Quench — 2021 — Issue 4

Howdy Rural Water!

President's Message

I hope all of you had a great summer and found some time to vacation and relax. I’d like to thank all those who attended the Technical Conference in Galveston. It was great to see many familiar faces as our attendance was almost back to normal. While we continue to work through the challenges of operating our systems during the ongoing Covid crisis, I want to give my sincere condolences and prayer to any of you who have lost loved ones or suffered with Covid illness. I know that some of our rural water family has been impacted and I want you to know we have you in our thoughts.

What an honor it was to see our own Kent Watson bestowed the 2020 Man of The Year award by the National Rural Water Association in Milwaukee this September. I’m so pleased to have been there, along with other Board Members and staff, to share in his receipt of this very special award. Kent is the current Past President of NRWA and has spent many

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years representing TRWA on the national board.

Congratulations, Kent!

A new program I’m looking forward to is our new TRWF Veteran Career Center, which is announced in this issue. I join many other vets who work in all aspects of our rural systems, and it’s great to have this program as a resource for those who have served the country in the military.

I look forward to seeing you at our fall conferences!

Please continue the great work you all do with life’s most precious resource!

My regards,

Chris Boyd President TRWA

Dear TRWA Members,

Letter from the TRWA Executive Director

This month I traveled to our National Rural Water Association’s Annual Conference – WaterPro, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Every year the conference is held in a different part of the country. Representatives from rural water associations in every state attend this annual event which also includes their member meeting. We had a good contingent representing Texas, including staff, board members and member systems. We enjoyed numerous educational sessions, an extensive exhibit hall, and camaraderie. The event also raised $27,000 for the NRWA Political Action Committee which contributes to the campaigns of political leaders in Congress who support rural water initiatives and are in key positions to affect change.

NRWA is headquartered in Duncan, Oklahoma and they also have an office in Washington D.C. They represent rural water before Congress, USDA-RD and EPA. They apply for and administer federal grants that support our circuit rider, wastewater tech, and energy efficiency programs; as well as our EPA training & technical assistance and workforce development programs. They advocate for continued funding for the USDA-RD loan and grant program and for the SRF program that supports rural water and wastewater infrastructure projects.

NRWA also engages in federal rule proposals, such as new EPA standards. Through their advocacy on these issues, our industry has avoided more onerous regulations. An example of a successful initiative from NRWA for rural water resulted in the EPA allowing electronic distribution of CCR reports. There are many other things our National Rural Water Association does to support the work that TRWA and our members do every day.

TRWA was a founding member of NRWA and continues to be a leader amongst the states involved.

The NRWA board consists of a representative from each state association. Our current representative on NRWA’s board is Kent Watson, the GM of Wickson Creek SUD, who is now the NRWA Immediate Past President. I serve on two NRWA board committees – the Legislative Committee and the Emergency Response Committee.

As a member of TRWA, you are also a part of this influential national network of rural water and wastewater systems who provide service across our country. Thank you for the work you do every day to keep the water flowing in rural Texas, especially during these challenging times. I look forward to seeing you at our fall conferences!

Best regards,

Lara Zent Executive Director & General Counsel TRWA

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TRWA Briefs

Now Accepting Nominations for TRWA’s Awards of Excellence Don’t miss the opportunity to nominate your system or one of your colleagues for our TRWA Awards of Excellence! Every year, rural water systems across Texas submit nominations for these prestigious awards honoring those who exemplify excellence, dedication, and achievement.

Individual Awards Our individual awards were created to recognize the shining stars of our member utilities, seeking to honor their spirit and commitment in support of their system and the larger community. Individual awards are given in the following categories: The Excellence in System Management award recognizes any manager of a member utility who exemplifies exceptional leadership and oversight skills. Eligible nominees include general managers, superintendents, assistant general managers, system managers, etc. We want to hear about what makes these leaders stand out!

The Excellence in Administration award is meant for any and all office personnel whose support and dedication keep their utility’s office administration running smoothly on a day-to-day basis. Possible nominees for this award include office managers, administrative assistants, bookkeepers, accounting clerks, customer service representatives, secretaries, receptionists, etc. Take this opportunity to appreciate the unsung heroes of your utility's office.

The Excellence in Operations award is designed to recognize any personnel who are instrumental in the technical operations of your utility and go above and beyond the call of duty in their work.

Possible nominees could include any operator, instrument or maintenance technician, field manager, plant manager, utility service worker, etc. whose expertise and hard work are an invaluable asset to your system.

Don’t miss your chance to recognize an employee or coworker for working tirelessly to keep your system operations running smoothly.

If you have any questions about the nomination form or the awards process, or if you are interested in sponsoring one of the awards, please contact membership@trwa.org.

System Awards In addition to our individual awards, we also give out two system-wide awards each year. The Small System Excellence award is designed to honor a deserving system serving 1,500 or fewer connections, and the Large System Excellence award is designed to recognize a system serving more than 1,500 connections.

Your nomination for either award is an opportunity to showcase whatever it is that sets your system apart from the rest and share your accomplishments with your industry peers who can learn from your successful ideas. Are you employing innovative technologies or processes? Did you do something special to engage with your community? Did you make significant efforts to improve your system? Did you successfully launch a grassroots campaign or rural water political action activity? Tell us about it!

To nominate your system, fill out our Awards of Excellence nomination form and tell us in 1,000 words or less why your system stands out and deserves this award.

Only TRWA member systems are eligible, but anyone can nominate a system for an Award of Excellence.

How do I apply?

Get started on your nomination now and submit it online at trwa.org/awards for individual awards and trwa.org/systemawards for system awards. Please remember eligibility is limited to TRWA members and their employees and former award winners are not eligible. All entries must be postmarked or delivered by February 7, 2022 to be considered.

All award winners will be honored during the Awards Ceremony at RuralWaterCon in April and will be featured in the spring issue of this magazine. Individual winners will each receive a $500 prize and a commemorative plaque.

The system-wide winners will each receive a $1000 prize and commemorative plaques.

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CHARLIE'S NOSE KNOWS

Features

By TRWA Communications Specialist Madie Leon Riley

How a leak detection dog is changing the game at Aqua WSC

Charlie, the leak detection dog, is a being of humble beginnings. As a shelter pup, he was matched with the Arkansas Paws in Prison program when his trainer noticed his intense drive for reward. The trait was highly sought after by a partner of the Paws in Prison program, On the Nose Detection Dogs. Carrie Kessler and Tracie Owens, the trainers behind On the Nose, recognized Charlie as a match for their one-of-a-kind training program: leak detection dogs. The match would eventually lead Charlie to TRWA member Aqua Water Supply Corporation in Bastrop, Texas.

Charlie is the second dog employed by a water system in the new frontier of leak detection canines in America. The

first, Vessel, has earned some notoriety in the states, even receiving Congressional recognition. The General Manager at Central Arkansas Water (CAW), Tad Bohannon, started Vessel’s path when he called Kessler, then a professional trainer working to facilitate Paws in Prisons programs. Bohannon had read about successfully-deployed leak detection canines in the United Kingdom — did Kessler think that was something Paws in Prison could do? At the time, Owens was working with Kessler to train a different dog with a high fixation on reward in the form of a ball. The fixation made her a bad fit for a service dog (Owens’ specialty at the time), but a potentially perfect fit for a dog meant to detect chlorine gas. Owens

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Features and Kessler agreed to train Vessel for CAW. Vessel’s success was a welcome, if surprising, boon to the leak detection program CAW was deploying for lines serving 450,000 customers. Her nose could help crews uncover huge leaks in a single dig, often at sites close to — but not exactly — where experienced operators had suspected a leak originated. Her precision saved money

in the dig process and repeatedly led to several small leaks being found years before a human would have detected a problem.

Kessler and Owens were joining forces to form On the Nose and soon there would be more leak detection dogs trained and ready to be deployed.

The unique solution wasn’t something Bohannon could keep quiet about. By chance, one of the people listening closely was a fellow member on a board Bohannon served on, Aqua WSC’s General Manager Dave McMurry.

Aqua WSC Board Members and staff were more skeptical of the idea than McMurry seemed to be. Taking on Charlie would mean devoting an operator to be Charlie’s handler. Leak detection and maintenance is a position requiring experience and a feel for the water lines that can only be developed by time. Clifton Smith, an operator with 18 years of experience at Aqua WSC, applied for the job and turned out to be the perfect fit. However, putting Smith on Charlie duty meant taking one of the most-qualified field staff out of his normal rotation and literally putting him at the end of a leash.

Despite the doubts, for McMurry and his team there were obvious upsides if this worked. New constantly evolving leak detection equipment can come with huge price tags.

Bringing outside leak detection services was another expensive option. Buying a leak detection dog would be an upfront investment of only $12,000. Aqua WSC decided to take the plunge.

Smith flew to Arkansas for a week of intensive training with Vessel and On previous page: Charlie celebrates Tim, Vessel’s handler. He met with finding his water source by chewing on his Charlie and another dog named Flo, tennis ball. On this page, Top: Charlie alerts but a better relationship seemed to his handler, Clifton Smith, to a water source. form immediately between Charlie Bottom: Smith and Charlie pose by their and Smith. The new team set out to patrol car. learn from the experienced hands at 14 Quench — 2021 — Issue 4

CAW before getting back to Bastrop, where Aqua WSC is headquartered.

The transition for Charlie from the program to the real world was difficult.

The lab moved in with Smith and his family, where he was the only working dog in a house with dogs already settled in their routines. He has his own feeding schedule, his own training schedule, and his own kennel that remains his safe place.

“He came from one world of distractions to another world of distractions on top of what we were trying to teach him,” Aqua Administrative Assistant Heather Tucker said of the adjustment period.

Smith also had to learn his new position and adjust with Charlie to their new environment. “Just the focus wasn’t what it had been when I was in Arkansas. I was never a dog handler before. I was learning on the fly,” Smith explained.

The fact that Charlie didn’t immediately slip into the routine made the team nervous. They had gone out on a limb and the doubt was fresh. If their new leak detection dog couldn’t perform, there would be plenty of I told you so’s to go around.

One day as the pair wandered around a subdivision, Smith watched as Charlie’s attention drifted and his pace slowed. It suddenly dawned on the Smith that Charlie needed breaks and he needed a win. Charlie, like Vessel, is a dog trained to seek the reward of his ball above all else. The fact that they hadn’t found a leak meant he hadn’t earned his tennis ball. His morale was slipping, too. So, Smith changed their routine. The areas they searched before a break got smaller. One detection led to another, which led to another, and the confidence grew.

An Aqua WSC operator team called Charlie and Smith one day to check out a leak. It was obvious there was a problem; there was enough water to cause a puddle around the broken line.

Testing Charlie’s skills, Smith sent his partner to see if he could find the leaks in the sloshing water around them. He put a flag on the spots where Charlie signaled. The first alert was obvious even to the human eye. Another few seemed

like an error caused by the presence of chlorinated water all around. Smith put a flag down anyway. When the crew dug later to start repairs, they all realized the dog trained to smell chlorine gas had found three separate leaks at the bottom of a chlorinated pond.

“After that, one of the guys said: If Charlie alerts on a leak, I’m not questioning it, I’m just digging,” Smith said as he smiled with pride and looked down at Charlie, asleep on the floor as we all chatted about him.

The murmurs of Charlie being a gimmick died down as he and Smith changed the ground game of leak detection for Aqua WSC. McMurry reminds me that Smith has been fixing leaks for 18 years. That experience combined with Charlie’s nose means leaks that could have gone undetected for years are being found earlier than ever before. “We’re much more proactive now,” Smith adds. He points at the huge, quickly developing service area Aqua WSC maintains. He and Charlie are covering more ground, more quickly, meaning more water is saved for the growing number of customers in the Bastrop area.

Months into Charlie’s tenure at Aqua WSC, I made the drive out to see him in action. He and Smith have a dedicated vehicle (which once got pulled over because a sheriff thought Aqua WSC K-9 Unit was a bad joke). Before they begin their trek across the patch of grass behind Aqua WSC, Smith gives Charlie a drink of distilled water — the only type Charlie is allowed to drink. He then puts him into his working vest and Charlie’s demeanor changes. When his working gear goes on, Charlie knows it’s time to get down to business.

The humans watching the demonstration know there’s a water hose buried and spraying chlorinated water somewhere for Charlie to find. Watching Charlie tug on Smith’s 30 ft long leash and search, it’s easy to see this is a routine the pair

If Charlie alerts on a leak, I'm not questioning it, I'm just digging.

Features the hidden water source. He’s done his job. The humans erupt in cheers. Smith’s eyes light up as Charlie chases the ball he’s just earned. It’s a tiny snapshot of the work they’re doing out in the field.

We go back inside, and I pet Charlie’s soft, warm fur — I am, after all, a sucker for very good pups. I ask Smith why he decided to become a leak detection dog handler after 18 years as an operator.

“I have always loved dogs and water loss I know is a big deal. I wanted to be a part of making this company better and I know we can be a lot better. It’s something I was interested in before, but then you put the dog on top of it and….”

He trails off.

“It’s icing on the cake?” I ask.

“Yeah, exactly.”

I look up at the system’s map and see the areas where I know developments are going up. People are turning on their taps, filling their glasses and taking water for granted the way so many of us do. The team at Aqua WSC has taken a leap to make their system work better for the customers they serve.

Charlie may not understand it, but he is a part of getting that safe water to those newly built homes and to the customers who have been with Aqua WSC since the beginning. He was trained to find chlorine gas and lives for the thrill of his ball reward with a handler who cares for him and helps him reach his full potential. Leak detection is Charlie’s job, but it’s also what he loves to do.

knows well. I asked Smith if he ever lets Charlie go to places a human couldn’t get to. He seemed caught off guard by the question. “There are places I won’t let him go just for safety. I would never send him if I couldn’t be right there; I wouldn’t want him to get hurt.”

As I watch them in the field, I understand why Smith was taken aback by the implication that he’d let Charlie wander off into the unknown. Charlie is a working dog, but he is still beloved in a way only animals can be to us humans.

He sniffs the field and Smith watches him. When he gets near the hose, the Special thanks to Dave McMurry, sniffing gets intense and then Charlie Heather Tucker and Clifton Smith at alerts (by looking up at Smith) right by Aqua WSC for their help on this story.

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From the Field detection dog who stars in this issue). Despite the difficulty, every system should still be aggressively involved in leak detection If your system needs help with and line repairs, and if the line is bad enough, line leak detection, TRWA provides replacement. To help those water loss and leak detection of us without super-hearing, services free for members. TRWA sometimes an operator can staff will help identify where a close valves and isolate an system is losing water, and then area of the system during uses acoustic leak detection nighttime hours. Once the operator waits a few equipment to try to pinpoint the minutes or longer, they can suspected source of the issue. As slowly open the valve and with all maintenance in a system, listen for water rushing or keeping up is always easier than filling the downstream side catching up. of the pipe. There are several other techniques and tricks to help a team detect leaks as they perform routine checkups.

Water systems should also finances and resources are limited. In practice mapping.

The system map order to save the water system in the should be large enough to show the long-term, system stakeholders have entire system, so that all staff and a responsibility to continue working board members can refer to it at any and replacing old and outdated water time.

The map should additionally lines, and other key components of the system. There are multiple grants show all water lines, valves, storage and loans offered for rural systems to tanks, and water meters. This map work on their infrastructure. TRWA is should also have historical data on a resource to learn about how to apply it such as colored top pins to mark for those funds. Neglecting a system’s all meters and, importantly, all the lines is only of benefit in the short- leaks that have occurred from day one term; the water loss will continue and updated each time a new leak is found.

This helps the decision-makers in a likely worsen. system by providing a visualization of Leak detection and line repair are the system’s leaks. This visual can spur tough. Sometimes, multiple operators discussion of line replacement if the and managers just cannot find the leaks in an area are obviously chronic leak (unless you’re Charlie, the leak or unfixable.

Obviously, water systems must get the most out of the life expectancy of new water lines and make sure they are installed and bedded and also pressure tested properly. The additional practices of meter replacement, robust, ongoing maintenance, and a visual mapping program help prevent water loss on a large scale. If your system is not currently implementing these programs, there’s no time like the present to begin.

TRWA also offers GIS and mapping services for a nominal fee. Whether a system wants instruction on how to do mapping themselves or wants a completed turnkey project ready to use, we can help!

Call us to discuss your needs, and we can customize a solution for you.

If you are interested in any of the member benefits discussed in this article, contact us at 512-472-8591 or email membership@trwa.org.

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Pictured in photo from left to right: Ross Brookbank, Karen Theiss, Kyle Eppler, Bruce Alexander, Larry Bell, Chris Boyd, William White, Kent Watson, Michael Beadnell, James Smith, Lara Zent, Paul King, Deborah McMullen, Brian Mcmanus and Robert Nettles

Congratulations to Kent Watson, Man of the Year!

TRWA’s own Kent Watson was awarded the prestigious title of “Man of the Year” at National Rural Water Association’s (NRWA’s) WaterPro Conference in Wisconsin this September. Kent’s passion for rural water here in Texas and nationally as well as his numerous achievements earned him this award and we couldn’t be more proud.

Kent is the general manager of Wickson Creek SUD and represents TRWA’s District 10 on our board of

directors. He serves as TRWA’s representative on NRWA’s board and is the Immediate Past President.

Kent is TRWA’s most tenured board member, chaired our Legislative Committee for many years, is a former TRWA Board President and has never missed a board meeting. Kent represented Texas proudly in his travels around the country as NRWA’s board president and continues to do so. We’re thrilled to see him honored in front of our national peers!

Advertiser Index AIA Insurance Agency............................... Page 12 Capstar Electric……………………………………….....16 Childress Engineers............................................ 15 CoBank..............................................................21 Hayter Engineering...........................................25 Hayes Engineering.............................................23 HydroPro Solutions...........................................25 J.F. Fontaine & Associates..................................23 MRB Group........................................................21 Pittsburg Tank & Tower Maintenance Co., Inc.......7 Regal Chlorinators……………………………………....7 Russell Drilling Co., Inc........................................7 Texas Aquastore................................................11 SAMCO..............................................................29 Smith Pump Co., Inc………………...………………….15 USA Bluebook………………………............…………32

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Plan Ahead CONFERENCES: October 6-7 Fall Management and Districts Conferences, San Antonio Embassy Suites November 3-4 Fall Management Conference, Dallas/Allen Courtyard by Marriott

OPERATOR TRAINING COURSES:

Learn more about our upcoming classroom and online training options, and to register for classes visit us at www.trwa.org/training Virtual Courses Basic Water — October 5-7 Basic Wastewater — October 12-14 CSI — October 19-20 Water Distribution — October 26-28 Water Utility Management — December 7-9 In-Person Courses Wastewater Treatment — Harlingen — October 5-7 Water Utility Safety — Quitman — October 12-14 Basic Wastewater — Riverside — October 19-21 Groundwater Production — Gatesville — October 19-21 Groundwater Production — Gainesville — November 2-4 Wastewater Collections — Decatur — November 9-11 Water Utility Safety — Harlingen — November 9-11

PUBLIC FUNDS INVESTMENT ACT TRAINING: Virtual – October 20

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