H2o summer2016

TEX Sh2o | Summer 2016 |



The Official Newsletter of the Texas Section AWWA | Every Drop, Every Day, Everywhere©

BIG SPRING REUSE PROJECT

Direct Potable Reuse Improves Water Quality | Page 3

LEAD AND COPPER RULE

EPA's Lead and Copper Rule to See Changes | Page 9

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Texas Pipeline Project Receives Honor for Sustainability | Page 10 TWDB Conference | Page 13 SWIFT Funding Update | Page 14

ACE Highlights | TW17 Abstracts | Calendar | And More!

| dpr water quality |

Direct Potable Reuse Water Quality

BY CLIFF AVERY texash2o editor

S

AN MARCOS — Drinking water produced through direct potable reuse is in many ways better than the traditional source water a utility uses, research from a detailed study of the Big Spring reuse project shows.

Eva Steinle-Darling of Carollo Engineers presented the findings of her team's research at the Water Reuse Conference July 15 at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Convention Center in San Marcos. She impressed her audience by showing a picture of herself seven-months pregnant and drinking product water from the reuse system.

Her now 15-month-old daughter is not showing any ill effects, but then Steinle-Darling didn’t expect any. She said for those familiar with the advanced treatment technology used for water reuse, the enhanced quality of DPR water is a “foregone conclusion.”

CONTINUED PAGE 22 | dpr water quality

Eva Steinle-Darling enjoys a cup of reuse product water while seven months pregnant.

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www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o SUMMER 2016 | 3 |

| letter from the texas section chair |

Service Texas Section American Water Works Association P.O. Box 80150 Austin, Texas 78708 www.tawwa.org Daniel Nix, Chair 940-691-1153

M

ahatma Gandhi said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

Bruce Curtis, Chair-Elect 972-602-1001 Ron Tamada, Vice-Chair 817-493-5100 Jennifer Elms, Imm. Past Chair 713-784-4500 Mike Howe Executive Director/Secretary-Treasurer 512-238-9292 Fax: 512-238-0496 mikehowe@tawwa.org This publication is distributed bi-monthly to the more than 3,500 members and friends of the Texas Section – American Water Works Association.

Contributing writers can contact the editor: Cliff Avery GCP Association Services PO Box 676 Pflugerville, TX 78691 512-251-8101 Fax: 512-251-8152 texwater@texas.net The publication name, TexasH2O: © 1996-2016 Texas Section – American Water Works Association, Inc. © 2016 Texas Section – American Water Works Association, Inc.

FOLLOW TAWWA ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER!

Texas AWWA

BY DANIEL NIX texas section chair

@txawwa

I can think of no better description of what we all do in our daily jobs as water and wastewater professionals, and as we serve within the TAWWA. When we perform at our jobs, we DANIEL NIX enrich the lives of those we serve with water and 940-691-1153 wastewater services. It is that service to others daniel.nix@wichitafallstx.gov that we can all go home at night and feel a sense of extreme accomplishment about. In addition to that wonderful feeling of accomplishment, I find that my service to you all through TAWWA further enriches my life by making new and lasting friendships/connections; learning new, innovative things; and collaborating with my peers on a number of projects. All of these endeavors enable me to be better at my job, as a protector of the public health and the environment. After all, we are all “Dedicated to the world’s most precious resource.”

As an Officer on the Executive Committee for TAWWA, I have traveled to numerous Section and Association events. One of the questions asked most frequently at these events is, “Why did you join AWWA?” The two most common replies are, “To get the benefits of member education, so I can do my job better“ and “It gives me the opportunity to give back to the community.” These two replies exemplify TAWWA’s service to its membership and our service back to our communities. TAWWA’s members provide that “education” and are the ones giving back to their communities in a variety of ways. TAWWA is a leader in providing service, because of the dedication, volunteerism and expertise of our membership in the many different fields required within the water/wastewater industries, and we appreciate your dedication of time and expertise to the Association.

The TAWWA Executive Committee is recently back from the AWWA Summer Workshop held in Denver and a great deal was learned about new opportunities and changes to existing programs. Be looking for CONTINUED PAGE 20 | letter from the texas section chair

| 4 | SUMMER 2016 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

| executive director report |

The Frozen Concentrated Orange-Juice Market Has Virtually Disappeared

BY MIKE HOWE tawwa executive director

A

fter ACE in June, things usually get a little quieter around here. Because many of our members may be on vacations, we don’t schedule too many trainings, though we did host a six-hour webcast on cyber security and three small systems trainings in August, along with a webcast on cyanotoxins. Plus, we attended the AWWA Summer Workshop in Denver in late July. And, we opened the abstract intake process for Texas Water 2017TM and prepared exhibitor sales for the same. OK—It's a little busy, but that is not my point.

One of the things I do every morning is set aside time to read my emails and catch up on the latest news online. I try to avoid disruptions for the first 30 minutes of each morning just to sift through the nearly 100-plus emails that are MIKE HOWE in my inbox every day. Of 512-238-9292 mikehowe@tawwa.org course, not all of them are relevant or important, but many may have ‘nuggets’ of information if not full-on information I need.

I also want to start each day with some sense of what is going on in the world. I still subscribe to two newspapers delivered to my house and read at least three websites daily to be informed on general issues and of course, water issues. And, that is where I can run into trouble. As I am sure you do, also.

I am a sucker for a good headline! Of course, this year, so many headlines have been about politics.

However, like many of you, I have grown weary of much of the back and forth. But in my scanning of news stories, I have come across some headlines that I am compelled to read the deeper story. Such as “The Frozen Concentrated Orange-Juice Market Has Virtually Disappeared.”

Why was this headline important? I like orange juice, and though I don’t drink frozen concentrated orange juice, I wondered why it was disappearing. The reason, by the way, is bad weather, falling demand and diseases.

Or, this one, “A Summer Evening in Texas Isn’t CONTINUED PAGE 25 | executive director report

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| lead & copper rule |

EPA's Lead and Copper Rule To See Changes

BY CLIFF AVERY texash2o editor

A

USTIN — Changes are coming in EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule, and utilities need to get prepared.

That was the advice from Laurie Gehlsen of TCEQ’s Lead and Copper Rule Team at the Public Drinking Water Symposium August 9.

EPA is developing its long-term revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule. Discussions about the new rule came during the highly charged publicity revolving around lead in the drinking water of Flint, Michigan, even though the process began before Flint. EPA will likely propose rule changes in 2017 with implementation over the next several years.

One recommendation from the Lead and Copper Rule Working Group to the EPA’s National Drinking Water Advisory Council called for drinking water systems to pursue a proactive program to replace lead service lines.

Gehlsen suggested that when utilities identify the required sampling sites to test for lead and copper, they add the sites to their monitoring plans and take the opportunity to identify the location of lead lines and possible sites where the substances are found.

“I would suggest … that you start thinking about CONTINUED PAGE 18 | lead & copper rule CONTINUED PAGE 23 | watermark awards

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www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o SUMMER 2016 | 9 |

| sustainability |

North Texas Pipeline Project Receives Highest Honor for Sustainability Source: Tarrant Regional Water District

T

he Integrated Pipeline Project (IPL), a 150-mile long water transmission system being built by two North Texas water suppliers, has received the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure’s (ISI) Envision Platinum Award. The Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) and the City of Dallas were presented Envision’s highest level of achievement award by ISI President Bill Bertera during TRWD’s July 19, 2016 Board meeting.

The IPL project is the 14th project in North America, and the first Platinum-awarded pipeline, to receive an ISI Envision rating award. The ISI Envision system measures sustainability CONTINUED PAGE 21 | sustainability

TRWD and the City of Dallas receive the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure's Envision Platinum Award.

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| twdb conference |

Registration Open for TWDB's Conference

R

egistration is open for the Texas Water Development Board’s Water for Texas 2017 conference, scheduled January 23–25, 2017, in Austin, TX, at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center.

The conference will showcase innovative scientific, planning and financial solutions to water challenges; demonstrate interactive data and technology; and initiate compelling conversations on water issues that affect all Texans. Everyone with an interest in the future of Texas water is encouraged to attend.

The agenda features moderated panel discussions, technical sessions, workshops, demonstrations,

exhibits and networking with industry leaders, elected officials and TWDB Board members and staff.

Conference topics include policy issues before the 85th Legislative Session, enhancing the ability of communities and citizens to plan for and respond to floods, advancing water conservation initiatives and technologies, implementing projects through affordable financial assistance programs, navigating the ins and outs of groundwater, developing strategic water management plans and other important waterrelated topics.

CONTINUED PAGE 26 | twdb conference

www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o SUMMER 2016 | 13 |

| swift funding |

SWIFT Funding Source: Texas Water Development Board

T

he Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has approved $759,255,000 in financial assistance from the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) program. The SWIFT financing will be distributed to 15 state water plan projects across the state.

“The continued high demand in this second year of SWIFT demonstrates the program is effectively implementing projects in the state water plan,” said TWDB Board Chairman Bech Bruun. “The projects financed today help ensure that Texans will have a secure and reliable water supply for decades to come.”

The 15 projects, all recommended in the 2017 State Water Plan, include aquifer storage and recovery, an

off-channel storage facility, water meter replacements, transmission pipelines, capacity expansions, well fields, reclaimed water and land and water rights acquisition.

Five of the projects were for conservation and reuse, and one is for agriculture.

“The Board was pleased to see projects of all scopes and sizes represented in the SWIFT applications,” said TWDB Board member Kathleen Jackson. “The projects range from those using innovative technology to develop new water supplies to those that help conserve the water supplies we already have available.”

SWIFT was established by the Texas Legislature and voters in 2013 to fund projects in the state water plan.

SWIFT was created through the transfer of a one-time,

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| swift funding |

$2 billion appropriation from the state’s Rainy Day Fund. The $2 billion will be leveraged with revenue bonds over the next 50 years to finance approximately $27 billion in water supply projects. The first cycle of SWIFT program financing was completed in 2015.

“The combination of 2015 and 2016 SWIFT program commitments brings the two-year total to $4.6 billion in financial assistance. While this is a fantastic start, the Board will continue to actively manage the SWIFT program to ensure it fulfills its long-term goal of providing water for all Texans,” said TWDB Board member Peter Lake.

Projects selected today for 2016 SWIFT financial assistance are the following:

Service Board (El Paso County) on behalf of the City of El Paso for land and water rights acquisition for a water supply project • $12,180,000 to the City of Keller (Tarrant County) for water system improvements to reduce water loss CONTINUED PAGE 17 | swift funding

• $12 million to the City of Waco (McLennan County) for a meter replacement project • $18 million to the City of Bryan (Brazos County) for an aquifer storage and recovery project • $150 million to the El Paso Water Utilities Public

www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o SUMMER 2016 | 15 |

| ace highlights |

ACE 2016 Highlights

Clockwise from top left: 2016 Fuller Award recipient Dave Scholler with AWWA CEO David LaFrance and AWWA Immediate Past President Gene Koontz ● Texas Section Chair Daniel Nix and Past Section Chair Jennifer Elms visit with ACE keynote speaker The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore ● Karen Menard receives the Texas Section Education Award at ACE, pictured with Gene Koontz and Daniel Nix ● Daniel Nix, Karen Menard, TAWWA Executive Director Mike Howe and Incoming Chair Ron Tamada visit with past AWWA President John Donahue ● Texas Section members Sally Mills-Wright and Katie McCain at ACE ● David LaFrance and Gene Koonze present Katie McCain with the Outstanding Service to AWWA Award.

| 16 | SUMMER 2016 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

| swift funding |

a new well field

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 | swift funding • $4,635,000 to the Trophy Club Municipal Utility District No. 1 (Denton and Tarrant counties) for a transmission pipeline • $167,175,000 to the City of Austin (Travis County) for reclaimed water system improvements and an advanced metering infrastructure project • $66.5 million to the Schertz/Seguin Local Government Corporation (Bexar, Comal and Guadalupe counties) for a new well field and transmission pipeline

• $75 million to the Sabine River Authority (Orange and Newton counties) for a new pump station and pipeline • $8.1 million to the United Irrigation District (Hidalgo County) for an off-channel storage facility The TWDB anticipates closing loans for projects approved for SWIFT financing in fall 2016.

• $225,675,000 to the North Harris County Regional Water Authority (Harris County) for new pipelines and storage tanks • $15,490,000 to the Central Harris County Regional Water Authority (Harris County) for a water system expansion project and new transmission pipeline • $4.5 million to the City of Beeville (Bee County) for

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www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o SUMMER 2016 | 17 |

| lead & copper rule |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 | lead & copper rule where [lead] is,” she told the crowd of utility executives and operators, “Changes are coming and [regulators] are going to ask us where the lead lines are. If you don’t already know that, it’s time to find out.”

The Lead and Copper Rule establishes an action level (AL) of 0.015 milligrams per liter (mg/L) for lead and 1.3 mg/L for copper based on 90th percentile level of tap water samples.

Gehlsen advised that the tap water samples taken to comply with the rule must be “as normal as possible.”

She cautioned against any extraordinary cleaning of homeowners’ faucets where samples are collected. The sites where the samples are drawn should be in “regular use,” not, for example, an isolated sink in a janitor’s closet.

If a utility exceeds the action level for lead or copper in more than ten percent of its samples, it will be required to respond with increased sampling.

“An exceedance is not a violation,” Gehlsen cautioned. “We don’t know what the problem is just because there’s a high lead level or a high copper level.

We have to go over a log of sampling over the next year to see if there’s a real health issue.”

An exceedance triggers other requirements to minimize exposure to lead and copper in drinking water, that include water quality parameter monitoring, corrosion control treatment, source water monitoring/ treatment, public education and lead service line replacement.

In the event of an action level exceedance, sampling will include the entry point, where treated water enters the distribution system. If that’s where the problem originates, the utility may be able to adapt, with TCEQ approval, new treatment methods to eliminate the problem. If not, the utility may have to replace lead lines.

No matter the source of the exceedance, the public must be notified of the issue, using documents and brochures available on the TCEQ’s Lead and Copper Rule website, https://www.tceq.texas.gov/drinking water/chemicals/lead_copper/lead-copper.html.

Larger systems may be required to place notices of the exceedance on their websites; smaller systems may be required to mail notices to customers, although website posting is allowed, too.

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| 18 | SUMMER 2016 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

| tw17 abstracts |

Share Your Knowledge with the Texas Water Community!

Be a presenter at Texas Water 2017TM April 10–13, 2017 Austin Convention Center DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTAL: SEPTEMBER 12, 2016 For more information and to submit an abstract, click to...

www.txwater.org TEXAS WATER 2017TM is a registered trademark of Texas AWWA for the exclusive use for this joint conference with WEAT. All rights reserved.

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www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o SUMMER 2016 | 19 |

| letter from the texas section chair |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 | letter from the texas section chair changes in October to the membership benefits that will enhance the value of your membership and strengthen AWWA’s relationship with its members.

Also, there have been major revisions to the Water System Operator (WSO) series, and the new versions are available for purchase.

As we go into the fall season, many things are happening at the Section level. Planning for Texas Water 2017TM (Austin) will start in November. Abstract submittal started earlier this year to give the Abstract Review Team plenty of time to review and make their recommendations. Abstract submittal will end September 12, so if you haven’t gotten your Abstracts in for review, please make every effort to get them submitted within the deadline. The abstract deadline will not be extended. We count on your technical presentations to make Texas Water the premier water conference in the United States. Remember, we are the “Largest Regional Water Conference in the Nation.” The

Executive Committee has a mandatory Orientation/ Leadership Summit scheduled for October 14, for all Division/Committee Chairs and Chapter Presidents.

The mid-year Board Meeting is scheduled for October 28. So, as you can see, it is a busy time at TAWWA. I am looking forward to the Orientation/Leadership Summit and Board Meeting, so we can all see where we are, collectively, and where we need to be moving forward.

In closing, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has reached out to me by sending their condolences and words of support during the recent workplace tragedy that we experienced in Wichita Falls. Just knowing that you were all there for me and my staff during that time meant the world to me and reinforced my belief that we are all one large family in the water/wastewater profession here in Texas. It is my sincerest hope that everyone in the water and wastewater industry uses this time to discuss hazards and review safety protocols with their staff. We work in some of the most dangerous environments of any profession, and statewide our industry safety record is better than most other professions. This is a testament to our combined dedication to a culture of safety. So, let’s continue be safe out there.

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| 20 | SUMMER 2016 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

| |sustainability swift program| |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 | sustainability in infrastructure projects in five categories: Quality of Life, Leadership, Natural World, Resource Allocation and Climate and Risk. These contribute to overall credits for the positive social, economic and environmental impacts in a community in the planning, design and construction of infrastructure projects.

“This project represents the first regional water supply partnership of this scale in Texas, and goes beyond cooperation to planning, implementation and sharing of assets,” said ISI President and CEO, Bill Bertera. “Their leadership in these sustainable areas sets a high level of infrastructure precedence and so is well deserving of the Platinum award level.”

The pipeline, which will help meet water demands in rapidly growing Tarrant, Dallas and surrounding counties, extends from Lake Palestine in East Texas to Lake Benbrook just south of Fort Worth. By sharing resources, TRWD and the City of Dallas will save an estimated $500 million in capital expenses and potentially more than $1 billion over the life of the project.

“We are very pleased that the Integrated Pipeline Project has received this Platinum recognition from the ISI,” said Rachel Ickert, TRWD’s water resources engineering director. "Sustainability is a mindset. It's who we are and how we approach projects and operations. It's about doing the right projects and doing them the right way considering life-cycle costs, the communities we serve and the environment."

The IPL Envision assessment was completed in cooperation with Elizabeth Blackwelder of Freese and Nichols, Inc. and Nathan D. Maier Consulting Engineers, Inc.

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| dpr water quality |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 | dpr water quality “I think it’s really important for this story to come through and prove, not only to the naysayers in our industry, but also to the general public [that] this water is awesome,” she said.

The Colorado River Municipal Water District in Big Spring developed the first direct potable reuse system in Texas, which was designed by Freese & Nichols. Even with the most recent severe drought abated, reservoir levels in West Texas “tell a tale of two states,” SteinleDarling said. While reservoirs east of the Panhandle are full, reservoirs in West Texas are still low, many never reaching their capacity in the history of their existence.

“Big Spring is in an area of perpetual drought,” she said.

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steps. After processing at the wastewater plant, the water goes through microfiltration, reverse osmosis and UV disinfection coupled with advanced oxidation.

It’s blended with the lake water and sent to several water treatment plants for further conventional treatment before going to people's homes.

“We really were pretty critical when we looked at [the system]. We threw about the biggest book of test parameters at it that we could think of,” Steinle-Darling said.

One test showed the fluorescence signature of effluent, of Moss Creek Lake water and of reuse water after RO treatment, which indicates the total organic content in each—a “fingerprint” of water, SteinleDarling called it.

“The fingerprint from Moss Creek Lake is very similar to the fingerprint of the treated wastewater effluent,” she pointed out. In comparison, the DPR treatment improved the effluent by reducing the content of a wide variety of trace organics, nitrosamines, estrogens and perfluorinated chemicals, resulting in almost zero fluorescence. In fact, microbiologically, the DPR water was cleaner than the deionized water used in the testing lab.

Moss Creek Lake and the upstream E.V. Spence Reservoir, Steinle-Darling said, “have been a safe source [of drinking water] for the District and its customers for many decades, so the purpose is not to say that this water is bad. It’s just that DPR water is a whole lot better.”

Even though RO treatment is one of the best barriers against both chemicals and microbes, it does not get regulatory credit for removal of microbes from the water. So the study used sample data from after

| 22 | SUMMER 2016 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

| dpr water quality |

The image above shows the steps filtered effluent from Big Spring goes through before it reaches the drinking water plants. After processing at the wastewater plant, the water goes through microfiltration, reverse osmosis and UV disinfection coupled with advanced oxidation. It’s blended with the lake water and sent to several water treatment plants for further conventional treatment before going to people's homes.

the RO treatment step to calculate that, after UV treatment, the DPR treatment process virus removal meets drinking water standards before it is even treated in the downstream drinking water treatment plants.

Disinfection byproducts are more likely to be present in the DPR water, though. The City of Big Spring's wastewater plant “is chlorinating secondary effluent and that does create a lot of DBPs,” she said.

“The advanced treatment plant does a good job of removing these compounds, but we start at a high level.” This is not much of a concern at the Big Spring DPR facility, because of the dilution with lake water, but Steinle-Darling said it is something the industry needs to keep an eye on for future projects.

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| new members |

TAWWA Welcomes New Members Joining June 1–August 15, 2016 Huda Aldahhan Katy, TX

Julio Cerda Mission, TX

Charles Donald Alphin West Tawakoni, TX

Nektarios Christoforakis Boerne, TX

Michelle Marie Alvarez Corpus Christi, TX

Cody Collier Corinth, TX

Erik Ammons Amarillo, TX

Chris Cox Little Elm, TX

Larry Ayers New Braunfels, TX

William Creech Corpus Christi, TX

David Barnes Odem, TX

Krystal Crump Kennedale, TX

Jeffrey Benjamin Houston, TX

Sara Eatman Austin, TX

Javier Andres Blandon Houston, TX

Clay Evers Kilgore, TX

Tim Borger Sugar Land, TX

Stephen Curtis Feronti Austin, TX

Shane Bowles Odessa, TX

David Fink Fort Worth, TX

Tyler A Bridges Richmond, TX

Adrian Frias Odessa, TX

David Craig Bristol Mansfield, TX

Brian Gardner Katy, TX

Kiera Brown Austin, TX

Raj Ghimire Katy, TX

Sheldon Buck Houston, TX

Adrian Gonzalez Corpus Christi, TX

Chris Carpenter Katy, TX

Dan Grimsbo Corpus Christi, TX

Al Carroll San Marcos, TX

Kristian Guitierrez San Juan, TX

Javier Cavazos San Juan, TX

Victor Mario Gutierrez Jr Corpus Christi, TX

Christopher William Haeckler Dallas, TX Katherine Hallaway Houston, TX Hank Hampton San Antonio, TX Victor Harris Bryan, TX Joshua Hathaway Colleyville, TX Terry D. Hawkins Sugar Land, TX John Heaps Round Rock, TX Shannon Hicks Webster, TX Doug Hoopes New Braunfels, TX Suzann Hyles Italy, TX Michael Irlbeck Austin, TX Irvin Janak Austin, TX Amanda Johnson Fort Worth, TX Kelly Kaatz Austin, TX Thomas Alexander Kajdan Houston, TX Jack R Kryder Dallas, TX

David Kukoda Corpus Christi, TX

Danny Padron Frisco, TX

Courtney Sowell Corpus Christi, TX

Anamika Kumari Austin, TX

Jeremy Paisley Houston, TX

Katie Stowers Dallas, TX

Tim Lancon Baytown, TX

Mike Panter New Braunfels, TX

Doug Swartz Lubbock, TX

Mike Larsen Terrell, TX

Cynthia Patterson Odessa, TX

Kamal Taher Houston, TX

Rosalyn Lehriz Round Rock, TX

Angelique Pereira Houston, TX

Carey Thomas Houston, TX

Kathleen Ligon Austin, TX

Jaime Plazas-Tuttle Austin, TX

Mack Thomas San Antonio, TX

Jennifer Lopez Bryan, TX

Ramiro Ramirez San Juan, TX

John Tracy College Station, TX

Ian MacLeod Mansfield, TX

Scott Ridgway Bryan, TX

Dipendra Wagle San Antonio, TX

Leo Maza Dallas, TX

Jose Alberto Rodriguez Austin, TX

Brian Waltenburg Flower Mound, TX

Olivo Medrano Baytown, TX

Joshua Ronson Austin, TX

Kyle A Ward Austin, TX

Keely Mitchell New Braunfels, TX

Rakiba Rouf Houston, TX

Joyce Warren Frisco, TX

Jonah Daniel Moran Helotes, TX

Tom Ruschkewicz Austin, TX

Miles Whitney Waco, TX

Sapna Mulki Austin, TX

Stephanie Marie Shelly Port Lavaca, TX

Tim Wood Houston, TX

Ramiro Murillo San Juan, TX

Preeti Shrestha Corpus Christi, TX

Eddie Zapata Round Rock, TX

Randall Nelson Austin, TX

Darryl Simon Houston, TX

Lu Zhang Spring, TX

Samuel Oliver Houston, TX

Corey A Smith Houston, TX

Jaime Ordonez Dallas, TX

Landon Smith Goodrich, TX

| 24 | SUMMER 2016 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

| executive director report |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 | executive director report Complete Without a Bat Show.“ Of course, that is about the Mexican free-tailed bats here in Austin and around the state. Or, “Edible Sunscreens Are All the Rage, but No Proof They Work.” Don’t even ask. Look it up. NO WAIT! Don’t. You don’t need to know this.

And, that is my point. We are too wired and subsequently too connected. You have heard it before that the promise of all this information at our fingertips would make us more productive. It is a lie. Just like I have no use for 400 cable channels (did you know that you can watch some version of Law and Order nearly every hour of every day on one channel or another —admit it— you did know this), I don’t need to read everything on the Internet. Nor do I need to respond to every email within 15 seconds of receipt. And, for any number of reasons, Wikipedia should be avoided at all costs.

If you are finding yourself flipping between the Internet and writing something that someone else is waiting on (like this column), then stop it. Your productivity and your sanity are worth more. Set some boundaries on time spent reading online, carve out time to respond to emails and let people know when you will respond (don’t call me between 8:00 am and 8:30 am). And stop watching cat videos. They are not that funny (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=AK32YiiYtOo).

OK. Summer is over. “Break’s over, back on your head.” Time to get serious again. We need to start planning meetings for Texas Water 2017TM. OK Liz, that is my column for this month. Sorry it took so long—I have been busy . . . .

kimley-horn.com

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www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o SUMMER 2016 | 25 |

| twdb conference |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 | twdb conference Additionally, during an evening awards banquet, the TWDB will recognize entities from around the state for water achievements in education, conservation and innovative technology.

An early registration rate of $425 is available online through November 18, after which the registration fee will increase. Single-day passes are available for $275 per person. The conference will also have onsite registration available for $525.

The TWDB will be posting additional details to the conference website as they become available. If you are interested in receiving updates on Water for Texas 2017, please visit the TWDB website at www.twdb. texas.gov.

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Save the Date!

Texas Water 2017TM April 10-13, 2017 Austin, Texas Submit your abstract today! www.txwater.org Deadline: September 12

| 26 | SUMMER 2016 TEXASh2o www.tawwa.org

|| calendar calendar |

What’s Happening Across Texas DATE

ACTIVITY

TIME

LOCATION

INFORMATION

SEPT 8

NCT Casino Night Benefitting WFP

6:30-10:30 pm

Texas Ale Project Dallas

www.tawwa.org

OCT 18

CAC Pints for People

5:30-8 pm

Adelbert's Brewery Austin

www.tawwa.org

OCT 20

Customer Service Workshop

5:30-8 pm

Omni San Antonio Hotel at the Colonnade

www.tawwa.org

OCT 21

Robert F. Pence Drinking Water Seminar

8 am-5 pm

The Petroleum Club of Fort Worth

www.tawwa.org

OCT 24

2nd Annual Larry Kelm Memorial Golf Tournament

Cypresswood Golf Club Spring

www.tawwa.org

Want to share your event with the Texas water community?

Contact Mike Howe, 512-238-9292, or mikehowe@tawwa.org.

Check the Section’s website, www.tawwa.org, for the latest information on Section activities.

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SMITH PUMP COMPANY, INC. 3500 Comsouth Dr. Bldg. 4, Suite 500 Austin, Texas 78744

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www.tawwa.org TEXASh2o SUMMER 2016 | 27 |

TEXASh2o

c/o GCP Association Services, LLC PO Box 676 | Pflugerville, TX 78691 512-251-8101 | (f ) 512-251-812 texwater@texas.net | www.tawwa.org

PRESORTED FIRST CLASS MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID AUSTIN, TEXAS PERMIT NO. 1