Working Together to Protect America’s Drinking Water Partnership for Safe Water Volume 17, Issue 4 December 2012 The Partnership’s mission is to improve the quality of drinking water delivered to customers of public water supplies by optimizing system operations. Inside this issue: ACE13 Partnership Page 2 Program in Denver, Colorado Share Case Studies with Page 2 the Partnership WQTC Conference Recap Page 2 Partnership’s Sister Page 3 in Quebec Confers Awards Ingram’s Mill WTP Page 3 receives Directors Award Robert Cheng to continue Page 3 as Partnership Chairperson Tech-Tip: Measuring Page 4 Turbidity Grab Samples New Treatment Program Page 4 Presidents Award Correspondence Update Page 4 AWWA & Partnership Page 5 Launch new Website Treatment and Distribution Page 5 Program Status Updates New Phase III Page 5 Directors Awardees Upcoming AWWA Events, Page 6 Webinars and Conferences JOIN the Distribution Page 6 Program Partnership Contacts Page 6 New Partnership Program Manager takes the reins Barb Martin brings drinking water industry experience to role My name is Barb Martin, and I started at AWWA as Manager of the Partnership for Safe Water program on Nov. 1, 2012. I am very excited to contribute to the Partnership and look forward to continuing to build upon the success of the pro- grams established by the Partner organizations, the Steering Committee, our many volunteers, and, of course the previous Partnership Manager Bill Lauer. A chemist by training, I have spent nearly my entire career in the water and wastewater industry. I previously worked at organizations including the US Geological Survey, Hach Company, and Orica Watercare in positions that included water and wastewater operator training, re- search and development chemistry, and regional sales for water and wastewater instrumentation and process treatment equipment. While 2012 has been a year of transition for the Partnership, it was also a year that held many success- es and I look forward to working with many of you to continue that success and excitement in 2013. We hope you will take a moment to read through this issue of the newsletter and learn about Partner- ship activities across North America. In this issue you will find 2012 updates from our Partners in Que- bec and Pennsylvania; a recap of activities from WQTC; and a preview of what’s in store for ACE2013, which takes place in AWWA’s home city of Denver, Colorado from June 9-13. As the year draws to a close, I would like to take a moment to thank our utility members, our Partner organizations, and the many Partnership for Safe Water volunteers who contribute countless hours toward helping utilities improve their performance and provide their customers with cleaner, safer drinking water. The Partnership could not exist without your support. Happy Holidays from the Partnership for Safe Water and Best Wishes for 2013! 6666 West Quincy Ave. / Denver, Colo. / 80235-3098 / Main Tel: (303) 794-7711 / Fax: (303) 794-6303 Partnership’s Steering Committee Chairperson Robert Cheng’s 2012 Wrap-up The 17th year of this program saw significant changes and milestones, most notably the departures of long-time Partnership program staff, Debby Qualls and Bill Lauer. Bill Lauer and Debby Qualls left the program in the able hands of new hires Barb Martin and Tom Schippert, respectively. Despite these changes, meaningful progress was made in many areas of the program, including: Completion of new Partnership Charter (clarifying the program management roles). Addition of seven new Phase III Directors Award Plants, and one new Phase IV Presidents Award plant. These awards increased the totals for Phase III plants to 208 and Phase IV plants to 11. Introduction of the new Phase IV Presidents Award category, which recognizes the plants achieving the Phase IV filtered water turbidity goals while the plants work on achieving the other Phase IV Excel- lence Award targets. Making significant progress on the distribution system program, including evaluation of the Phase III submittal guidance manual. When asked about what makes the Partnership successful, one recurring comment is that we have the most dedicated staff and volunteers of any program. Thank you for your part to achieve these accom- plishments in 2012, and I look forward to surpassing these accomplishments in 2013. On behalf of the Partnership Steering Committee, I wish your family a happy holiday season and all the best in 2013. Thank you, Robert Robert C. Cheng, Ph.D., P.E.| (562) 570-2487 | [email protected]
Transcript
Working Together to Protect America’s Drinking Water
Partnership for Safe Water
Volume 17, Issue 4 December 2012
The Partnership’s mission is to
improve the quality of drinking
water delivered to customers
of public water supplies by
optimizing system operations.
Inside this issue:
ACE13 Partnership Page 2 Program in Denver, Colorado
Share Case Studies with Page 2 the Partnership
WQTC Conference Recap Page 2
Partnership’s Sister Page 3 in Quebec Confers Awards
Ingram’s Mill WTP Page 3 receives Directors Award
Robert Cheng to continue Page 3 as Partnership Chairperson
Tech-Tip: Measuring Page 4 Turbidity Grab Samples
New Treatment Program Page 4 Presidents Award
Correspondence Update Page 4
AWWA & Partnership Page 5 Launch new Website
Treatment and Distribution Page 5 Program Status Updates
New Phase III Page 5 Directors Awardees
Upcoming AWWA Events, Page 6 Webinars and Conferences
JOIN the Distribution Page 6 Program
Partnership Contacts Page 6
New Partnership Program Manager takes the reins Barb Martin brings drinking water industry experience to role
My name is Barb Martin, and I started at AWWA as Manager of the Partnership for Safe Water program on Nov. 1, 2012. I am very excited to contribute to the Partnership and look forward to continuing to build upon the success of the pro-grams established by the Partner organizations, the Steering Committee, our many volunteers, and, of course the previous Partnership Manager Bill Lauer.
A chemist by training, I have spent nearly my entire career in the water and wastewater industry. I previously worked at organizations including the US Geological Survey, Hach Company, and Orica Watercare in positions that included water and wastewater operator training, re-search and development chemistry, and regional sales for water and wastewater instrumentation and process treatment equipment.
While 2012 has been a year of transition for the Partnership, it was also a year that held many success-es and I look forward to working with many of you to continue that success and excitement in 2013. We hope you will take a moment to read through this issue of the newsletter and learn about Partner-ship activities across North America. In this issue you will find 2012 updates from our Partners in Que-bec and Pennsylvania; a recap of activities from WQTC; and a preview of what’s in store for ACE2013, which takes place in AWWA’s home city of Denver, Colorado from June 9-13.
As the year draws to a close, I would like to take a moment to thank our utility members, our Partner organizations, and the many Partnership for Safe Water volunteers who contribute countless hours toward helping utilities improve their performance and provide their customers with cleaner, safer drinking water. The Partnership could not exist without your support.
Happy Holidays from the Partnership for Safe Water and Best Wishes for 2013!
6666 West Quincy Ave. / Denver, Colo. / 80235-3098 / Main Tel: (303) 794-7711 / Fax: (303) 794-6303
Partnership’s Steering Committee Chairperson Robert Cheng’s 2012 Wrap-up
The 17th year of this program saw significant changes and milestones, most notably the departures of long-time Partnership program staff, Debby Qualls and Bill Lauer. Bill Lauer and Debby Qualls left the program in the able hands of new hires Barb Martin and Tom Schippert, respectively. Despite these changes, meaningful progress was made in many areas of the program, including:
Completion of new Partnership Charter (clarifying the program management roles).
Addition of seven new Phase III Directors Award Plants, and one new Phase IV Presidents Award plant. These awards increased the totals for Phase III plants to 208 and Phase IV plants to 11.
Introduction of the new Phase IV Presidents Award category, which recognizes the plants achieving the Phase IV filtered water turbidity goals while the plants work on achieving the other Phase IV Excel-lence Award targets.
Making significant progress on the distribution system program, including evaluation of the Phase III submittal guidance manual.
When asked about what makes the Partnership successful, one recurring comment is that we have the most dedicated staff and volunteers of any program. Thank you for your part to achieve these accom-plishments in 2012, and I look forward to surpassing these accomplishments in 2013. On behalf of the Partnership Steering Committee, I wish your family a happy holiday season and all the best in 2013.
Thank you, Robert Robert C. Cheng, Ph.D., P.E.| (562) 570-2487 | [email protected]
WQTC was held in Toronto, Canada Nov. 4-8 with more than 1,100 attendees. The conference showcased a large exhibit hall with 83 booths and more than 70 organizations—all very eager to talk to AWWA members. Events kicked off with four Sunday morning workshops focusing on Public Notification, Biological Lab Methods, Implementation of Advanced Treatment Technologies and Young Career Development skills. Technical sessions included a range of topics such as biological treatment, taste and odor treatment, advancements in water research, sustainability issues in water treatment and drinking water Issues in Developing Countries; as well as two poster sessions on water treatment and distribution water quality.
Additionally, AWWA kicked off its new student experience program to better meet the needs of younger members. Students were given free t-shirts saying “I am the future of water” in addition to a net-working lunch with young and experienced professionals to gain more networking opportunities. The conference ended with Thursday morning tours to the R.C. Harris WTP, Horgan WTP, Burloak Water Purification plant and the City of Toronto’s waterfront stormwater management facilities. Special thanks
goes out to the WQTC12 Planning Committee Chair, Quirien Muylwyk, of CH2M Hill and her planning committee members for helping make the conference a huge success. WQTC13 will take place in Long Beach, California, home of Partnership Steering Committee chair, Robert Cheng. Be sure to visit the AWWA website, www.awwa.org, and select Conferences & Education from the top drop-down menu and then choose Water Quality to access the conference web page. Contributed by: Ari Copeland, AWWA Water Engineer
Page 2
Partnership Programs will be
highlighted at ACE13
The Partnership for Safe Water will be prominently featured at ACE13, which is taking place in AWWA’s home city of Denver, Colo-rado, June 9-13, 2013. In addition to the annual Partnership awards luncheon, a separate Partnership for Safe Water session will be in-cluded as part of the technical program.
The session is slated to feature presentations by several prominent Partnership utility members and cover a wide variety of Partnership topics. Many thanks to Greg Baker from Aurora Water, Robert Cheng from the Long Beach Water Department, and Michael Barsotti from the Champlain Water District for proposing this ses-sion and working to make it a reality at ACE13.
Additionally, Aurora Water’s Griswold Water Treatment Plant, a Phase IV Excellence Award winner, will be included among the many facility tours that will take place at the conference.
Visit www.awwa.org/ACE13 for more information about the Annual Conference and Exposition. We look forward to seeing many of you at ACE13 in Denver, Colorado, this summer.
Share your Partnership success story and win!
Does participation in the Partnership for Safe Water improve water quality, save money, increase operator morale or posi-tively impact water treatment plant or distribution system oper-ations for your utility? If so, the Partnership would like to hear from you. We are working to create a series of case studies that describe the benefits of being a Partnership member.
If you have a story to share, let us know. Send us a brief abstract (500 words maximum) to [email protected] by March 1, 2013. Submissions will be entered into a drawing to win a great prize from AWWA; and we’ll work with selected entries to develop a Case Study that highlights your Partnership success.
Dispatch from Quebec, Canada (Contributed by Gary Sullivan, AWWA):
Quebec’s counterpart to the Partnership, PEXEP, recognizes top-performing systems
The Partnership for Safe Water’s sister program in Quebec (Programme d’Excellence en Eau Potable – or PEXEP) awarded systems for their commitment to safe water at the Quebec Section AWWA conference, held Oct. 23-24 in Laval. At the conclusion of the technical sessions a cocktail reception was held in the exhibit hall where the water awards were conferred.
Quebec communities take great pride in achieving the PEXEP award and participating in the program. The PEXEP program requires the buy-in of elected officials, and officials from each of the award-winning communities attended the ceremony.
One elected official whose water plant was awarded a three star award was overheard asking his superintendent: “Why didn’t we get four or five stars!” AWWA Vice President David Koch was graciously invited to be a part of the congratulatory line for awardees and to participate in celebratory photos of each group that was recognized.
PEXEP 3-Star awardees from Ville de Rouyn-Noranda , along with Reseau President Mustapha Ouyed (center), Reseau PEXEP coordinator Alain Lalumiere (far right) and David Koch, AWWA Vice President.
Aqua Pennsylvania’s Ingram’s Mill WTP Achieves Phase III Directors Award
The Partnership recognized Aqua PA’s Ingram’s Mill Water Treatment Plant with the Phase III Directors Award.
Operators completed a short quiz required to receive 20 continuing education credits (CEUs) as an incentive by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) that underscores the importance of the Part-nership program. CEUs not withstanding, every operator shared their experiences of working on Phase III plant optimization. Operators also out-lined the things they learned and changed, and the successes they realized along the way.
This is the second award for Aqua Pennsylvania. The first was for Roaring Creek WTP located in Shamokin, PA.
The Ingram’s Mill facility is now considering moving on to Phase IV and the Partnership’s Presidents Award and continuing to use the many tools available to Partnership members.
Congratulations to Ingram’s Mill staff on
receiving the Partnership’s Directors Award! Contributed by Nancy Dinger—PA AWWA
Robert Cheng takes helm for second term as
Partnership Steering Committee Chair
Congratulations to Robert Cheng of the Long Beach Water Department who was recently appointed to serve for a second term as Chair of the Partnership for Safe Water Steering Committee and will also continue to serve as the committee’s AWWA representative. Robert’s appointment was confirmed by a unanimous vote of the Steering Committee during its November meeting. We thank Robert for his many contributions to the Partnership and look forward to his continued service and leadership through 2015. Partnership for Safe Water Steering Committee conference calls take place on a monthly basis and are open to all.
Treatment Optimization: New Presidents Award The Partnership for Safe Water Steering Committee is happy to announce the creation of a new award. The Presidents Award recognizes the Directors award plants which have been tenaciously pursuing optimization as demonstrated by meeting the Phase IV individual filter performance goals.
To qualify for this prestigious award treatment plants must: 1) Be in “good standing” and a current Directors award recipient.
2) Have maintained monthly individual filter turbidity less than 0.10 NTU 95% of the time (based on values recorded at 15 minute inter-vals) for the past 12-months (ending no more than two months from the application date).
3) Have indicated intent to continue to make improvements, using a collaborative team approach, to attain fully optimized plant perfor-mance and achieve the “Excellence in Water Treatment” award.
It takes considerable time and effort to meet the Phase IV individual filter turbidity goals. The Partnership wants to recognize this out-standing achievement with its Presidents Award. We hope this will help you and your staff as you continue to address action plans, move toward fully optimized treatment plant operation, and ultimately qualify for the Excellence in Water Treatment award.
There is no additional charge for this award, and specific award application guidelines can be found on the Partnership for Safe Water website at www.partnershipforsafewater.org. Applications may be submitted at any time.
Contact Tom Schippert, Program Coordinator, at [email protected] or (303) 347-6169 if you have any questions.
Page 4
Tech-Tip
Measuring Low-Level Turbidity Grab Samples If your treatment plant participates in the Partnership for Safe Water, chances are that low filtered water turbidity values are a source of pride for your operators. However, bench scale measurement of samples with low turbidity (<0.1 NTU), such as those collected to confirm the performance of online turbidimeters, can also be a source of frustration. That’s because anything that causes light to scatter (scratches, finger-prints, air bubbles) can be a source of positive interference in turbidity readings. Follow these technique tips to improve the accuracy of low-level turbidity sample measurements:
Dedicate a set of sample cells to measuring only filter effluent turbidity or other low turbidity samples.
Store these sample cells in a manner such that they are protected from getting scratched.
Keep sample cells meticulously clean – follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for periodic cleaning.
Apply a small amount of silicone oil to the cells to mask imperfections prior to measurement.
Index sample cells to identify the cell’s orientation in which the lowest turbidity measurement is obtained.
To do this, fill cells with low turbidity water, allow air bubbles to dissipate, polish with silicone oil, and then rotate the cell to measure the turbidity at several orientations. Mark the orientation where the lowest turbidity was measure-ment was obtained, and use this orientation for all future measurements.
Avoid air bubbles – Pour samples gently into cells, and allow air bubbles to dissipate by letting samples stand undis-turbed for a few minutes prior to measurement.
Calibrate bench or portable turbidimeters quarterly, following the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Instrument cleanliness – Buildup of dust and other particles inside the instrument over time can lead to an increase in “stray light” values and turbidity measurements. Refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for optimal stray light values and servicing procedures.
Careful attention to detail is critical to successfully measuring turbidity at the low-levels that are routinely produced by Partnership plants. Incorporating these tips can help to improve accuracy and make low-level turbidity measurement less of a frustration!
Reference: Turbidity Science – Mike Sadar, Hach Company, 1998
AWWA Launches New Website: Featuring Newly Designed Partnership Web Pages
AWWA has a new Website, successfully launched on December 10. The updated website includes new and improved Partnership pages, which can be accessed through the Resources & Tools menu at the top of the page or at www.partnershipforsafewater.org.
Please visit awwa.org to immerse yourself in outstanding usability and ease of navigation. The site has been designed to efficiently and quickly deliver relevant content you expect, including:
Enhanced navigation and search features that allow you to easily and quickly access information and data.
New AWWA store: Easy one-stop shopping lets you check-out just once with the universal shopping cart.
Enhanced Journal AWWA and Opflow online publications, along with easy-to-use search and navigation functions and a full archive of past issues and articles.
The ability to pay balances and renew memberships online in My Account.
Same login procedures: Login works exactly the same way it previously did, and a new username or password does not need to be created. Simply click on the “Login” button on the upper right-hand corner of your screen to gain access to the site.
Career Center resources fully accessible: Yes—AWWA’s popular Career Center is still available to search for job postings and to access valuable career resources. Access the pages via the “jobs” link located on the top and bottom of site pages. Or, click on the “Resources & Tools” main-menu choice and select “Career Center” or an associated page from the drop-down menu.
Search, archives and the AWWA store replace the water library: All of the content AWWA members previously found in the water library can now be found using the improved “search” function or by visiting the new Journal AWWA and Opflow archives. AWWA’s books, articles, Standards and Manuals are still for sale in AWWA’s store.
Have a question or problems using the new site: AWWA’s customer service professionals are fully versed in the usability of the new site and can assist you with any usability or navigation questions you may have. Contact customer service at: 800-926-7337 or 303-794-7711.
New Directors Award Winners in the Treatment Program:
Since we held our award ceremony at ACE12 in Dallas last June, we’ve conferred additional Phase III Directors Awards to these highly deserving utilities and water treatment plants:
Pennsylvania American Water West Shore WTP, New Cumberland, Pennsylvania
City of Tulsa Mohawk WTP, Tulsa, Oklahoma
City of Tulsa AB Jewell WTP, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Aqua Pennsylvania Ingram’s Mill WTP, West Chester, Pennsylvania
City of San Diego Miramar WTP, San Diego, California
Pennsylvania American Water Shady Lane WTP, Royersford, Pennsylvania
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission Patuxent WFP, Laurel, Maryland
The Partnership congratulates these award recipients and acknowledges their optimization efforts throughout the year. Thanks for your hard work and participating in the program!
Treatment Optimization Program Status:
Total Utility Subscribers: 221 Total Water Treatment Plant Subscribers: 411 Phase III Total Directors Awards (since inception): PIII Directors Award recipient plants = 236 PIII Directors Award submissions currently in review = 4 PIV Total Presidents Awards (since inception): PIV Presidents Award recipient plants = 4 PIV Total Excellence Awards (since inception): PIII Excellence Award recipient plants = 11 PIII Excellence Award submissions currently in review = 1
The Distribution System Optimization Program has a total of 125 participating systems as of December 2012.
All size systems are represented, from those serving populations of a few thousand to multi-millions. You can join this unique effort to im-prove the delivery of drinking water by optimizing distribution system operations. The Partnership provides guidance and tools for systems to collect baseline data and conduct a voluntary self-assessment of distribution system operation.
The process identifies areas for improvement and prioritizes performance improvement factors that should provide the greatest benefit. Awards are provided for reaching various levels of optimization. Recognition from the Partner-ship for Safe Water signifies that system operators are committed to excellence.
Applications to join the Partnership for Safe Water can be found at:
www.partnershipforsafewater.org or call Tom Schippert at: (303) 347-6169. 6666 West Quincy Ave. / Denver, Colo. / 80235-3098
Main Tel: (303) 794-7711 / Fax: (303) 794-6303
Robert Cheng PSW Steering Committee Chairperson 562-570-2487 [email protected] Michael Barsotti PSW PEAC-T Chair 802-864-7454, Ext. 102 [email protected]
Partnership for Safe Water/ AWWA 6666 W. Quincy Ave. Denver, CO 80235 303-347-6169 [email protected] Barb Martin AWWA Program Manager Tel: 303-347-6220 Tom Schippert AWWA Program Coordinator Tel: 303-347-6169
Upcoming AWWA Events, Webinars and Conferences AWWA holds conferences, symposiums and webinars designed to provide utility and plant employees with information and resources that help improve operations and let them stay abreast of new trends and best practices in the water industry. Review this select list of upcoming events that would benefit your utility or facility; then access detailed information about these events on AWWA’s conferences and education Web page at: awwa.org/conferences-education.aspx; or call: 800-926-7337 / (303) 794-7711. Jan 23— AWWA |Webinar Colorado Wildfires Along the Front Range - Emergency Preparedness and Lessons Learned Feb 6— AWWA |Webinar Maximize Your Hydraulic Model: Improve Water Quality and Water System Functionality Feb 20— AWWA |Webinar Electronic Consumer Confidence Reports - What You Need to Know Feb 21— AWWA | Specialty Conf. 2013 International Conference on Stormwater & Urban Water Systems Modeling Toronto, Ontario, CAN Feb 25-28—AMTA/AWWA | Specialty Conference 2013 Membrane Technology Conference San Antonio, Texas Mar 06— AWWA |Webinar Cost Effective Condition Assessment of Water Mains Mar 10— AWWA/WEF |Specialty Conference 2013 - The Utility Management Conference Glendale, Arizona Mar 28—AWWA |Symposium 2013 Biological Treatment Symposium Denver, Colorado Apr 3—AWWA |Webinar Continual Quality Improvement in the Laboratory Apr 7-10—AWWA | Specialty Conference 2013 Sustainable Water Management Nashville, Tennessee
