Quench 2021 - Issue 5

2022 FINDING & MEMBERSHIP FIXING RENEWAL LEAKS

WHAT IS A SECURITY CULTURE?

SOURCE TO TAP, TEXAS FORESTS, AND MORE!

2 0 21 — I s s u e 5 www.tr wa.org

TRWA Today Established in 1969, the Texas Rural Water Association (TRWA) is a statewide nonprofit trade association with an active membership consisting of over 750 nonprofit water supply corporations, water districts, small-town water departments and investor-owned utilities. In addition, more than 200 water industry suppliers participate in TRWA activities as associate members. TRWA members provide water and wastewater service to 3 million customers throughout Texas.

TRWA is dedicated to helping directors, managers, operators and office professionals provide efficient service and clean, safe drinking water to their customers. Through on-site technical assistance, education and information exchange, TRWA helps its members better meet their needs as well as the needs of their customers.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS

TRWA STAFF

President Chris Boyd Denton (District 3) Vice-President Bruce Alexander Medina (District 2) Secretary Kevin Spence Franklin (District 11) Treasurer Robert Nettles Walker (District 13) Immediate Past President Brian Macmanus Cameron (District 6)

DISTRICT DIRECTORS Mark Gardenhire Shackelford (District 1) Steve Adams Brown (District 4) Dave McMurry Bastrop (District 5) Allen Knight North Collin (District 7) Charles Beseda Hill (District 8) Pat Allen Guadalupe (District 9) Kent Watson Brazos (District 10) Paula Weber Kaufman (District 12) Bill Baird Rusk (District 14)

LEADERSHIP TEAM Lara Zent Allison Kaminsky Larry Bell Nichol Everingham Jason Knobloch Tom Shephard, CPA

Executive Director & General Counsel Deputy Executive Director Technical Assistance Director Professional Development & Training Director Environmental Services Director Finance Director

ext. 101 ext. 107 cell: (512) 964-8133 ext. 134 ext. 137 ext. 102

OFFICE STAFF Melody Bennett Ross Brookbank Pam Cantrell Lisa Gallo Miles Hartman Emily Young Ariane Walker

Project Support Specialist Membership and Outreach Manager Accounting Support Specialist Meeting and Event Planner Course Development Specialist Assistant Environmental Services Director Training Support Specialist

ext. 130 ext. 108 ext. 139 ext. 105 est. 135 ext. 132 ext. 111

FIELD STAFF Thomas Acker, Jr. Michael Beadnell Nathan Cantrell Alex Eaves Roel Gonzalez Paul King Deborah McMullan Charles Perkins Bruce Pearson James Smith Quentin Turner William White Scott Willeford Gilbert Ybarbo James Wallingsford

Instructor Circuit Rider Wastewater Technician Wastewater Technician FMT Specialist Circuit Rider Source Water Protection Specialist Circuit Rider Instructor Circuit Rider FMT Specialist Assistant Technical Assistance Director FMT Specialist FMT Specialist FMT Specialist

cell: (512) 751-6337 cell: (512) 924-4552 cell: (512) 924-7158 cell: (512) 964-7203 cell: (512) 923-5812 cell: (512) 913-9753 cell: (512) 923-5842 cell: (512) 964-2108 cell: (512) 922-4942 cell: (512) 964-9234 cell: (512) 517-9889 cell: (512) 924-4233 cell: (512) 657-8813 cell: (512) 317-2003 cell: (512) 865-8809

CONTACT THE EDITOR

Editorial and advertising inquiries may be directed to the Communications Department at editor@trwa.org.

Join the conversation at: www.facebook.com/TexasRuralWaterAssn 2 Quench — 2021 — Issue 5

Find us at @TexasRuralWater for industry and legislative news relevant to you!

In Every Issue

From the Field

Letter from the President .........4

Finding Water Loss.....21

Letter from the Executive Director ........5

In Part One of this two-part series, TRWA Environmental Services Director Jason Knobloch goes in depth on ways to find leaks in your utility's infrastructure.

Keep it Legal .........6

Answers to your legal questions

Ask Larry .........10

Answers to your technical questions

Advertiser Index ............................30

The Texas Forests and Drinking Water Partnership............26

40% of drinkable water in Texas comes from our forests. Learn how the Texas Forests and Drinking Water Partnership is protecting this water source for all Texans.

Plan Ahead ..........................................31

TRWA’s Calendar of Events

Features

TRWA Briefs

Why a Positive Security Culture Matters...16

2022 Membership Renewals are Open.....13

We've heard the cautionary tales about cybersecurity attacks on utilities. Rick Bush talks about building a cyber security culture at your utility to mitigate those risks.

Want to better understand what you're paying for when you invest in a TRWA membership? Read about the services our team is working on for you already and what's coming in the new year.

From Source to Tap: Emerging Leaders Educate.Their Community..........18

District Meetings with TRWA............28

TRWA Emerging Leaders orchestrated a local community project bringing employees and rate payers together to learn about where their water comes from.

District meetings all over Texas are a way to get to know rural water and wastewater operators in your area. Check out some shots from this year's meetings!

on the cover:

Andy Johnson from Gastonia-Scurry WSC smiles during Utility Saftey Training in Quitman. photo by Scott Willeford, TRWA Instructor Quench — 2021 —Issue 5 3

Howdy Rural Water!

President's Message

I hope this finds each of you excited for the upcoming holiday season and a wrap up of 2021. We’ve made it through another summer and it’s nice to be into fall and much nicer temperatures.

For all of you who were able to attend the Districts Conference or either of the Fall Management Conferences, thank you! It was great to see many friendly faces. I’d like to thank the TRWA staff for putting those events together.

I know that it seems like we go from one challenge right to the next these days. The fight against COVID-19 has seemingly disrupted so many different aspects of daily life, and especially nowadays with the supply chain shortages. Couple that with incredible growth, and I know all of us are having to get creative with

4 Quench — 2021 — Issue 5

solutions. At my system, we’ve committed to help our neighboring rural systems if there’s something we have available that they need and can’t get or find.

I encourage all of you help each other whenever it’s possible — that’s the greatness of being part of a rural water family.

Here’s to wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

My regards,

Chris Boyd President TRWA

Letter from the TRWA Executive Director Dear TRWA Members, For the past year and a half, we have experienced rapid change and have had to be resilient and adaptable. As we close out 2021, we are also experiencing staffing changes at TRWA as several staff members are moving on to new career opportunities. This includes Allison Kaminsky, Trent Hightower, Brittney Melancon, and Madie Riley. We will introduce you to new team members as we welcome them aboard. We currently have a contract with Attorney Kristen Fancher to provide legal services to our members. She may be reached at 512-472-8591, ext. 106, by filling out the “Ask the Attorney” form on the Legal Home Page on our website, or at legal@trwa.org.

We are also gearing up for new program offerings in 2022. These include a new apprenticeship program for water and wastewater operators, which is being successfully implemented by other state rural water associations to attract our future workforce; and a wastewater training and technical assistance program funded by EPA, to assist water systems with getting into the wastewater business — a growing need around our state.

TRWA is always striving to add value to your membership, and I encourage you to take advantage of all the services we offer. This year, we have been hosting local district meetings to make it easier for you to engage with TRWA close to home and to network and meet your neighboring utilities. We look forward to holding more of these around the state in 2022 and hope to see you there!

You will soon be receiving membership renewal letters for 2022. We appreciate your continued membership and support of Texas Rural Water Association!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

My best,

Lara Zent Executive Director & General Counsel TRWA

Quench — 2021 —Issue 5 5

Keep It Legal Answers to Members’ Questions by the TRWA Legal Team

:

We had a customer who moved away and left an unpaid balance on their account. We wrote off the balance as bad debt a couple months ago, but today we received a check from this customer. Can we cash it? Should we?

A: The first thing I would want to know is whether the check you received is for the full amount owed, or if it is only a portion of the debt. If it would cover the whole debt, I’m not aware of a legal reason that would prevent you from cashing it, but I would defer to your bookkeeping or accounting professionals on the best way to “undo” the debt as a write-off on your books to settle their account.

This will prevent any confusion or demand for payment should the customer return to your area and try to restart service.

If the check is for less than the full amount the customer owes, you have a couple options. If you cash the check without some kind of payment plan or deferred payment agreement in place, a legal concept called “accord and satisfaction” could come into play. Essentially, this is the concept that by accepting less than the full amount owed, a creditor has agreed to discharge the remainder of the debt.

In some cases, receiving even a smaller amount of the total amount owed might be considered a positive outcome if it is unlikely that the creditor will ever see the full debt repaid. In other words, having half the debt paid today might be a better option than never receiving anything.

Before making this decision, you can ask the customer to enter into a payment plan where this check would be considered their first payment. Then you would have an agreement indicating this amount does not satisfy the whole debt, and still cash what they have paid so far.

Finally, you could refuse to cash the check, continue to carry the bad debt, and pursue your rights in small claims court. However, as I have mentioned in previous columns (which you can read and search through at trwa.org/keepitlegal), any options pursued in small claims court will be a large time commitment and can be more costly than the original debt because of court fees and administrative hours spent on the case.

:

Can you tell me the difference between a “regular” meeting, a “special” meeting, and an “annual” meeting? I hear these terms 6 Quench — 2021 — Issue 5

thrown around a lot in relation to operating a water system — are there any legal differences in how they are treated?

A: The first major distinction is that regular and special meetings, as those terms are commonly used in our industry, typically refer to meetings of the board of directors of a water supply corporation or district. These are the meetings where the board discusses and acts on various matters relating to governance of the system, such as which infrastructure upgrade projects to pursue, selection of an attorney or engineer, or how to deal with customer complaints.

When people refer to a “regular” meeting of their board, they usually mean a meeting that occurs at standard, predictable times. So, if your board typically meets to discuss current business on the first Tuesday of the month, your staff and community has likely come to think of that as your regular meeting time. Special meetings are those meetings that happen at any other time. Usually, they are in response to something that needs the board’s immediate attention and can’t wait for the next regularly scheduled meeting. For example, if a major piece of infrastructure has been damaged, or if your operator suddenly resigns, the board may need to call a special meeting to authorize costly repairs or figure out a temporary operator solution, even if their next regular meeting time is still several weeks away.

Legally speaking, it doesn’t matter whether a meeting occurs at your usual time, or if it’s a specially called meeting to address an urgent matter. Under the Texas Open Meetings Act, they are all just meetings, and are therefore subject to all the same requirements. This means that regardless of the timing of your meeting, it must be properly noticed to the public for 72 hours (unless a limited emergency exemption applies), be open to the public, and conform with all aspects of the Act. Annual meetings are an entirely different kind of meeting.

As the term is used in the rural water industry, an annual meeting is the once-a-year meeting of a water supply corporation’s members, which by law must occur every year between January 1 and May 1. There is no analogous type of meeting for districts. The annual meeting is where water supply corporation members elect their board of directors and vote on any proposed bylaw changes. They are often immediately followed by a “special” meeting of the board, where the new directors will typically elect their president, vice president, and secretary-treasurer for the next year.

:

One of our directors is experiencing some health issues and has missed several meetings. Short of resignation, is there any way for us to replace this board member with someone who can devote more time to the position?

A: This is a sad situation, but sometimes life circumstances can take a director’s attention away from running a water system. The ideal scenario here would be for the director to recognize that the system would be best served by their stepping aside and letting someone with more availability step in as a replacement. However, if the director will not leave voluntarily, there are procedures in place to remove them for both WSCs and districts.

Water supply corporations’ bylaws generally contain provisions relating to the removal of a director. The process might vary from system to system, so each WSC should be sure to refer to their bylaws to see what they have to say. If you use the USDA Model Bylaws, which many TRWA member WSCs do, Article 5, Section 2 states that any director who fails to attend two consecutive meetings may be given written notice by the rest of the board that an unexcused third absence will result in their removal.

Should the third absence occur, the board shall appoint a qualified director to serve until the next annual meeting, at which time there will be an election to fill the remainder of the removed director’s term.

For districts, Section 49.052(g) of the Water Code allows the other board members to remove a director who has missed half or more of the regular meetings scheduled during the prior 12 months. Note, however, that for districts removal requires a unanimous vote of the remaining board, rather than a majority. Additionally, this Water Code provision allows the removed board member to appeal the decision to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), who can reinstate the director if they find removal was unwarranted under the circumstances.

:

Who is eligible to vote in a district election? Are the requirements for voting in a district election different than the requirements for serving as a director on the district’s board?

Unlike water supply corporations, in which only members of the corporation are eligible to vote, districts are subject to the Texas Elections Code and therefore have a broader base of voters. Sections 11.001 and 11.002 of the Elections Code state that to be eligible to vote, a person must reside within the district’s boundaries, be 18 years of age and a United States citizen, must not have been judicially declared to be mentally incompetent, and must not have been finally convicted of a felony that has not been fully discharged.

(Continued on next page)

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This statutory scheme sets up some interesting scenarios for districts. First, it is possible for someone to reside within the district without owning land there or even without being a customer of the district. Under the law, this doesn’t matter — as long as they meet all the qualifications described above, they are qualified to vote in the district’s elections.

Second, it is possible for someone to own property being served within a district, possibly a rental house or business, while residing outside the district. This person is not eligible to vote in the district’s elections despite owning land there, because the Elections Code requires residence within the district.

It is important to note that the requirements for serving as director are different than the requirements for voting in district elections. Director eligibility is governed by the chapter of the Water Code applicable to the type of district (Chapter 65 for special utility districts, Chapter 53 for freshwater supply districts, Chapter 54 for municipal utility districts, and Chapter 51 for water control and improvement districts, among other types). Since most TRWA district members are special utility districts, I will focus on the director requirements in Chapter 65, but other district types should refer to their governing chapter for the applicable requirements.

Under Chapter 65, to be eligible to run for director of a special utility district, a person must be at least 18 years old, a resident and citizen of Texas, and either own land

8 Quench — 2021 — Issue 5

subject to taxation in the district, be a user of facilities in the district, or be a qualified voter of the district. Again, this sets up some interesting scenarios. If someone owns land in the district, they are eligible to serve on the board even if they live elsewhere (as long as it is elsewhere in Texas). Even more quirky, due to the voter requirements discussed above, such an individual would not be eligible to vote for themselves in that election. The Attorney General acknowledged this oddity while stating that it is the correct interpretation of the law in an opinion issued back in 2004 (Attorney General Opinion GA-0151).

Most districts ask their county election offices to handle their elections because the county is best positioned to create customized ballots for each voter for numerous overlapping water districts, school districts, state house and senate districts, congressional districts, and other types of entities. If you have questions about the eligibility of a particular voter or group of voters, or about the eligibility of an individual to run for a director seat on your board, you should check with the county elections office.

TRWA members can email legal@trwa.org for their legal inquiries, or search the archive at trwa.org/keepitlegal.

Trent Hightower authored this column, but has since left TRWA for another career opportunity. Attorney Kristen Fancher is now answering TRWA member legal questions.

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Ask Larry

A Q&A column with TRWA Technical Assistance Director Larry Bell

:

Are water supply corporations However, the law for districts doesn’t allow for this, so the required to provide water for fire TRWA Sample District Service Policy does not contain this provision. Districts are legally required to make decisions suppression? based on each individual account and disconnect or provide A: No, there is not a state law which service according to the status of that single metered tap. requires a public water system to provide fire suppression services. However, any Some districts that converted from WSCs have carried over water system can elect to provide water for this purpose parts of their old WSC tariff, but districts cannot require the and decide whether and how much to charge for it. Once a owner to be the customer. This can be frustrating when it system decides to supply water for fire suppression activities, comes to rental accounts. Rental accounts being served there are some rules that kick in which allow the system by a district or city are treated as independent accounts to be given a key rating for insurance discount purposes whether they are owned by the same person or multiple to residents within that fire district or entity engaged in persons. The owner can’t be held responsible for rental account billings unless that owner requests service in their providing fire flow. name and receives and pays the bills.

This is the reason that the TRWA Sample Tariff only states Our operator has given us two that any water from their system is for “refill only” and not weeks’ notice. We have an direct pumping purposes. This way, these systems can limit applicant that had his class C the location of take points and control the flow so their system is not flowing more than their production source, water license a few years ago, but let pressure storage, and booster pumps can supply while it go when he left the water business. still maintaining at least 20 psi, as required by the Texas Could the board hire him with a time Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Rules during limit to get his C license? emergency circumstances.

A: Remember first that the system is required to inform the An exception to this rule is that if a system operates within TCEQ that they no longer have a licensed operator to the city limits or extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) of a city, oversee their water operations. During that official notice that city can require fire flow within those areas. Under the to the TCEQ, your system can explain their intent to hire an relevant TCEQ rules, cities may only require a neighboring operator that currently is unlicensed and have that person provider to offer fire flow service at the same level that the secure a water license within a designated period. city itself is capable of providing.

It is likely that the TCEQ will require the system to hire some We are a special utility district. other licensed operator to oversee the system operations We have a customer that has two until the new operator obtains the appropriate license, meters — one of the meters is in his which means paying for two folks (maybe part-time for one personal name and the other meter is in or both) until the new operator receives a license. his business name. One of the accounts is being paid and the other is not being Sometimes the TCEQ will allow a system to be operated paid. May we terminate both services for the one account under the oversight of a licensed operator by someone that is not licensed. This unlicensed operator should not perform that is not being paid? The rates and service policy that duties like water treatment adjustments, line repairs, or other our board adopted is from TRWA’s Sample. operations that open the system to possible contamination A: This is a common question about what a district can without the immediate supervision of the licensed operator.

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and can’t do when terminating service. The TRWA Sample Tariff for water supply corporations allows for multiple “memberships” to be liquidated for non-payment of one or more accounts owned by the same person/member.

10 Quench — 2021 — Issue 5

The intended duties of the unlicensed operator would be very limited — mowing grass, reading meters, taking daily master meter readings from the well(s), painting pipes, taking pressure readings, and similar duties.

:

We’re concerned about flushing our dead-end mains monthly because of our goal to minimize water loss. Is there anything we can do to avoid or minimize waste during monthly flushing?

I understand your concerns about the waste, in terms of both water lost and operators’ time, associated with the mandatory flushing of dead-end main lines as required

by Rule 290.44(d) and 290.46(d), (f) and (l) of TCEQ’s rules. Section 290.39(l) of TCEQ’s rules allows a system to petition the agency for an exception to the rule, and there have been times in extreme drought conditions where TCEQ has granted such an exception. I’m aware of at least two systems who have successfully applied for a waiver of these requirements in a limited fashion.

TCEQ is not likely to grant an exception based on the cost of water or labor as the primary reason. You will need to demonstrate to TCEQ that the reduction in either the number of lines or the volume of water being flushed can be reduced without affecting water quality. If the system can document that the dead-end line has a few customers right at the end and the first draw water from the flush valve has the appropriate disinfection residual present, TCEQ may see that as a valid reason to request the exception. However, if there is any time lapse between the time of the first flushing and the time the proper residual is obtained, that may not be sufficient evidence that the system can reduce flushing at that location.

That said, there are no specific rules regarding whether a line must be flushed for twenty minutes, an hour or any other length of time. Instead, lines should be flushed until a proper level of disinfectant residual is measured, which might take only thirty seconds or a couple of minutes. The operator’s flushing log would show that a proper residual was detected on the date that line was flushed. The log should also include the estimated length of time the line was flushed and the flow rate from that flush valve to determine gallons of water flushed.

To start this exception process or just have a better handle on the amount of water the system is using to flush, your system will need to calculate and document how much water can be flushed from each flush valve at a specific line pressure.

This information should be logged into a database and then printed out for each operator to have in their vehicle. Then, when they flush a line they can refer to that flush valve flow chart to see how to calculate the gallons flushed over the number of minutes the valve was flushed.

The total number of gallons flushed each month should be calculated according to some written method and shouldn’t be simply a guess. Some systems have a flow meter in their service truck with a flexible hose which is attached to each flush valve when it is being flushed. This gives the most accurate number of gallons being flushed each time that valve is opened.

If you have a technical question you would like answered, please email larry.bell@trwa.org.

Quench — 2021 —Issue 5 11

Apply today for a TRWF Student Scholarship!

The application window for the 2022-23 Texas Rural Water Foundation (TRWF) Student Scholarships is now open! Every year, high school seniors, college students and even graduate students across the state submit applications for one of our TRWF scholarships, which are intended to recognize and assist qualified individuals in their pursuit of a higher education in a field that supports rural Texas.

This Student Scholarship Program is designed to help offset the cost of tuition, fees, books and/or room and board by awarding funds directly to the student upon proof of enrollment. The number of annual scholarships and the amount awarded is based upon the number of qualified applicants and the amount of funds available.

In the 2021-22 award year, six scholarships were awarded in varying amounts, from $1,000 to $3,000, totaling $12,500.

Each year, the Dwayne Jekel Student Scholarship is awarded to the highest scoring applicant, and in the 2021-22 award year, this recipient was awarded $3,000. Thanks to an endowment set up by the Jekel family, the Dwayne Jekel Student Scholarship will continue to benefit students who are interested in the water and wastewater industry.

Mr. Frank Dwayne Jekel served on TRWA’s Board of Directors for 30 years from 1982–2012. He was a water industry leader who owned and operated D&L Service Company in Cameron, Texas. He earned his bachelor’s degree and Master of Education Degree in Agricultural Education from Texas A&M University.

Mr. Jekel’s dedication to water and his community will never be forgotten. His legacy and mission will continue thanks to the generosity of his family.

Introducing the new TRWF Legacy Scholarship Funded by past and current board members of the Texas Rural Water Association, we are pleased to introduce a new endowed student scholarship, the Legacy Scholarship! Founders Kent Watson, Leahmon Bryant, and Chris Boyd, and contributing member Charles Beseda, conceived of this scholarship to help support the education

of future water/wastewater industry leaders. The Legacy Scholarship will be awarded to a student who exhibits exceptional leadership skills and potential. Applicants wishing to be considered for this scholarship will need to meet additional criteria and complete an additional writing prompt focusing on leadership or volunteerism.

Who should apply?

The TRWF scholarship committee is particularly interested in supporting students who seek a career relating to the water and/or wastewater industry or a career that will support rural Texas. They also encourage applications from veterans seeking higher education in an area that will benefit rural Texas. Former student scholarship recipients are invited to apply for a continued scholarship. To be eligible to reapply, the applicant must provide transcripts to demonstrate that they are in good academic standing.

All recipients of student scholarships will be required to provide proof of full-time enrollment each semester for which the scholarship is awarded at an accredited institution of higher learning. Payment will be dispersed directly to the student immediately upon proof of enrollment. Scholarships are dispersed in two installments over the course of the school year.

How do I apply?

Applications and full eligibility requirements are being mailed to the offices of all TRWA member systems. They are also currently available on our website. If you know someone who is interested in applying, please direct them to www.trwa.org/StudentScholarships. You can also get to the page by visiting www.trwa.org and clicking on the TRWF tab in the navigation pane.

All applications must be received by 5 p.m. on February 7, 2022. You can mail it to: ATTN: TRWF Scholarship Committee, Texas Rural Water Association, 1616 Rio Grande, Austin, Texas 78701. You may also send applications by email to editor@trwa.org.

Please share this opportunity with your peers and community members who may benefit from one of these scholarships. If you have any questions, please contact us at 512-472-8591 or email editor@trwa.org.

TRWA Briefs

WHY CHOOSE TRWA? THE TRWA MEMBERSHIP DRIVE WILL SOON BE UNDERWAY!

As we kick off our membership drive for 2022, we are giving thanks for your support and for being a member of TRWA during the tough two years we’ve faced together as a state. Our staff has had the pleasure to engage with so many of you in 2021, and we are always impressed by the resiliency of the operators, managers, and other employees who have led us through these crises. The commitment you’ve shown to TRWA is what enables us to be a resource to and advocate for water and wastewater utility providers throughout Texas.

In 2022, we will continue to work hard to be the preeminent water and wastewater association in Texas by providing our members with the assistance and guidance they need to meet the challenges facing our industry. We want to continue to be your one stop shop. Membership dues will continue to be based on your number of water connections and the cost will not increase for 2022. Remember, as a TRWA member your system receives numerous benefits that include, but are not limited to, the following:

Regina Franke, General Manager, Yesinia Tello, Office Manager, and Jennifer Dickerman, Human Resources Manager, represented Crystal Clear SUD at this year's Fall Management and Districts Conferences in San Antonio.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Conference on October 13-14. So, please mark your calendars! We’re looking forward to getting back to Member systems and their employees receive discounts 100% in-person programming next year. on all training classes and conferences. TRWA continues to provide 25 classroom training courses and multiple online and virtual training opportunities as well. Our new online instructor-led courses and self-paced virtual classes In 2022, TRWA will conduct a biennial Salary and helped hundreds of operators maintain their licenses in Rate Survey to collect member data that is analyzed to 2021. Learn more at www.trwa.org/training. produce two members-only publications with insight into Additionally, our conferences offer networking peer practices in the rural water and wastewater industry. opportunities and great educational programming that The Salary Survey Report includes summaries of salary counts toward licensing requirements. Starting in 2022, ranges and averages for key personnel positions, as we are streamlining the number of conferences we offer. well as benefits and demographic information. The Rate Our 2022 conferences will include the RuralWaterCon Study Report summarizes water rate ranges and averages (Annual Convention) on April 6-8, Technical and Training based on utility type, location, size and water source.

Conference on July 13-14, and the Office Professionals (Continued on next page)

SALARY AND RATE REPORTS

Quench — 2021 —Issue 5 13

TRWA Briefs Results are expected to be published in the fall of 2022.

Participating members receive a free copy of both reports; the reports are available for purchase only to members. Our last report was published in October of 2020 and is currently available for members to purchase in our online store.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE TRWA field staff are experts in the industry and provide hands-on support in a variety of ways to member systems. Water loss and leak detection, as well as meter flow testing and verification are new technical services we launched in 2021 at no cost for members.

We have technical assistance programs funded through the United States Department of Agriculture – Rural Development (USDA – RD), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Through these federal and state contracts, TRWA is able to provide direct assistance to water and wastewater systems in need of aid for system viability. This service is free for water systems throughout Texas. If you would like a visit from one of our technical assistance staff, call us at 512-472-8591 and we’ll make sure you get the help you need.

In addition to the everyday technical challenges faced by systems throughout Texas, TRWA has built up an Emergency Response service for disasters impacting utilities. TRWA is a part of the Texas Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (TXWARN), a mutual-aid network for free assistance to all utilities. We also maintain generators to help systems get back online in the case of power outage.

Your membership grants you access to these vital resources in times of crisis.

A TRWA generator is driven out and deployed to get a rural water system back online after Hurricane Ida knocked out power to thousands .On opposite page:TRWA Instructor Scott Willeford chats with District Meeting attendees after wrapping up lunch at the District 7 Meeting in Blue Ridge, TX.

ADVOCACY In 2021, TRWA engaged lawmakers in Austin on issues impacting the rural water and wastewater industry. Our staff advocated for members on legislation related to to Winter Storm Uri, RV parks, cyber security training, retail rates, wholesale rates CCN issues, and more. To get a full update on the bills impacting the industry, you can visit www.trwa.org/87thLegUpdate.

In 2022 we will continue meeting with important policy makers and shaping the regulatory conversation when it comes to policies affecting rural water. As a member of TRWA, you are involved in the coalition building that protects utilities from bad legislation.

AWIA COMPLIANCE TOOL

LEGAL CONSULTATION AND SERVICES

In 2020, TRWA developed the Water/Wastewater Risk Assessment and Planning Tool (WRAPT), a members-only cloud-based software to help utilities comply with the America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018. WRAPT is free for members and will help you build your Risk and Resilience Assessment and Emergency Response Plan, generate your finished reports so you can easily review your information and includes certification documents and instructions on how to self-submit certification to the EPA. We’ve made updates and improvements to this application in 2021 so that you can get the most out of this member benefit.

For more information on WRAPT, visit www.trwa.org/wrapt.

TRWA members also have access to our legal services.

Our legal team will respond to your utility’s legal questions by phone or email, providing advice as part of your membership. They also provide additional legal services, including filing required eminent domain reports with the Comptroller and applications for sales tax exemption for WSCs and IOUs for a discounted rate.

As a member, you also have access to a large, searchable database filled with past member legal questions and responses at www.trwa.org/keepitlegal. In addition, TRWA maintains a legal defense fund to assist members with representation regarding issues of statewide concern.

14 Quench — 2021 — Issue 5

TRWA Briefs

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

DISTRICT MEETINGS

Starting in 2020, TRWA has been organizing regional meetings to connect members and non-members working in the rural water industry throughout Texas. These meetings include free lunch and at least one free credit hour approved

by TCEQ taught by industry experts. They’ve been a great networking experience, providing an opportunity for our members to engage with TRWA and with each other close to home. We will be posting new meeting dates for 2022.

Check out the calendar at www.trwa.org/district-meetings.

TRWA offers many resources to keep members informed, including manuals and training materials, legal resources such as sample personnel policies, service policies, board policies, and a sample tariff.

Members also enjoy access to online resources, including sample templates and forms, operations and maintenance manuals, monitoring plans, WSC election procedures, rate study worksheets, vulnerability assessments, emergency response plans, SUD conversion manuals and more.

Thank you for the dedication and hard work you provide every day serving the rural communities of Texas. We are honored to continue to serve you.

If you have any questions about your membership or need any further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact our Membership and Outreach Manager at Ross.Brookbank@trwa.org or (512) 954-1360.

PUBLICATIONS

Your TRWA membership includes six subscriptions to Quench (this magazine)! Our team will send those subscriptions to any addresses you request. Please email any address changes to editor@trwa.org. Quench is published six times a year and is Texas’ premier rural water trade magazine .

Additionally , we have a weekly eNewsletter that keeps you updated on the rural water industry as well as TRWAspecific updates like scholarship deadlines and awards applications. If you’re not subscribed, make sure to visit www.trwa.org/eNews.

Water | Wastewater | Solid Waste | Energy Cost of Service and Rate Studies CCN Valuations Economic Feasibility Studies Litigation Support Procurements Asset Appraisals www.newgenstrategies.net David S. Yanke | (512) 649-1254 | dyanke@newgenstrategies.net Chris Ekrut | (972) 232-2234 | cekrut@newgenstrategies.net

Quench — 2021 —Issue 5 15

Features

Creating a Positive Security Culture

By Rick Bush, RESPEC Cybersecurity Specialist One of the newer buzzwords in cyber security is ‘Security Culture’, a term many people don’t understand or know how to apply to their experience.

All culture derives from shared viewpoints. Security culture follows the same principle. What employees think about and how or whether they enact their company’s security policies, procedures, and posture creates a security culture.

In every company, people are the most valuable resource, and those same people can be the company’s biggest security risks. Unlike other resources, employee

behavior is much harder to fix and maintain when it comes to security.

But people do follow group dynamics, and group dynamics can guide employee behavior. If people join a group or company where everyone already shares common beliefs and behaviors around specific issues, they will tend to follow along to get along if nothing else. Additionally, when interviewing and hiring, people look for others who they think will fit into the existing culture of the company.

Using these shared cultural practices and norms can create buy-in for a Security Culture in your system or district.

Cybersecurity Culture Tip #1:

When a security culture is built up correctly, the employees will start to reinforce the culture themselves.

Even if companies don’t realize it, their security culture already exists — open, closed, informed or uninformed.

In a closed security culture, employees look at security measures as preventing them from doing their jobs and the company suffers from the risks created when employees can’t or won’t buy in. They do the minimum to meet security requirements, and in some cases knowingly bypass security measures because it is easier and quicker than following procedures.

A healthy security culture is more than just having security controls in place. It is more than just having employees take a security awareness training class once a year. To cultivate and maintain a healthy security culture, your utility must instill the belief that everyone who works there makes security decisions every day — and not just because they were told to. They make security part of their job because they believe in it.

Cybersecurity Culture Tip #2:

The employee who minimizes security to get their job done will support security measures if they believe it is an important part of their job.

Employees with healthy security attitudes believe company security is not only the job of one or two people in the IT department, but that security is everyone’s responsibility. From the General Manager to the entry level operator, everyone knows their job includes

16 Quench — 2021 — Issue 5

making good security choices, and they are invested in the process and outcome. In turn, the company must invest in the education and security training of all their employees to teach practical applications of security so their employees feel empowered to enhance security.

Features

Cybersecurity Culture Tip #3:

Shorter training sessions and more frequent reminders work better than longer training sessions less often.

One of the major aspects of a good security keep that data safe. Creating a sense of team culture is a high level of communication. effort can bolster buy-in.

Employees need to have a sense of how the When done right, open communication builds a choices in every department integrate into level of security awareness across the utility. As the big picture. This can mean that customer each individual increases their communication service understands how operators and and security awareness, that confidence pushes those with access to sensitive system-specific others in the company to respond and evolve. A information are protecting that data, and operators and good culture must be built and encouraged to take root field staff understand how customer service employees and grow, it cannot be forced.

Cybersecurity Culture Tip #4:

Communication is not limited to security. Once teams are communicating, other aspects being discussed will help with production, scheduling, and team building.

In an environment of team communication, security is not something to add on after-the-fact just to meet requirements. Protecting the utility from cyber harm is as important and vital at every stage of the process as every other aspect of the job. Cyber security measures should be part of all pre-project planning, policy reviews, and change control processes.

and problems are important. However, an environment based on blame and focusing only on negative examples of security failures can hurt the security culture. Public shaming does not encourage an atmosphere of trust or honesty when it comes to risks. Incidents must be looked at as ways to evaluate both the good and bad choices that were made in a threat situation. Any breaches must be looked at One of the issues utilities must address is as learning opportunities and the positive should finding the correct balance of review with their be celebrated and encouraged at the same time employees. Honest reviews of security issues that future risk is mitigated.

Cybersecurity Culture Tip #5:

Many companies have had great benefits with bug bounty programs.

Set up a way for your employees to submit specific security issues they find and in return reward and recognize those individuals.

As employees in your system become more knowledgeable about how security functions at your utility, let them test that knowledge on your operations. If they find places for improvement or recognize breaches that have gone unseen in the

past, reward them for that effort.

No matter the size of the system or the amount of technology your team is utilizing, building a positive Security Culture will benefit both the employees individually as well as the utility as a whole.

A final takeaway to remember is that a good security culture is not a switch you can just turn on and leave. It is part of the company’s security maturity that must be developed and maintained in an ongoing process.

For more information, please contact Rick Bush, RESPEC Cybersecurity Specialist at rick.bush@respec.com.

Quench — 2021 —Issue 5 17

Features

From Source to Tap

Emerging Leaders from Green Valley Special Utility District and Canyon Regional Water Authority explain the water delivery process to interested coworkers and ratepayers.

By Kimberly Zamora Sachs, Green Valley SUD Media and Communications Manager

TRWA

created the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) in 2017 to cultivate leadership and mentorship skills in individuals invested in the future of rural water. The goal of the ELP is to create the next generation of managers and stakeholders who can bring fresh and innovative thinking to the rural water and wastewater industry. Participants are early- to mid-career professionals currently employed by TRWA member systems and nominated by their superiors.

As part of completing the program, Emerging Leaders are asked to develop a community outreach program or event designed to educate the public and engage customers in today's rural water systems.

Valley Special Utility District’s (GVSUD) nominee, Kimberly Zamora Sachs, and Canyon Regional Water Authority’s (CRWA) nominees, Adam Telfer and Michael Saldana, crafted the "Source to Tap" program.

Not only did the trio aim to educate customers about the water process, they also realized the program could be equally beneficial to employees of both organizations, especially those who work in the offices and are less connected to hands-on field work.

Source to Tap aimed to demonstrate how both entities acquire water and deliver that water to customers' taps.

Guadalupe, and Wilson counties.

Both entities pride themselves on being forward-thinking. They consider the long-term effects of their treatment, collection, and delivery processes for years before implementing a new solution. To enhance sustainability, each organization carefully deliberates which technologies to use, electricity requirements, and the potential mitigation of their carbon footprint.

To begin the collection process, CRWA uses a raw water pump to retrieve surface water from Lake Dunlap and sends it through a treatment process to remove dirt particles and What is the path other organic matter, such as leaves, from source to tap? sticks, and contaminants. Copper sulfate (algae control), chlorine As part of a longstanding partnership, dioxide (disinfection credit), and GVSUD purchases a large quantity polyaluminum chloride (coagulant, or of water from CRWA, which has water neutralization) are added to the To satisfy this assignment, Green contracts with various water utilities up-flow clarifiers (large mechanical in Bexar, Comal, Hays, Caldwell, mixers creating turbulence) so that 18 Quench — 2021 — Issue 5

Features

Less than 1% of water on this planet can be used as drinking water.

the matter will form clumps and settle to the bottom of the tanks that store water. The primary task of the up-flow clarifier is to mix and blend the coagulant and chemicals, to start to neutralize the water in the process of making it safe for consumption.

The water then travels up the clarifier and over a weir (or low head dam) that acts as a barrier across the width of the concrete structure, then is gravity-fed to and into the raw water tank or post settle tank. From there, the water is pumped through selfcleaning mechanical filters to ensure no large objects or debris particles make their way into the membranes.

A feed pump, or Variable Frequency Drive (VFD), assists in controlling pressure as it makes its way through membranes to keep the water flowing through the system. During this process, water is pressurized to 35 PSI, then sent to the Nanostone Ceramic Membranes, which use thousands of small, bristle-like membranes to filter the water and move it to a clear well.

For example, in the CRWA system, the Wells Ranch treatment process is primarily gravity-fed and has similarities to the surface water treatment process. In contrast to the Lake Dunlap process, Wells Ranch is a groundwater collection and processing site located separately from the Dunlap treatment plant.

CRWA pumps water from the aquifer under Wells Ranch. As the water makes its way to the raw water tanks, coagulant and disinfection agents are added. The water is then passed over a mixed media filter to remove dirt particles and other organic matter. Backwashing (or reversing and increasing the water’s flow) is scheduled based on the volume of water that has flowed over distribution. These final treatments the filter. Once the water leaves the make the water safe to drink and filter, it goes to the underground storage tanks and is then moved to ready to be sent out to homes. the high service pumps and sent out Surface vs. for distribution.

During this movement to the clear wells, ozone is generated and added to the water. The treatment process pulls the ozone out of the air, heats it to a gas, and injects it into the water, breaking down organics and enabling free chlorine. The water is then chlorinated and sent out for

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) establish drinking water quality regulations for tap water in Texas. The EPA implements the Safe Drinking Water Act (passed Continued on next page

Groundwater Processing

Unlike surface water, groundwater is naturally filtered through the earth into underground reservoirs called aquifers. Water from wells usually does not contain as much organic material as water from rivers and reservoirs.

However, it does contain a more significant concentration of minerals such as manganese, sulfate, and calcium.

How do you know your water is safe?

Quench — 2021 —Issue 5 19

Features

by Congress) and continues to update the regulations based on the latest science. The agency’s drinking water standards address more than 90 contaminants. The TCEQ is required to adopt rules at least as stringent as the federal requirements for water utilities in Texas. CRWA and GVSUD's treatment plants, wells, and distribution sites all exceed the minimum standards put into place by both the EPA and TCEQ. Like other rural water systems in Texas, both CRWA and GVSUD are committed to securing and delivering safe, clean water.

This includes monitoring irrigation systems, regularly assessing plumbing systems for leaks, and limiting daily water usage.

and Kiwanis Clubs, area Chambers, and other local utilities to create stronger partnerships. According to a 2017 EPA survey, 37 percent of water utility works and 31 percent "Source to Tap" of wastewater utility workers are presentation earns expected to retire by 2027.Water a thumbs up leaders like those in the Emerging Leaders Program are the future — a GVSUD and CRWA hosted more new generation must start paving the than 20 attendees at the initial Source way to succeed when successors pass to Tap presentation at CRWA's Lake the torch.

Dunlap on Wednesday, September 1st. Customers and co-workers in A very special "Thank you" to all who attendance provided great feedback made this project possible, including about the team’s demonstrated the Texas Rural Water Association, expertise and knowledge during the Canyon Regional Water Authority, tour and presentation. Many "ah-ha" Green Valley Special Utility District, moments occurred when attendees and all the presentation attendees. asked engaging questions. At the end of the event, the Emerging Leaders If you are interested in viewing the celebrated the reward of involving presentation to implement a public themselves with their rural water awareness event in your area, it is community. available on the GVSUD website at:

Of all the water on the earth, only 3 percent is freshwater, with much of it frozen or underground. Less than 1 percent of the water on this planet can be used as drinking water. Water is the most critical natural element and a gift that we all must protect. As responsible stewards of this resource, Continued community engagement gvsud.org/311/GVSUD-Presentations CRWA and GVSUD promote and efforts include reaching out to recommend conservation year-round. surrounding school districts, Rotary

20 Quench — 2021 — Issue 5

From the Field

FINDING WATER LOSS Part One of a Two Part Series

By Jason Knobloch, TRWA Environmental Services Director

Water loss is a hot topic for every utility no matter the season. We are all aware that a certain amount of loss is inevitable due to the nature of the work, the amount of area your infrastructure covers, the reliance on man-made materials and components, and the fact that mistakes happen. Yet, while we know a zero percent loss is near impossible, we still strive to maintain a tight, well-managed system and make all efforts to keep water loss under control. (continued on next) Quench — 2021 —Issue 5 21

From the Field All water utilities in Texas deal with this issue, but the type of loss plays a big factor in the severity of the problem. Water loss is divided into three different types: apparent loss, real loss, and non-revenue water (NRW). Apparent loss is referred to as commercial loss and happens through unauthorized consumption, meter inaccuracies, and data errors during meter reading and billing. Apparent loss generally stems from calculation errors that can be identified and accounted for once found. Real loss is physical or actual loss of water in the system stemming from leaks on transmission or distribution mains, leaks and overflows from storage tanks, and/or leaks from service connections including meters. Real loss is actually wasted onto the ground or nearby streams that was pumped, treated, or purchased from a wholesale system, but was never accounted for through customer metering. Both apparent loss and real loss can lead to the loss type called non-revenue water. Non-revenue water simply describes any water that remains unbilled and therefore cannot generate revenue for a utility.

The 2019 Water Loss Audit report by region from the Texas Water Development Board shows 22.42 percent of the state’s water loss was non-revenue water. This means that roughly a quarter of the state’s water lost was simply a waste of money.

The money it takes to pump and treat the water, or the amount paid by purchasing systems, was not reimbursed by the sale of that water to its customers, causing a financial loss. This has a huge impact on systems that need the revenue to rebuild

and replace infrastructure required to minimize these types of issues. The loss generated by the infrastructure depriving a system of revenue required to improve that infrastructure is an unfortunate catch-22. Finding the apparent and real loss leading to non-revenue water is why it is important to effectively and efficiently find and fix leaks.

In this two-part series, TRWA Environmental Services Director Jason Knobloch discusses in-depth methods to find and fix water loss. Read Issue 6 for Part Two: Fixing Water Loss.

PART ONE: FINDING WATER LOSS

In many areas of our daily lives, there’s a nostalgia for the way things were before. However, when it comes to finding leaks and other forms of water loss for your water system, we can be grateful to be fixing these problems with today’s technology. We have come a long way from witching sticks and duct tape. Texas operators and policy makers are more aware of the importance of having and maintaining clean water and have allocated time and money into developing new technology to help minimize water loss.

Though we do have advanced technology to assist with identifying areas of real and apparent water loss through leaks, metering, and theft, there are still some more tried and true methods that can be a good place to start. In this section I’ll go through a few of the different ways you may be able to locate water loss in your system.

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22 Quench — 2021 — Issue 5 WTR_ADM_TX-RWA-3625x4875.indd 1

2/12/21 7:04 AM

From the Field

VALVE ISOLATION This is a method of breaking your system into sections based on isolation valves and pressure planes to systematically track down loss of pressure in your distribution lines. This is one of those old school starting points that does not utilize the latest and greatest technology, but can help find a general location of a water leak. This process is typically done in the late night or early morning when water usage is at its lowest.

The idea is to slowly turn off an isolation valve and listen/feel for evidence of moving water. At times you may not be able to hear or feel water rushing

through the pipe as you close it, but once it is off for about 60 secs and you slowly turn it back on you can then hear the water flowing to fill the void in the pipe where water has left. The sound of the water rushing to fill the pipe is a sign of a potential leak further down. I say potential because you must consider customer usage as well. Repeat this process until the end of the line. Once you observe there is no water rushing through or no water moves to fill the line back after being off, you know the leak could be between those valves. This hands-on approach can point the team in the right direction.

METERING Metering is one of the most crucial investments in your system. Accurately identifying where your water is going directly impacts your financial stability, ability to maintain safe and adequate pressure, and in some cases can impact your water rights and even the ability to get funding.

As we know, meters generally get slower as they age.

The slower rate in turn means they do not read as accurately the older they get and can result in apparent water loss. This goes for the customer meters, your production meters such as well meters, interconnections where you purchase water, or your intake meters for your surface water production. Knowing exactly what you pump versus what you sell allows you to accurately identify potential issues.

Today there are technologies such as AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) and AMR (Automated Meter

Reading) that provide additional abilities to pinpoint exact times and dates of usage, as well as the ability to read that data in realtime. These advanced meters create flags if either high usage has happened or if a reverse flow has occurred. Reverse flow can be a sign of meter tampering or indicate backflow issues that could be a result of a leak downstream. Many systems are putting these advanced flow meters in their system on lines that branch to compare customer usage for the area that meter serves. Breaking your system down into smaller sections through metering branching lines can help you find leaks faster.

(Continued on next page)

J. F. FONTAINE & ASSOCIATES, INC. CONSULTING ENGINEERS RURAL WATER SYSTEM ENGINEERING SINCE 1962 700 N. Sycamore St. P.O. Box 4187 Palestine, Texas 75802

(903) 729-6005 jffontaine@jffontaine.com

Quench — 2021 —Issue 5 23

From the Field

METERING, continued Another metering technology that is useful when you have the right application is strap-on transit time or doppler flow meters. These ultrasonic flow meters fasten to the outside of a pipe to determine the flow rate using signals that pass from one transducer to the other.

TRWA recently purchased this type of equipment to conduct free meter testing to members for flow meters such as well production meters. Aside from an audit

function like meter flow testing, this type of device can be used in the distribution system if the pipe is positioned in a way where the meter can be attached on the outside. Using the ultrasonic flow meter is not a way to pinpoint a leak, but it can provide information on the amount of water traveling down a particular section of pipe and could give some insight on where most of your water is flowing.

ACOUSTIC LEAK DETECTION Leaks create a distinctive noise as water leaves the pipe, with smaller leaks producing a higher-frequency sound and larger leaks emitting a lower-frequency sound. An acoustic leak detection device locates leaks by characterizing and differentiating leak sounds from those of normal water flow through the distribution system. There are various tools out there that utilize this acoustic technology and provide outstanding results. However, acoustic devices are not a one-size-fits-all situation.

Handheld acoustic equipment allows a user to walk a suspected area of a leak and listen for disturbances caused by the turbulence the water is making. With these handheld devices, an operator can pinpoint the leak’s location by altering the frequencies to adjust for the size of the leak.

Another acoustic device is a correlator. These devices have mounted sensors that communicate with each other between a segment of pipe and use an algorithm to identify disturbances and pinpoint an exact location in feet from each of the sensors.

This data is recorded and uploaded to analyze and can take away a lot of the guesswork that comes with trying to accurately distinguish between frequencies with handheld devices. Correlator technology is also being installed on service meters that can communicate from one meter to the next. If you are interested in hearing a sample of what you can expect from using a handheld acoustic leak detector, check out

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this video from Eastcom Associates, Inc. — Water Leak Sounds: trwa.org/leakdetectorsounds.

Also, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has a loan program for systems to borrow their equipment on a 30-day basis if your system is interested. Follow this link for more information and to submit the loan form (trwa.org/ twdbleakdetectorloans). Due to the limited amount of devices available to loan, the wait time can be weeks or months, but borrowing the equipment is free.

Another option is to contact TRWA and set up an appointment for us to come out and provide this assistance using our leak detection equipment. This is a recently added member benefit to TRWA members and is free of charge. You can learn more at trwa.org/membership benefits.

From the Field

DRONES/UAV

Many managers may dismiss drones as an expensive toy and not realize the benefits they can provide a water and wastewater system. However, this new technology is being deployed in our industry for many uses, including leak detection.

There are hundreds of different types of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) out there, but some are equipped with or can support attached thermal cameras. In the water industry thermal cameras can identify variations in temperatures in the ground where water may be leaking.

For example, groundwater is generally warmer than the ambient temperature in the winter months and cooler in the summer months. Analyzing those variations in the ground can be tricky but taking the time to pour through that data has led to positive outcomes for leak detection.

Another use of UAVS/drones in leak detection is putting together an aerial perspective of the area to identify excessive vegetation and green patches of grass during summer months when surrounding areas are dry. From ground level, clues about excess water are not always easily identified, especially when a system has crosscountry water lines that are difficult to travel on foot.

Many of our members are using this drone technology for the reasons above, as well as for tank inspections and project oversight and documentation. TRWA recently purchased a drone to expand our services available to members and is in the process developing a leak detection program. If you are interested in purchasing a drone for your system, be sure to read the rules and requirements of operating a drone in your area and budget for and make plans to obtain the necessary certification as a commercial UAV pilot.

These basic tips and tricks should be enough to get your system started on the leak detection phase of combatting real loss, apparent loss and non-revenue water in your area. Make sure to check out the resources mentioned so that you can make a plan. Then, read the next issue of Quench to find tips on the next stage of the process: fixing water loss.

If you have any questions regarding this article or would like assistance with applying any of the topics discussed at your water system, please contact Jason Knobloch at Jason.Knobloch@trwa.org or call (512) 472-8591, ext.

137.

Quench — 2021 —Issue 5 25

From the Field

The Texas Forests and Drinking Water Partnership

By Hughes Simpson, Department Head, Texas A&M Forest Service and Deborah McMullan, Source Water Protection Specialist, TRWA Almost 40 percent of the state’s surface drinking water supply originates in forests and woodlands that cover about one-third of the state. Forests provide a number of essential economic, social, and environmental functions in addition to supplying the cleanest water of any land use. These lands absorb rainfall, refill groundwater aquifers, slow and filter stormwater runoff, reduce floods, and maintain watershed stability and resilience. A 2013 report by Texas A&M Forest Service estimates watershed services provided by Texas forests are valued at $13.2 billion annually.

However, future projections indicate that up to 1 million acres of forestlands are at risk of being converted to other uses by 2060. The potential for deforestation of so many acres makes the long-term stewardship and retention of healthy, productive forests imperative to current and future drinking water supplies.

26 Quench — 2021 — Issue 5

From the Field The 2012 Texas State Water Plan, updated annually by the Texas Water Development Board, identified that in times of drought Texas would not have enough water to meet the anticipated demand. This served as a call to action for Texas A&M Forest Service to become more engaged in statewide water resource issues. After extensive planning and coordination, Texas A&M Forest Service and Texas Rural Water Association hosted the inaugural Texas Forests and Drinking Water Forum at Lake Conroe in 2015.

Participants representing state and federal agencies, academia, water systems, corporations, local government, landowners, and conservation organizations, found common ground regarding the importance of healthy, wellmanaged forests to the state’s water supply. There was strong consensus that maintaining healthy forests in watersheds is a cost-effective strategy to ensure clean, abundant supplies of water. Additionally, the group decided that continued dialogue was essential, resulting in the creation of the Texas Forests and Drinking Water Partnership (Partnership).

The Partnership is part of a larger regional collaboration (Southeastern Partnership for Forests and Water) that works to increase communication and collaboration between the forest, drinking water, corporate, and conservation sectors. Since its establishment, the Texas Partnership has hosted meetings in Conroe and Austin, moving to bimonthly virtual meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Partnership has four focus areas: watershed assessment, education and outreach, land conservation and stewardship, and strategic partnerships. For the focus area of watershed assessment, early efforts centered on identifying the most important forestlands for protecting surface drinking water supplies in the state. A geospatial watershed

assessment was conducted to identify priority watersheds utilizing data on population served by public surface water supplies, forest cover, forest threats, and existing partnerships that could be leveraged. The assessment identified high priority watersheds in Northeast Texas, Northwest Houston, Southeast Texas, and the Hill Country.

natural resource agencies work with private landowners on planning and implementing land stewardship practices. At the federal level, the 2018 Farm Bill directed the Natural Resources Conservation Service to provide 10% of conservation program funding to practices that enhance source water protection. The Hill Country Conservancy recently received a Regional Conservation The second focus area, education Partners Program award that dedicates and outreach, is critical to raising financial assistance to landowners in the awareness of the important the Hill Country to implement land connection between healthy forests stewardship practices. and clean drinking water. In addition to presenting at numerous As stated by the fourth focus area, conferences, including the TCEQ the Partnership also works to develop Public Drinking Water and TRWA and enhance strategic alliances.

For example, last year they worked with Hays County to pass the Hays County Parks Bond which leverages the Texas State Revolving Fund Loan Program to support source water protection in drinking water watersheds. The Partnership is also working closely with the City of Houston and Harris County on developing source water protection plans, engaging in the Resilient Houston initiative, providing technical assistance in local watershed protection plans, and supporting detention basin studies. One of the most exciting developments in the Partnership’s progress in this area Conferences, the Partnership has focuses on corporate sustainability. developed several free online resources The Partnership, working with Coors to highlight the forest-drinking water Seltzer and the City of McKinney, connection. Key resources include a will implement a riparian forest seven-part forest and drinking water restoration project on Wilson Creek, video series, infographic, story map, an impaired waterbody that flows and research library. This project can into Lake Lavon, a drinking water be found at southeasternpartnership. supply reservoir. org/resources. Additionally, the National Source Water Collaborative The Partnership is hopeful to be recently launched the Forestry Learning Exchange to provide able host an in person meeting in information and tools to help utilities Spring 2022. If you are interested in learning more about the Partnership, collaborate with the forestry sector. participating in a future meeting, Thethird focus area, forest conservation or receiving a quarterly electronic and stewardship, is an essential newsletter, please send an email component of the Partnership. Texas to hsimpson@tfs.tamu.edu or A&M Forest Service and other Deborah.McMullan@trwa.org.

Almost 40% of the state's s u r f a c e drinking water supply originates in forests and woodlands...

Quench — 2021 —Issue 5 27

TRWA Briefs

DISTRICT MEETINGS WITH TRWA Ross gives an intro at the District 4 Meeting in Gatesville, TX. Participants at this meeting received two credit hours and enjoyed a complimentary lunch from LJ's Tiny House Cafe.

TRWA General Counsel and Executive Director Lara Zent gives a welcome to the District 10 Meeting in Navasota.

TRWA Source Water Specialist, Deborah McMullen gives a lesson on the Source WaterProtection Program at the District 9 Meeting i n W i m b e r l e y.

28 Quench — 2021 — Issue 5

Our Membership and Outreach Manager, Ross Brookbank, has travelled across Texas to meet members and non-members at district meetings so far this year.

TRWA District Meetings are opportunities to meet water and wastewater utility employees all over the state in a relaxed setting over lunch.

Each district meeting includes a catered lunch from a local restaurant and at least one credit hour taught by an instructor with specific experience in the Texas rural water and wastewater industries.

Not sure which TRWA District you're in? For a bigger version of the adjacent map, head to trwa.org/districtmap.

TRWA District 6 Director, Brian MacManus greets the crowd at Smolik's Smokehouse for the District 6 Meeting in May.

TRWA Briefs

Texas water and wastewater employees in District 7 pose after their district meeting held in Blue Ridge.

A group listens to the hour lesson at the District 11 Meeting put together by TRWA Board Member, Kevin Spence.

Texas House Member James White greets TRWA members at the District 13 Meeting in Livingston.

Enjoy lunch.

Learn something new.

Meet your people.

Quench — 2021 —Issue 5 29

Pictured above from L to R: Jay Matthews, Georgia; Patrick Credeur, Louisiana; Gary Williams, Florida; Lara Zent, Texas; Kent Watson, Texas; Dennis Sternberg, Arkansas; Matt Holmes, National Rural Water; Gary Larimore, Kentucky; Jimmy Matthews, Georgia.

Congratulations to Kent Watson!

Kent Watson, TRWA Board Member for District 10 and NRWA Immediate Past President was honored at a luncheon at the Fall Management Conference in San Antonio for his leadership in the area of emergency response. TRWA, several other state rural water associations, and the National Rural Water Association presented Kent with a plaque.

While he was President, Kent was the driving force behind NRWA purchasing a mobile command center trailer and truck to lend to rural water associations when they are CLASSIFIED AD:

A North Texas Special Utility District has an immediate opening for General Manager.

The District provides water and sewer service to 2,000 households currently.

The general manager leads all aspects of the district and reports to the Board of Directors. This person makes sure all areas of the operation are running appropriately including hiring, training, budgeting, results attainment for a 64 square mile district in North Texas.

The GM is responsible for all employees, equipment, and distribution systems. The GM ensures that TCEQ and PUC requirements are met.

The ideal candidate should have water and sewer licenses, a four year degree, and considerable experience in a water district.

Contact: James Rice, 214-793-4161, jrice@consultrice.com 30 Quench — 2021 — Issue 5

responding to an emergency, such as assisting utilities to get back up and running after a hurricane. Kent also led the effort for NRWA to set aside yearly funds to further support the state associations’ emergency response activities in the future.

We were thrilled to host NRWA CEO Matt Holmes and other rural water association Executive Directors to present this award. Congratulations to Kent for receiving this well-deserved recognition!

Advertiser Index AIA Insurance Agency................................. Page 8 Childress Engineers............................................ 15 CoBank..............................................................22 Hayter Engineering...........................................24 Hayes Engineering.............................................23 HydroPro Solutions...........................................20 J.F. Fontaine & Associates..................................23 MRB Group........................................................22 NewGen............................................................15 Pittsburg Tank & Tower Maintenance Co., Inc........7 Regal Chlorinators…………………………………….....7 Russell Drilling Co., Inc.........................................7 Texas Aquastore.................................................11 SAMCO................................................................9 Smith Pump Co., Inc………………...…………………..15

Plan Ahead CONFERENCES: RuralWaterCon — April 7– 8 | Kalahari Resort, Round Rock Save the Date! Registration begins in January Training and Technical Conference — July 13–14 | Galveston Island Convention Center Office Professionals Conference — October 13–14 | San Antonio

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 Water Utility Management — December 7-9

In-Person Courses Valve & Hydrant Maintenance — Harlingen — November 30 - December 2 Water Utility Calculations — Decatur — December 7-9

Quench — 2021 —Issue 5 31

1616 Rio Grande| Austin, TX 78701-1122 Telephone: (512) 472-8591 | Fax: (512) 472-5186 www.trwa.org