District Reports
Southeast District Julie Berry, Trustee Our Southeast District hosted a virtual Spring District meeting on July 15th. All Indiana Section members were welcome to tune into this session. With a lot of assistance from the Indiana AWWA staff, instructions for how to access the virtual event and marketing the event were issued. Presenters for this event included: Bill Reedy, INAW, ‘Working through a Pandemic, and the road to a new normal;’ Scott Ham, ‘How Silver Creek Water has responded to the Pandemic, and what does the future look like for a small utility with a billing office;’ and Jamie Foreman, Carmel Water, ‘Dealing with Water Quality issues during a pandemic and InWARN's response.’
Additionally, Sarah Hudson, Indiana Finance Authority spoke about the State's Regional Water Planning efforts. IDEM provided a short update, and INAWWA Chair Ed Nugent and staff were available for questions and information. Each of these presenters shared valuable information.
Like each of Indiana’s AWWA districts, the Southeast District officers have reached out to district utilities to encourage and listen to the issues that have arisen from this unusual time in our history. We congratulate the innovation and the strength our utilities have shown in providing service to the people, businesses, and institutions of Indiana.
What has not changed? Our commitment to exceptional service. We have been on the job 24/7 protecting public health through our dedication to providing clean safe drinking water and treating wastewater. Dedicated vendors have gone out of their way to keep us supplied with the materials needed as manufacturing facilities closed and supply chains dried up. I salute each and every one of you utility workers, operators, vendors, support staff, and professionals who work hard every day, under all circumstances, to keep our water safe.
If all goes well, the SW District is planning on a great fall district meeting to be held at the Patoka Lake Regional Water District on September 23. More information will be sent out as plans develop. I would like to take just a brief moment to recognize and honor a great friend and coworker who has spent the majority of his life dedicated to providing safe drinking water. Wynn Wright, Superintendent of Operations of the Seymour District of Indiana American Water retired at the end of June. Cheers to you Wynn!!!
Southwest District Roger Johnson, Trustee As you all know, all AWWA spring meetings were cancelled, most training sessions have been cancelled, meetings have gone virtual, many utility office doors have been locked to outsiders, vendors have not been able to meet with customers, and call ahead ordering with curbside pickup is the new normal way to shop and eat out. The lives we lived just a few short months ago where we greeted each other with smiles, hugs, or handshakes, has now changed to that of separation or social distancing. It seems like everything around us has changed, including how we work.
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| SUMMER 2020
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