November 2022
1. Which of the following indicates an alkaline wastewater?
a. 2
b. 6
c. 7
d. 12
2. Coliform bacteria are:
a. Sequestering agents
b. Indicators
c. Coagulant aids
d. Algae
3. BOD samples for compliance purposes must be collected as________.
a. A grab sample
b. A 12-hour composite sample
c. Either a grab or composite sample
d. A 24-hour composite sample
4. Facultative ponds are:
a. Completely anaerobic
b. Not used to treat wastewater
c. Aerobic on the top and anerobic on the bottom
d. Completely anaerobic
5. What is the detention time of a settling tank that is 35 feet long by 20 feet and is 15 feet deep and is used to treat 0.8 MGD?
a. 2.4 hours
b. 24 hours
c. 2.6 days
d. 0.26 hours
6. At what temperature are fecal coliform samples incubated?
a. 35oC
b. 44.5oF
c. 20oC
d. 100oC
7. In the enzyme substrate test (i.e. Colilert), which of the following reactions is considered positive for E.coli?
a. Well is yellow and not fluorescent under 365nm UV light
b. Well is colorless and fluorescent under 365nm UV light
c. Well is cloudy
d. Well is yellow and fluorescent under 365nm UV light
8. The E. coli results (#/100 mL) for an activated sludge plant for the month of July were 11.4, 4.1, 9.2, 6.3, 31.2, 11.4, and 14.7. What is the geomean for July?
a. 31.2
b. 10.5
c. 4.1
d. 12.6
Certification Renewals for Odd-Numbered Certifications
Biennial renewals for operators holding odd-numbered certifications can be done online at https://jetcc.org/wastewater-operator-renewal.php. The due date is March 1, 2023.
If you have moved, contact the NEIWPCC South Portland office to ensure you receive important renewal notices. 207-253-8020, info@neiwpcc-jetcc.org.
Upcoming Webinars, Conferences, and In-person Training
A list of approved training was sent to all certified operators by email. Here are some highlights of upcoming events:
Virtual Asset Management for Maine Small Systems
A FREE webinar, Asset Management for Maine Small Systems will be presented on November 9th and 10th from 1:00-3:00 PM by John D. Colclazier, Program Manager of the Environmental Finance Center at Wichita State University. According to John:
….in our Asset Management workshops, you will learn about how asset management can benefit your system. You may have problems related to unknown meter, valve, or hydrant locations. You may not be sure of which asset(s) to replace given limited funds. Asset Management can help you solve these problems, and more. You will learn to:
• Develop an inventory of utility components
• Identify critical assets for sustained operations
• Make decisions about how to operate, maintain, repair, and replace those assets
• Set goals for level of service at a sustainable cost
If you have any questions or would like to register - please reach out to John Colclazier: john.colclazier@wichita.edu.
MWUA Leadership Institute
Classes started on October 12 but it's not too late to enroll. Next class begins on November 12. Go to https://mwua.org/ for more information.
Maine Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund (CWSRF) and Clean Watersheds Needs Survey
An influx of federal money is coming to the state of Maine for water/ wastewater infrastructure projects. Join this course on Tuesday November 15 from 1:15 – 3:15 to learn how to apply for funding from the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund (CWSRF). This training will also cover the Clean Watershed Needs Survey and why your response is a critical component of securing future federal funding. For more info, go to www.JETCC.org.
MRWA 42 Annual Conference and Trade Show
MRWA is thrilled to return to the Samoset Resort for their 42nd Annual Conference on December 6-8, 2022 at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, ME. The space is big enough to accommodate the tradeshow and expansive selection of live classes and offers many amenities and expansive ocean views!
MRWA highly recommends booking your room sooner rather than later once the room blocks become available. The accommodations located at the Samoset will go fast!
For more information go to www.mainerwa.org.
NEWEA 2023 Annual Conference & Exhibit
NEWEA is excited to connect in person with our water industry colleagues at the 2023 Annual Conference & Exhibit, taking place at the Boston Marriott Copley Place, Boston, MA, January 22-25, 2023. The NEWEA Annual Conference is a great forum to meet colleagues, professional allies, make new friends and exchange information.
This prestigious conference, which consistently attracts over 2300 engineers, consultants, scientists, operators and students features a variety of technical sessions and over 200 exhibitor displays. The conference provides an opportunity for professional exchange of information and state-of-the-art concepts in wastewater treatment and other water environment issues.
For more information, go to the NEWEA website, https://annualconference.newea.org.
The North Country Convention (NCC) Returns to Presque Isle!
Mark your calendars for the North Country Convention (NCC)’s return to Northern Maine Community College (NMCC) in Presque Isle on April 5 & 6, 2023.
This 2-day educational event and trade show held in "The County" is co-sponsored by NEIWPCC-JETCC, MEWEA, and MWUA. NCC is designed to bring water and wastewater professional together for technical sessions, exhibitor interaction, luncheon speakers, and opportunities to network with others. Each day offers 6 training contact hours for Water and Wastewater operators. Participation in the entire conference offers 12 hours of training.
For more information, go to www.jetcc.org.
In June EPA announced up to $18 Million in available federal funding to build the pipeline of Technical Assistance (TA) providers that can serve rural, small and Tribal municipalities. This grant program highlights EPA’s priorities to advance equity, address climate change, and to help bridge the gap between community needs and federal funding.
EPA is seeking applications from organizations with experience delivering results-oriented technical assistance to rural, small, and Tribal publicly owned wastewater systems and decentralized wastewater treatment systems. Once selected, grantees will provide technical assistance in the following areas:
• Acquisition of financing and funding;
• Protection of water quality and compliance assistance;
• Tribal wastewater systems;
• Decentralized wastewater systems; and
• Lagoon wastewater systems.
For more information about this program and this funding announcement, visit: https://www.epa.gov/small-and-rural-wastewater-systems/tools-training-and-technical-assistance-small-and-rural
When it comes to preparing for cold weather, operators need to be creative and plan ahead. Here are a few “tricks of the trade” gained through operator experiences.
Cold weather will affect the efficiency of wastewater treatment processes and mechanical systems. Expansion during ice formation can damage concrete and masonry and burst pipes. And there are many potential hazards to workers during the winter, including falling ice, slippery walkways, and frostbite.
Snow covering manholes, hatches, curbs, and tools can cause problems with daily operations. It is important to maintain access to facility treatment structures, pump stations, storage buildings, hatches, and sampling locations.
Plan ahead for snow removal! Know where you will put removed snow. Establish plow lanes and snow dump areas. Avoid piling it against walls and fences. Also, consider where melt water will go to avoid icing problems and flooding during thaws. Have your plow trucks, snowblowers, shovels, roof rakes ready to go and accessible. In some cases, you may want to maintain snow cover in places to provide insulation for underground water lines.
To protect low structures from damage by loaders and plows, install concrete pylons, spacing them closer together than the narrowest plow!
Snow adds weight loads to structures. You may need to relieve snow loads from building roofs and tank covers. Weight depends on density of snow and can be deceptive. Aging structures can fail under snow loads that they previously withstood. It is critical to maintain an even distribution of weight during the removal process (domes and arches). Clearing off roofs can be dangerous! Work should be performed from the ground with roof rakes when possible.
Ice cover can cause significant damage to lagoons. Ice blocks and shelves can be hung on lagoon sides during drawdown. These can slip off during melting, which can tear and puncture the liner and shear off lines, baffles and aeration headers. Seasonal discharge and snowfluent storage lagoons are the most susceptible.
Rocks and gravel from roadways can become sandwiched between liner and ice layer and slice through liner as ice moves vertically. Lateral movement of ice sheets can tear out baffle anchors and impact concrete structures, leading to costly and time-consuming liner and structure repairs. Plan ahead by clearing gravel and rocks off lagoon liner edges, removing and storing unneeded surface aerators, lines and floats prior to freeze up, monitoring curtain baffles, and planning for gradual drawdown.
As water freezes it expands about 10%. Pores, holes and cracks in concrete and masonry allow water to soak in, which expands and contracts during freeze and thaw cycles, putting tremendous stress on structures. Spalling occurs when ice forms beneath surfaces, causing large pieces of concrete to flake off.
Air-entrained concrete can help reduce these problems. The air voids provide pressure relief sites during a freeze event, allowing the water inside the concrete to freeze without inducing large internal stresses. Make sure concrete is properly sealed to prevent water absorption and freeze/thaw damage. De-icing agents can actually cause additional damage to concrete because they increase the number of freeze/thaw events, so it is better to use gravel and sand where possible.
Repair chipped and cracked concrete with commercial grade sealer, seal exposed anchor holes, shovel stairs and walkways ASAP, and address drainage and drip problems to prevent buildup and need for de-icing agents.
Condensation can also be a big problem in winter, causing ice-up on doors and windows which can lead to many sprung hinges when these are forced open or closed. Make sure to insulate and or ventilate areas with condensation problems.
Another hazard encountered by wastewater operators during cold weather application is wind. It moves snow, causing drifting and unevenly distributed snow-loads on buildings. It can tear off unsecured doors and hatches. Mitigate the effects of high winds by securing tarps, bulk bags, empty barrels, etc. that could be blown into treatment units. Consider establishing snow fencing or planting windbreaks in areas where drifting snows create problems, such as exposed work areas, tank walkways and sampling points.
And remember to protect yourself against increased cooling effect from wind chill. For example, if the air temperature is 20 degrees and the wind speed is 25 mph, using the formula 20 - (25 x 0.7) the wind-chill temperature is 2.5 degrees! Make sure to button up!
LD1911, passed in April of 2022, gave the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) authority by written notification to require a person licensed by the department to discharge wastewater to groundwater or any waters of the State to sample the effluent for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances.
A letter describing the project was sent to all participating permittees by Gregg Wood, DWQM Division Director on September 14, 2022. A copy of the letter can be found on the DWQM Wastewater Treatment website, https://www.maine.gov/dep/water/wwtreatment/index.html.
Beginning in October, selected public and private MEPDES and spray irrigation permittees began collecting effluent samples for PFAS analysis for the LD1911 project. The purpose is to establish a baseline of PFAS levels in wastewater effluents. Analysis of effluent from public facilities is covered under an EPA grant, whereas private facilities must pay for their own analyses. All testing must be done by a Maine-prequalified laboratory approved for wastewater samples by method 531.7 M with isotope dilution. The study entails collecting one sample per month for ten months, although this may vary for intermittent dischargers and spray irrigation systems.
Because PFAS compounds are found in many personal and consumer products, and PFAS is measured at extremely low concentrations, personnel collecting samples must be properly trained and take precautions to avoid contamination of the samples during collection. DWQM staff has prepared guidance documents to assist operators including sampling Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), one-page SOP “cheat sheet”, Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) template, project contact list, example Chain of Custody (CoC) templates, Maine-prequalified laboratory list, and other references that can be found on the DWQM website listed above.
Following collection and analysis, results will be reviewed for Quality Assurance by DEP personnel and posted to the DEP PFAS website, https://www.maine.gov/dep/spills/topics/pfas/. Due to lab turn-around times and personnel requirements, it may be several months between the time the sample is collected and the results are posted.
Results will be used by the Department to establish a baseline of PFAS levels in wastewater treatment plant effluents throughout the state that may be used for future regulation of PFAS chemicals.
f you have any questions, please contact Jim Crowley, 207-287-8898, James.R.Crowley@maine.gov, Brett Goodrich at 207-287-9034, Brett.A.Goodrich@maine.gov, or Judy Bruenjes, 207-287-7806, Judy.K.Bruenjes@maine.gov.
Back in August, we announced that our effort to reach out to all Maine municipal and quasi-municipal wastewater entities to gather information on the state’s wastewater infrastructure via our 2022 Clean Watersheds “Needs Survey” (CWNS). The last Official Survey was conducted in 2012, and now the Environmental Protection Agency has launched their request for information to benefit of the state and its communities.
We are getting closer to being ready to accept submittals, planning on being ready by October 31st, with December 31st being the deadline.
Completion of this survey is crucial because it allows the Department to provide the gathered wastewater needs information to both the Executive and Legislative branches of state government, thus justifying funds for both the state match in the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program and State bonds or sustainable funding mechanisms for grants.
To secure the needed funding for wastewater infrastructure in Maine, our goal is to have 100% participation from all publicly owned treatment works and satellite collection systems. To lend credibility to the survey, costs must be supported by acceptable documentation. Even if your system has no documented needs, we are requesting that you complete the Facility Information and User Rate Information portions of the survey.
Note: participants in the survey will receive additional points in our annual environmental ranking process, which could mean the difference for some projects in eligibility for Principal Forgiveness. However, we will be limiting our Principal Forgiveness (PF) funds for the next two years to those who have participated in the CWNS so that we can prioritize projects with documented needs. While you would still be eligible to request funding in the form of loans, you could miss an opportunity for an available $3.5M-$4M in base SRF funding PF and $8M in supplemental (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) funding PF per year.
Please submit your completed survey sheets electronically to Maine.CWSRF.Grants@maine.gov by December 31, 2022. Electronic submission is preferred, but if it is not possible, please mail to the physical address specified in the General Survey Instructions. Should you have any questions as you fill out the survey please contact Robert Hartley at (207) 881-9490 or Patricia Korbet at (207) 287-7805.
More information on the CWNS can be found at this link: https://www.epa.gov/cwns To see a summary of what was entered in 2012, go to https://ordspub.epa.gov/ords/cwns2012/f?p=241:3 There you can find facility fact sheets, a state-wide summary, and other collections of data. We will also be updating our DEP website to include a link to the State Coordinator manual, as well as the links above, which describes the program in great detail.
Please complete this survey and help us help you get future money for your system!
Bad actors are always identifying new and creative ways to exploit weaknesses in our cyber defenses. Learning how to better protect our organization and ourselves are critical steps in becoming “Cyber Smart”.
A time-tested method that bad actors use to harm individuals and organizations is through the compromise of service and user account passwords. Creating strong passwords and storing them securely is an important step in reducing the chances of losing control of an account and the associated access or data. Also vital to the protection of accounts is the implementation and use of Multi-factor Authentication (MFA), which adds multiple layers of authentication and helps protect accounts if a primary password is compromised.
Multi-factor Authentication
Multi-factor Authentication, sometimes referred to as MFA, two-factor authentication, or 2FA, is a model for better securing authentication to a system or application by separating the whole of the authentication process into multiple required parts. By adding one or more additional authentication methods “factors” into the process, the chances are reduced of a bad actor being able to access a user’s account if the primary authentication method, often a username/password, is compromised. Research has shown that the utilization of MFA can reduce account compromises by over 99%!
Factors of Authentication
1. Something you know:
The first factor is familiar to many users, as it has been available for years and is the common primary factor for authentication. It includes passwords and PINs.
2. Something you have:
The second factor accounts for any physical authentication tool that the user has, such as an authenticator app, hardware token fob (RSA SecurID), a USB-based FIDO key (such as a YubiKey or Titan Security Key), or an access card.
3. Something you are:
The third factor is lesser known but has become more popular in recent years due to improvements in sensor technology, such as those found in mobile devices. This factor includes identifiers that are unique only to the user, such as an eye iris, fingerprints, voice prints, and others.
Password Managers
What is a password manager?
Password managers are applications that allow users to store and manage usernames and passwords that are created to authenticate to systems or applications.
Why do you need one?
Usernames and passwords are highly sensitive authentication tools that are subject to compromise if not managed properly.
Long gone are the days of safely keeping passwords in a notebook, where they can easily be lost or stolen –or worse yet, creating one easily remembered password that is reused in multiple locations. Password managers store all your credentials in an encrypted internal database, where you can add not only unique usernames and passwords for each individual account, but also other account details such as security questions, backup codes, and PINS. Most modern password managers allow users to automatically generate account passwords to ensure proper length and complexity to maintain the most secure credentials possible.
Where do you get a password manager?
Password managers come in many forms. Some are desktop-based applications that are installed locally on a user’s machine. Others are browser-based, often existing as an extension or add-on and use cloud storage. Reach out to your IT department to learn more about reputable password manager solutions.
1- D
2-B
3-D
4-C
5-A
6-B
7-D
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