President’s Message
President’s Thoughts by William “Bill” Brown
“Let us not dwell upon the past, only look in anticipation to all that lies ahead” – Eleesha. Anticipation is getting the best of me. The first TWUA Regional Training event of 2021 is in San Angelo, July 19th – 22nd. This event will be the first live, in-person regional school since March 2020. If you need to get out and stretch your legs, come join Norma and Tom in San Angelo. This regional school was previously held in Odessa for years, but the Permian board decided to seek a new host location for many reasons. And Norma and Tom are very hopeful the operators and those desiring to become operators, particularly individuals in the West Texas area of Texas, will give San Angelo a shot. The cost of the meeting facilities, training manuals, instructors, and administrative expenses are ever-increasing, so please get those registrations submitted. The regions can no longer afford to host a training class for 5 or 6 people pre-registered and hope for a significant walk-up or onsite registration crowd. No decision-maker wants to be placed in a position where a class is canceled. Take-home point – please use the pre-registration process, and let’s make the regional training process as strong as it ever was. There is a lot of truth in the joke that says Texas weather is like Texas traffic. Literally going from 0 to 100+, just like DPS Troopers are no longer writing tickets. Heat-related emergencies are very real. If you are going to be outside working, pay attention to your fluid intake. Just to maintain, you should be drinking 8oz. of water every 20 minutes (2.5 Quarts) of water each workday. It is also recommended that you have a work buddy watching your intake, and you watch his or hers. Dehydration and heat-related emergencies should be taken seriously, and are in most cases, avoidable. No urine output or dark color urine are signs of dehydration. Stay hydrated, my friends. This last legislative session was busy for the utility sector. One bill that should be of particular interest is Senate Bill 3. This bill was intended to address critical infrastructure. And this bill requires water utilities to develop and implement preparedness plans while they demonstrate how they will keep services operating during an extended power outage. (Whatever the cause) I strongly encourage you to find out more about Senate Bill 3 and be aware of specific requirement and deadlines such as: •
By November 1, 2021 – Identify all critical water and wastewater infrastructure facilities and notify your electrical provider that these facilities qualify for Critical Load Status.
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By March 1, 2022 – Submit your Emergency Preparedness Plan, as well as timelines for implementation to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for approval.
4 Texas Water Utilities Journal www.twua.org
July 2021
