Quench 2025 - Issue 5

TRWA MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS CUSTOMER SERVICE ON THE LINE LEAD & COPPER NEXT STEPS Issue 5 2025 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 more than 900 nonprofit water supply corporations, water districts, small-town water departments and investor-owned utilities. In addition, nearly 150 water industry suppliers participate in TRWA activities as associate members. TRWA members provide water and wastewater service to 3.5 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 President Robert Nettles Walker (District 13) Vice-President Mark Gardenhire Shackelford (District 1) Secretary Steve Adams Brown (District 4) Treasurer Allen Knight North Collin (District 7) Immediate Past President Bruce Alexander Medina (District 2)

DISTRICT DIRECTORS Dennis Donoho Denton (District 3) Roby Jekel Milam (District 5) Steven Sanchez Hidalgo (District 6) Charles Beseda Hill (District 8) Carolyn Black Bexar (District 9) Kyle Eppler Brazos (District 10) Rachel Webb South Rains (District 11) T. Chad Wilson Kaufman (District 12) Matthew Barrett Nacogdoches (District 14)

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TRWA STAFF

(512) 472-8591

LEADERSHIP TEAM Lara Zent Jason Knobloch Mary Alice Boehm-McKaughan Nichol Everingham Mary M Voorhies Eric Betts

Executive Director & Chief Legal Officer Deputy Executive Director

ext. 101 ext. 137

General Counsel Professional Development & Training Director Finance Director Communications Director

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Eli Aguirre Melody Bennett Destany Brown Lexi Conaway Kimmy Corrigeux Rylee Gillespie Sarah Isbell Jacquelyn Knobloch Leslie Manchester Joshua Smith Sonya Stocklin Marilyn Stuntz Ariane Walker

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FIELD STAFF Don Barker Larry Bell Louis Booth Kenny Butler Nathan Cantrell Kenneth Dykes Roel Gonzalez Frank Hernandez Kevin Jesse Paul King Michael Lehnick Adrian Montemayor Bruce Pearson Charles Perkins Bryan Smith James Smith Donnie Stanton Quentin Turner Robert Turner Maria Vela William White Scott Willeford Zach Willeford

Technical Programs Manager Technical Programs Manager Instructor FMT Specialist Wastewater Technician Instructor FMT Specialist Source Water Protection Specialist Field Specialist Circuit Rider Instructor Water Quality Action Specialist Instructor Circuit Rider FMT Specialist Circuit Rider FMT Specialist FMT Specialist Technical Programs Manager Water Training & Technical Assistance Specialist Technical Programs Manager/Circuit Rider Water Quality Action Specialist/Instructor Wastewater Technician

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In Every Issue

From the Field

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

Lead & Copper Rules Next Steps...14

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

What utilities need to know about what's next when it comes to the revised Lead & Copper rule.

Keep It Legal .........6

On the Line ....18

Answers to your legal questions

Ask Larry .........8

How customer service bridges the gap between your utility and the community you serve.

Answers to your technical questions

TRWA Briefs .........28

Small pieces of association news

The Months Ahead .........31

TRWA News

Features

2026 Area Meetings....10

TRWA's Calendar of Events

What Can TRWA Do For You....24

Get ready for membership renewal by learning everything TRWA can help your utility with.

Find out when TRWA is hosting an Area Meeting near you next year.

Awards of Excellence.....12 Nominate someone for our Awards of Excellence.

New Staff.....22 Meet the latest additions to the TRWA team.

On the cover:

Light ripples across the Guadalupe River. photo by Eric Betts of TRWA

CONTACT THE EDITOR

Editorial and advertising inquiries may be sent to Eric Betts in the Communications Department at editor@trwa.org.

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President's Message Dear Texas Rural Water community, The end of the year is a time for planning and preparation. We prepare our systems for winter and the possibility of another hard freeze, and look ahead to the challenges and growth opportunities that await us in the next year.

TRWA’s 2026 calendar is taking shape. Work is already underway planning sessions and entertainment for RuralWaterCon, to be held next March in Arlington.

We’ll be back in Galveston for the Training & Technical Conference in July and in San Marcos for the Office Professionals Conference in October.

We’re following those up with the return of the Water Utility Expo, which will be held in Tyler October 29-30. It has been more than a decade since the last time the Association put on an event like this, and we’re looking forward to bringing equipment

demonstrations and hands-on learning opportunities to East Texas.

Make sure you’re a part of the exciting year TRWA has ahead by renewing your membership early. You can learn more about everything TRWA offers members beginning on page 24 of this issue of the magazine.

Be on the lookout for your membership renewal packet in the mail. Remember that the deadline for renewing was changed in 2024. You must renew your membership before March 31 to ensure you don’t lose access to your TRWA benefits.

Come be a part of our rural community's plans for 2026. We look forward to seeing you at an event next year.

Best wishes,

Robert Nettles President TRWA

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Letter from the TRWA Executive Director Dear TRWA Members, In November, I attended and presented at our Office Professionals Conference at the Embassy Suites in Frisco. We were thrilled to welcome 85 first-time attendees this year! As always, I felt energized by this enthusiastic group and inspired by these dedicated individuals who work tirelessly to deliver high-quality customer service to rural communities across Texas.

We were also relieved to see the federal government reopen so that agencies like USDARD can resume processing funding applications for critical projects. TRWA’s own Circuit Rider Program was affected during the shutdown, but thanks to your membership dues, our three Circuit Riders continued providing assistance until federal funding resumed.

Before the conference, I joined our newest Emerging Leaders Program cohort for a session on public speaking. It was inspiring to watch participants challenge themselves, build confidence and invest in their professional growth.

This fall, our staff worked diligently to develop TRWA’s 2026 budget for Board approval, a challenging but rewarding process as we plan for the year ahead. We are also finalizing agendas and speakers for next year’s conferences and area meetings, and we’re excited about the return of our hands-on Expo in Tyler next October at the W.T. Brookshire Conference Center.

That same week, we celebrated the passage of Proposition 4, a major step toward securing the water resources and infrastructure needed to serve the next generation of Texans. Thank you to everyone who helped share information and dispel misconceptions about this important initiative. It is encouraging to see such strong bipartisan support for water issues at a time when federal politics remain gridlocked.

Looking ahead, our Board will meet this spring for a strategic planning retreat to set TRWA’s goals for the next five years. As always, we remain committed to finding new ways to support you and strengthen our industry. If you have ideas or requests that would help us better meet your needs, we would love to hear from you.

Warm regards,

Lara Zent Executive Director & General Counsel TRWA

Keep It Legal Answers to Members’ Questions by TRWA General Counsel Mary Alice McKaughan I hope you have enjoyed the cooler fall weather. I’m so excited about the upcoming holidays. My oldest is in her first year of college and I can’t wait to see her. It was great to visit with many of y’all at Office Professionals Conference in Frisco in November.

I gave a presentation on the Open Meetings Act. Some changes there include the new 3 business days, instead of 72-hour, open meetings notice requirement. Here are a couple of interesting questions we received recently.

Q:

We are a Special Utility District (SUD), and we keep on hearing about a new artificial intelligence (AI) training requirement. What is it? Do we have to do it? Is it the same thing as our Cyber Security Training?

A: I’m getting lots of questions about this. There were two bills passed during the Texas Regular 89th Legislative Session, HB 150 and HB 3512, that expanded the annual cybersecurity training requirement and required a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) training for some local government employees and officials.

Yes, as a SUD your employees and officials must now all take the annual Cyber Security training. Those with 25% access, or more, to system computers must take the new AI training. This means that all local government employees and officials, including those of Water Districts and Municipal water systems, must take an annual cybersecurity training course that is certified by the Texas Department of Information 6 Quench — 2025 — Issue 5

Resources (DIR) and report completion to the DIR via the web form. There is also a new annual AI training requirement for local government employees/officials, including Water Districts and Municipal water systems, that have at least 25% access to system computers.

These new training requirements do not apply to water supply corporations (WSC), Sewer Supply Corporation (SSC) or investor-owned utilities (IOU).

This means that, starting on September 1, 2025, all elected, or appointed, officials and employees of a local governmental entity must complete an annual DIR certified cybersecurity training course. However, only employees and officials with at least 25% access to the District or City’s system’s computers, including SCADA, must complete the new annual DIR certified AI training. The DIR must be notified when each training is completed using the designated form. Each local governmental entity must also conduct periodic audits of its employees and officials to ensure compliance.

A list of at least 5 DIR certified cybersecurity and AI training programs should soon be listed on the DIR’s website. The DIR will also provide forms for the local governmental entity to use to report completion of the AI and cybersecurity courses to the DIR and the percentage of employees and officials in compliance with the DIR training requirements. The DIR is also expected to pass on new rules regarding the new requirements. We will keep an eye out and let you know when this happens.

There is also a new penalty for noncompliance. Failure to comply with the new training requirements will negatively impact on an entity’s ability to apply for, or keep, certain grants issued and administered by the state. If an entity is awarded a grant after certifying compliance with AI and cybersecurity training, and is found not to have complied, they are required to pay grant back and are ineligible for a grant for 2 years.

Q:

We are a WSC that only sells water wholesale. All our WSC members are also on our WSC board and receive a copy of the proposed budget with the meeting notice. Do we still have to post our proposed budget with our meeting notice at the courthouse?

A: I’ve gotten three different versions of this question this month. Yes, starting on September 1, 2025, if you

are subject to the Open Meetings Act, which you are, your open meeting notice for a meeting where a new budget is up for consideration must include a copy of proposed budget unless a link to the proposed budget is prominently posted on your website and this is referenced in the meeting notice/agenda.

If your entity is a taxing unit, the budget adoption meeting notice must also include a taxpayer impact statement.

I hope this helps! Happy Holidays from our TRWA family to yours.

Mary Alice McKaughan is TRWA's General Counsel.

TRWA Members can submit their legal inquiries by emailing legal@trwa.org or by using the form on the bottom of the Legal page. They can also search the archive at https://www.trwa.org/page/KILHome.

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Ask Larry A Q&A column with TRWA Technical Programs Manager Larry Bell

Q:

Our system had a regular business meeting the other night and the question came up about whether a board member could join in the discussion about implementing the system’s Drought Contingency Plan’s (DCP’s) penalties after it was determined that this board member had property which would be directly subject to these particular types of drought contingency plan penalties.

A: Once a topic on the business agenda is brought up, any board member who would be affected by the results of this discussion and action should declare their interest related to the particular agenda item. However, there may be some differences in how this is done and what happens next depending on the board’s own policies, the type of entity you are and what it says in your Conflict of Interest Policy.

If this is a water supply corporation, legally the board member with the interest in the land impacted by the DCP could join the discussion and could even vote if the other board members are notified of their interest first, unless the system’s conflict of interest policy prevents it. Some conflict of interest policies allow a board member’s conflict of interest statement to be entered into the board meeting minutes and then allow that member to continue to participate in the following discussions and cast a vote about this business item. Other conflict of interest policies include other variations about whether the board member must abstain from discussions and vote on that issue.

If this is a district, then the board member is required to file an affidavit disclosing his interest in the land impacted by the DCP before a vote or decision on the DCP, and 8 Quench — 2025 — Issue 5

abstain from further participation. If a majority of the board members are impacted by the DCP, after filing affidavits, the board members may continue to participate in the discussion and vote on the issue.

When in doubt, it is best to seek local legal advice or even contact the Texas Attorney General’s Office (AG) to see if there have been any AG opinions that address your particular issue.

Q:

Our system will be restructuring our rates as well as increasing them. I believe we are required to give our customers 60 days notice before rates go into effect and have one meeting allowing them to speak on the increase. Is this correct?

A: Whether you are required to provide your customers with notice of a rate increase depends on what type of water system you are.

If you are a WSC, you are not legally required to give your members notice of a rate increase unless it is required by your tariff. However, TRWA strongly recommends providing your customers with notice of, and an explanation for, any rate increase because it improves customer relations and can prevent a rate appeal. The TRWA Sample Tariff includes a 30-day notice prior to the implementation of a new rate, reading: The Corporation will give written notice of rate changes by mail or hand delivery and by email and the Corporation’s website, if applicable, to all customers at least 30 days prior to the effective date of the new rate.

The notice will contain the old rates, new rates, effective date of the new rate, meaning the first date of the applicable billing cycle where the new rate will take effect, date of Board authorization, and the name and phone number of the Corporation’s contact person designated to address inquiries about the rate change.

Some WSCs hold a special board meeting just to discuss the rate increase with customers. But the vast majority will just list rate increases on their regular business meeting’s agenda and let the folks who show up comment. At that meeting, if your tariff includes TRWA’s language, the board’s motion to approve the rate increase needs to state that the rate increase notice will be issued so that the effective date of the increase is at least 30 days prior to the effective date or billing cycle.

Cities and districts are required to notify all rate payers located outside of their boundaries of a rate increase no later than 60 days after the final rate change decision.

The written notice must be either mailed or e-mailed and include: 1) the effective date of the new rates, 2) the new

rates and 3) where additional information on rates can be obtained. Districts and cities are not legally required to give notice of a rate increase to customers who reside inside their boundaries or to provide an explanation of why the system is raising its rates. However, TRWA highly recommends that districts and cities provide all its customers with notice of a rate increase along with an explanation of why the rate increase is needed as this improves customer relations and lessens the instance of costly rate appeals.

As a reminder, a petition for an appeal of a rate increase

by WSCs, districts and cities (outside city customers only), must be signed by 10% of the affected ratepayers and filed with the Public Utility Commission and the utility within 90 days after the effective date of the rate change.

Larry Bell is TRWA's Technical Programs Manager, with more than 30 years experience at the association.

If you have a Technical Question, please email larry.bell@trwa.org or search the archive at https://trwa.org/qualityontap/

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Quench — 2025 — Issue 5 9

TRWA News

Rolling Through Texas TRWA's 2026 Area Meetings are on the Board

Gather with your rural water community across Texas Members and non-member systems are invited to in 2026 for a TRWA Area Meeting near you. attend and learn more about what TRWA has to offer.

You're invited to join us next year at any of our meetings to earn CE credit hours, network with nearby systems and eat a free lunch provided by our sponsors. Meetings will feature presentations covering a range of topics relevant to all system personnel.

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See the opposite page for a tentative schedule of 2026 meetings. For up-to-date information and online registration, you can visit our website at trwa.org/area-meetings. Get the latest news and updates by signing up for our Pipeline electronic newsletter by visiting trwa.org/enews.

TRWA News

April 7 McAllen TX

April 21 Greenville

TX

May 5 Cleburne

TX

May 12

May 19

TX

TX

Fort Davis

Wichita Falls

June 23 Pittsburg TX

March 3 Early TX

June 30 Sherman TX

Feb. 17 Castroville TX

July 7 Floresville TX

Feb. 10

July 28

Nacogdoches

Lake Jackson

TX

TX

Jan. 27 Jasper TX

Aug. 18 Navasota TX

Jan. 20 Abilene TX

Aug. 25 Jacksonville

TX

20

Nov. 17

Nov. 10

Waco

Crockett

26

TX

TX

Oct. 14 Emory TX

Sept. 29

Sept. 1

Corsicana

Bastrop

TX

TX

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TRWA is now accepting nominations for our 2026 TRWA Awards of Excellence!

Nominate your system or an individual for one of our awards honoring those who showcase dedication and achievement in our rural water communities. The deadline for submitting your nominations is January 26, 2026.

Systems can nominate themselves for either of the following categories: • Small System Excellence — designed to honor a deserving system serving 1,500 or fewer connections • Large System Excellence — designed to recognize a system serving more than 1,500 connections • Tell us about the challenges you’ve overcome, the improvements you’ve made, the new technology or procedures that have taken your utility to the next level.

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We also select three individual award recipients honoring those who have gone above and beyond in service to their systems and their utility. These awards are given in the categories of: • • •

System Management Administration Operations

System-wide award winners receive a $1,000 prize, while individual winners receive a $500 prize. This year for the first time we’re also awarding $25 gift cards to the person who nominates each of our five award recipients.

Go to trwa.org/systemawards for system awards and trwa.org/awards for individual awards to begin your nominations.

Please keep in mind that only TRWA members and their employees are eligible.

From the Field

Lead and Copper Rules Next Steps

By Quentin Turner

Rules (LCRR) in 2021 and the final Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) in October 2024. Most of us by Once upon a time, humans used lead for an astounding now understand what those meant for community water variety of things. Ancient empires used it to make coins, systems. Most of us hopefully had the opportunity to upload cups and coffins. Lead bullets were fired from slings like our required Lead Service Line Inventory by the deadline. the one David fought Goliath with, thousands of years Most of us now are done thinking about Lead and Copper before firearms were invented. Egyptians used it in makeup. forever, right?

And Romans used it to lay an empire’s worth of pipes. It didn’t corrode, was easy to weld together into a waterproof Wrong. Very much wrong. With all the focus put on that network and was plentiful. It also caused health problems; October deadline to turn in our LSLIs, I think many systems ones even Roman builders and historians documented their haven’t realized what else they have to do going forward to concerns about. reach compliance. Here’s a look at crucial dates, including deadlines that follow October’s inventory: Until recently, water systems were only responsible for transporting water from the source to the customers’ meters. • October 16, 2024 – Complete initial Lead Service Line Everything on the other side was the province of builders, Inventory (LSLI) and make it publicly available. Notify all homeowners, landlords and plumbers. Lead changed that. customers with 24 hours following a Lead Action Level Its ongoing use, as well as our better understanding of the Exceedance (10ppb). impacts it can have on human health and development, has given water systems at least some degree of responsibility • November 15, 2024 – Send a notification to any customer for their water all the way to the customer’s mouth. that has lead, Galvanized Requiring Replacement (GRR) or unknown service line. Continue to do so annually thereafter.

In 1971, Congress passed the Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act banning lead-based paint in federally-assisted • July 1, 2025 – Consumer Confidence Reports required to public housing projects. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety include additional LCRR information.

Commission banned lead-based house paint in 1978.

Congress passed laws restricting the use of lead pipes and • November 1, 2027 – Complete the baseline inventory and solder in new plumbing systems in 1986. Under the authority Lead Service Line Replacement Plan. The baseline invenof the Safe Drinking Water Act passed in 1974, the original tory builds on the initial LSLI and includes the location and EPA Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) was released in 1991. material of every service line. Each service line and connector must have a unique identifier, such as a street address or After the Flint Michigan debacle, Congress passed several GPS coordinates. Systems must validate the accuracy of their laws to further protect the public from lead in drinking “non-lead” lines and identify the material of any “material water. EPA then enacted the Lead and Copper Revised unknown” lines. This inventory must be submitted to the 14 Quench — 2025 — Issue 5

From the Field state and made publicly accessible.

The baseline inventory is the foundation for the Lead Service Line Replacement Plan, which you can read about in the sidebar on this page. It provides transparency to the public and is required to be updated annually to reflect progress.

The system must add any lead connectors or goosenecks to the inventory, provide results to customer for all samples within three business days after receiving results and provide a list of all school and child care facilities.

Per the EPA’s Final Lead and Copper Rule Improvements Technical Fact Sheet, a Service Line Replacement Plan is due to the state by November 1, 2027 and must include: 1. A description of a strategy to identify the material composition of all unknown service lines in the inventory.

2. A standard operating procedure for conducting full service line replacement.

3. A communication strategy for informing consumers and customers before a full or partial lead or GRR service line replacement.

4. A procedure for consumers and customers to flush service lines and prem-

• January 1, 2028 – Provide a sample site plan, a list of tap ise plumbing of particulate lead following a disturbance of a lead, GRR or sites for Water Quality Parameters monitoring and tap sam- unknown service lines or following full or partial replacement. pling protocol if you are required to sample in 2028.

5. A strategy to prioritize service line replacement based on factors such as • December 31, 2034 – Complete a non-lead validation.

• November 1, 2037 – Systems must replace all lead and GRR service lines and verify all unknown lines under their control within ten years of the creation of their Lead Service Line Replacement Plan unless given a deferred deadline or required by the state to replace them sooner. That being said, beginning at the end of 2030, systems must assess a cumulative annual replacement rate of 10 percent, so this isn’t one 3.625” wide

Continued on next page

known lead and GRR service lines and community-specific factors.

6. A funding strategy for conducting service line replacement that includes ways to accommodate customers that are unable to pay to replace the portion of the service line they own.

7. A communication strategy to inform both consumers and customers served by the water system about the replacement plan and program.

8. Identification of any laws, regulations, and/or water tariff agreements that affect the water system’s ability to gain access to conduct full replacement.

9. For water systems that identify any lead-lined galvanized service lines in the inventory, a strategy to determine the extent of their use in the distribution system.

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MAIN STREET CONTINUES TO BE THE PLACE TO GO. Every home and business needs water, something CoBank’s finance team understands. As a TRWA member, we can offer special terms at a lower rate.

With little paperwork to complete and minimal delays, CoBank can process your application quickly so you can start your projects right away.

Contact John DeLuca Sr. Relationship Manager 303-694-5958 jdeluca@cobank.com www.trwa.org/cobank

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Quarter Page Vertical Ad

From the Field that you can wait until the last minute on.

base that you’re finished and are compliant with the EPA and the State of Texas.

As you can see, the Lead Service Line Inventory isn’t nearly Here is the thing, folks. It is much easier to stay on top of over with. Some of this gets more involved going forward. or stay up to date with rules and regulations rather than to (We’re going to go from a Tier 1-3 system to a Tier 1-5 sys- try to play “catch up.” This will all take time and attention, tem, to take one example.) Some of these things could still but it can take that time over the course of years or all at change or be added to. 2037 is a long way away. once. Better to try to spread them out and keep up with deadlines rather than have to rush back into compliance.

There are ways in which you can accomplish the verifica- TRWA’s technical assistance team is always available to help tion process. Most of them you have seen before as part of and provide guidance on how to comply the Lead Service Line Inventory. Among these are: visual inspection of service line materials to include visual inspec- The Lead and Copper regulations should be followed not tion of the meter pit; scratch tests/magnet tests/swab tests; simply because they are the law but because they help protect visual inspections by customers; CCTV inspections by the the community and its children. The Romans suspected and PWS; water quality sampling to include targeted service line we know for sure the harms that lead can cause, especially in sampling; flushed sampling; sequential sampling; excavation, our smallest and most vulnerable customers. It is not just the including manual excavation or vacuum excavation; predic- law. It is right and moral to protect our community members. tive modeling or other emerging technology.

To meet the EPA’s requirements, water systems will need to develop a preliminary working inventory that includes both the customer side and the system side of the service line and have in place a method of continually updating the inventory as line materials are changed. Once you have completed your Lead Service Line Replacement Plan, you need to inform both the State of Texas as well as your customer

Quentin Turner is an FMT Specialist at TRWA.

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16 Quench — 2025 — Issue 5

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From the Field

On the Line

Customer Service keeps the communication flowing, in good times and in bad

By Louis Booth I've spent more than a decade working in this field, doing everything from troubleshooting leaky pipes in remote valleys to helping communities navigate funding for new treatment plants. One thing I've learned time and again is that good customer service isn't a nice-to-have; it's the glue that holds everything together. In rural settings, where resources are thin and systems can stretch over long areas, treating customers with respect and responsiveness can make the difference between a thriving community and one plagued by distrust.

a small utility with only a handful of employees, serve as the face of the system to some part of the community.

This is true whether we’re responding to a call in the field or bumping into someone who has a question at the gas pump. It’s on all of us to build trust during these interactions. We might not be able to tell them exactly what they want to hear every time, but we can make them feel heard and give them something positive to leave the interaction with. Criticism travels fast in a tight-knit community, but so does praise.

Customer service helps build a bank of goodwill with Let's start with the basics. Customer service in the water our communities. This can be especially important in and wastewater industry means more than just answering rural areas because of the nature of the challenges sysphones and sending bills on time. We tend to separate tems face there. A single outage or contamination issue things in our heads into “customer service roles” and ev- might only affect a handful of households, but those erybody else, but all of us working at a system, especially households could be miles apart, making quick fixes a 18 Quench — 2025 — Issue 5

From the Field logistical impossibility. Without strong customer service, the people affected can make an issue affecting just a handful of customers into one the whole community is keeping tabs on. Small problems can snowball into big ones, eroding public confidence and even leading to regulatory headaches. When customers feel heard, they're more likely to cooperate with necessary measures, such as conserving water during droughts or reporting leaks early, and more likely to be understanding about the effort it takes to fix their problems.

Another way to build this goodwill is through education.

Good customer service includes educating folks on how to use and maintain the system. Take wastewater management, for instance. In rural areas, many homes rely on septic systems rather than centralized sewers. A system can provide outreach programs such as workshops or mailers that teach residents how to avoid clogs or when to pump their tanks. This lets customers know you’re there even during normal business and not just when a line has sprung a leak or it’s time to mail out bills. It can also prevent environmental messes, like groundwater pollution, which can devastate local wells and streams.

Effective customer service means not just monitoring and treating potential hazards, but also informing the public about what you are doing and why. Water quality issues, such as high nitrates from agricultural runoff, are common in rural areas and can pose serious risks to customers, especially to kids and expecting mothers.

Regular updates on test results, tips for home filtration or even door-to-door visits in vulnerable spots build a safety net. By fostering open dialogue, utilities can encourage behaviors that protect everyone, like proper disposal of household chemicals.

Continued on next page

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Quench — 2025 —Issue 5 19

Features Rural water and wastewater services often depend on grants, low-interest loans from USDA or the Texas Water Development Board or rate hikes to fund improvements.

Convincing ratepayers to support these isn't easy, especially in areas hit hard by economic downturns. Strong customer service helps build support by demonstrating value. If folks see their utility as responsive and reliable, say, by fixing a billing error without hassle or providing flexible payment plans, they're more inclined to back investments in infrastructure. I once helped a small town in East Texas rally community support for improvements to their wastewater treatment plant. We held town hall meetings where staff listened to concerns about details and costs, then adjusted plans accordingly. The project went through without a hitch, all because we prioritized people over paperwork.

replacement for the human element; training staff to be empathetic and knowledgeable. In my experience, a friendly voice on the line can de-escalate a tense situation faster than any technical manual.

Technology can assist utilities in providing a customer service presence, but in rural contexts, it must be practical.

Not everyone has high-speed internet or smartphones, so blending old-school methods with new ones is key.

Automated alerts for boil-water notices via text or email are great, but follow-up calls to elderly residents ensure no one slips through the cracks. These tools are still no

Louis Booth is an Instructor at TRWA.

20 Quench — 2025— Issue 5

Looking ahead, rural utilities will face even tougher tests.

Customer service will be the frontline defense, fostering trust, ensuring sustainability and bridging the gaps between utilities and communities and keeping them working together for the good of all. From my years in the trenches, I can tell you that investing in people, both staff and customers, yields dividends far beyond clean water and treated waste. It's about creating resilient communities where everyone feels supported. If you're in this industry, remember: a little courtesy can flow a long way.

Features

ASSESSING & PRESERVING THE NATION’S INFRASTRUCTURE

SINCE 1953

AWWA D110 PRESTRESSED CONCRETE TANKS Type I, Type II, Type III, & Type IV Clearwells Digesters

AWWA D100/ D103 TANKS

Pictured: (3) 11MG PCT Tanks

INDUSTRY LEADING QUALIFICATIONS & CERTIFICATIONS AMPP QP8 Accredited Contractor AMPP Certified Inspectors OSHA Trained Inspectors ACI Certified Shotcreters

Glass Fused-To-Steel Bolted Welded Steel/Bolted Steel

ACI 350

ENVIRONMENTAL STRUCTURES Headworks Aeration Structures Biological Nutrient Removal Cast-in-Place Clarifiers Flow Equalization

OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE Lift/Pump Stations Stadiums Bridges Parking Structures Tunnels Dams Highways

(352) 372-3436 www.cromcorp.com Quench — 2025 —Issue 4 21

TRWA News

Meet the newest TRWA staff members

Texas for more than 15 years, and holds double Class A licenses from TCEQ. She has managed treatment plants, supported operations teams, and helped ensure that her neighbors receive safe, reliable drinking water every day.

Outside of work, Maria enjoys life's simple pleasures: reading a good novel, taking hikes on the weekend and spending time in her garden.

This fall, TRWA added three new She treasures the moments she gets our Fee Services Department. to spend with her family, who remind members to our staff team. her each day why she's working to A native of San Antonio, Texas, Kevin In September, we brought on Maria create a sustainable future for Texas. is new to the water industry but brings Vela as our new EPA Water Training an expertise in mapping to his role & Technical Assistance Specialist. In October, we brought on Kevin helping systems find and track their Maria has worked in water and Jesse as our new Field Specialist, infrastructure. wastewater for communities across assisting with drone and GIS work in 22 Quench — 2025 — Issue 5

TRWA News Kevin enjoys reading, studying history, cooking and attempting to play complex board games. He also writes science fiction, and has published two short stories. He lives in San Antonio with his wife, Shelly, and their two cats, Edmond and Calcifer.

We were also joined in October by Rylee Gillespie, our new Training Support Specialist.

Rylee comes to TRWA with more than foundation in communication, critieight years of experience in customer cal thinking and adaptability. service, including four years in a management role.

Outside of work, Rylee enjoys exploring Austin’s food scene by trying out Rylee holds an Associate of Arts new restaurants and cuisines. She degree in General Studies – Liberal is also an avid reader and values Arts from Austin Community College, spending quality time with family and where she developed a strong loved ones.

Come work with us!

Visit trwa.org/ trwajobs to see our current opportunities.

Quench — 2025 — Issue 5 23

Features

what can trwa do for you?

Membership renewal for 2026 is here. Read on to see everything TRWA does for our member water & wastewater systems.

technical assistance & emergency response

Your membership in TRWA helps support our onsite technical assistance programs, which provide systems across the state of Texas with help troubleshooting a wide range of potential issues at no cost to the system: • • • • •

Regulatory compliance Treatment optimization Rate studies Budget management Board governance concerns

Through our state & federal grants, systems receive the benefit of our team of experts, which include Circuit Riders; Wastewater Technicians; an Energy Efficiency Circuit Rider; Financial, Managerial and Technical Assistance specialists; Source Water Protection specialists and more.

TRWA offers emergency response services for disasters impacting utilities as a part of the Texas Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (TXWARN), a mutual-aid network for free assistance to all utilities. We have generators available in the case of power outages.

legal Services TRWA’s Legal Department assists members with a variety of issues, including: • CCNs & easements • Elections & board governance • Tariffs and service policies • Rate cases • Regulatory matters Employment concerns 24 •Quench — 2025— Issue 4

Members may contact the Legal Department for answers to legal questions as part of their membership. We also offer two affordable fee-based legal services: annual Eminent Domain Reporting to help systems stay in compliance and, for WSCs, application through TCEQ to receive a Sales Tax Exemption Certification.

legislative advocacy Our Executive Director, Legal Department and contract lobbyists passionately advocate for our members before the Texas Legislature, Congress and the regulatory agencies on issues that impact members statewide. We regularly meet with legislators and agency staff and provide comments on rule packages. We host a

TRWA News

Rural Water Day at the Texas Capital for our members every Texas legislative session. Our team visits Texas’ congressional delegation in Washington D.C. every year and meets with our Representatives' and Senators’ offices throughout the year.

25 Quench — 2025— Issue 4

stay involved Don't miss TRWA news throughout the year. Sign up for our e-newsletters at trwa.org/enews to get updates on training sessions throughout the year, early registration notices for our annual conferences and water and wastewater industry updates.

TRWA offers a wide range of water and wastewater operations courses approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), available in classroom settings, live virtual sessions and online self-paced formats. These flexible options help operators meet certification requirements.

In addition to year-round courses, in 2026 TRWA will host four major conferences that provide opportunities to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs). We also offer specialized workshops

training & education

throughout the year. Through these programs, our members can strengthen their skills, maintain certification and stay current with evolving industry standards. Members receive discounted registration rates for training courses and conferences.

TRWA also administers a Registered Apprenticeship Program, providing an accelerated training and development pathway for new water and wastewater operators. TRWA's Emerging Leaders Program develops the next generation of Quench industry—leaders.

2025 — Issue 5 25

TRWA News

To keep members connected and informed, TRWA publishes Quench magazine, weekly eNewsletters, training updates and the TRWA podcast. These publications, along with additional resource materials, keep our members abreast of industry updates and help utilities stay prepared for challenges and opportunities. TRWA provides members with a wide range of resources that strengthen daily operations and support long-term sustainability, including:

TRWA TRWANews News

news & publications • • • • • •

Funding information Emergency response support Toolkits for regulatory compliance Utility governance materials System planning resources Upcoming training sessions

save the dates

Make the time to join us for our 2026 Conferences.

RuralWaterCon 2026 | Arlington March 25-27

Office Professionals Conference | San Marcos October 8-9

Training & Technical Conference | Galveston July 15-26

Water Utility Expo | Tyler October 29-30

area MEETINGS TRWA hosts regional meetings to bring educational content and networking opportunities out to our members all over Texas. We encourage all system staff and board members to attend these meetings which include lunch and free credit hours approved by TCEQ and taught by industry experts, as well as opportunities for 26 Quench — 2025 — Issue 5 26 Quench — 2025— Issue 4

interacting with other utility representatives from the area and industry vendors.

See page 10 for the 2026 meeting schedule, and check out the calendar throughout the year at trwa.org/area-meetings.

TRWA provides GIS mapping, leak detection and drone services to members at affordable rates to enhance their daily operations.

TRWA’s GIS Mapping service is designed for systems of any size, especially those with no digital maps or outdated, low-quality digital data. Our team has experience capturing all the system’s assets and developing accurate, user-friendly digital maps that operators, managers and office staff can navigate. Our team uses multiple GIS platforms to cater to the system’s comfort level and ensure easy use and implementation.

gis mapping & drone services

TRWA’s Drone Services help systems safely inspect critical infrastructure and document projects without sending staff up ladders or relying on guesswork. We provide exterior inspections of elevated storage tanks and ground storage tanks, as well as aerial construction and project oversight to help track progress and communicate clearly with boards, engineers and the public. For interior inspections, we utilize an aquatic drone to evaluate the inside of tanks without taking the tank offline.

TRWA also offers leak detection services for systems that know they’re losing water but don’t know where.

additional resources TRWA has a library of more than 30 regularly revised publications, including salary and rate surveys, legal handbooks, training manuals, sample policies and tariffs and guidebooks for system operators, managers and directors.

Our website houses archives of questions and answers for members to reference, as well as toolkits filled with links and information on subjects ranging from funding sources to working with state transportation officials to protect water lines during road expansion projects

27 Quench — 2025— Issue 4

ready for renewal Membership renewal packets will be sent out in December. Remember, the deadline to renew your membership without interruption of benefits is now March 31. If you have any questions about your membership or need any further assistance, please contact our Membership Team at membership@trwa.org or 512-472-8591 “Option 5”

TRWA Briefs Survey says TRWA is collecting information from our membership on a couple of different topics. Help us out by participating in our short surveys:

1

TRWA will be working throughout the legislative interim on issues pertaining to the Texas 811 "Call Before You Dig" program and the possibility of waster and wastewater utility members becoming mandatory members of the program. We hope to take into account the full scope of experiences Texas utilities are having with excavation, damage to lines and the effort of locating lines in response to requests. We want to make sure we accurately represent our members’ concerns and interests. We cannot do this without your help! If you or someone at your system has not already done so, please complete the survey by visiting trwa.org/page/surveys.

2

TRWA is surveying member systems to find out more about their training needs and what sorts of classes systems would like to see offered in their part of the state. Visit trwa.org/page/surveys to take the TRWA Training Survey and let us know what your operators need to get their hours.

Advertiser Index Childress Engineers............................................19 CoBank.............................................................. 15 Crom.................................................................21 Esri......................................................................9 Hawkins............................................................16 Hayter Engineering............................................18 Integra Clear Co.................................................24

Join the conversation at: www.facebook.com/TexasRuralWaterAssn 28 Quench — 2025 — Issue 5

J.F. Fontaine.......................................................19 NewGen............................................................23 Russell Drilling....................................................19 ServLine..............................................................15 Tabor & Associates.............................................20 USA Bluebook.......................................Back Cover Viking...................................................................9

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

East Texas Water Utility Symposium TRWA held the East Texas Water Utility Symposium on October 13 in Tyler. Attendees heard from Congressman Nathan Moran of the First Congressional District, as well as Chairman Cody Harris, Chairman

Gary VanDeaver and Representative Daniel Alders of the Texas House of Representatives, who discussed the concerns and challenges facing water systems in the area. Thanks to all who attended.

Rural Water PAC in action TRWA staff and board members have been meet- to distribute funds from the Rural Water PAC. Two such visits ing with state and federal legislators in key roles who made this fall were to Chairman Cody Harris (left) and understand the issues facing water and wastewater utilities Representative Jay Dean (right.)

Quench — 2025 — Issue 5 29

Annual Meetings Gearing up to hold your system's Annual Business Meeting? You can find information on conducting elections and hosting this meeting on our website at trwa.org/page/electioninfo.

Find Sample WSC Election Procedures, links to training and education for districts and citations from TRWA's Legal Handbooks for both Districts and WSCs on a wide range of topics.

These resources are a benefit of membership, so you must be logged in to the TRWA website in order to access them.

Cold Weather Temperatures are falling across Texas.

Now's the time to make sure your system is prepared for winter. We covered a whole host of winterization tips and precautions this time last year. Access them by visiting trwa.org/page/ quench24#issue5.

Visit trwa.org/page/EmergencyResponse for information about TxWARN and TRWA's emergency response resources.

Water Forum In October, TRWA cohosted the second annual Water Forum event along with Workforce Solutions Capital Area, Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area and the Austin Infrastructure Academy. Attendees heard from Chairman Charles Perry of the Texas Senate Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee.

TRWA's Jason Knobloch moderated a panel on water supply, and TRWA's Jacquelyn Knobloch participated in a panel on the water and wastewater workforce.

The Months Ahead Here's a look at a small sample of the events TRWA has scheduled for the next two months. To see more trainings, regional meetings, conferences and more, visit www.trwa.org/event_calendar

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Area Meeting Abilene

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Feb. 3-5

Basic Wastewater Bastrop & Valve & Hydrant Maintenance Scurry

Feb. 17-19 Virtual Basic Wastewater

Quench — 2025 — Issue 4 31

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

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