ED News

by Russell Hamilton, TWUA Executive Director

Father, as we enter this new year, we bow our heads in respect and humbly say thank you, as we acknowledge that you are the creator. We take comfort in knowing that You remain in charge and control of life as we understand it. We need You, and we welcome You in all we do. We come into Your presence seeking Your grace, calm, guidance, and forgiveness. Father, we pray for Your mercy and grace, and we ask that You guide, direct, protect, and bless TWUA and its members. Father, we thank you for your forgiveness as we offer praise to Jesus. Amen

As I begin my 17th year as Executive Director of TWUA, I am so appreciative of this opportunity and truly consider myself blessed each day. Thanks to the Management Committee, Staff, and Volunteers who are dedicated to making TWUA GREAT! Thanks to you as users of TWUA Training opportunities.

In West Texas, Lake Spence is sitting at 18.3 % (- 0.5 %). White River is sitting at 11.8 % (-0.5 %). Panhandle - Lake Meredith is sitting at 30.6 % (- 0.3 %), and Greenbelt is at 14.0 % (+ 2.0 %). If you want a complete look at current lake levels, go to waterdatafortexas.org. The drought has never left for some.

Annual School – the 105th Annual School will remain in Corpus Christi. The dates are September 18th – 21st, 2023. After the 100th anniversary, it was suggested that the association make each upcoming 5th year a special event to acknowledge and commemorate the association and those who have served in management positions. Not sure at this point the specifics on how the 105th will be celebrated, but please, make plans now to come and be a part of this historic accomplishment.

Mark your calendar for the 2023 Regional opportuni-

ties – Amarillo will kick off the regional events beginning April 4th – 6th, 2023. Beaumont will be April 24th – 27th, 2023. Abilene will be May 9th – 11th . Arlington will be May 15th – 19th, 2023. Killeen will be June 6th – 8th. 2023. San Marcos will be July 11th – 13th, 2023. Longview will be August 28th – 31st, 2023. Fort Stockton will be August 14th – 17th, 2023. Lubbock will be November 7th – 9th, 2023. The entire regional calendar and links to all the fliers will be activated as soon as possible so that you can register for any region now, using budgets more efficiently.

The Story Goes Something Like This –

Air travel for the holidays was predicted to be at capacity. Booked on a flight from Boston to Los Angeles was Jerry Horton. Jerry has Macular Degeneration and has no forward sight and limited prereferral vision. Jerry travels with a seeing-eye dog named Buster.

This particular flight was about 45 minutes late in the boarding and take off, so tempers and conversations were short between passengers and flight crews.

About 30 minutes into the flight, the pilot came on the intercom and announced that this flight would be making an unscheduled stop in Dallas – DFW for maintenance crews to come on board and change out a faulty computer. The pilot assured everyone there was no danger, and for the remaining time, they would be going ‘old school’ and flying by instruments and relying on the skills of the flight crew. No clouds and no weather to worry about, so we should be descending into DFW in about 2 hours.

When the plane landed in Dallas, the passengers filed off the plane except for Jerry and Buster. The pilot was about to walk off when he noticed Buster and recognized Jerry from previous flights. The pilot approached

Jerry and asked if he would like to get off the plane and stretch his legs. Jerry said he was fine but asked if the pilot would mind taking Buster for a walk and get him some water. The pilot had pinned wings onto the dog’s vest and assisted with Buster before, so the dog and pilot were familiar with each other. And the pilot would now try to assist Jerry.

The pilot had decided he would take Buster outside in case he needed to go potty. As the pilot was walking, he put his sunglasses on (in anticipation of going outside). When Buster was ready to go back in, the pilot was happy to oblige.

There were many passengers in the gate area, and the noise was high. The area became completely quiet as the pilot and Buster approached the gate. The pilot, still wearing his dark sunglasses and a seeing-eye support dog leash in his right hand, were making their way to the plane. Passengers were left stunned, and some immediately began to change flights and some even carriers.

The pilot and Buster were oblivious to the scene they were making.

Author Unknown

Stay Safe, and Remember – we do not need all the operators in Texas to be a member of TWUA – JUST YOU ! ! ! !

V.M. Ehlers Scholarship Application is due January 15th, 2023

If you are or have a recognized IRS tax dependent of an active member of TWUA, who is or will be attending higher learning after High School graduation, you are encouraged to submit a scholarship application now.

The application may be found at www.twua.org (navigate to "Forms" then select "V.M. Ehlers")

The application must be filled out and mailed to: TWUA Central Office: 210 East Hwy 79 Hutto, Texas 78634

Currently, there is no mechanism for electronic submittal. Applications must be postmarked no later than January 15, 2023.

For clarifications or additional assistance, contact TWUA Central Office at 512-459-3124

HIGHWAY WORK ZONE SAFETY

By NIOSH

Highway work zones are hazardous both for motorists who drive through the complex array of signs, barrels, and lane changes, and for workers who build, repair, and maintain our streets, bridges, and highways. Continue reading to learn about highway work zone deaths and safety steps.

The Federal Highway Administration reports the number of deaths in crashes that occur in work zones.

• From 1982 through 2020, 29,493 individuals (about 776 per year) lost their lives in work zone crashes.

• Since the peak year of 2002 – when 1,186 died in work zones – the number of deaths declined steadily to an average of 635 from 2008-2014, then increased to an average of 794 from 2015-2020.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports fatal injuries to workers at road construction sites.

• From 2003-2020, 2,222 workers lost their lives at road construction sites—an average of 123 per year.

• Over the 10 years from 2011-2020, Texas ranked as the state with the most worker deaths at road construction sites (143), followed by Florida (99), Pennsylvania (60),

Indiana (52), Illinois (51), California (49), and Tennessee (49).

From 2011-2020, transportation events accounted for 73% of worker deaths that occurred at road construction sites during the 10-year period (919). In 63% of these transportation events at road construction sites, the worker was struck by a vehicle (577).

• 371 of the 577 workers were struck by a forward-moving vehicle, and 123 by a backing vehicle. • Pickup trucks and SUVs accounted for 169 worker deaths at road construction sites from 2011-2018, followed by automobiles (149), machinery (146), semi-trucks (141), and dump trucks (89).

From 2011-2018, 68 percent of the workers who were killed were employed as:

o Construction laborers (253)

o Heavy equipment and tractor-trailer drivers (142)

o First-line supervisors of construction and extraction workers (96)

o Highway maintenance workers (96)

o Construction equipment operators (81)

• From 2011-2018, 864 workers killed at road construction sites worked in private-sector construction. Of those, 68% worked for either heavy and civil engineering construction companies (470) or specialty trade contractors (119).

• Over the 10 years from 2011-2018, 144 workers (14%) killed at road construction sites worked in the government sector, with roughly equal numbers working for state (73) and local governments (68).

TEXAS WATER UTILITIES ASSOCIATION connect. engage. educate. TEXAS WATER UTILITIES ASSOCIATION

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Visit www.twua.org for more information Visit www.twua.org for more information Contact Us: 888-367-8982 Contact Us: 888-367-8982

TCEQ Occupational Licensing Exams are Going Paperless!

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s Occupational Licensing section has been diligently working on revising and converting all licensing exams from paper to computer-based testing (CBT).

We are pleased to announce that beginning September 1, 2022, all TCEQ administered exams will be available at approved CBT centers. TCEQ will no longer conduct paper exam sessions, with exceptions for Americans with Disabilities Act requests.

The only two exams not offered via CBT are the OSSF Site Evaluator and the Landscape Irrigator exams, which are currently being administered by the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX).