DEP's Northwest District Tap Line Newsletter

Florida Department of Environmental Protection sent this bulletin at 01/26/2022 05:47 PM EST

January 2022

DEP's Northwest District Wishes You a Very Happy New Year!

Request DEP
Pre-Application Meeting

You can now easily request a pre-application meeting with our Northwest District permitting staff by visiting our Request Pre-Application Meeting survey.

The purpose of the pre-application meeting is to minimize processing steps and potential time delays of your application for a specific project.

As a reminder, Florida's WATER Tracker replaced the former utility coordination system, Storm Tracker, in order to provide a more robust and interactive communication and coordination platform for all water utilities to use in emergency situations such as hurricanes. WATER Tracker will ensure that the needs of individual facilities are met as quickly and efficiently as possible, and that the entire statewide network will run smoothly to better serve the people of Florida. Please visit Florida's Water Tracker to setup an account.

Consumer Confidence
Reports were 100% for 2021!

We are happy to report that after many virtual help sessions and utilizing data on the DEP website, all NWD Community Water Systems submitted their Consumer Confidence Reports (CCRs) on time. Great job, water systems!

Data for 2021 CCRs can soon be found on our Resources for Drinking Water Facilities webpage. Please also view the Certification of Delivery of Consumer Confidence Report form that is required for submittal.

For your convenience, virtual help sessions will once again be available in 2022! Please contact Mary Jehle by email or 850-595-0676 to register for a help session.

Bacteriological Sampling Reminders

Ensure that all PWS information is on the lab reporting form and the chain of custody form and that all fields are complete.
Remember to submit total and free chlorine residuals along with bacteriological samples for all clearances - except for well clearances - and to record accurate sampling times.
Samples should be transported packed in ice and not just on the ice.

Need to Locate a Form?

Source and Drinking Water Program Quick Links.

NWD's New Potable Water Environmental Manager

Earl "Joey" Whibbs has been selected as the NWD's environmental manager for the Compliance Assurance Program Potable Water team.

Joey has been a member of the NWD team since 2014 and has been part of the Office of Emergency Response team since 2015. We are excited to see what Joey brings to his new role and the great successes ahead.

Dates and Locations Announced for 2022 Focus on Change

The Florida Rural Water Association (FRWA) has partnered with DEP to present the annual Focus on Change seminars for over 30 years. These sessions are designed to provide utilities with the most current regulatory information available.

Click on the locations below to register for Focus on Change. You can also view the tentative agenda.

Feb. 8, 2022 - Pompano Beach
Feb. 9, 2022 - Punta Gorda
March 16, 2022 - Haines City
March 17, 2022 - Ocala
March 23, 2022 - Lake City
March 24, 2022 - Fort Walton Beach

Systems Can Submit
MORs Electronically

Please remember that monthly operating reports (MORs) can be submitted electronically using the DEP Business Portal and the Enterprise Self Service Authorizations System (ESSA). Submitting MOR data directly into the database effectively cuts out the need to email, fax, or physically mail MOR hard copies. Utilizing ESSA for the submittal of MOR data will increase efficiency in reporting and help maintain data integrity while saving public water systems time and money preparing MORs.

This application is housed in the DEP Business Portal. Once there, users must navigate to the registration screen by selecting Submit, Report and then PWS Monthly Operation Report to begin the online submittal process. The documents uploaded during this process must be in PDF format. The application only supports systems that submit MORs on form 62-555.900(3) – Monthly Operation Report for PWSs Treating Raw Ground Water or Purchased Finished Water. Consecutive systems that do not treat water and Subpart H systems must continue to use routine methods for MOR reporting.

If users experience technical difficulties within the application, they should contact the DEP IT Service Desk by email or at 850-245-7555.

Apply Electronically for a General Permit for Construction of Water Main Extension Components

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to apply electronically for a general permit (GP) for construction of water main extension components.

· Visit DEP’s Business Portal at
fldepportal.com.
· Select Apply.
· Select Build.
· Select Request to Use the GP for
Construction of Water Main Extension
Components.

Important Reminders:

Clearances and Notifications

• Water systems must verify that written clearance has been granted by the Northwest District office before providing water to (placing into permanent operation) any permitted PWS construction project.
• Please notify the Northwest District office in writing before modifying any permitted work so the agency can determine whether a supplemental permit application will be required.

Disinfection Byproducts (DBP)

• Email DBP results to NWDPWS@FloridaDEP.gov.
• Community and NTNC systems should monitor according to their most current Stage 2 DBP monitoring plan.

CCRs

• For community water systems, CCRs must be delivered by July 1 annually.

Lead and Copper Tap Sampling

• Lead and copper tap sampling sites should be verified ahead of sampling to ensure homes are not vacant and that homeowners are still willing to participate.

Request DEP Northwest District Compliance Assistance

• If you ever need help with anything regarding DEP potable water regulations, please consider using our Request DEP Northwest District Compliance Assistance Form.

Monthly Operating Reports (MORs) and Boil Water Notices (BWNs)

• Email MORs and BWNs (issuances, rescissions and clearance results) to NWDPWS@FloridaDEP.gov.
• Notify this office of BWNs or other abnormal operating conditions as soon as possible but never later than noon of the next business day.

Bacteriological (BACT) Results

• Email BACT results to NWDPWS@FloridaDEP.gov.
• Please sample early to prevent last-minute mix-ups and to allow resampling within the monitoring period if necessary. Lab results are due within the first 10 days following the end of the required monitoring period. Reporting forms that are incomplete, incorrect or illegible may be considered invalid.
• Take and record chlorine residuals when required.

Important Phone Numbers and Websites

• State Watch Office - 800-320-0519.
• FRWA - 850-668-2746.
• DEP Operator Certification - 850-245-7500.
• DEP State Revolving Fund - 850-245-8358.
• WATER Tracker.
• OCULUS.

Erin Rasnake
Assistant District Director - Compliance Assurance Program Administrator
Phone: 850-595-0668
Email: Erin.Rasnake@FloridaDEP.gov

Joey Whibbs
Potable Water Compliance Environmental Manager
Phone: 850-595-0636
Email: Earl.Whibbs@FloridaDEP.gov

Angelia Butler
Phone: 850-595-0598
Email: Angelia.Butler@FloridaDEP.gov

Michael Fuller
Panama City and Tallahassee Branch Administrator
Phone: 850-767-0040
Email: Michael.Fuller@FloridaDEP.gov

Steve Hafner
Phone: 850-595-0689
Email: Steve.Hafner@FloridaDEP.gov

Mary Jehle
Phone: 850-595-0620
Email: Mary.Jehle@FloridaDEP.gov

Loran Jordan
Phone: 850-767-0044
Email: Loran.Jordan@FloridaDEP.gov
Panama City Office

Jessie Massey
Phone: 850-245-7627
Email: Jessie.Massey@FloridaDEP.gov
Tallahassee Office

Paula Smith
Phone: 850-595-0632
Email: Paula.Smith@FloridaDEP.gov

Alyssa Tessier
Phone: 850-595-0685
Email: Alyssa.Tessier@FloridaDEP.gov

Roger Thomas
Phone: 850-595-0660
Email: Roger.N.Thomas@FloridaDEP.gov

Dana Vestal
Phone: 850-595-0659
Email: Dana.Vestal@FloridaDEP.gov

Tracy White
Phone: 850-245-7628
Email: Tracy.A.White@FloridaDEP.gov
Tallahassee Office

Nina Zimmermann
Phone: 850-767-0049
Email: Nina.Zimmermann@FloridaDEP.gov
Panama City Office

Kim Allen
Permitting Program Administrator
Phone: 850-595-0553
Email: Kim.Allen@FloridaDEP.gov

Katie Ates
Potable Water Permitting Environmental Manager
Phone: 850-595-0656
Email: Katie.L.Ates@FloridaDEP.gov

Margo Eaddy
Phone: 850-595-0583
Email: Margo.Eaddy@FloridaDEP.gov

Sawyer Shotts
Phone: 850-595-0670
Email: Sawyer.Shotts@FloridaDEP.gov

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