ORWA Rural Water Rally 2024

OKLAHOMA RURAL WATER ASSOCIATION

2024

RALLY BOOKLET

PURPOSE The Oklahoma Rural Water Association (ORWA) is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to assist water and wastewater systems with day-to-day operational and management problems.

FORMED ORWA was formed in 1970. Prior to that, rural and small utilities in Oklahoma had little, if any voice in legislative and regulatory issues. They also had no on-site technical assistance provider in the state to assist utilities with their systems needs. Today, more than 550 water and/or wastewater utilities are members of the ORWA.

MISSION To enhance the quality of life in Oklahoma, through the development and delivery of services and programs, for the benefit of ORWA members and the rural people they serve. 3.98 million people are currently served in Oklahoma.

STAFF As of the Rally, we will have 31 full-time employees on staff at ORWA including Water Circuit Riders, Wastewater Technicians and Trainers, Water Trainers and Source Water Technicians that provide on-site training and technical assistance to utility operations each day throughout the state.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Each year ORWA holds an Annual Technical Conference, an Equipment Expo, and a Fall Conference. During these events, classes are held for management, board members and office personnel, as well as for water and wastewater operators.

LEGISLATIVE

ORWA provides a legislative voice for water and wastewater utilities on issues at the state and federal levels during legislative sessions.

ORWA is a member of the National Rural Water Association which brings all state rural water associations together to speak from one national organization at the federal level to ensure that rules and regulations are reasonable, practical and affordable for all systems.

GOVERNANCE

ORWA is governed by a 16-member non-paid Board of Directors.

The State of Oklahoma is divided up into four regions, with four directors elected by those member systems to represent each region.

JIMMY SEAGO CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

CARLY CORDELL DEPUTY CEO/COO

EXECUTIVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ARVIL MORGAN PRESIDENT

DENNIS MEYERS VICE-PRESIDENT

SHELDON TATUM SECRETARY

DARREN HUGHES TREASURER

REGION 1

REGION 2

REGION 3

REGION 4

Jeff McIntosh John Britton Melvin Lawson

Gary McGuire Rick Boone Jerry Gammill

Kenny Lovett Darrell Wootton Larry Bogges

Bobby Friend Robert Moore Tom Whitaker

SOURCE WATER PROTECTION PROGRAM COOL, CLEAR WATER

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? The ORWA Sourcewater Protection Program (SWPP) ensures Oklahomans have clean and safe drinking water. ORWA helps systems locate, identify and manage known and potential sources of contamination within a water shed or well recharge area.

Undergoing this exercise arms water systems with emergency response plans to deal with potential threats to water quality– although we hope they are never needed.

Identifying known and potential contamination sources and learning how to manage them correctly keeps communities safe. It’s also less expensive than a contamination clean-up!

OKLAHOMA STRATEGIC ALLIANCE EXCELLENCE RECOGNIZED In 2019, Oklahoma history was made when the private sector partnered with the public sector to revolutionize the approach to small and rural water and wastewater systems.

In 2019, the ORWA, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) and the Secretary of Energy, penned the Strategic Alliance Agreement to revolutionize the sustainability of the state’s small and rural water and wastewater systems.

Since then, members of the Strategic Alliance have worked together to help hundreds of water and wastewater systems across Oklahoma position themselves for a sustainable future by providing tools, technical assistance and funding.

LONG RANGE SUSTAINABILITY PLANNING LIVE FOR TODAY, PLAN FOR TOMORROW WHAT IS LONG RANGE SUSTAINABILITY PLANNING? Getting old is tough – mostly because you aren’t what you once were and can’t do the things you used to do.

Things quit working and need repaired. Sometimes they break all together and have to be replaced. The same is true for Oklahoma’s rural and small water and wastewater infrastructure. Communities must plan for the future of their water and wastewater systems.

That’s where ORWA comes in.

ORWA has a team of experts to help a community look comprehensively at its system and identify what is going to need repaired, and what is going to need to be replaced, along with steps to get there while becoming more economically and environmentally sustainable (a fancy way of saying ORWA helps save money by preventing water loss and use less energy).

That means more water for customers and lower costs for the system.

WHAT’S INCLUDED? Rate studies Employee response Asset management plans planning Water loss audit SOP development Water energy audits Financial policy Leak detection development System optimization Mapping assistance Employee succession planning HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? Some people say nothing in life is free. ORWA’s LRSP program is thanks to the support of the Oklahoma legislature. The Oklahoma Rural Water Association proudly works with our partners in the Oklahoma Strategic Alliance to provide the LRSP for Oklahoma’s rural water systems.

USDA Circuit Riders

Since 1980, Circuit Riders have provided the primary assistance to small communities for the operation of safe and clean drinking water supplies and compliance with water regulations. This assistance protects the sizable investment the federal government has made in rural water infrastructure. Circuit Riders are in the field everyday helping systems with compliance, operations, maintenance, management, disaster response and training. The Circuit Rider Program has long been one of USDA’s most successful public-private partnerships, efficiently and effectively using appropriated funds to provide technical assistance and training to rural communities through state based nonprofit associations.

EPA Safe Drinking Water Act Technical Assist. & Training

Since 1977, small and rural communities have relied on local/on-site technical assistance and training for compliance with the myriad of federal EPA regulations, avoiding EPA fines, and operating drinking water and wastewater supplies.

According to small and rural communities, EPA-funded local initiatives are the most effective environmental protection efforts for drinking water & wastewater, ground water, source water, and compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. Small communities want to ensure quality water and stay in compliance—rural water provides them the shared technical resources to do it.

EPA Clean Water Act Compliance Technical Assistance Small and rural communities have more difficulty affording public wastewater service due to lack of population density and lack of economies of scale. This challenge is compounded by the fact that rural communities have lower average median household incomes and often have higher rates of poverty. PL 155-270, enacted in October 2018, authorizes a new technical assistance program for small and rural communities to improve water quality, operate and maintain public wastewater treatment utilities and comply with federal Clean Water Act standards.the most effective environmental protection efforts for drinking water & wastewater, ground water, source water, and compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. Small communities want to ensure quality water and stay in compliance—rural water provides them the shared technical resources to do it.

RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT (RIG) PROGRAM RURAL OKLAHOMA’S FUTURE

The Oklahoma Rural Infrastructure Grant (RIG) program helps rural and small municipal water and wastewater systems serving 3,300 people or less become sustainable and improve infrastructure, with up to $100,000 in funding per project. The program funds 80 percent of the project cost, the other 20 percent must be matched by the system, either through dollars or in-kind contributions.

Grants are awarded based on merit, financial need and the impact the project will have on system sustainability. The funds are made available through the legislature in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.

Engineering Work Well Work Hydrants Backup Power Generators Lift Stations SCADA Systems

Billing Software and Systems Tank Rehabilitation Water Meters Financial Auditing Manhole Projects Smoke Testing

APPRENTICESHIP WATER’S WORKFORCE PIPELINE

ORWA is leading the way in training tomorrow’s water and wastewater workforce with ORWA’s Apprentice Program (AP). This two-year program combines classroom instruction with on-the-job training to launch individuals into a career as a water and wastewater operator. The best part – apprentices earn while they learn!

Certified by the U.S. Department of Labor, apprentices in the ORWA AP program emerge with a certification and career prospects across the country - debt free.

WHY BE AN APPRENTICE? Earn & Learn: From their first day of work, apprentices receive a paycheck that is guaranteed to increase as their training progresses.

Hands-on Career Training: Apprentices receive practical on-the-job training resulting in improved skills and competencies as well as the potential to earn college credit towards a degree and nationally recognized transferrable credit.

A Career: Once the apprenticeship is complete, workers are on their way to a successful long-term career with a competitive salary and little or no educational debt.

$653,307,000

$1,000,000

$25,700,000

$20,000,000

Water & Waste Disposal Loan & Grant Program

Water & Waste Disposal Revolving Loan Funds

Safe Drinking Water Act Technical Assistance

Clean Water Act Compliance Technical Assistance $27,000,000

$30,700,000

$1,000,000

$596,404,000*

$7,500,000

$27,000,000

$39,000,000

$1,000,000

$587,120,000*

$7,500,000

$37,500,000

$28,000,000

$32,700,000

$1,000,000

$671,560,000

$7,500,000

$37,500,000

$25,000,000

National Rural Water Apprenticeship Program

Language Included

Language included

$20,000,000

$0

$1,126,088,000 $1,126,101,000 $460,611,000* $1,126,101,000

$6,500,000

Grassroots Source Water Protection Program

$37,500,000

$21,817,000

FY2024 Senate Report

Drinking Water State Revolving Fund

$37,500,000

Wastewater Disposal Technical Assistance

$21,180,000

FY2024 House Report

$1,638,826,000 $1,638,861,000 $535,000,000* $1,638,861,000

$20,762,000

Wastewater Disposal Technical Assistance

FY2023 Enacted

Clean Water State Revolving Fund

FY2022 Enacted

Initiative

$20,000,000

$1,126,101,000

$1,638,861,000

$28,000,000

$39,000,000

$1,000,000

$700,000,000

$7,500,000

$37,500,000

$22,470,000

FY2025 Request

NATIONAL RURAL WATER PRIORITIES APPROPRIATION REQUESTS

HOW TO SUPPORT RURAL WATER Write the Appropriations Subcommittee Chairs and Ranking Members in support of Rural Water’s funding priorities.

Personally contact the Subcommittee Chairs and Ranking Members in support of Rural Water’s funding priorities.

Ask the key staff person in each office to contact the Subcommittees in support of Rural Water’s funding priorities.

The National Rural Water Association represents over 31,000 small and rural community members dedicated to drinking water quality, environmental protection and public health protection.

USDA House Chairman Andy Harris (MD) Ranking Member Sanford Bishop (GA) Senate Chairman Martin Heinrich (NM) Ranking Member John Hoeven (ND) Interior (EPA) House Chairman Mike Simpson (ID) Ranking Member Chellie Pingree (ME) Senate Chairman Jeff Merkley (OR) Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski (AK) Labor House Chairman Robert Aderholt (AL) Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (CT) Senate Chairwoman Tammy Baldwin (WI) Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (WV)

1410 SE 15th Street Oklahoma City, OK 73129 P: 405.672.8925 | F: 405.672.9898 | orwa.org