job is going to get the “twain” to meet and cobble together some agreement by or on August 17. With the wide disparity in philosophy over how to resolve the school issue, he may be very disappointed, and might be better off taking what he can get now, and then focus on the school issue in the coming months. There may also be some

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direction from the courts by that time as to what is or is not permissible.

Don’t be surprised if all there is on August 17 is hot air to add to the pension reform drought.

Recent JCAR Filings

Drinking Water Analysis – EPA has proposed amendments to “Testing Fees for Analytical Services” (35 Ill Adm Code 691; 36 Ill Reg 10565) that implement provisions of Public Act 97-220 eliminating requirements that EPA determines drinking water program analysis fees in consultation with the Community Water Supply Testing Council. Instead, EPA must base its annual fee determination on actual and anticipated testing costs. The rulemaking further updates the Part regarding the program’s notification and participation process. Small businesses or small municipalities that test or operate public drinking water supplies are affected by this rulemaking. Questions/requests for copies/comments through 9/4/12: Sara Terranova, EPA, 1021 N. Grand Ave. E., Springfield, IL 62794-9276, 217/782-5544; email:[email protected].

Water Supplies – EPA has adopted amendments to “Maximum Setback Zones” (35 Ill Adm Code 618; 36 Ill Reg 4015), effective 6/27/12, concerning land use near wells that serve as public water supply sources. The rulemaking establishes a maximum setback zone for six wells operated by Fayette Water Company (FWC) in Fayette County in accordance with Section 14.3 of the Environmental Protection Act. Potential primary sources of groundwater contamination are prohibited from locating wholly or partially within this maximum setback zone. The rulemaking also provides that the same prohibition will apply to other maximum setback zones that may be created under this Part in order to protect particularly vulnerable groundwater supplies.

(Formerly, this Part established a maximum setback zone only for the Village of Marquette Heights in Tazewell County.) A map showing the boundaries of the FWC existing minimum and proposed maximum setback zones is included in a new appendix. This rulemaking affects land owners and users within the maximum setback zone. Questions/requests for copies: Tim Fox, PCB, 100 W. Randolph St., Suite 11-500, Chicago IL 60601, 312/814-6085, www.ipcb.state.il.us. Please reference docket R11-25.

Centralia Lab Funds VetoedSince the announcement by the Governor that Centralia Lab would be shuttered there has been a concerted effort to convince the Legislature and the Governor of the need to keep it open. The arguments apparently worked on the General Assembly which added $1.6 million for operations of the lab in the FY 2013 appropriations that were sent to Governor Quinn for his consideration. The initial budget had no funds included for the lab.

In the brouhaha that followed the Governor vetoing funds for other State prisons and mental health facilities, the fact that he also vetoed funding for the Centralia lab was lost in the shuffle.Area legislators have indicated a willingness to see the funds restored, but the earliest that could happen would be during the legislative veto session that begins the last week in November, well after the August 31 scheduled closure of the lab.

Why can’t the issue be raised on August 17 when the Legislature returns? It possibly can, but only if the General Assembly decides to go beyond the special session call.

Bills of InterestThe legislature has 30 days from passage to send a bill to the Governor, and he has 60 days from the day a bill is sent to him to approve or veto it. The very last day the Governor will have to

act on bills is August 30.

HB 4496 – Rep. Sente/ Sen. Garrett: Provides that by January 1, 2013, the Plumbing Code Advisory Council shall recommend amendments to the existing minimum code of standards for plumbing and the fixtures, materials, design, and installation methods of plumbing systems. Provides that the Department of Public Health shall submit the amendments to the existing minimum code of standards to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules by May 31, 2013. (Current Status: Approved – PA 97-852)

HB 5319 – Rep. Winters/Sen. Koehler: Amends the Sanitary District Act of 1917. Authorizes the board of trustees of a sanitary district to enter into an agreement to sell, convey, or disburse treated wastewater with any public or private entity located within or outside of the boundaries of the sanitary district. Further provides that any use of treated wastewater by any public or private entity shall be subject to the orders of the Pollution Control Board. (Current Status: Sent To Governor)

HB 5642 – Rep. Tryon/Sen. Frerichs: Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Establishes NPDES permit fees for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). (Current Status: Sent To Governor)

SB 3280 – Sen. Frerichs/Rep. Jakobsson: Creates a new provision concerning the extraction of hydrocarbons from shale using hydraulic fracturing. Provides the Department of Natural Resources shall, by rule, require an operator of a well on which a hydraulic fracturing treatment is performed to (i) complete specified forms that includes the total volume of water used and each chemical ingredient, subject to certain Federal requirements; (ii) post the form on a specified website; (iii) submit the form to the Department; and (iv) provide the Department a list of all other chemical

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ingredients not previously listed. Provides that the Department, shall, by rule, require a service company that performs hydraulic fracturing treatments to (i) provide the operator of the well certain information; (ii) prescribe a process by which an entity may withhold and declare certain information as a trade secret but still comply with the disclosure requirements; (iii) require a person challenging a claim of entitlement to a trade secret to file the challenge by a specified date; (iv) limit the persons who may challenge a claim of entitlement to a trade secret; (vi) require, when a trade secret challenge occurs, that the Department promptly notify the service company performing the hydraulic fracturing treatment on the relevant well; (v) prescribe a process, consistent with Federal rules, that permits a health professional or emergency responder to obtain trade

secret information; (vi) require, prior to such hydraulic fracturing, the owner or operator to perform a suitable mechanical integrity test of the casing or of the casing-tubing annulus or other mechanical integrity test methods; and (vii) require, during the well stimulation operation, that the owner or operator monitor and record the annulus pressure. Provides that the owner or operator shall provide information to the Director as to the amounts, handling, and, if necessary, disposal at an identified appropriate disposal facility, or reuse of the well stimulation fluid load recovered during flow back, swabbing, or recovery from production facility vessels. Provides that the protection and challenge of trade secrets under the provision is also governed by the State’s Freedom of Information Act. Provides that the Department shall adopt any other rules necessary to regulate hydraulic fracturing and corollary issues

related to hydraulic fracturing. (Current Status: Passed Senate; House – 2nd Reading)

HB 3282 – Sen. Clayborne/Rep. Beiser - Requires the Environmental Protection Agency to provide each applicant who has sought expedited permit review with an invoice setting forth the total fee paid for the expedited review, as well as the number of overtime hours that were expended by Agency staff to conduct the expedited review. (Current Status: Passed Senate; House Environment and Energy Committee)

Read more at www.isawwa.org/WUC (Members only legislative information, please log in.)

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d i s t r i c t 1 t r u s t e e r e p o r t

Acclaimed marine biologist, Jacque Cousteau, once said “We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.” His profound observation certainly rings true on multiple levels, as the many Americans who have been impacted by this summer’s drought have discovered. The intimate relationship between the water cycle and their daily lives has been highlighted by extreme weather conditions. Questions, such as “where does my water come from?” and “are we in danger of running out of water?” have been raised in communities across our State. This heightened water awareness is a good thing, although it may be short-lived, depending upon future weather patterns and potential long-term climate changes.

On the other hand, the demands that the drought has placed on Illinois water systems serve to underscore the ongoing challenges faced by water utilities across the State. Water supply challenges are numerous and diverse in nature, encompassing critical areas such as, disaster management, facility & equipment maintenance, operational knowledge & efficiencies, and public relations. When a drinking water system is challenged, its strengths and

district 1 trustee reportGreg Swanson, Trustee

weaknesses are revealed, which creates a potential growth opportunity. However, appropriate resources must be available in order to take advantage of such growth opportunities.

Fortunately, ISAWWA is dedicated to providing its membership with a host of resources designed to assist water utilities in meeting the many challenges facing them. Our Association offers a wide variety of educational seminars, from asset management principles to well rehabilitation, which provide beneficial guidance for enhanced water utility reliability. Likewise, ISAWWA webinars, on-line and home-study courses, conferences and site visits provide an excellent assortment of developmental activities. Additionally, ILWARN, the “utilities helping utilities” response network, is another powerful resource that can provide members with specialized human and material resources when water supply crises occur.

Members are wise to take advantage of the ISAWWA resources outlined above, which will promote professional growth and preparedness for future challenges. As if that is not enough, ISAWWA’s greatest offering is its members themselves. This group includes a diverse array of water utility personnel, consultants, equipment & service providers, and regulators, who are an amazing treasure trove of knowledge and experience. Among this group, one can find the answer to virtually any drinking water question or concern. If the answer is not found, ISAWWA will

help find an answer. Collectively, our membership is the authoritative safe drinking water resource in Illinois.

In fact, ISAWWA members are the drinking water leaders in our State. Water supply challenges, such as the recent drought, reveal the importance of this leadership to the daily lives of the nearly 13 million people living in Illinois. Individually and collectively, we are remarkably knowledgeable and successful. However, President John F. Kennedy once said “leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” He went on to say “the greater our knowledge increases the more our ignorance unfolds.” In other words, the more we know, the more we don’t know. Most of us have come to realize that the path of knowledge does not have an endpoint, but rather continues to grow and expand as we journey along it.

In summary, ISAWWA is a dynamic fountain of learning and professional

growth opportunities. Our members take from and add to this expanding pool of drinking water knowledge. This vibrant process provides members with the knowledge, tools, and insights required to meet today’s and tomorrow’s water supply challenges. Best intentions for success to all ISAWWA members engaged in meeting these challenges.

“We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.” JACQUE COUSTEAU

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I am so excited to be a new ISAWWA Trustee! As of last month, I am officially no longer a Young Professional (YP) by age, although I am still one at heart. And I’ve been told my sense of humor is that of a 5-year old, but that doesn’t count. As much as I will miss the Young Professionals Committee, I am also very excited to see all the creative ideas and energy that Brian Kooistra, the new Chair, brings to that committee.

As Trustee, I have really enjoyed getting to talk to new or prospective members about the benefits of AWWA. There are many new, young engineers at my work; and, in talking to them about becoming AWWA members, I always tell the story of how I became a member. I can remember very distinctly why I became an AWWA member 14 years ago. I was an undergraduate in the process of publishing my first research article in Journal AWWA, and the graduate student I was working with suggested I become an AWWA member so that I would be listed as such under the author notation.

district 2 trustee reportAndrea Putz, Trustee

He explained to me that AWWA membership would be helpful for a career in the water industry. And he was right! No matter whether it was Texas or Illinois that I was living in, I have looked to the AWWA local section for professional development and networking opportunities where I can discuss my daily challenges with other water industry professionals. As a Ph.D. student, I couldn’t have imagined not having an AWWA membership. Membership helps you make a career out of a something that, for many, may have started as just a job.

At the same time, YPs are the least likely to have their membership paid for by their company or utility but have the most to gain from membership. The same applied to me as a YP. But I always made paying for my membership a priority. Paying for membership has been an investment in myself. When employers encourage their Young Professionals to get involved in ISAWWA, they keep them from feeling isolated in their job. Networking with other YPs, as well as with “OP’s” in the industry, can be helpful in everything from career advice to helping pass the Operator’s Exam or the Professional Engineer Exam.

Further, I have noticed a gap in our YPs here in Illinois compared to what I experienced in Texas. I don’t meet a lot of graduate student members here in Illinois. In Texas, professors, masters, and Ph.D. students made up a large percentage of the local section membership. It makes sense, things like the Young Professionals and Student Paper Presentations are a free way to get a research group’s research noticed by a wide audience. And graduate students get practice presenting their research.

So I give a shout out to my academic brethren – encourage your colleagues to join ISAWWA. If you are reading your colleague’s copy of this Splash, join and get your own copy as well as your own access to e-Journal AWWA. Network at Student and YP events. Attend a career fair or use the “Career Center” portion of the www.isawwa.org website. Apply for scholarships at both the Illinois Section and national AWWA levels. Spend an entire day of student and young professional activities and talks at the WATERCON conference held in Springfield each March.

Student membership is only $28 and young professional membership is only $99. I and many of the ISAWWA Board have even sponsored student memberships (9 have been sponsored in the past year alone). Students can go to isawwa.org and search “Apply for Student Member Sponsorship” to apply. Active members will review the student’s request for a “sponsored” membership. The student’s sponsor will pay their first year’s membership fee and serve as a mentor for them during that year to provide them with information that will help them get the most from their membership.

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d i s t r i c t 3 t r u s t e e r e p o r t • h o r n e r & s h i f r i n , i n c . • n d i a n i n c .

Recently, I attended one of my favorite AWWA sponsored events, Visitation Day in Champaign. Illinois American did an outstanding job with the tour. I enjoyed my time at the Bradley Street plant and learned things that I will bring back to City Water, Light & Power in Springfield. Visitation Day is a great opportunity to see what other plants are doing, as well as a chance to discover things that can’t be learned sitting in a classroom. The plant is fairly new and well maintained, with some interesting features. One feature I found especially interesting was the surge tank designed to eliminate pressure surges that could cause main breaks. I also feel a bit envious about their site. We are under

district 3 trustee reportTed Meckes, Trustee

some major construction in Springfield. I have concerns of tying into existing facilities etc., but the green site out in the middle of a corn field alleviates that problem. I am sure there were other issues, but it sure is nice to see your closest neighbor a mile away.

The tour started with an excellent presentation in their training room complete with a power point presentation. Being from a surface supply it was very interesting to learn about the aquifers, well fields and the entire Illinois American system in Champaign-Urbana. After the presentation, we were led on a tour of the entire facility. Perhaps my tour guide grew tired of all of my questions, but I take these trips as a chance to learn. The entire Illinois American team did a fantastic job for this great event.

I took the opportunity during Visitation Day to see colleagues and meet new friends. I continued my mission to meet at least 3 new people at each conference. I hope all of you can start trying to do this as it is not only a way to meet new people but also a learning experience.

The only problem with the event was the lack of attendance. I believe there were only 40 or so attendees. I would like to urge all members to

attend these events. These events are especially good for young plant staff and engineers. It is a very cost effective way to learn many new things. I learned a long time ago that my way of doing things isn’t always the correct or best way to do them. A lot can be learned when seeing how another plant feeds the same chemical as we do. This is how I first learned about using peristaltic pumps. I have talked to numerous colleagues that have switched to the peristaltic-type feed pumps. We can also learn about different chemicals as well as how to handle them safely and properly. Everyone can tell you their successes and failures; we all have them. I would rather learn from someone else’s failures than repeat them myself; and I would rather let others learn from my failures so they don’t make the same mistakes.

In closing, I would like all top management staff at water plants, sales offices and engineering firms to encourage their employees, especially the younger employees, to attend such events in the future. Visitation Day is one of the best bargains in both cost and as a great learning experience. I would also like to thank the Illinois American team for a great event as well as a very tasty lunch.

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d i s t r i c t 4 t r u s t e e r e p o r t • m e m b e r s h i p c o m m i t t e e

membership committeeRandy Lusk, Chair

What a great summer - plenty of warm weather and sunny days, and it has been just all around awesome to be outside. Now I know some of you may think I am nuts, but I like the heat and have loved the whole summer.

On a more serious note, I want to thank all our members for keeping ISAWWA one of the strongest in AWWA. We are currently 7th overall. And I’d like to take this opportunity to go over a few other membership-related issues.

I am sure many of you know that we set up booths at certain shows throughout

the year to promote ISAWWA. This year the volunteer numbers have been off the charts. We have had so many new folks helping out and learning through experience how to talk to members and potential new members. Don’t be shy, come out to the booth and learn and help educate people. When it gets closer, a doodle will go out asking for volunteers. I will list the shows here so you can mark your calendar:

IPWSOA September 19-21st in Springfield

IRWA Northern October 23-24 in Rockford

Before we know it school will be starting. I’m not sure where the summer has gone! This summer has been very hot and the drought conditions have caused major problems for many areas. In southern Illinois, like throughout our State, we are seeing shallow wells drying up, bulk water restrictions, and farmers having a hard

district 4 trustee reportLori Stenzel, Trustee

time feeding livestock due to the lack of rain. Even the water systems that do not have to worry about a shortage of water are pumping more than “normal”. They have been faced with other challenges such as meeting the pumping demands, taste and odor issues from algae by products, and mains breaking.

I continue to attend the Southwest Central Water Plant Operators Association (SWCWPOA) and Southern Illinois Water Operators Association (SIWOA) meetings. In May, SIWOA held their 78th Annual Spring Conference at Gibby’s on the Green in Rend Lake. The IEPA provided regulation updates, water system reporting, and how volunteer lake monitoring data is collected and used. Other topics included filter cleaning management and endied with a tour of Rend Lake. In June, the SWCWPOA group had their annual picnic at Flo-Systems in Troy. Both meetings were well attended, giving an excellent opportunity to network with fellow water operators.

On August 30, I will be giving the Basic Hands On Water Quality Testing class at American Water Laboratory in Belleville. If you would like to attend, go to our ISAWWA website and sign up.

I would like to give a big THANK YOU to all my fellow water operators and professionals for providing folks with great water (our most precious resource) while being faced with severe challenges this year such as drought, main breaks, infrastructure, excess demand, algae problems, to name a few.

After you finish looking through this issue of SPLASH, pass it on to others and let them know what a great opportunity joining ISAWWA is. The training alone is awesome! Even with a busy schedule, you have plenty of opportunities to attend webinars online, or even home study. So visit our website at www.isawwa.org and check out the Latest News and Calendar to keep up-to-date on what is happening in the water world!

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m e m b e r s h i p c o m m i t t e e

Joint Products Day October 17 in Tinley Park

Science Teacher Conference Nov 1-3

I know you have heard this before, but it’s so important to get everyone involved in retention and new memberships that I am repeating these statements one more time.When talking to individuals about membership you, need to create a story.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when talking to people:

• KISS – Keep It Short and Simple.

• Target – Don’t send a wingtip message to a flip flop. I know most of you, right now, are thinking . . . what?!?! What that means is “target” your audience with your message about the advantages of AWWA membership. The benefits to someone new in the industry (a “young professional”) won’t necessarily be the same as the advantages of membership to someone who has been around for a while.

• Value message overload. Repeat it and how it has helped me and how can it help you.

• CASE – Copy And Steal Everything that can work for you. Use other people’s techniques and ideas to help in your recruitment efforts. Remember, one size doesn’t fit all! Try to find out the name of the person you want to recruit right away, and keep using it. People want to feel that they belong and are recognized.

And now I want to talk a little about retention and to give some insight of what I’ve learned that may help you.

• Orientation – Make them feel part of the club, people want to belong. I know I said this above but this is very

true and important. Human nature is to belong to something.

• Participation Utilization – Get them involved early and often, new members will want to get involved. You will want to get in touch with them within 60-90 days of their initial recruitment and get them involved.

• Leadership – Show them how we learn leadership from AWWA and what we can do with it in our current jobs, and how it has helped you. The art of inspiring to achieve a common objective.

Keep the new going. It’s almost like having a new car - the longer the smell is there, the longer we take extra care of it. This is what we need to do with members; keep it going, don’t forget about them. Recognize those getting involved, make sure to show appreciation whenever you can. If you’re talking to someone who has stopped being involved or stopped being a member, let them know that they are wanted and missed. Again, people want to be involved or they most likely wouldn’t have joined in the first place. When talking to prospective and former members about the benefits of AWWA, we need to have passion, fire and also remember why we joined. Bring this to them -show them, excite them into retaining their membership; and, of course, use the same on potential new members.

Think like a prospect. Know your members; know the organization; customize how you approach people; try to be unique and always be honest. Like I said above, get their name and use it...a lot. People will often ask you, what am I getting out of this membership? My answer to them is, whatever they want to get out of it, it’s up to them. We can show them the benefits and share our ideas and our experiences but be honest and let them know, it’s what they want, we will

help them with the tools but we cannot give them their experience – that’s something they have to achieve on their own.

I would like to come up with a slogan for membership and would like ideas from you. Remember, if you have seen one you like, such as CASE (copy and steal everything), share it. I am still offering this challenge to anyone who would like to try and come up with one. I will pick the winner. The deadline will be December 31, 2012. You will receive a prize you won’t forget.

ISAWWA is also going to be participating in the 2012 Membership Matters Challenge. Our goal is as follows:

YE Total Students: 41 (Currently at 44)New YP: 10 (Currently at 7)YE Total Membership Goal: 1878 (Currently at 1884)Retention Goal: 88%

I am asking all members to help ISAWWA reach this goal and show why we are one of the top sections in AWWA. One of the new key elements is our website. Everyone needs to learn how to use it and take advantage of it since you get it for being a member. It has everything from Webinars to Buyers Guide (for vendors). Learn it, love it and use it. Also, don’t forget free webinars for 2012, new and taped ones.

The new members should have been receiving calls from their trustees; this is something new we started this past year and has been going great. I want to thank all the trustees for stepping up and calling all the new members to welcome them to ISAWWA and to make them feel at home. It takes time and all of you have done a great job. Thanks again.

One last note, go Bears since my Cubbies are selling…

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b l a c k & v e a t c h • c r a w f o r d , m u r p h y & t i l ly, i n c . • t n e m e c

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d i s t r i c t 2 t r u s t e e r e p o r t • d i s t r i c t 5 t r u s t e e r e p o r t

district 2 trustee reportDon Jensen

To quote Rahm Emanuel, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.”

Wow! What a summer we’ve had. So far our water sales are 20 percent above last year, with August yet to go. As everyone knows this has been a remarkably dry summer.

The headlines tell it best:Worsening Illinois drought points to increasingly ominous signs for crops

Dry spell, which could becomes state’s worst on record, may lead to higher food prices

U.S. drought worst since mid-’50sThe nation’s widest drought in decades is spreading, with more than half of the continental United States in some stage of drought

Areas in worst drought categories rise by 50 percent, US says

Illinois farmers’ hopes drying upCorn, soybean crops have been ravaged by drought

Crop Ratings Drop as Worst U.S. Drought Since 1956 Persists

While the increased revenue is welcome, especially in light of the recent rainy years, this has been a most difficult summer for water utilities.

Even though our city is fortunate enough to have Lake Michigan as our source, we still struggled to treat and deliver sufficient water to meet all of the irrigation demands of our customers. We even had to resort to a brief all-out outdoor water use ban early

in July. I can only imagine the challenges faced by our down-state colleagues.

One unanticipated benefit of the drought is that it raised the public profile of the water industry. Many of us have had the ‘opportunity’ to speak with the local media to explain the challenges that this drought has brought us.

This drought has afforded us an opportunity to inform our residents, through the press, of the issues that we face not only during a drought but on a day-to-day basis. It also gives us a chance to build relationships with the reporters who cover local issues. Such relationships can be vital down the road. The next time there is a NRDC media blitz, such as the ones about Chrome VI or pharmaceuticals and personal care products, your local reporter will know you personally and will be more likely to solicit your input on the story. A reporter who has had a chance to tour your plant and chat with your staff is bound to come away with a better appreciation of what it takes to provide safe water to a city and of the dedication of the professionals that provide that service.

district 5 trustee report Larry Coloni, Trustee

If you’re a supervisor or above and you’re looking for leadership training, you need to check out the Illinois Public Service Institute that is held in Effingham every October.

The weather has been very interesting this summer; we continue to break record high temperatures and see record production of treated water. It is interesting how we all are affected differently from having to implement conservation efforts to rubbing our hands together in anticipation of record revenues from water sales.

I recently attended the Visitation Day in Champaign. A special thanks to the Illinois American Water Company for an excellent 2-day event. The golf outing at Stone Creek Golf Course in Urbana was an event that generated funds for Water for People. Thanks to all who donated.

Thanks to all of the dedicated water treatment professionals for the work you do to keep our water safe and good luck dealing with the drought.

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w a t e r e f f i c i e n c y c o m m i t t e e • t - c o n

water efficiency committeeAmy Talbot, Chair

This summer heat getting you down? I hope you had a chance to stay cool with one (or two) of our webinars this August. The first webinar was held on August 20th and featured information about outdoor water use efficiency outreach and irrigation systems strategies. This joint webinar with the Wisconsin Section’s Water Efficiency Committee was moderated by ISAWWA committee member, Cary McElhinney, and came in perfect timing as many communities are experiencing drought conditions. Reducing outdoor water use is one strategy for alleviating this type of strain on systems. The second webinar was held on August 29th and featured

committee member, Thomas Pape. He discussed and compared three different water-related green codes for municipal adoption. Updating codes provides a long-term method for establishing efficiency standards and saving water in a community. Both webinars are available on the ISAWWA website, just in case you missed them the first time around.

What’s next for the Committee? We held our strategic in-person meeting this month, and we will be very busy this next year. Stay tuned for details about our next project!

t-con (formerly imtech committee)Doug Strempek, Chair

The IMTECH Committee had a very successful conference over the summer at McHenry County College. We held a one-day conference on June 5th that focused on a variety of technologies, both in the water and the wastewater industries. Present at the event were 170 participants and 10 exhibitors. Congratulations to those who won some great prizes in our raffle, including an Apple IPad. Those who attended said the event was great and we have been receiving much positive feedback. We are already in the planning stages for next year.

If you attended and have suggestions on how we can improve; or if you would

like to be a presenter; or if want to be an exhibitor to display your products or technologies, please contact us. Additionally, if you have an idea for a presentation or if you have heard about a new technology and want more information, we would value your suggestions.

We even have a mascot, so watch out for “T-Con” and “Mini-T” at various ISAWWA events!

Your suggestions or comments can be directed to Lisa at the ISAWWA office.

Again, thank you to those who helped make the conference successful, including members of the IMTech Committee and the ISAWWA staff.

SAVE THE DATE!T-CON: The Midwest Water & Wastewater Technology Conference

Wednesday, June 5, 2013 at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, ILSponsored by Illinois Section AWWA, Central States Water Environment Association and Illinois Water Environment Association

Submit a paper for consideration online: www.isawwa.org/t-con2013

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w a t e r d i s t r i b u t i o n c o m m i t t e e

Our Committee was well represented at the AWWA ACE12 conference in Dallas this past June, and will also be well represented at the AWWA DSS conference in St. Louis in September. As Chair of the Water Distribution Committee, I would like to recognize their efforts at the national level; and, if I may, brag about them a little bit. Well, maybe more than a little bit.

Mike RamseyMike was the Coach of the Westmont men’s tapping team that represented the Illinois Section at ACE12. His team members were Cranker Tony Falada, Starman Brian Beusse, and Copperman Jim Cates. Mike’s team made both taps, and finished with an official time of 1:50. This was an excellent time for a men’s team competing for the first time at ACE. What a coach!

Mike has also been very good at procuring prizes for the Committee to give away at our WATERCON booth and at our annual Water Distribution Conference raffle. Thanks for getting all the “swag”, Mike!

Last, but not least, did you know that Mike was on the cover of the AWWA

water distribution committee Owen Keenan, Chair

Opflow May 2012 issue? If you’re near Westmont, stop by with your Opflow copy and see Mike. Maybe he’ll autograph it for you.

Michelle HoepnerMichelle was the organizer and Starwoman for the FIRST women’s tapping team from the Illinois Section to participate at the national competition. Her team members were Coach Lisa Martini, Cranker Andrea Putz, and Copperwoman Candace Scholz. Michelle’s team made both taps, and finished with an official time of 4:16. Michelle made it happen!

The Land of Lincoln Lady Tappers had, in my opinion, the best shirts in the tapping competition. Michelle had her team’s shirts printed with a picture of an angry Abe Lincoln saying “Stick a bit in it, eh?” Great job Michelle! We can’t wait to see your team will be wearing when they compete again next year.

Ralph GrossFront and center at the national competition giving the play by play of each competing tapping team was our Committee member Ralph Gross, aka Mr. Microphone. Ralph is a natural born announcer, and we all know that he is never at a loss for words. “Ralph, please tell us how to connect the copper service pipe to the roundway just one more time.” All kidding aside Ralph, you did a great job at ACE!

Jeff SchramukPlease read Jeff’s article in the July, 2012 AWWA Journal “Implementing and managing a large water utility’s underground corrosion control program”. It is a very well written article. Also, for this year’s AWWA DSS conference, Jeff was selected to present on this subject for the technical program. Jeff has presented in the past at our annual Water Distribution Conference and at

WATERCON in Springfield. Jeff is an excellent speaker, and I am certain that he will do very well at DSS. Way to go Jeff!

Firat SeverFirat joined our Committee a year ago. First moved to Illinois with his family from Florida where he now works for Benton and Associates, Inc. in Jacksonville, Illinois. Firat’s abstract at DSS will be “Spray-On Linings for Water Mains – How Structural Are They?” Firat, thank you for joining our Committee, and congratulations on getting your abstract accepted for the DSS conference!

Also, I would like to thank Mike, Jeff and Firat for agreeing to staff our Committee’s booth at DSS in St. Louis. We hope to attract more members for our Committee from central and southern Illinois, and to attract more attendees to our sixth annual Water Distribution Conference schedule for April 23, 2013 in Countryside, IL.

Alright, I’ll stop bragging now, even though I could go on and on about all the other contributions our Water Distribution Committee members have made at the local level.

If you are interested in joining our Committee, please contact Lisa [email protected] or myself at [email protected]. If you are not interested in our Committee, there are many ISAWWA committees to consider joining. Please consider joining a committee and getting involved, and I’m sure that someone with ISAWWA will start bragging about you.

Best wishes to all of our fellow ISAWWA members and their families.

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i l l i n o i s p u b l i c s e r v i c e i n s t i t u t e • f a r n s w o r t h g r o u p • u t i l i t y s e r v i c e

Hello, everyone. It’s my pleasure to announce the three 2012 recipients of new sponsorships to IPSI from the ISAWWA:

Jeffrey Lundy, Village of Lakewood

Ryan Holthouse, City of Arlington Heights

David Trais, Village of Carol Stream

I hope everyone who is currently in a leadership role or aspires to one considers attending the Illinois Public Service Institute. The ISAWWA sponsors four new attendees each year for this three-year program. As someone who has graduated from the program, I can personally attest to what an outstanding learning experience it is. The scholarship is $500 toward the tuition for the first year. Once you have successfully completed the course the first year, you are eligible to receive a $500 scholarship for each of the remaining two years of the three-year course (one week per year). You can start

the course any year. You do not have to wait until a “beginning” session, because the curriculum for each year is different and is not dependent upon having attended prior years.

Congratulations to Jeffrey, David and Ryan as this year’s recipients of the ISAWWA scholarship. If you are interested in the program or have any questions about it, please feel free to contact me.

Stephen K PageChief Plant OperatorCity of Elgin Water Department150 Dexter Ct., Elgin, IL 60120phone: 847 931-6108 fax: 847 [email protected]

illinois public service instituteStephen Page, Chair

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o u t r e a c h c o m m i t t e e • s a f e t y a n d e m e r g e n c y p l a n n i n g c o m m i t t e e

Youth Outreach Initiatives For The Coming School Year

Back to school is just around the corner. With teachers and students preparing for the coming school year, it’s time to start promoting the youth education and outreach resources that ISAWWA can provide.

We are looking for volunteers to visit schools to speak about the water cycle, water treatment, or careers in the water industry. We’ve had great success so far with members visiting schools in their area – they find engaged and interested students and that results in great discussions. The Section has informational flyers and other materials to supplement classroom discussions and facility tours.

The Safe Water Scholarship Program, which will award up to $3,500 in scholarships at WATERCON 2013, is entering its third year. This program provides financial assistance to students pursuing a water-related field of study,

including engineering, science, and utility operations and management. Scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,000 are available for adult continuing education students, college undergraduate students, high school graduates about to enter college, and high school students attending a related summer education program.

The scholarship application is available for download at www.isawwa.org (click on the Student Resources menu option and scroll down to the bottom of the page). Please help us promote this important program by passing the application on to anyone you know who may qualify, or by dropping off application packets at nearby high schools, technical schools, community colleges, or universities.

We’re always looking to expand our network of volunteers. From something as simple as passing an informational packet along to your child’s teacher, to giving a tour of your water treatment plant to students, to providing lab facilities or mentoring to a student working on a water-related science fair project, there are many ways that you can personally advance this important initiative. We can also use volunteers at annual events including the Illinois Science Teachers Association conference (Nov. 1-3, 2012, in Springfield), a career fair planned for college students at WATERCON 2013, and the annual state science fair.

Please contact Kristin Rehg for more information at [email protected].

outreach committeeKristin Rehg, Chair

Water plant operations involve extensive

monitoring of both interior and exterior

facilities, use of potentially hazardous

chemicals, and mechanical repairs

which can involve heavy and out-of-

position lifting. Outside wintertime

monitoring operations often present

significant slip/fall hazards. The proper

use of hand and power tools, proper

lifting techniques and practices, proper

use of personal protective equipment

and slip/fall protection, and proper

training and operation systems use

for chemical operations are all safety

practice priorities for your utility.

The ISAWWA Safety Committee has

developed a pro-active Safety Audit tool

designed for periodic use to reduce

potential high risk behaviors and

increase safe behaviors. You will be able

to download this simple auditing tool to

do a check of the safety measures at

your own facility. You will be able to total

your audit scores over time to track up

or down safety compliance trends along

with tracking the number of incidents,

accidents and injuries sustained. The

added benefit is that you will be able

to get ISAWWA continuing education

credits for filling out the audit. Stay

tuned for more information regarding

the release of the Safety Audit.

safety and emergencyplanning committeeCarolyn Grieves, Chair

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b a c k f l o w c o m m i t t e e • n o r m a n n o e c o . , i n c • b a x t e r & w o o d m a n

backflow committeeMike Eisenhauer, Chair

Do you know where all of the backflow assemblies are located in your water system? Have all cross-connections in your water system been removed

or protected by an approved backflow assembly? Have all testable backflow prevention assemblies in your water system been tested by a licensed CCCDI in the last twelve months?

In the spring issue we discussed the first of the three key elements that comprise all effective cross-connection control programs, “Do you know where all of the backflow assemblies are located in your water system”. This question is covered in IEPA title 35 Section 653.801 where cross-connection control surveys are detailed. We learned that what a survey really means is the accumulation of, or gathering of, specific data on backflow assemblies; i.e. make, model, size, serial number, location and test date of testable backflow assemblies that currently exist in your distribution system. We also learned that a survey “is not intended to include an actual or visual inspection of piping or plumbing systems”.

If a survey is not intended to be an inspection of piping or plumbing systems, then the question that must be asked is: how do we find all of the existing direct cross-connections that were installed prior to the plumbing code changes in the early 1980’s? Since then the Illinois Plumbing Code has required the installation of backflow prevention assemblies. The answer can be found in IEPA Title 35 Section 653.802:

Complete removal of the cross-connection or installation of an approved cross-connection control device is required for control of backflow and back-siphonage. Cross-connection control devices shall be installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.Cross-connection control devices shall be inspected at least annually by a person approved the Agency as a cross-connection control device inspector (CCCDI). The inspection of mechanical

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b a c k f l o w c o m m i t t e e ( c o n t. ) • v i s i t a t i o n d a y

visitation dayRon Smith – Senior Manager Field Services and Production

Visitation Day, July 2012: Illinois American Water Company Champaign District

The Illinois American Water Company Champaign District was pleased to host this year’s Visitation Day on July 27 and 27. The two day outing consisted of a golf outing and awards banquet on Thursday and technical presentations and plant tours on Friday.

The golf outing and awards banquet was held at the Stone Creek Golf Club in Urbana on July 26. Featuring one of the most enjoyable 18 – hole public golf courses in down state Illinois, the course provided an outstanding venue for this event. The participants were treated to beautifully manicured Bent grass fairways and greens along with a very challenging links style layout.

Over 90 water industry professionals from around the state participated in the outing at Stone Creek. In attendance that day were several Illinois Section Board members including Chair Elect – John Van Arsdel, Vice Chair – Theresa O’Grady, District 3 Trustee – Ted Meckes, District 4 Trustee – Lori Stenzel and District 5 Trustee – Larry Coloni. The outing provided an excellent opportunity for renewing old acquaintances and networking with fellow water professionals. Proceeds from the event are to benefit Water for People.

The first place team, with a 13 under par (59) consisted of Bill Brown, Bill Bosler, Scott Smith and Jim Roth. A scorecard playoff was used to determine second and third place. The team of Craig Allen, Bill Gray, Rod Fletcher and Bruce Kelso finished in second place with a 10 under par (62). The team of Tom Healey, Dave Farrar, Shane Garren and Scott Werner finished in third place also with a 10 under par (62).

In addition, there were also various individual contests held on the course throughout the day. Closest to the pin competitions were held on holes #3 and #17 with Tim Postula and Patrick Gleason winning the honors. The longest putt winner was won by Scott Smith on hole #18 with Theresa O’Grady and Ben Langendorf winning the longest drive competition on holes #11 and #9 respectively. The putting contest sponsored by Dixon Engineering was won by Ron Bannon from the Village of Lansing with the proceeds going to Water for People.

On the following day, July 27, approximately 45 people participated in a tour and presentation at the Champaign County Water Treatment Plant. Participants toured the LEED-certified (Leadership in Environmental Engineering Design) facility and attended a technical presentation on the lime softening water treatment process utilized at the plant. The plant is constructed 7.5 miles outside of downtown Champaign on a “Greenfield” site (a piece of previously undeveloped land). The water treatment plant is a model of sustainability, incorporating energy-efficient technology and demonstrating close regard for the environment. The technical presentation was provided by Elizabeth Doellman, the Illinois American - Champaign District Water Quality Supervisor. Attendees received professional credit hours for their attendance.

The day’s festivities were kicked off with a welcoming address by the City of Champaign Fire Marshall John Koller and the City of Urbana public works Director Bill Gray.They welcomed everyone to their respective cities and discussed the importance of partnership with the community water utility for fire protection and effective public works.

Link to Photos: www.isawwa.org/VisitationDay2012

devices shall include physical testing in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

Because almost all cross-connections are found within the plumbing system of any building, the most effective way of identifying these cross-connections and causing them to be removed or backflow prevention installed is to perform a cross-connection inspection of the building’s plumbing system. Illinois law requires that only Illinois licensed plumbers can inspect plumbing, so how does the water operator cause these inspections to take place? For most, the answer lies within the city’s own plumbing inspector. Working together with your local plumbing inspector you should establish a program that allows for the cross-connection inspection to be performed under the authority of the water department and performed by the plumbing professional. Remember that, ultimately, the city itself is the responsible party, not just the water department or the plumbing department. In the case of a privately run water system you will, of course, need to elicit the services of the plumbing professional in the communities that you serve. Once these cross-connection control inspections are completed and the corrective actions required have been performed, you can be reasonably assured that your water distribution system is free from actual or potential cross-connections.

The only thing left to do now to ensure that you have a complete and effective cross-connection control program is the development and implementation of your tracking or record keeping requirements. In the next issue we will begin to dissect those requirements and offer some sure fired ways of accomplishing those tasks.

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m a c c o m m i t t e e • a e c o m • h e n r y p r a t t c o m p a n y

mac committeeTerry Locke, Chair

Up next - WATERCON2013!

It seems like March of 2013 is a long time from now, but it will be here before we know it. One of the drawbacks of the aging process is that time seems to go by faster.

Watercon 2013 is going to have a lot of the same things as this year’s event, but we’re also implementing a few changes. For instance, we will once again have a Grand Opening for the Exhibit Hall, but the Hall officially will open at 1:00 p.m. on Monday afternoon. We’re going to have two meet and greets in 2013, one on Monday afternoon and one on

Tuesday, which we expect will bring in a lot of attendees to the Hall.

Also new for 2013 will be a 12 noon conclusion to our festivities on Wednesday. Here is the Exhibit Hall schedule for WATERCON2013:

Monday Grand opening at 1 p.m. 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday 8 a.m. to 12 noon

The Exhibit Hall is approximately half sold as I write this in late July. As most of you know, exhibit spaces are assigned by priority points, but you can register at any time regardless of your point total. Early registration can be a big benefit to you. Let me explain why. When you register you are put in the queue for your point total and you will receive your booth assignment prior to anyone else with your point total that registers after you. So, if you haven’t yet registered, do it now! We sell out every year so get registered and don’t get shut out!

The MAC Committee and the ISAWWA will once again sponsor a FREE webinar for exhibitors. This year’s webinar, “GET THE MOST FROM PRE-DURING-POST” is loaded with valuable information and tools you can use to maximize not only your experience in the Exhibit Hall but

also your follow-up process after the show concludes.

Even those of you who have participated in trade shows for many years will gain valuable insights into how to increase your booth traffic and, most importantly, how to assure yourself of 100 percent lead follow-up. There will be two different sessions, one in February and one in March so everyone in your company can attend. I can guarantee that you will pick up tips and ideas you never thought about from the Voice of Trade Show ROI, Richard Erschik. Register today at www.isawwa.org.

The MAC Committee is made up of a group of folks just like you. We have members from service organizations, rep houses and water operators. If you want to know more about who we are and what we do as a committee, then tune in to the Webinar, Get to Know Your MAC Committee, on September 28 at 10 a.m. You can register for this free webinar on the ISAWWA website at www.isawwa.org.

We look forward to seeing everyone at WATERCON2013 in Springfield, March 18 – 21, 2013.

33


y o u n g p r o f e s s i o n a l s c o m m i t t e e

young professionals committeeBrian Kooistra, Chair

The YP Committee has been hard at work maintaining the proper balance between young and professional—no easy task. We partnered with APWA Suburban Branch for a social event at the Kane County Cougars on Friday the 13th for a Christmas in July game. It was my first interaction with the APWA, but there wasn’t anything scary about it. What a great group! I’m delighted that they came out to help make the event a success (in spite of a rain delay) and I’m looking forward to successful collaborations in the future...

…like the YP’s annual trip to Arlington Race course. We partnered with the Suburban Branch APWA for Arlington Family Day, August 10th. Although it has yet to happen as I write this, and it will be over by the time this gets published, let me assure you that it was a blast. My wife has probably already forgiven me for my gambling losses.

Big plans in the works: • September 14, 2012 MEGA TOUR

featuring Chicago’s Jardine WTP and MWRD’s Calumet WRP. We’re partnered with IWEA for this one. Signup early and often because registration is limited to a max of 40 people. (http://isawwa.org/megatour)

• Official plans were not available as this goes to print, but Laurie Dougherty personally challenged me to a paintball grudge match, so look for a paintball/foliage trip in the fall.

If you’ll notice, most of our YP events occur in District 2, especially near Chicagoland. While we occasionally journey out into other parts of the Section, YPs haven’t managed to get our hooks in very much past Lake Michigan. The Committee plans to change this by changing the structure of the Committee itself. A new position is being created, tentatively called “Jr. Trustee” for each of the 5 districts. The goal is to have this new position oversee YP events in the districts so that we can bring the party to the rest of the Section. This new role takes the lead for one social event and one technical tour in each of their respective districts per year, while working with the YP Committee for support

and coordination. Because we know we don’t have solid YP roots in these areas, the YP Committee is dedicated to remotely supporting the cause, and we have a solid commitment from the District Trustees to get our “Jr. Trustees” up and running. YP Committee member Cameron Jones has already thrown a legally binding high-five to represent the YP Committee in District 3. If you are interested in performing this function for your district, young and semi-professional operators are standing by to take your call (actually, it’s just me, [email protected]). If you manage or supervise promising young minds, I encourage you to send them our way.

From left to right, Killian Tobin and Brian Kooistra comparing race results at the park.

34


w a t e r s o l u t i o n s u n l i m i t e d • t h e f l o l o c o r p. • f e r g u s o n w a t e r w o r k s


35m u e l l e r c o . • b a c k f l o w s o l u t i o n s i n c .

36


i l l i n o i s a m e r i c a n w a t e r • c d m s m i t h

37


t o n k a

38


s m a l l s y s t e m s c o m m i t t e e

small systems committeeSteve Wilson, Committee Member

I was recently fortunate enough go to ACE2012 in Dallas, Texas, where I attended several of the Small System events/sessions/meetings that were occurring. I was asked by my Committee to give ISAWWA an update and share some of my experiences from ACE 2012 which I outline for you below:

First of all, our own ISAWWA Small System Committee received the AWWA Section Small System Program Award from the Small System Division, with a plaque and check for $200. Congratulations to our Committee, but most of all to Jon Meyer, our Chair, for all of his hard work in reviving the Committee and being so committed to our success.

I serve as a Trustee for the AWWA Small Systems Division, and at our meeting on June 13, a number of items of interest were brought up that I’d like to share. There was a presentation about a new initiative that AWWA is considering to develop a time bank for sharing effort. It would allow people to swap time for time, for the benefit of all. So, for instance, a small system operator could assist a large system for a day; and, in return, the large system would provide someone for a day to the small system.

The real benefit comes in when the swap matches needs and expertise. So, maybe the small system needs someone to assist them with budget management, or with solving a problem they don’t have the expertise for, or someone to show them how to operate a new piece of equipment. They could receive that expertise without cost, by agreeing to give the same amount of time to someone else through the time bank. It will be interesting to see if this program gets off the ground and how it will be managed.

There was also a discussion of developing a small systems manual. The Division is asked to provide a small systems chapter for specific AWWA manuals in many cases; and, in the next couple of years, the Division may combine all of those chapters on various topics into a manual for small systems. The Division is also looking into putting together a workshop for ACE2014. Each year, there are workshops at ACE on the first day, which are “extra” sessions that you can come to for specific detailed training. It would be great to see a small system-focused workshop. We’ve already seen how successful our Section has been in having a small systems track at WATERCON.

I also attended two small system tracks while at ACE. I gave a presentation on Monday, during the small systems track, highlighting the results of the operator survey we sent out to Illinois Operators in Charge last August. There were also talks from Canada about regionalization, where they are financing 90% of regionalization costs in an effort to reduce the number of really small systems that are having problems staying in compliance. RCAP spoke about best practices, and the thing I took away from that talk was in reference to water loss. She said, “15% water loss is considered the industry average. Why? That means you are

operating your plant for 54 days each year just to pump the water to loss.” When put that way, and you think about your costs for 54 days of running your plant, it hits home how important it is to maintain your system to prevent those losses. There was a talk from Wisconsin about their governance of water rates. Did you know that in Wisconsin, every utility has to send in their financial records annually? They are evaluated and audited based on a scoring system that looks at operating loss, water loss, rate of return, and debt as a function of capital structure. They can tell utilities it’s time to increase rates, and they have had this program in place for nearly 100 years.

On Thursday at ACE, there was a session on disseminating information to small systems. They brought together folks from several groups and organizations that provide information to small systems, EPA, TA providers, state regulators, and university folks. It was an open format with short talks, and there was a significant amount of time provided for open discussion. The point of the session was to identify the best approaches to get information to small systems, as well as determine where more work was needed to identify new, better methods for disseminating information. The organizers took down a lot of great information and ideas and it will be included in the ACE CD sent to all participants.

That’s what I brought back from ACE this year. It was a busy, engaging event for sure. I met a lot of new people, some of whom I hope to work with in the future; and I brought back a lot of new ideas for blog posts and possible research ideas. Please visit our page on the new ISAWWA website for more information regarding the Small System Committee. If you have any questions, or would like additional information, please contact our Chair, Jon Meyer, at [email protected] or (312) 780-7754.

39


v a l u i n g v a lv e s

valuing valvesChris Settipani and Owen Keenan

The Village of Carpentersville knows that, as a water purveyor, it has a responsibility to keep all of their customers supplied with quality water and to keep service outages as short and infrequent as possible. This requires properly functioning valves and the ability to locate them in a reasonable period of time to isolate any problem area.

The purpose of a valve program is to exercise the valves so they will work when needed, and to document the location and all pertinent information about the valves so they can be accessed quickly and closed properly. The implementation of a well documented valve program should be considered a best management practice for all water distribution systems.Water Distribution System Overview The village of Carpentersville is a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois. Its water distribution system has 120 miles of water main from 4-inches to 20-inches in diameter. Approximately 70% of the mains are 4, 6 and 8-in. in diameter. The village’s distribution system has 10,000 service connections, 1600 hydrants and 1600 valves. Of those valves, the majority are gate valves with a few butterfly valves, and several pressure reducing valves. Prior to the early 1990’s, and primarily due to staffing levels, Carpentersville operated the distribution system on a reactive basis. With development on the uprise, the village decided to become more proactive and institute a valve program in order to keep operating costs to a minimum.

Valve Location & Documentation One of the largest challenges Carpentersville faced when the valve program began in 1994 was its existing incorrect water atlas. There were water mains incorporated into the atlas from proposed plans that were never applied, and water mains that were found but were not on the atlas. To start the valve program, it was necessary to field-verify and line-locate water mains and

magnetically sweep many areas in order to provide basic information.

Most of the Village’s original valves were installed utilizing valve boxes. As with most water distribution systems, valve boxes tend to get paved over, filled with debris, or damaged during road projects and plowing operations making the valve difficult-if not impossible-to operate. The Village now requires that newly installed valves be located in precast valve vaults for more accessibility.

Valves were made accessible and exercised top to bottom a minimum of three times. All of the stiff places were exercised until there was no further reduction in operating torque. Hydraulic valve operators were used on gate valves only. All butterfly valves were operated by hand. No hydraulic operators were used on butterfly valves because the butterfly valves were found to be in good operating condition. Prior to 1994, valve information was contained on valve cards. In the 1994 valve program, all valve documentation was put into a new database created by an outside firm. Over the years, the valve data has also been supplemented with digital photos and GPS locations. A Trimble GeoXH receiver is now being used to gather all pertinent information each time the valve is operated as part of the annual valve exercising program.

Many corrections were made to the water atlas based on information gathered from the valve program. During the mid- to late 1990’s, paper records were field-verified and corrected. All water atlas data was incorporated utilizing AutoCAD layers containing water mains, valve data, and

hydrant data, along with GPS information gathered during the valve program.

Program Benefits The Village strongly supports the continuation of its valve program, which has helped to identify the value of scheduled replacements in lieu of emergency repairs. It also has reduced extended shutdowns that could impact schools, businesses, and other consumers who expect and demand a reliable supply of water.

Future maintenance continues to heavily rely on the valve program in order to prioritize and schedule timely repairs and water main improvements and extensions. Last, but certainly not least, fire protection and water quality levels are at their maximum for the benefit and protection of the water consumers of the Village.

Authors: Chris Settipani is the underground utilities superintendent for the village of Carpentersville, Ill. Mr. Settipani can be reached at [email protected]. Owen Keenan, P.E. is a project engineer for the ME Simpson Company. Mr. Keenan can be reached at [email protected]

Note: This article was reprinted with permission from Water and Wastes Digest magazine.

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s o u r c e w a t e r p r o t e c t i o n c o m m i t t e e

source water protection committeeGreg Swanson

A distressed home owner contacted the Moline treatment plant with a water quality concern, shortly after the Fourth of July holiday. This worried water customer informed me that “we have checked all of the cold water faucets in our home and found that the water flowing from them is not cold at all. In fact, the water is actually very warm. Is there something wrong with our plumbing or have you done something to the water?” I advised the water user that the Mississippi River is the source of our community’s water supply and that the river temperature had risen to 91 degrees F., due to the extreme summer weather we have been experiencing. The customer was quite surprised to learn that the source of their tap water is the Mississippi River.

Many Americans are unaware of the source of their tap water, and a surprising number still seem to believe that water simply flows magically from their faucets. Water utilities, on the other hand, must possess a well-developed understanding of their source water in order to achieve their mission. They must be knowledgeable of not only the source(s) of their supply, but also many other attributes of their source water, such as its potential yield in terms of volume,

its water quality characteristics and potential sources of contamination that could jeopardize their water supply’s operation. AWWA’s G300 Source Water Protection Standard identifies source water characterization as one of six fundamental elements of a successful source water protection program. The G300 Standard provides well thought out guidance and resources relating to source water characterization and protection.

The need for each water utility to understand and protect its source water(s) has been highlighted by the extreme weather conditions we have experienced this summer. Our utility takes its water supply from the Upper Mississippi River (UMR), and the UMR watershed above our plant intake is approximately 88,000 square miles in size. The large size of this watershed is both a blessing and curse. We are certainly fortunate to have such an abundant supply of source water, especially during the recent drought. Thanks to the US Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) 9-foot channel project, the UMR has been transformed from a free-flowing river into a series of interconnected pools. As the UMR flows from the headwaters at Lake Itasca to the tip of Illinois, it passes through some twenty-seven UMR locks and dams that were constructed to support commercial navigation. The USACE locks and dams also benefit water utilities that rely on the UMR for source water, by increasing water retention and depth during low flow periods.

Variations in raw water quality are clearly one of several negative aspects associated with source water drawn from the large UMR watershed. The following table provides several examples of UMR source water variations encountered:

It is of crucial importance that our water supply team be cognizant of these source water variations as we work to operate our treatment facility successfully and to plan for sustained regulatory compliance in the future.

Innumerable sources of natural and manmade contamination are another significant disadvantage of the large UMR watershed. Certain types of contamination, such as the presence of microbial contaminants and agricultural run-off, are ongoing and essentially impossible to control. Other contamination sources are potential in nature, subject to the success of prudent execution of human activities and control measures that protect our source water. The IEPA identified literally hundreds of potential sources of contamination in its source water assessment of the Illinois portion of the UMR watershed. Countless additional potential contamination sources

PARAMETER

Temperature

Turbidity

TOC

Color

e-coli

pH

LOW

33

1.0

3.8

4

8

7.2

HIGH

90+

250+

14+

77+

1,200+

8.9

UNITS

degrees F.

NTU

mg/L

P.C.U.

CFU/100mls

na

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s o u r c e w a t e r p r o t e c t i o n c o m m i t t e e • w a t e r b u f f a l o ’ s r i d e w i t h p u r p o s e

water buffalo’s ride with purposeDennis Ross, Past Chair

When I first heard about a group of motorcycle riders riding to ACE each year, I thought to myself, “this has got to be on my bucket list.” It took a few years for all things to align themselves, but ACE12 in Dallas turned out to be my year. I knew there were riders from across the US and Canada, and I knew they raised money for Water for People. I had visited www.ridewithpurpose.org, but it turns out I didn’t really know what I was getting into.

It didn’t take long to find out what I needed to do to join the “herd”. A couple of emails later I had my goal. Raise $1,000 for Water for People, the minimum to get my vest with all the patches. I took a two prong approach to raising those funds. First, I sent an email to pretty much everyone in my address book and spent a lot of time at Watercon telling anyone that would listen about the ride. Second, I sent a letter to any vendor I thought might be that big $1,000 patch sponsor or even willing to make a smaller non patch donation. How much any one Buffalo raises isn’t

important. There are no prizes for highest fund raiser; we don’t even keep track of that. Just let me say - my friends in the water business, my vendors, and my family all have huge hearts. So many people were excited about this ride, I surpassed my goal in no time. I received my number, #46, and was soon to be a vested Buffalo.

The Ride was a great time. How often do we get a chance to blend two of our favorite things? Riding motorcycles and AWWA, then top that off with raising money for Water for People, my new favorite cause. The ride was well planned from every corner of the Country. My first stop was in Collinsville, Illinois, meeting some of my fellow Buffalos. The next day ended in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, meeting up with even more Buffalos. The third night we stopped in Denton, Texas, and the entire Herd was now in one spot. The traditional Water Buffalo dinner and ceremony was held at a local watering hole. The next day the entire Herd rode into Dallas to present the AWWA Board

with a check to Water for People for just over $60,000. What a great way to end a ride!

There was so much more to this experience than the ride. Walking around ACE with my Water Buffalo vest was an indescribable experience. Attending many -hour receptions was yet another highlight.

Thinking about it today, the most exciting thing about the ride to ACE12 was making plans for Denver at ACE13!

If it sounds like something you would like to experience, drop me a line. I would love to bring you into the “Herd”. If you would like to have your company’s logo on a patch, let me caution you - space on those vests is limited and goes pretty quickly, so talk to me [email protected](217) 965-1566

Follow “The Water Buffalos” group on Facebook!

exist in the portions of our watershed that are situated in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, which represent the majority of the land area of our watershed.

The size and complexity of our watershed highlights another fundamental facet of source water characterization - the need for ongoing engagement with various source water stakeholders. Other entities, in additional to water utilities, are interested in understanding and protecting water resources. This is true in regard to both surface water and groundwater and there is strength in numbers. In the case of our water supply, we have initiated partnerships with a variety of UMR stakeholders ranging from the UMR Basin Association

(UMRBA) to local coal fired generating station. These partnerships have led us to a variety of source water protection resources that address critical concerns, such as hazardous spills preparedness and response, source water monitoring, and UMR advocacy. These stakeholder interactions have been enlightening and productive, but our efforts in this area have been limited by a lack of time and resources. That said, our utility remains committed to nurturing UMR stakeholder involvement and interactions to promote better understanding and protection of our source water.

Water utilities are encouraged to become familiar with the guidance available through AWWA’s G300 Source Water

Protection Standard and the associated Operational Guide. These resources will assist water utilities in enhancing their efforts to protect one of their most valuable assets, their source water. Additionally, ISAWWA members are encouraged to bring source water protection ideas, concerns and successes to the attention of ISAWWA’s Source Water Protection Committee. Committee members will welcome your input and the opportunity to interact with you.

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c p s o l u t i o n s , i n c . • p d c l a b o r a t o r i e s , i n c .

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s w a n a n a ly t i c a l • c l a r k d i e t z • h e n e g h a n & a s s o c . , p. c .

ContACt US todAy to fInd oUt hoW! Phone: 866-521-3595x2 | Email: [email protected]

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b a c k f l o w b u l l e t i n s • m e t r o p o l i t a n i n d u s t r i e s

backflow bulletinsTom Staroske, Blog Sub-Comm. Chair

Backflow Blog (Q&A)We first told you of our “Backflow Bulletins” in the summer of 2011. There are currently four Backflow Bulletins available to download for free from our

website. Please check our website often, as we are always adding and updating our educational material. Our website address is www.ISAWWA.org. Type Backflow Bulletin in the search window to find the Bulletins. Feel free to print out the Bulletins and pass them out to your co-workers, inspectors, building department, etc.

Backflow Bulletin #1 is related to Fire Protection backflow requirements and is our most requested. Bulletin #2 is titled Boilers and Pressure Vessels and covers many boiler scenarios for both residential and commercial applications. The newest Bulletins #3 and #3.1 go together and pertain to ASSE and ASME standards for varying situations and the backflow protection required for each. Bulletin #3.1 shows actual photographs of the various types of backflow assemblies and devices that are acceptable backflow protection.

Got Backflow Questions?Please remember to use our “Backflow

Q & A.” This blog is run by a sub-committee of the Backflow Committee exclusively to answer any backflow questions that you may have. All questions go to the sub-committee for review prior to answering your question and posting it on our website. Type backflowblog.blogspot.com into your browser, or simply type Backflow Question into Google. You’ll see our heading near the top.

Some recent questions asked are:• What are the legal ramifications if

the fire backflow valve is not tested annually?

• On a commercial garbage disposal with water connection, is a vacuum breaker still allowed?

• I installed a testable RP valve recently and now they tell me that the brass has turned white. It’s in a chemical plant. Do you know why?

Please don’t be afraid to ask questions or use our educational material. We’re here to help.

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2 0 1 3 a w a r d s

2013 AWARDS Illinois Section AWWA National AWWA RECOGNIZE YOUR COLLEAGUES! REVIEW THE LIST OF AVAILABLE AWARDS… SEND IN YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS NOW!

Each year, the Illinois Section of the AWWA rewards individuals that have excelled in the industry. With the ever increasing challenges facing the water supply industry, it is more important than ever to honor our fellow colleagues that are deserving of recognition for their services. The increasing regulatory requirements and industry changes can test our endurance and limit the time we take to assess our accomplishments and plan goals for the future. The recognition one receives for past contributions is an important part of the assessment process.Your help is needed!

Please, look around you at your colleagues or associates that you feel have made that extra effort to achieve goals. Following is a brief description of available awards. For more information on specific criteria and nomination procedures for each award, please contact: Laurie Dougherty, Executive Director, Phone: 866-521-3595 email: [email protected]

In addition to the awards detailed in this brochure, AWWA offers the following awards throughout the year. For information on those awards listed below, please go to AWWA Awards website at www.isawwa.org/National-AWWA

Abel Wolman Award of Excellence Academic Achievement Award A.P. Black Research Award Archie E. Beecher, Jr. Award Award of Merit Courageous Service Award Distinguished Public Service Award Diversity Award Division Best Paper Award Exemplary Source Water Protection Award Honorary Member Award Opflow Publications Award Outstanding Service to AWWA Award Publications Award Service to the Water Industry Award Small System Best Column Award Water Industry Hall of Fame Water Science & Research Division Best Poster Award

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2 0 1 3 a w a r d s

2013 Illinois Section AWWAAwards Nomination Form

Please fill out all of the information below and fax to (866) 521-3591 by January 1, 2013 or complete online at www.ISAWWA.org/Awards. All ISAWWA award are formally presented at the Illinois Section AWWA Annual Conference in March. Make additional copies of this form as needed:

Contact Information (person submitting nomination form):

Name:

Company:

Address:

City / State / Zip:

Phone / Fax / Email:

Nominee Information (person being nominated):

Name:

Company:

Address:

City / State / Zip:

Phone / Fax / Email:

Please check which award(s) the nominee should receive:

________ Quarter Service Award – 25 years of service to the Water Industry – include electronic photo.

________ 100 Year Club Award – include electronic photos of utility.

________ ISAWWA Clifford E. Fore Operator of the Year Award – include letter of recommendation and photo.

________ Meritorious Service Award – include letter of supporting information of meritorious service performed.

________ Volunteer Appreciation Award – include letter of recommendation for award and electronic photo.

________ Water Professional of the Year Award – include letter of recommendation and electronic photo.

________ YP Excellence Award – include letter of recommendation and electronic photo.

Please email any required electronic photos to [email protected] this form to: Illinois Section AWWA - toll free (866) 521-3591

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2 0 1 3 a w a r d s

ILLINOIS SECTION AWARDS

Joint ISAWWA-IEPA Illinois Waterworks Quarter Service Award - 25 Year AwardEach year the Illinois Section AWWA and IEPA jointly present Quarter Century Service Awards to individuals who have served in the water supply industry (in any capacity) for 25 years or more. You do not have to be a member of the Illinois Section to receive this award. While it is easy to recognize and honor individuals in the industry who have played leading roles, we do not honor often enough those individuals who have provided service for years in the daily operations of our industry. This award recognizes that all facets of the water supply operation play an important role - secretarial staff, budget personnel, electricians, plumbers, pipe fitters, operators, laboratory staff, maintenance personnel, management and regulatory personnel.

AWWA 100 Year Club AwardThis award is presented to municipalities who have operated a public water supply for 100 years. While records for the start date of municipal water supplies are kept by the IEPA and the Illinois Water Survey, it is possible that these records are not complete. If your supply has not been notified of this recognition by January 1, 2013, please send a letter outlining the history of the supply establishment plus copies of any available supporting documentation to [email protected] or fax to (866) 521-3591.

ISAWWA Clifford E. Fore Distinguished Service Operator Of The Year AwardThis award is presented to Section members who provide public service above and beyond the job duties required of them in the waterworks field. Criteria for the award includes recognition of a contribution to advance the state-of-the-art in the waterworks industry (such as a new invention – either equipment or process innovation, the publishing of books or educational materials), professional association, participation or officer-committee chair participation, etc.

Operator’s Meritorious Service AwardPresented in recognition of special performance. Section members eligible to receive this award should be operators who are presently, or during the time period of the meritorious activities, working in the capacity of shift supervisors or superintendents. Special performance must be recognized in one or more of the following areas: continuous compliance with public health standards in finished water; consistent and outstanding contribution to plant maintenance thereby prolonging the useful lives of equipment; development of new and/or modified equipment or significant process modifications to provide for a more efficient or effective treatment; special efforts in the training of treatment plant operators; special acts not directly related to water treatment, but which demonstrate dedication to the public beyond the normal operating responsibilities; or consistent and outstanding contribution to operation and/or maintenance of distribution lines, pump stations, and/or reservoirs.

Volunteer Appreciation Award This award recognizes section members that have demonstrated outstanding service in helping the Illinois Section AWWA achieve their goals. This award is limited to non-board members. Outstanding service includes time commitments, new ideas and effort to improve any aspect of the Section including membership, image, organization, etc.

Water Professional Of The Year Award This award is presented to a professional in the water industry (engineer, lab analyst, designer, representative, educator, etc.) that has demonstrated dedication and has motivated others to pursue a career in the water industry, and is selected from nominations by Section Members.

Young Professional Excellence Award This award recognizes the outstanding YP of each year based on participation, outreach, and giving more than required to improve the committee or the water profession, and is nominated by Section Members.

AWWA NATIONAL AWARDS There are many awards available from AWWA. The following is a brief selection of some of the awards you may apply for. For the complete listing and nomination forms for each award, visit AWWA’s website at www.isawwa.org/National-AWWA.

Awwa American Water Landmarks Heroism Award Gimmicks & Gadgets Competition Outstanding Service To AWWA Safety Award Courageous Service Award

48


Board & TrusTees: 2012-2013

annual conference commiTTee chairs

Chair .............................................................Chair Elect ...................................................Vice Chair .....................................................Secretary-Treasurer .....................................Past Chair ....................................................AWWA Director .............................................Executive Director .......................................Trustee at Large ..........................................District 1 Trustee ........................................District 2 Trustee ........................................District 2 Trustee ........................................District 3 Trustee ........................................District 4 Trustee ........................................District 5 Trustee ........................................

Kevin Lookis ...................John Van Arsdel ..............Theresa O’Grady .............Chad Laucamp ...............Dennis Ross ....................Kyla Jacobsen .................Laurie Dougherty ............Dennis Bowe ...................Greg Swanson ................Don Jensen .....................Andrea Putz ....................Ted Meckes .....................Lori Stenzel .....................Larry Coloni .....................

847-448-8212 ...........800-255-1521 ...........630-820-1022 ...........312-373-6759 ...........217-965-1566 ............ 847-931-6160 ............866-521-3595 ...........847-347-5015 ............309-524-2301 ...........847-433-4355 ...........312-742-1070 ............217-757-8630 ............618-792-4558 ...........217-877-7182 ............

[email protected] [email protected]@[email protected]@otterlakewater.net [email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]

Exhibit Hall ...................................................Greeter .........................................................Meter Madness ...........................................Moderators ..................................................Museum .......................................................New Products Demonstration ....................Silent Auction ..............................................Student Activities ........................................Tapping Contest...........................................Water Taste Test ..........................................Technical Program 2012 .................................Texas Holdem ..............................................Top Ops ........................................................

Terry Locke ....................Len Rago ........................Bruce Vaickus ................David Said ......................Laura Alley .....................Paul Schumi ..................Barb Waddell .................Kristin Rehg ...................Tony Cuzzone .................Nora Bertram.................Theresa O’Grady ............Randy Patchett ..............Larry Thomas ................

630-422-4914 ...........312-780-7711 ............815-467-6644 ..........815-289-9540 ...........630-739-8824 ...........630-485-9870 ...........217-728-7124 ............847-448-8217 ............630-530-6456 ...........312-236-9147 ............630-820-1022 ...........630-688-0124 ...........815-355-0923 ...........

[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]

Awards .........................................................Backflow ......................................................By Laws ........................................................Education .....................................................Finance ........................................................Fuller Award 2013 .......................................History ..........................................................Illinois Public Service Institute ...................ILWARN ........................................................Information Management & Technology ........MAC ..............................................................Membership ................................................Nominating ..................................................Outreach ......................................................Public Information .......................................Safety/Emergency Planning .......................Small Systems .............................................Source Water Protection .............................SPLASH ........................................................Standard Practices ......................................Water Distribution .......................................Water Efficiency ...........................................Water For People .........................................Water Trailer ................................................Water Utility Council ....................................Young Professionals ....................................

Terry McGhee ................Mike Eisenhauer ...........Angela Podesta .............Nick Winkelmann ..........Michael Winegard .........Melanie Van Heirseele .......Ken Ficek .......................Stephen Page ................Jim Strutz .......................Doug Strempek .............Terry Locke ....................Randy Lusk ....................Dennis Ross ...................Kristin Rehg ...................Vacant ............................Carolyn Grieves..............Jon Meyer.......................Robyn Doescher ............Melanie Van Heirseele .......Melanie Van Heirseele .......Owen Keenan ................Amy Talbot .............................................................Matt Overeem ................Gerald Bever ..................Brian Kooistra ................

630-834-0100 ...........708-389-5600 ...........630-620-5740 ............630-897-6941 ............312-938-0300 ...........847-367-5225 ...........815-883-8482 ...........847-931-6108 ............217-757-8660 ..........708-583-5751 ...........630-422-4914 ...........219-405-0615 ...........217-965-1566 ............ 847-448-8217 .................................................815-459-1260 ...........312-780-7754 ..........847-257-2250 ...........847-367-5225 ...........847-367-5225 ...........847-208-5890 ...........312-386-8646 ...............................................847-870-5640 ...........815-787-3111 ............312-616-6199 ............

[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected][email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected] [email protected] krehg@cityofevanston.org.......................................................cgrieves@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@cmap.illinois.gov ...................................................movereem@[email protected]@exp.com

commiTTee chairs: 2012 - 2013

i s a w w a b o a r d , t r u s t e e s a n d c o m m i t t e e c h a i r s 2 0 1 2 - 2 0 1 3


49s p l a s h a d v e r t i s e m e n t o r d e r f o r m

Black and White ads □ Business card ................□ 1/4 page ...........................□ 1/2 page ...........................□ Full page ........................

Full color ads: 4-color cmyk; included in online publication□ 1/4 page ...........................□ 1/2 page ...........................□ Full page ........................□ Inside Front Cover .........□ Inside Back Cover .........□ Outside Back Cover ......

SPLASH advertisement order form

hoW are you suBmitting your advertisement artWork? □ As a high resolution, PDF, TIFF, or EPS file □ I have already submitted my artwork □ Please include my artwork from last year

select payment option: □Invoice me □Sending check □Purchase order □Credit card Name on card: Credit card number: Expiration date:

Purchase Order #:

Fill out contact inFo Company Name: Contact Name: Address: City/State/Zip: Phone: Contacts Email: Email to bill/receipt (if different than above):

For more inFormationvisit www.isawwa.org | phone: 866-521-3595 ext. 2 | Fax: 866-521-3591 | email: [email protected]

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step 1: Fill out & suBmit this Form to reserve your ad space FaX: 866-521-3591 mail: ISAWWA, 545 South Randall Rd, St. Charles, IL 60174

step 2: send your artWork By deadline BeloW Ads should be emailed to [email protected] as high resolution, PDF, TIFF, or EPS files

$200.00 (3 1/2” wide by 2” tall) $300.00 (3 1/2” wide by 4 1/2” tall) $550.00 (Vertical: 3 1/2” wide by 9 1/4” tall; Horizontal: 7 1/4” wide by 4 1/4” tall)$985.00 (7 1/4” wide by 9 1/4” tall)

$600.00 (3 1/2” wide by 4 1/2” tall) $850.00 (Vertical: 3 1/2” wide by 9 1/4” tall; Horizontal: 7 1/4” wide by 4 1/4” tall)$1,300.00 (7 1/4” wide by 9 1/4” tall) $1,500.00 (ask if available) $1,500.00 (ask if available)$1,800.00 (ask if available)

artwork due ByJanuary 1May 1September 1

select advertisement type: yEARLy PRICE IS FOR INCLuSION IN 3 ISSuES

additional inFo Artwork will be run in 3 consecutive issues. Artwork changes outside of the renewal period are subject to a $100 ad-change fee per issue.

issueFebruary ..............................June .....................................November ............................

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i n d e x o f a d v e r t i s e r s • r . e . p e d r o t t i c o . , i n c .

index of advertisers

ACIPCO ...................................................................................18Advanced Valve Technologies, Inc. ........................................3AECOM ...................................................................................32Aqua Backflow .........................................................................9Backflow Solutions, Inc .........................................................35Badger Meter ...........................................................................4Baxter & Woodman ...............................................................30Black & Veatch ......................................................................24Cady AquaStore Inc. ..............................................................10CDM Smith .............................................................................36Clark Dietz .............................................................................43CP Solutions, Inc. ..................................................................42Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc. ...............................................24Dixon Engineering .................................................................12DN Tanks................................................................................16Farnsworth Group .................................................................28Ferguson Waterworks ...........................................................34Flolo Corporation ...................................................................34Heneghan & Assoc., P.C. .......................................................43Henry Pratt Company ............................................................32HMG Engineers, Inc ..............................................................13Horner & Shifrin, Inc. ............................................................21

HR Green ...............................................................................18Illinois American Water Co. ...................................................36Klingner Assoc. ........................................................................8Layne Christensen Co. ............................................................4M.E. Simpson ..........................................................................2Metropolitan Industries ........................................................44Mueller Co .............................................................................35Ndian, Inc...............................................................................21Norman Noe Co. Inc. .............................................................30PDC Laboratories, Inc. ..........................................................42Peerless Midwest, Inc. ............................................................9R.E. Pedrotti Co., Inc. ............................................................50Strand Associates .................................................................12Swan Analytical .....................................................................43Tank Industry .........................................................................13Taylor Coatings/Tnemec Company, Inc................................24Test Gauge & Backflow Supply, Inc. .....................................51Tonka......................................................................................37Trine Municipal Services, LLC ..............................................11USA BlueBook........................................................................52Utility Service Co. ..................................................................28Val-Matic ................................................................................17Warren Sand Company ...........................................................8 Water Solutions Unlimited ....................................................34Water Well Solutions .............................................................12

Illinois Section American Water Works Association545 South Randall RoadSt. Charles, IL 60174

Non Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage PAID

Sycamore, ILPermit No. 66

2012 SPLASH September

Documents

Transcript of 2012 SPLASH September