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December 2013 Vol. 1

n mid-November, Kansas Rural WaterAssociation staff member Jeff Lamfers

attended training provided by the KansasDepartment of Health and Environment(KDHE) Environmental Laboratory (lab) atTopeka. The training covered fourchanges that the KDHE Lab isimplementing that will affect public watersupplies (PWS).

1. New Collection/Submission FormsEffective December 2, 2013, the KDHE

lab will initiate a new sample collectionand reporting system. The new collectionforms will now include a samplesubmission sheet with adhesive stickers(barcode labels) that accompany bottles.Bottles from the KDHE lab will now be

broken down based on specific analysis.For example, there will be a separatesheet for coliform analysis, another fornitrate, another for DBP, etc. The new

forms are also color coded:Micro Lab (yellow); OrganicLab (green); Inorganic Lab(red); and, Radiological Lab(blue).

2. New Analytical ReportsAlso beginning December 2,

all test results will be reportedelectronically. Water systemswill receive emails with thetest results attached. TheKDHE lab realizes that not allPWS will be able to receiveresults via email. So for those

systems, KDHE will continue to either faxor mail hard copies of the test results.

Four Major Changes Coming From KDHE Laboratory

Clarifier December 2013

IN THIS ISSUE...■ Changes From KDHE's Lab

■ Fire Hydrants – Lead Free?

■ Need A Rate Review?

■ KRWA Training; Conference 2014

■ GPS Mapping, Subsidy

■ Complaints Filed With KUUNC

shipped without any labels. Water systemoperators will need to remove thesestickers from the sheets and apply tobottles (vertically). The sheets/stickers are

This issue of “The Clarifier” ispublished by the Kansas Rural WaterAssociation and is provided to waterand wastewater utilities, associatemembers, agencies and otherfriends. Have a comment? Send it toKRWA at P.O. Box 226, Seneca, KS66538; ph. 785/336-3760; e-mail:krwa@krwa.net. This newsletter isin addition to KRWA’s regular newsmagazine, The Kansas Lifeline.

Continued on Page 21. Know when the mail leaves your local post

office2. Collect samples just in time to meet the

mail departure time (at the post office orpick-up box)

3. Know location of overnight shippers andthe pick-up times

4. Watch the weather – don’t sample if . . . A blizzard is comingRoads are icy or it is foggyCheck Kansas City area weather forpostal service

5. Holidays and weekends . . . Federal holiday – no US Postal ServiceState holiday – KDHE lab closedNever send samples on Friday!

6. US Postal ServicePriority Mail – does not guaranteeovernight deliverySave $$ if you self-print postage vs.purchasing at Post Office

7. If overnight service ispaid for, a refund isprovided if not deliveredon time. Exception – no refund is allowed ifthe delay is due to inclement weather

8. If drop-box is used, make sure shipping boxwill fit through the slot

Contact information:US Postage Servicewww.usps.com1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777)

United Parcel Service (UPS)www.ups.com1-800-PICK-UPS (1-800-742-5877)

Federal Expresswww.fedex.com/us1-800-GoFedEx (1-800-463-3339)

Metro Courierwww.metrodelivers.com1-316-522-8008 (Wichita Hdq.)

Overnight Shipping Tips

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2 Clarifier December 2013

Fire Hydrants (may not be) Subject to Lead Free Requirements

n January 4, 2011, Congress enactedthe Reduction of Lead in Drinking

Water Act to amend Section 1417 of theSafe Drinking Water Act. The Actfocuses on the use of “lead free” leadpipes, plumbing fittings andfixtures, solder and flux incommerce. The Act alsoredefines “lead free” bylowering the maximum leadcontent of the wettedsurfaces of such plumbingproducts. The effectivedate of these newrequirements will beJanuary 4, 2014.

On August 16, 2012,the EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA)held a public webinar withstakeholders and solicitedquestions and commentsfrom the attendees. Thefollowing question wasasked:

Are fire hydrantssubject to the lead freerequirements in Section1417(a)?

Answer from EPA:“Information available to EPA indicatesthat fire hydrants can be, and are, used inemergency situations to provide drinkingwater when there are disruptions to thenormal operations of the drinking waterdistribution system. Therefore, as a class,hydrants would not qualify for theexclusion…”1

Currently there are no commerciallyavailable fire hydrants that would meetthe new definition of “lead free”. Firehydrant manufacturers will be faced witha very short time frame to develophydrants that meet the new lead free

standards AND still perform their mainfunction – fire protection.

On November 21, 2013, Rep. BillJohnson (R-OH) introduced a bill to the

House of Representatives (H.R. 3588)which would exempt hydrants

from the items prohibited bythe Reduction of Lead in

Drinking Water Act.Update: According to

Politico.com, on Monday,Dec. 2, the House of

Representativespassed legislationthat would exemptfire hydrants fromnew lead-free

requirements fordrinking water systems.

The bill (HR 3588,introduced by Rep. Bill

Johnson, R-OH) passed 384-0under suspension of the rules,

would clarify that firehydrants could be builtwith materials that donot meet the revisedstandards. The law

includes exemptions fornon-potable water systems,

such as those used for industrial purposesor sewer systems. There are currently nofire hydrants being manufactured thatmeet the standards set to go into effect inJanuary, which would leave cities andtowns without replacement options thatcomply with the law. “Without this fix,communities across the country would bespending millions to replace workinghydrants. We do not need to imposeunnecessary costs on our communitiesacross this country,” said New YorkDemocrat Paul Tonko, one of the bill’sco-sponsors.

1US Environmental Protection Agency. (2013, October). Summary Of The Reduction Of Lead In DrinkingWater Act And Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved November 22, 2013 fromhttp://water.epa.gov/drink/info/lead/upload/epa815s13001.pdf

3. Change in BacteriologicalSample Holding Time

The Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) has been pushing for theKDHE lab to reduce the bacteriologicalsample holding time from the present48 hours to 30 hours. The KDHE labplans to slowly phase in this change inholding time. Options discussed forshipping bottles include UPS, FedEx,and Metro Courier. At the recenttraining, there was also a discussionabout using the US Postal Service's"Express Mail" overnight servicewhich basically involves a flat rate boxthat ships for $10.40.

There will be challenges for manyPWS with this change in holding time.This is especially so due to thenumber of post offices closed orconsolidated by the US Postal Servicelast summer and the sparse numberof UPS and FedEx pick up locations inthe western part of Kansas.

4. Proposed Price IncreasesDue to reductions in funding, the

KDHE lab is proposing price increasesfor some of the analyses theyperform. Final costs have not yet beendetermined. However examples citedinclude increasing bacteriologicalsamples from $8 to $12 and TTHMsamples from $40 to $50. Many of theanalytical costs will not change.

If your system has any questionsonce these changes are in place youcan contact the KDHE lab at (785) 296-0801 or KRWA can also beof assistance. Call (785) 366-3760 oremail to krwa@krwa.net.

KHEL Contacts: 6700 SW TopekaBlvd., Forbes Field, Bldg. 740, Topeka,KS 66620, Ph: 785/296-2694, Fax: 785/296-3015

Derrick Dawson, Radiation/Environmental Microbiology UnitManager

Frances Morgan, PhD.Inorganic / Organic Unit Manager

Major Changes, continued from page 1

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3Clarifier December 2013

Kansas Rural Water Association

ater and wastewater systems need adequate funds andcustomers want a quality service at an affordable price.

Is this a challenge for your system? If so, did you know thatKRWA offers basic rate reviews FREE of charge?! KRWA hasinitiated the Kansas Rates Analysis and Training forEnvironmental Systems (RATES) program to help cities andwater districts get their rates set properly and simply.

Most of the time, a basic rate review is all that isneeded. KRWA provides that service withoutcost. But when situations are morecomplex, KRWA refers systems to CarlBrown Consulting, LLC (CBC) for aproposal. CBC has performed rateanalyses/advisement since 1993and works under the directionof KRWA to performcomprehensive rate analysesusing a real data modelingapproach to solving rate andfinance problems for waterand wastewater utilities inKansas. A comprehensive rateanalysis by CBC accuratelymodels everything that now or inthe future may have an importanteffect on a utility’s financial future. Theresult is an open, fact-based way ofarriving at adjustments, which customers canappreciate. CBC fees normally place in the bottom third oftheir comparable competition AND a 25 percent discount isprovided to KRWA members. CBC also provides the followingguarantee: “You will be satisfied with ourwork or it is free.”

A comprehensive rate analysis reportfrom CBC will include the following:

✔ A projection of rates, income, costs, capital improvements,equipment repair, refurbishment and replacement needs (R&R),and all other issues that could markedly affect your system’srates and finances. Except for R&R, projections will be for tenyears.

• Capital improvement projections will include an estimatedschedule of when they need to be done, what they will costin future dollars and how they will likely be paid for, with

debt service calculated appropriately. Capitalimprovement cost impacts will be incorporated into

the analysis and rate calculations. • R&R needs will be projected at least 20

years into the future. The schedule willinclude all R&R needs, their estimatedcosts, inflation of those costs over timeand a present value calculation of theannual annuity needed to pay for all ofthose costs. Unless you requestotherwise, the R&R annual annuity willbe incorporated into the projection offuture costs for rate calculation purposes. ✔ If future rates will be in any structure

other than flat rates or proportional andbased on actual use rates (“proportional to

use” rates), all rate and income projections willbe based on billed volumes of each customer for

each billing period of the test year(s), if such data isavailable from the billing program.

For more information regarding the Kansas RATES Programand Carl Brown Consulting, LLC, visitwww.krwa.net/ratereviews/ratereviews.shtml.

Need a Rate Review?

“Our work with Mr. Brown has beena pleasure from start to finish and thespeed with which he has been able tocomplete the analysis in a format thatcan be understood with very littleexplanation provides a solid frameworkfor the City regarding our utility ratesmoving forward.”

– Lynne Ladner, former CityAdministrator,

City of Hiawatha

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Find out if your rates are right, or if they need fixing

The Kansas RATES Program is for water, sewerand other utilities. Kansas Rural Water

Association (KRWA) will conduct simple ratereviews at no charge. When reviews become morecomplex, Carl Brown Consulting, LLC (CBC), underthe direction of KRWA, will performcomprehensive rate analyses for utilities. In sodoing, CBC will satisfy or exceed performancestandards.

Learn more about the Kansas RATES Program atwww.krwa.net/ratereviews/ratereviews.shtml

4 Clarifier December 2013

Office Workflow – Improving "People Skills"

The mission of the Kansas Rural Water Associationis: Provide education and leadership necessary toenhance the effectiveness of Kansas’ water andwastewater utilities.

KRWA is proud of its long history of providingtraining for both water and wastewater systems. Since1976, KRWA has facilitated, sponsored or conductedmore than 2,230 sessions. Since that first session onApril 3, 1976 when 101 people from 48 systemsattended a water system training seminar in Iola,KRWA’s history of providing training remainsunmatched in Kansas.

Always check KRWA’s training calendar atwww.krwa.net to learn what sessions are scheduled.Register online also. KRWA encourages operators,board/council members, agencies, engineering firmsand others to forward any suggestions for futureKRWA sessions. KRWA Training is a partnership withyour Association staff, associate members and a hostof other, experienced resources.

Providing Trainingis CENTRAL To

KRWA’s Mission

Check outKRWA’s

training schedule

onlinewww.krwa.net

A total of 17 people attended the training “Office Workflow” on November 19 atOsage City.

ansas Rural Water Associationsponsored an "Office Workflow"

training session at the Osage City Depot inOsage City, KS on November 19. Thetraining was attended by six rural waterdistricts and three city office personnelwith a total of 17 attendees. The trainingfocused on how to improve "people skills"when dealing with the co-workers and thepublic. Several hands-on exercises wereincluded during the day, helping everyonesee reactions – and consequences. JenSharp of jensharp.com was the instructor.The training was provided at no charge.

Those attending enjoyed the class andrecommended the class be held at leastannually. Systems attending included: Cityof Osage City, Osage RWD 6, City ofBaldwin City, Coffey RWD 3, Osage RWD 3,City of Carbondale, Johnson RWD 7,Douglas RWD 5 and Douglas RWD 3.

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5Clarifier December 2013

Kansas Rural Water Association

Setting Sail For The Future ...t's the Largest Conference for Water and WastewaterUtilities in Mid-America Yes, plans are fully underway for the 2014 Annual

Conference & Exhibition for Water and Wastewater Utilitiessponsored by the Kansas Rural Water Association. Mark yourcalendar now for March 25 - 27 at Century II ConventionCenter in Wichita, KS to attend the largest waterworksindustry conference and expo in Mid-America.

Attending industry trade shows and conferences can costpeople and companies a lot of time and money. But it's aninvestment worth making. If people attend and spend theirtime effectively by participating in and networking at trainingsessions, the exhibits, the meals and social events, they willwalk away with great insight and potentially newopportunities that will give a nice return on their investment.

In 2013, attendees came from 310 cities and 173 ruralwater districts. There will be a host of seminars andeducational presentations in an effort to keep peopleinformed about new developments. All 315 exhibit spaceswill be filled with the latest in technology and services.There will be outstanding entertainment, great food anddown-home hospitality. You will not find a friendlier crowdthan what gathers at this conference.

This conference will feature ten full-day preconferencesessions and an additional 48 concurrent breakoutsessions. Special sessions will also be held for city clerksand RWD office staff. And the 14th Annual Attorneys'Forum is sure to fill early.

◆ 8 Pre-conference sessions on Tuesday, including special sessions

for operator certification, water and wastewater operations and

board/council information, city clerks and rural water district

administrators

◆ 48 Concurrent Training Sessions

◆ Operator Certification Exams, (Thursday

afternoon)

◆ 315 Exhibits Showcasing Products and

Services

◆ Special Guest Speakers

◆ Best Tasting Water Contest

◆ WaterPAC Raffle to Support NRWA's Legislative Efforts

◆ Spouse Program

◆ Tuesday Nite Cruise Party, includes BBQ and social, King

Midas & The Mufflers band and more than $10,000 in prizes

◆ Almost 5-K Run / Walk

◆ Awards Recognizing the Best of the Best

What to Look For in 2014

Mark Your Calendar Now

March 25 – 27, 2014

Conference programs with registration forms will be in the mail soon after January 1, 2014.

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6 Clarifier December 2013

Need New Maps? GPS and Mapping SubsidyHelps Water Systems In Kansas

PS Mapping continues to beembraced by cities and rural water

districts in Kansas and nationwide. TheKansas Rural Water Association has beenat the forefront of providing thistechnology to local communities since2001. KRWA has conducted datacollection and prepared map products for125 cities and 122 rural water districtssince initiating a program in 2001 to helpsystems improve their mapping products.

Like many rural water districts andcities, Anderson County Rural WaterDistrict No. 5 has been relying on theoriginal “as-builts” for pipeline locations.The district recently requested anestimate from KRWA to conduct GPS datacollection and to prepare new maps forthe district. An estimate was provide andthe district has signed an agreement forKRWA to work with the district personnelto map the district.

As an example water system, AndersonRWD 5 has 823 meters serviced alongmore than 500 miles of pipeline. Thedistrict has 215 valves and about 200additional line points that they propose to

GPS. What’s the cost to the district?KRWA’s estimate for data collection is$11,100. Travel costs are estimated to be$1,600. The total estimate is$12,700. Costs are estimates and notquotes and the ending project costs aredependent on how prepared the system isfor the data collection and the number ofmaps the district orders for printing.

The following is a listing of projects thatKRWA is presently mapping: AndersonRWD 5, Barber RWD 1, City of CouncilGrove water and wastewater, City ofGreen water and wastewater; City ofHavensville water and wastewater; City ofSabetha; City of St. George; City ofWashington; Dickinson RWD 2; DouglasRWD 2; Elk RWD 2; Franklin RWD 1;Franklin RWD 4; Greenwood RWD 1;Mitchell RWD 3; Osborne RWD 2; PublicWholesale 23; and Rice RWD 1.

The Kansas Water Office provides asubsidy of up to $4,000 or 50 percent ofthe cost for any mapping project. As abenefit of the Clean Drinking Water Fee,the subsidy provided to cities and RWD inKansas has exceeded $431,000 as of

December 3, 2013. The Water Office has$101,504 in available funding. Additionalinformation can be found on the KansasWater Office Web site athttp://www.kwo.org/projects_programs/Projects_Programs.htm KRWA can alsoprovide assistance in preparing theapplication for any system interested inthe subsidy.

Pete Koenig and Mark Thomas are theKRWA staff members who head up GPSmapping. Pete offers this comment:“Collecting GPS data for a utility'sinfrastructure is vital to documentinglocation information. Previously, hard-copy, paper maps were the best way to document such information. With theadvent of GIS (Geographic InformationSystems), utilizing digital data for archiving,maintenance and billing has never beenmore thorough. Also, if data is in a digitalformat, it can be transferred to suchservice providers as Kansas One-Call orengineering firms to incorporate into theirprocesses or system reviews. With KRWAmapping, the systems own the data.”

This graphic shows water meter locations for several residences on a rural water system in Douglas County. The meters are labeled withtheir respective benefit unit numbers. Valve and cleanout locations are also identified. Waterline locations are very accurate for thisDistrict since GPS data was collected at several known line locations (e.g., marker posts, road crossings, etc.). The "window" on the mapshows how information about meters or other points can be joined to a GPS mapping project. A "floating window" opens when clickingon the respective point on the digital file. The potential to join information is limitless, including hyperlinks to digital photos, etc.

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FID 15METERID 408METERSIZE 5/8"HOUSENUM 123STREET N 400 RdCITY AnytownINSTALL DATE 09/19/73METER TYPE BadgerMETER SIZE 5/8”METER PIT TYPE Plastic pit

COMMENTS Service line follows driveway to house

POINT_X 2089182.968POINT_Y 179581.7573

GPS Coordinate 95°16'26.504"W 38°47'39.487"N

7Clarifier December 2013

Kansas Rural Water Association

he Kansas Rural Water Associationand WaterOne (Johnson County)

recently filed complaints to the Chairmanof the Kansas Underground UtilityNotification Center (KUUNC).

The complaints concerned an actiontaken by the KUUNC Board of DirectorsOctober 9, 2013 to select Kansas One-CallSystem, Inc. as the Notification Centeroperator through March 31, 2019. Two ofthe KUUNC board members voted againstthe selection of Kansas One-Call as theoperator for the next five years; theywere David Rinaldi of Leavenworth RWD 7and KRWA staff member Pete Koenig.Also at that meeting, the chairman of theKUUNC Board appointed a three-membercommittee to work on a formalagreement between the Board andKansas One-Call. Those appointed to acommittee to create an agreementbetween the KUUNC and Kansas One-Callwere Pete Koenig and directors AlanPrieb, representing CenturyLink, and BradMears, representing Kansas MunicipalUtilities.

In KRWA’s complaint to the KUUNC,KRWA counsel Gary Hanson wrote thatthe vote by KUUNC did not comply withapplicable state law or the order of theKansas Corporation Commission. KSA 66-1805(o) requires that the NotificationCenter solicit proposal for operation ofthe Center. Also, contrary to KCC orders,the action taken by the KUUNC Board ofDirectors was not preceded by a

solicitation for proposal for operation ofthe Center and was not in the nature of abidding process – and there was noadvance notice that the selection of theKansas One-Call as NotificationCenter operator would be considered atthe October 9th meeting.

Both KRWA and WaterOne, in theirfiling of separate complaints, requested

that the KUUNC Board of Directorsrescind the selection of Kansas One-CallSystem, Inc., as the Notification Centeroperator and that the three-membercommittee appointed for the purpose offormalizing an agreement between theKUUNC Board and Kansas One-Call besuspended. WaterOne, in its complaintsubmitted by Deputy General CounselDarci Meese, stated that there “has beenample time for the (KUUNC) Board ofDirectors to prepare an RFP for the

notification center operation. Instead, myunderstanding is the group has beenhaggling over whether the KUUNC is infact a ‘public agency.’ These issues are notvague,” Meese wrote. “The intent of thechanges to the law several years ago wereto in fact provide transparency to thenotification center, hence the applicationof Kansas Open Records and OpenMeetings. If membership to anorganization and payment of dues arerequired of a public entity, then thatcharging organization should betransparent and open. There is noquestion that KUUNC was intended to bea public agency and no more time shouldbe wasted on discussing said point.”

At their meeting on December 3, theKUUNC Board of Directors voted torescind the action taken at the Octobermeeting that KRWA and WaterOneobjected to.

The result is to return Kansas One-Callto interim operator status for anindefinite time.

The committee mentioned is also towork on an agreement between KUUNCand Kansas One-Call as interim operator.Work is to also proceed on the RFPprocess by KUUNC.

To learn more about the KansasUnderground Utility Notification Center,read the article on pages 26 - 28 in theJuly 2013 issue of The Kansas Lifeline. Itcan be found online athttp://krwa.net/lifeline/1307/026.pdf

KRWA and WaterOne File Complaints Concerning Actionsof Kansas Underground Utility Notification Center

At their meeting onDecember 3, the KUUNCBoard of Directors voted

to rescind the actiontaken at the October

meeting that KRWA andWaterOne objected to.

Want News Faster? If you would like to receive future newsletters and other

correspondence from KRWA via email, please go to the link on theKRWA Web site and provide your information to KRWA. KRWA does notsell or provide email addresses to any other party.

Enter your information at this link:http://krwa.net/about/subscribe.asp

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