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From
CDC’s MMWR, September 13, 2017
“CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry (ATSDR) have guidance and technical materials available in both English and Spanish to
help communities prepare for hurricanes and floods (Table 1). To help protect the health and safety
of the public, responders, and clean-up workers during response and recovery
operations from hurricanes and floods, CDC and ATSDR have developed public
health guidance and other resources; many are available in both English and
Spanish (Table 2).”
There are many documents in the two tables that
would be relevant in Iowa in the event of a flooding, windstorm, tornado, or power
outage event. All are written in an
understandable manner, and most are in both English and Spanish.
The fiscal year 2017
annual report for the Iowa SRF is now available online at the links below. From
the Executive Summary:
"Annual reports
usually contain a lot of data, and this one is no different. It includes
dollar amounts financed, numbers of projects receiving assistance, return on
capital figures, and more. But underlying the facts and figures are the stories
of the Iowa communities, utilities, farmers, landowners and others solving
problems and making investments in Iowa’s water and the future of the state.
The SRF was just shy
of the $3 billion mark in cumulative assistance provided during SFY 2017.
Because the funds are continually being loaned out and repaid with interest,
the SRF continues to grow. This source of financing will continue to meet
future needs for a wide variety of water issues.
The Iowa SRF
continues to be an effective and cost-efficient vehicle for financing projects
to protect water quality and public health, as intended by Congress and state
policy-makers. Iowa dynamically manages its SRF to fully utilize
available resources, serve its borrowers, and create opportunities for
innovative financing. Iowa's results are visible in the pages of this
report."
FY 2017 Annual Report Narrative
Clean Water SRF Exhibits
Drinking Water SRF Exhibits
From the report:
“Iowa’s Drinking
Water Capacity Development program, operated by the Department of Natural
Resources (DNR), is dedicated to helping these water supply personnel
continually develop and improve their ability or “capacity” to serve their
customers. There are three main elements of water system capacity, also known
as “TMF.”
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Technical: Enough
water, well maintained infrastructure, up-to-date technology, and qualified and knowledgeable staff
to operate the system.
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Managerial: An
effective organization and governance, accountability, properly certified
operators, and good relationships
and communications between boards, councils, management and staff.
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Financial: Enough
revenue to cover current costs and future needs, fiscal controls, and credit
worthiness.”
This report is required under the Safe Drinking Water
Act to be provided to the Governor every three years. The report will be posted next week at this
website.
From ASDWA Weekly Update, September 22, 2017
“On September 18th,
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the start of the review
process under Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) for these
chemicals – ethylbenzene, nitrate and nitrite, and chloroform.
This is the first step in a 14-step process for an IRIS review, and this review
process will likely take several years.
The likelihood, as
well as the timing, for any potential revisions to any drinking water
regulations is not clear at this time. After these reviews, the Office of
Groundwater and Drinking Water (OGWDW) would have to assess the revised risk
numbers and make the decision on whether a revision to a regulated is warranted (or not warranted) as part of the
Agency’s Six-Year Review process. EPA’s Third Six-Review of Existing Drinking Water Regulations was published on January 11, 2017, so at this
point, the fourth Six-Year Review is scheduled to be published sometime in
2018. If a decision is made at that time to move forward with a revision of a
regulation, any regulatory revision is also a multi-year process.”
From ASDWA Weekly Update, September 22, 2017
“A new study by the U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS) found
increasing chloride levels in many U.S. rivers, which contributes to increased
corrosion in water distribution pipes. Over a 20-year period, from 1992-2012,
chloride concentrations increased as well as other measures of the potential
corrosivity of water such as chloride-sulfate mass ratio (CSMR) and the Larson
Ratio (LR). The study also analyzed the current status (2010-2015) of
chloride, CSMR, and LR. The long-term found slight increases in chloride, CSMR,
and LR across the U.S., but found much larger increases in urban-dominated
sampling sites. Urbanization was strongly correlated with elevated
chloride, CSMR, and LR, most likely due to the use of road salt in the
snow-affected areas of the study.
Elevated
chloride, CSMR, and LR in source waters can result in increased corrosion in
water pipes and lead action level exceedances (ALEs) under the Lead and Copper
Rule (LCR). In this study, the probability of lead ALEs in drinking water
systems increased along with raw surface water CSMR, indicating a statistical
connection between surface water chemistry and corrosion in water pipes.
Research on this connection between increased CSMR and increased corrosion in
water pipes started a decade ago with research conducted at Virginia Tech,
and continues to be an important consideration for LCR compliance.”
From ASDWA Weekly Update, September 22, 2017
“Imagine a Day Without Water, October 12, 2017, is only three
weeks away! As the national day of education and advocacy draws closer, we
wanted to highlight a few of the inventive and exciting ways organizations
around the country are spreading the word about the value of water. We hope the
events listed below will inspire you to show your community how you
#ValueWater.
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Milwaukee
Metropolitan Sewerage District, in
collaboration with local partners, will be holding a grand opening of their
Green Infrastructure Center of Excellence, inviting the public to visit the
space and learn about green infrastructure and the free services the center
will offer.
- City of Jersey City, NJ and the City of Hoboken, NJ are
partnering with local organizations, including New Jersey
Future and New Jersey Water
Works, to host a number of events
throughout the day including a waterfront clean up in Hoboken, catch basin
clean up and painting, green infrastructure tours, and wrapping with Imagine a
Day Without Beer event with the New Jersey Craft Brewers Association.
- A number of utilities and city departments, including Illinois
American Water; Pawtucket Water
Supply Board in Rhode Island; City
of Arlington, TX; Soquel Creek
Water District; Suez South
Jersey, and Tucson Water, are partnering with libraries and school districts to
host art contests and essay contests asking students to imagine a day without
water.
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Hampton Roads
Sanitation District is hosting an
open house at their SWIFT Research Center where they using innovative
technology for water purification.
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Central Arkansas
Water and Beaver Water
District in Arkansas are sponsoring
water-themed trivia nights at local breweries in their area.
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AlexRenew, KC Water, and Florida Keys
Aqueduct Authority will be filming
short video clips asking local businesses and community partners to imagine a
day without water.
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Tucson Water is distributing signs and stickers for coffee
sleeves & cups to local coffee shops.
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Arkansas Water
Environment Association is
distributing 5,000 window clings around the state.
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Beaufort-Jasper
Water & Sewer Authority is
distributing 5,000 coasters to bars and restaurants in the area to remind
people that a day without water is a day without sweet tea and boiled peanuts!
Organized by the Value of Water Campaign, Imagine a Day
Without Water urges organizations across the country to engage and
educate their communities about the state of our nation’s infrastructure and
the need for reinvestment. If your organization has not added its name yet for
the national day of education and advocacy, click http://imagineadaywithoutwater.org/signup to sign up today!”
Iowa
DNR staff in the water supply program areas are scheduled to speak at the
following events. The date, sponsor and
event, location, subject, and contact for more information are listed.
- October 4,
2017, Region 3 IA-AWWA Meeting, Cherokee.
“IDNR WS Update.” Website.
- October
10-12, 2017, AWWA Annual Meeting, Council Bluffs. “LUST Sites and Water Mains; IDNR Water
Supply Update; Cyanobacteria.” Website
for brochure and registration.
- October 10 -
11, 2017, IRWA Fall Conference, Dubuque.
“IDNR Water Supply Update.”
Website for brochure and registration.
- November 15,
2017, IAMU Water Operators Training Workshop, Ankeny. “IDNR Water Supply Update.” Website for brochure and registration.
For other
professional development opportunities, see the “Training Calendar” at programs.iowadnr.gov/opcertweb/.
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