Completed Technical Assistance & University Demonstration Projects
Mississippi Rural Water Association (MsRWA) will utilize GIS/GPS technology to develop a pilot project that converts a water system’s current paper maps to digital format. Upon selecting one (1) system to participate in the pilot project, MsRWA will use hand-drawn plans of the water mains, hydrants, valves, meters, tanks, etc. and incorporate the new data into a complete package that is available to water department personnel on the computer or printed out in map format. The GIS will allow management to analyze their system by individual components or comprehensively, depending on their specific needs. By having the most accurate data, GIS/GPS can even be used for more complex problem solving such as hydraulic modeling. The project will prepare a digital map of the entire water system and verify the location of all water services, valves, and water mains with survey-grade GPS equipment. These maps will be highly accurate, as all data will be surveyed to near centimeter accuracy. Handheld GPS equipment will allow operators to read maps, track maintenance records, and get real-time access to archived record maps that are being digitally preserved. The Comprehensive GIS/GPS Conversion Pilot Project will benefit environmental professionals involved in the planning, design, construction, and operation of public water system because the technology allows a water system’s geographically referenced data to be determined more precisely.
Start/End Dates: 02/01/07 to 05/31/08
The Louisiana Water Resources Research Institute (LWRRI) established an internet-based information infrastructure to enhance the dissemination and exchange of technical information about the Safe Drinking Water Act technology available to achieve the Act’s goals, and the technical and financial assistance opportunities for small drinking water systems. LWRRI staff attended a Louisiana Rural Water Association Conference in 2002 to identify existing impediments to using the internet for information exchange. Following that meeting, 40 small drinking water systems and 133 academic and environmental participants were invited to participate in the technology exchange program through a funds matching RFP. Overwhelming interest in the program, requests for assistance in responding to the RFP, and interest in future RFP opportunities prompted requests for online training, saving both travel and time away costs. The project’s long term goal is to build working relationships between relevant state agencies, the Louisiana Rural Water Association, other technical assistance providers, and university researchers. Start/End Dates: 03/01/01 to 02/28/03.
The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) utilized funding to support two projects: First, Educating Texas Rural Water System Managers About Cross-Connection Issues, was aimed to create new and enhance existing relationships between the TWRI, other Texas universities, the Texas Rural Water Association, and state water management agencies (i.e., Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission and the Texas Water Development Board. As a first step, the TWRI and the TRWA collaborated in preparing training materials and holding a one day workshop on cross-connection issues.
A second workshop was conducted on Small Public Water Systems Training on Preventing Bacterial and Pesticide Contamination and Source Water Protection More than 200 participants attended training sessions on fecal coliform, E. coli, cryptosporidium, and giardia and disinfection by-products associated with water treatment practices. Presentations on source water protection for public water supply systems, and pesticide contamination and impacts to small water systems were also included. Several one-day training workshops were conducted in west, south, and central Texas, with live video streaming over the Internet. Cooperation with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station provided state-of-the –art information about bacterial contamination. The Texas Cooperative Extension’s presentations highlighted agency efforts to assist small water system managers in testing and protecting water supplies. Several fact sheets related to these programs were developed including the Cross-Connection Control seminar brochure. Throughout this project, the participants worked cooperatively to identify potential future research, training needs, and opportunities. Start/End Dates: 03/01/02 to 06/30/03.
The Alabama Water Resources Research Institute (AWRRI) collaborated with the Alabama Rural Water Association (ARWA) to help Alabama’s small water systems reduce the amount of water lost through leaks and reduce their overall energy costs. Briefly, this project:
1. Enhanced/expanded an ongoing ARWA Energy Conservation Program supported by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs’ Science, Technology and Energy Division;
2. Allowed the AWRRI to identify and pursue new opportunities to actively participate in resolving Alabama’s small drinking water systems’ priority needs.
Under the existing Energy Conservation Program, ARWA personnel visit small systems to determine their water loss, review their energy costs and inform them about the energy conservation program. Annually approximately twenty small systems request the ARWA to conduct leak surveys and train their operators on survey techniques. During the survey, systems are asked to provide one or more operators to work with the ARWA staff where they receive training on the latest leak detection technology, on-the-job training in survey techniques, and assistance in solving the system’s unaccounted for water. In some instances the program’s effectiveness would be enhanced by more advanced equipment such as Digital Correlating loggers (DCl) which can be attached to the distribution pipe and/or fittings to monitor flows over a designated period of time. The DCl also records data which is downloaded to a computer to determine high flow characteristics.
The Alabama Water Resources Research Institute (AWRRI) received funding for Geographic Information System (GIS) Development for Managing Rural Water Systems, a pilot project with the Beauregard Water Authority to develop a desktop geospatial application to map the system’s utilities and identify potential source water threats. Digital images were recorded for all features mapped. Every feature in the system (i.e. wellheads, storage tanks, valves, hydrants, and pipelines) was mapped using a Global Positioning System and differentially corrected to achieve greater accuracy. Potential source water contaminant sources were also identified and mapped. This data was imported into ArcView to create the GIS, which contained 255 water valves, 42 flushing hydrants, 139 fire hydrants, 13 pressure reducing valves, 4 wellheads, 2 storage tanks, and 17 potential contamination sources. Water lines from the existing 1”=200ft scale paper map were geo-referenced and incorporated into the digital maps. These maps can be used both in the office via a computer or accessed in the field via a PDA. ESRI ArcPad Application Builder was used to create custom buttons, toolbars, and scripts written for each button to simplify future data collection by system personnel. Utility personnel were trained to maintain and update this application. The PDA application allows personnel to easily locate features of interest and to collect additional data to update and maintain the maps. Start/End Dates: 02/01/01 to 01/31/02.
The Alabama Rural Water Association (ARWA) enhanced and expanded a Energy Conservation Program supported by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs with this project. There are approximately 600 public water utilities in Alabama. Of these 600 systems, 473 are considered small in size, serving a customer base of 3,300 users or less. This is the equivalent to populations in the State of 10,000 people or less. Among these small utilities, the production, treatment, and distribution of potable water is an energy intensive process requiring numerous pumps and motors of high horsepower.
In Alabama, the cost of electricity to provide treated water at the tap ranges from about $0.09/1,000 gallons to $0.25/1,000 gallons; making utility costs the second largest operational expense for most water systems. Because of the importance of these utility costs, the Alabama Rural Water Association, with the support of the Science, Technology, and Energy Division of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, has conducted an energy conservation program in the State since 1982. Water lost through leaks is a problem common to any water system operation and has a major effect on electric costs. Any water lost through leaks wastes the water as well as the energy required to produce and pump the water. Unfortunately, these leaks can be difficult to find and often go undetected. The costs associated with contract labor and equipment needed to detect leaks are expensive, especially for small utility budgets.
The SE-TAC project allowed ARWA to purchase leak Noise Correlators, annually conduct a minimum of 20 leak surveys, and train a minimum of 40 operators in survey techniques. This equipment allowed the ARWA to expand their technical services to Alabama’s small public water systems to include faster and more conclusive leak detection service. As a result, this project directly helped many of Alabama’s small public systems conserve water and reduce their energy costs to obtain and treat drinking water. For example, the detection and repair of three leaks saved one system $6,712.50 in one month. Start/End Dates: 05/01/01 to 04/30/2002.
The Mississippi Water Resources Research Institute (MWRRI) undertook two distinct activities. First, the MWRRI cooperated with Mississippi State University Extension Service, Mississippi Rural Water Association, Mississippi State Department of Health, Mississippi Water and Pollution Control Operators Association, and Community Resource Group, Inc.’s Rural Community Assistance Program to conduct Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) Workshops at Mississippi State University and the Mississippi Rural Water Association’s office in Raymond, Mississippi. These workshops provided an overview on what CCRs are; why they are required; and helped small drinking water systems comply with CCR development and notification requirements.
Secondly, the MWRA organized and hosted a Strategic Water Supply Workshop for federal and state agencies and other organizations relevant to resolving Mississippi’s water supply and safe drinking water issues. This workshop followed up on the Governor’s Mississippi Water and Sewer Task Force which examined Mississippi’s water and wastewater needs and priorities with a focus on infrastructure development. The workshop’s primary purpose was to identify and promote opportunities for partnerships to integrate isolated water supply and safe drinking water programs to promote public health for Mississippi’s small drinking water systems’ customers. The meeting was co-hosted by Mississippi Rural Development Council, Mississippi Water Resources Association, Mississippi Public Service Commission, and the MSU Extension Service.
With the second round of funding, the MWRRI built on these partnerships to Utilize Geospatial Technologies for Source Water Protection. This allowed the MWRRI to use geospatial technologies to identify and prioritize interagency efforts for source water protection and integration of Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act programs in identified priority areas. The pilot effort used geospatial technologies to integrate source water protection into a broad-based water quality protection effort. Geospatial technologies were used to merge various water quality monitoring databases and prioritize areas within the watershed to implement best management practices (BMPs). Start/End Dates: 09/01/00 to 06/30/03.
The Florida Rural Water Association (FRWA) purchased GPR to expand the scope of technical services that their Circuit Riders can provide to Florida’s small public water systems. This equipment aided the FRWA’s Circuit Riders in locating utilities, raw water lines and distribution lines, valves, and other small public water system infrastructure, by determining location, depth, and orientation of all tanks and pipes, to facilitate regular maintenance and to avoid damage during new construction. By clearly locating water infrastructure, small systems are also better able to implement source water protection plans. Start/End Dates: 04/01/02 to 03/31/03.
The Louisiana Rural Water Association’s Rita Assistance Program (RAP) will assist systems affected by Hurricane Rita in providing technical assistance in their recovery efforts. Based on LRWA’s involvement in the post Katrina & Rita water system evaluation process, it was evident that many systems lacked Operations and Maintenance manuals, Vulnerability Assessments and Emergency Response Plans. These instruments would have expedited the recovery process immensely. This project will provide assistance and aid approximately 120 systems during the grant time period in the development of long range plans, and include a Vulnerability Assessment (VA), Emergency Response Plan (ERP) and Operations and Maintenance (O & M) Manual for each system. Hurricane Rita’s destruction in southwest Louisiana on September 24, 2005 devastated water and wastewater systems large and small. Many of the water systems serve rural areas and are small in size (population less than 3,300); many are subdivisions, trailer parks other privately owned systems such as; mom & pop restaurants, campgrounds, and grocery stores, and lack the financial and technical resources to recover from such disasters.
Start/End Dates: 04/01/07 to 03/31/08
Florida Rural Water Association’s (FRWA) project assisted small water systems to meet and exceed the SDWA standards and protect public health with particular emphasis on Disinfection Byproducts (DBP) and Simultaneous Compliance (including color, odor, taste, tannins, re-nitrification, and chloramination issues). FRWA has two total trihalomethanes (TTHM) field labs for on-site treatment evaluation and had previously performed an in-depth DBP/nitrification study of two Florida systems. This project enablef the FRWA to expand their technical assistance to other systems based on lessons that they have learned from their initial work with two systems. Sixty-five small- to medium-sized water systems were assisted, all under 50,000 population with DBP Compliance; a majority of systems were under 10,000 population. FRWA provided a mix of technical assistance, training, technology transfer, capacity development, security, and distribution system operation & maintenance. FRWA also produced a Florida-focused Disinfection By-Products / Simultaneous Compliance Best Practices Technical Manual for Medium and Small Water Systems, Operator Training Course and CD-ROM Training Resources.
Start/End Dates: 06/01/07 to 05/31/08
Florida Rural Water Association’s (FRWA) project is assisting small water systems to meet and exceed the SDWA standards and protect public health with particular emphasis on Disinfection Byproducts (DBP) and Simultaneous Compliance (including color, odor, taste, tannins, re-nitrification, and chloramination issues). FRWA has two total trihalomethanes (TTHM) field labs for on-site treatment evaluation and had previously performed an in-depth DBP/nitrification study of two Florida systems. This project will enable the FRWA to expand their technical assistance to other systems based on lessons that they have learned from their initial work. The project will assist at least 48 small water systems with a mix of technical assistance, training, technology transfer, capacity development, security, and distribution system operation and maintenance. FRWA will also produce a Florida-focused Disinfection By-Products / Simultaneous Compliance Best Practices Technical Manual for Medium and Small Water Systems, Operator Training Course and CD-ROM Training Resources. This project builds upon technical materials FRWA had previously developed. For example, FWRA published a technical paper, “Disinfection By-Products In Florida’s Water Systems - Practical Treatment Processes & Techniques For Controlling & Lowering DBPs” in the Florida Water Resources Journal, July 2006, which will be incorporated into the training resources.
Start/End Dates: 06/01/06 to 05/31/07
The University of Mississippi Department of Civil Engineering conducted a regional assessment of water supply and source water protection issues. The investigators contacted relevant governmental and academic research organizations and researchers to create a multidisciplinary network of experienced researchers available to provide applied research to support EPA’s source water protection needs. The investigators interacted with federal and state agency personnel throughout the region, and attended regional conferences, workshops, and symposia to identify and begin prioritizing regional groundwater and source water protection issues in the southeastern U.S. The findings where compiled in a peer reviewed document titled Organization Building of the Southeastern Water Resources Research and Environmental Policy Consortium. Start/End Dates: 09/015/02 to 08/31/04.
The Mississippi State University GeoResources Institute coordinated with Mississippi’s Departments of Health and Environmental Quality to develop a Geographic Information System (GIS)/Global Positioning System (GPS) field application for septic system mapping, inspection, and fault reporting. Mobile computing, field mapping, remote sensing and GIS technologies were applied to septic issues, problems, and solutions at the development site, community, and watershed scale. Major tasks were to develop the Information Technology (IT) architecture and a functional application using Open Source technologies, GIS, and mobile computing to address septic system field problems and workflows in a source water protection context. The project developed a custom application that integrates hand-held PDA technology, GPS, and GIS software to map septic systems in rural areas; a user needs assessment; a data needs assessment; a documented example of use; an html user guide; and a conference proceeding report. Start/End Dates: 07/01/02 to 06/30/04.
The North Carolina Water Resources Research Institute (NCWRRI) used funding to develop the technical literature to assist rural churches in complying with Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) sampling requirements, as many of North Carolina’s nearly 7,000 non-community public water systems are transient systems which have become a major regulatory burden to the state’s drinking water primacy agency. Churches that provide water for their congregations are considered transient, non-community water supply systems and must sample quarterly for total coliforms and nitrate/nitrite. North Carolina has thousands of rural churches with congregations numbering approximately 50-70 members.
Rural congregations often fail to understand the necessity for drinking water sampling and are not totally convinced that it is necessary to protect their health. The sampling instructions provided by the state’s Public Water Supply Branch are technical and difficult to follow for individuals unfamiliar with sampling protocols and regulatory language. This results in high rates of noncompliance, as well as frequent false positives for microbiological contaminations and subsequent additional sampling requirements for rural churches.
To address this issue, the NCWRRI partnered with the North Carolina Public Water Supply Branch and the North Carolina Rural Water Association to develop, print, and distribute a publication, To Help You Provide Safe Water for Your Congregation and Meet Requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act, to help rural churches correctly perform sampling for total coliforms and nitrate/nitrite in their water supplies and to recover wells that are found to be contaminated.
With the second round of funding the NCWRRI developed technical literature to assist child care centers and schools in complying with the SDWA requirements. Experienced certified operators were consulted to identify and develop publications to inform day care center operators on how to be approved as a public water supply and stay current on sampling requirements. The publication, Safe Drinking Water Guide for Owners of Non-transient, Non-community Public Water Systems Using Groundwater in North Carolina, a newsletter, and Powerpoint presentation were developed. Start/End Dates: 03/01/01 to 12/31/03.
