The Technical Assistance Times

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1 tatimesmrwasept2017_layout 1 8/3/2017 9:22 AM Page 1 September 2017 Register for MRWA s Operator EXPO Today! Follow us The Technical Assistance Times MINNESOTA RURAL WATER ASSOCIATION 9th Annual MRWA Operator Equipment EXPO Last Chance to Register! September 6, Carver County FairgroundsWaconia, MN Last chance to register for MRWA s 9th Annual Operator Equipment EXPO! Attend the EXPO! There is hands-on training, outdoor demos, heavy equipment skills and contests, great food, door prizes, a grand prize, and an EXPO t-shirt! Don t miss it. Highlights include: new vendors, new demonstrations, new skills contests, and so much more! See page 4 for tentative agenda and registration forms. Inside this issue: NRWA Pro Conference MRWA SDWA Training Session - September 27 2 MPCA Proposes Changing Permit Fee System 3 MRWA s 9th Annual Operator Equipment Expo Agenda 4 MRWA s 9th Annual Operator Equipment Expo Registration 5 LMC 2017 City of Excellence Award Winners 6 LMC 2017 City of Excellence Award Winners continued 7 3&(*45&3 50%": MnWARN to Host Annual Meeting - September 27 8 ZZZ ZDWHUSURFRQIHUHQFH RUJ 4FQUFNCFS

2 MRWA SDWA Training Session Safe Drinking Act Compliance Training 8:00am 12:00pm Understand the Revised Total Coliform Rule and Groundwater Rule * System Operations: this session will be a roundtable discussion for operations specialists. You choose the topic! Bring your questions on meters, water towers, hydrants, treatment, math, and more! Share your successes with the group. * Operations: see the basics in this hydrant maintenance 101 session. Learn how to fix those hard-turning hydrants without fighting them and unusual repairs due to objects stuck in valve seat. * System Infrastructure: trace wire install and specification. MRWA, along with vendor partners, established a trace wire specification & installation guide. See what it is all about and why it is so important to include this on your next water or wastewater infrastructure project. * Treatment: chemistry and application of oxidants in water: chlorine and permanganate. Learn about optimizing oxidation & how it works. See what parameters interfere with oxidation and how to determine the oxidant demand. Lunch - (On Your Own) September 27, 2017 SDWA Training City of Thief River Falls Ralph Engelstad Event Center 525 Brooks Avenue N. Thief River Falls, MN About the Class: Get valuable information you need from our expert trainers to maintain compliance with the Safe Drinking Act (SDWA) and state regulations. Technical assistance to address compliance issues is available from Minnesota Rural Association at no cost. Support Minnesota Rural Association Training Technical Assistance 6 certification hours FREE of charge! To Register: call: or online at: (use the training calendar fast track menu). 1:00pm 4:00pm Understand the Revised Total Coliform Rule and Groundwater Rule continued * System Infrastructure: learn about the general uses of PVC and HDPE watermain for installation and water testing, including safety. * Treatment Facility: top 10 cited violations. See the rules, requirements, and equipment that is needed for proper workplace safety. *Security Intelligence Sharing: discover what to look for in criminal acts and terrorism in the water industry. Learn about the See Something, Say Something! campaign and cybersecurity tips. End of Day Instructors: AE2S, Copperhead Innovations, CPM Group, Minnesota Fusion Center, Minnesota OSHA, Mueller Company, and Minnesota Rural Association. This training is brought to you through a grant by the National Rural Association and US EPA. Attend this session and learn how to keep your water system in compliance with state and federal drinking water regulations! Page 2 THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TIMES

3 tatimesmrwasept2017_layout 1 8/3/2017 9:22 AM Page 3 MPCA Proposes Changing Permit Fee System Pollution Control Agency Proposes Changing Permit Fee System (Published Jul 31, 2017) The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is suggesting that it needs to make changes to the existing fee system for National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for wastewater and stormwater systems. While officials are not making a proposal for how the fee system would be changed, they claim to need about $6 million per year in additional revenue for their water quality programs, and cities are a very large percentage of agency water permittees. Permit backlogs, an inability to perform proactive enforcement activities, recruiting and retaining qualified personnel, and delays in developing new water quality standards are listed as reasons the added funding is needed. The League attended one of two agency input sessions held in late July to ask questions about the proposal and to argue that the state general fund is where the agency should be seeking additional revenue for expanded water quality work, not from existing permit holders. Cities are strongly encouraged to provide their own comments about NPDES; the current level and structure of permit fees; thoughts or concerns about changes to that system for municipal, industrial, or agricultural permit holders; and to what extent permit fees should be considered as the solution to increasing revenue needs by the state. Get more information on the issue from the MPCA s perspective, and learn more about submitting comments, and the timeline for draft rules and hearings at: Reprinted from Cities Bulletin, July 31, Issue 26. Online at: Minnesota City Treatment Data Now Online State Auditor Rebecca Otto released the Office of the State Auditor Infrastructure Stress Transparency Tool Version 2.0, a comprehensive update to the existing Tool. The Infrastructure Tool can be accessed at Version 2.0 includes filters for demographics, geography, finances, clean water and drinking water attributes, which allow for analysis both regionally and statewide. A video on how to get started using the tool is on the Office of State Auditor s web site at: Users can feedback on the Version 2.0 Tool to maps@osa.state.mn.us. THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TIMES Page 3

4 9th Annual MRWA Operator Equipment Expo September 6, Tentative Agenda Carver County Fairgrounds - Waconia 7:30am Registration All-Day Event Demos Begin (8:00am - 3:30pm) *Skid Loader Rodeo Skills Contest *Backhoe Skills Contest *Line Tracing Demo Concurrent & Session Tracks and Demonstrations Begin 8:00am Municipex Service Pipe Demo -OR- Metering With Today s Technology Demo 8:30am -OR- Utility Locate Marking & Trace Wire Specification Demo Tower Maintenance Demo 9:00am -OR- Ford Fleet Program and DOT Guidelines Demo Manhole Inspection Camera & Televising Demo 9:30am Fire Hydrant and Maintenance & Gate Valves Demo Odor Control and Scrubber Equipment Demo 10:00am -OR- Pipe Bursting Demo Cleaning, Televising, and Vactor Equipment Demo 10:30am Hands-on Poly Butt Fusion Equipment for Various Size Pipe Demo Nozzle Demo 11:00am -OR- Arc Flash Safety and Compliance Demo -OR- Valves Demo 11:30am -OR- 12:00pm 1:00pm -OR- 1:30pm -OR- 2:00pm -OR- 2:30pm 3:00pm -OR- -OR- 3:30pm Exhibitor Demo Networking Barbeque Lunch (Provided) & Door Prizes Gate Valves: The Difference Between AWWA C509 & 5115 Demo Chemical Safety Concerns Demo Trenchless Pipe Technology Demo Trenchbox Safety / Confined Space Entry Demo Bioaugmentation for Sludge Reduction: Annandale / Maple Lake Case Study Demo Your ph Measurements Are Essential to Your Lab s Success Demo Cues Camera Trailer System and Confined Space Demo Well & Pump Service Demo Lift Station Pumps & Grinder Stations Demo Applications of Air Release and Air Vacuum Valves Demo Grip Couplings and Bends Demo Wrap Up & Door Prizes Up to 6 certification water and/or wastewater hours offered for full-day attendance (or a combination of the two). Expo T-Shirt Included With Each Expo Registration Page 4 THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TIMES

5 MRWA OPERATOR EQUIPMENT EXPO 2017 EXPO Registration Form Pre-Registration First Name: Last Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Phone: Fax: address: You can also register online at: Full Registration includes access to all sessions, demonstrations, expo t-shirt, contests, and luncheon on September 6. Check one: Postmarked prior to On-Site Registration September 1, 2017 MRWA Member: $ (per person) $ (per person) Non-Member: $ (per person) $ (per person) Grand Total Due Cancellation policy: Fees will be refunded if written request is received prior to September 1, Please send your registration form with payment by September 1, 2017 to: Minnesota Rural Association th Ave SE Elbow Lake, MN Web: Questions? Please call (800) MRWA handles credit card payments online! MRWA accepts VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and echeck. To complete your payment online, go to and click on the pay now icon on our home page. Thank you! THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TIMES Page 5

6 LMC s 2017 City of Excellence Award Winners Four Minnesota communities receive honors from League of Minnesota Cities Cities of Chatfield, Hutchinson, White Bear Lake, and Brooklyn Park selected as 2017 City of Excellence Award winners (June 14, 2017 Rochester, Minn.) City-administered initiatives that included improving water meters and the meter reading process, increasing the community s skilled workforce, creating a shared recycling program for local businesses, and fostering civility through a community visioning process were recognized when the League of Minnesota Cities announced City of Excellence Award winners for The awards were presented at the League s Annual Conference in Rochester. To compete for consideration as a City of Excellence, cities self-nominated a project, program, or initiative that was administered to achieve one or more of the following: improvement of the quality of a city service; development of an effective or innovative way to solve an old or common problem; modification of a program from another community or organization to fit city needs; discovery of a way to save the city money without compromising service results; and/or creative involvement of city staff or citizens in making a decision. Winning entries were chosen in three population categories and in a special topical category. A description of each winning nomination follows. Population under 5,000 City of Chatfield Meter & Meter Reading Improvement Project The city of Chatfield updated and replaced all the water meters in the city and added meters in buildings where there were none. The new water meters use remote monitoring technology. As a result of the project, the city reduced the amount of unaccounted water use, secured revenue from previously unmetered water use, and dramatically reduced the amount of labor associated with reading meters. In order to administer this project, Chatfield tapped the assistance of Jeff Dale of the Minnesota Rural Association, who provided technical expertise. Mike Bubany of David Drown & Associates helped the city arrange for financing through the MRWA micro-loan program, which was free of the costs associated with issuing traditional bonds. Chatfield also saved an estimated $30,000-$40,000 in consulting fees by managing the project with their city staff and partnerships rather than retaining consultants. Because of the project, Chatfield now receives timely data on potential leaks. This data allows the city to proactively address problems, resulting in savings and improved service for consumers. Population 5,000 to 19,999 City of Hutchinson TigerPath Skilled Workforce Development Initiative The City of Hutchinson collaborated with its local school district, Ridgewater College, 18 local manufacturers and two individual funders to address a skilled workforce shortage in the community. Instead of trying to recruit employees from outside of Hutchinson, the TigerPath Initiative supports five integrated strategies to develop existing human resources within the community students at Hutchinson High School and at the local technical college. Initiative partners worked together to realign the school district s high school education system by implementing TigerPath Academies, designed to help students find the best possible education and career fit based on their own interests and aptitudes. Students now have the opportunity to earn industry recognized credentials, such as certified welder, in the classroom; participate in a senior-year internship program with local employers; and tour local industries. Additional investment underway ensures that Hutchinson High School will have the best equipped, most advanced technical education program in Minnesota by September TigerPath is also working to change the narrative about manufacturing jobs, shifting perceptions of these opportunities to better reflect the lucrative, high-tech positions available today. Page 6 THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TIMES

7 LMC s 2017 City of Excellence Award Winners continued So far, the initiative has recruited 21 partners and a total of $1.2 million has been raised to support the TigerPath Initiative, which is projected to be fully implemented by the end of the school year. TigerPath not only brings about a paradigm shift in how the need for skilled workforce is addressed, but it is also building the Hutchinson of tomorrow by giving local students the tools they need to succeed today. Population 20,000+ City of White Bear Lake Washington Square Waste Consolidation Project The Washington Square Waste Consolidation Project developed a successful shared recycling and organics collection program in downtown White Bear Lake. The collection program, which is shared among 11 small businesses surrounding a city-owned parking lot, beautifies the area, decreases disposal costs, and makes the city more sustainable. The city was awarded a $96,760 Ramsey County Public Entity Innovation Grant that funded a shared enclosure on the city parking lot, which was designed through collaboration between White Bear Lake, Rust Architects, Aspen Waste Systems, and the local business lead. Ramsey and Washington County s BizRecycling program provided grants for the businesses to purchase necessary supplies to set up programs internally. Businesses were also able to utilize BizRecycling s consultant, Minnesota Waste Wise, for free assistance applying for grants, setting up bins, and educating staff about their new programs. The project improved the aesthetic appeal of the downtown area by eliminating clusters of dumpsters at each business; increased waste diversion by standardizing recycling arrangements and adding an organics recycling service; and reduced overall disposal costs for participating businesses. The success of this project serves as a demonstration to other public entities on the multiple benefits of building a shared enclosure for a group of businesses. Topical Category Promoting Civility in Your City City of Brooklyn Park Brooklyn Park 2025 Community Visioning Process Brooklyn Park city officials realized that civil discourse and collaboration hadn t always been part of its community s culture. To change that, the city made an intentional shift toward embracing community engagement during its strategic planning process. Brooklyn Park set a goal to collect input from 1,000 community, council, and staff members to create one unified set of goals: The Brooklyn Park 2025 Community Plan. The Brooklyn Park 2025 Community Plan was created with the feedback gathered through the following community engagement efforts: collaborating among 17 community groups, using an online forum and Facebook polls, facilitating six community cafe events, holding community meetings with local businesses and institutional leaders, interviewing young people, tabling at various events, offering staff workshops, posting large whiteboards for feedback at local businesses, engaging mobile recreation participants and their families, and hearing from North Hennepin Community College students whose families were often under-engaged by traditional government outreach. In the end, 2,481 voices contributed to the 2025 plan. The plan has wide community support and serves as a way for the city to foster understanding, connection, and civility in an increasingly polarized political and civic climate. About the judges The 2017 City of Excellence award nominations were judged by a panel of former members of the LMC Board of Directors, including Carol Mueller, mayor of the City of Mounds View; Brian Scholin, councilmember for the City of Pine City; and Craig Waldron, former administrator for the City of Oakdale and current professor at Hamline University instructing in public administration. Reprinted from League of Minnesota Cities web site THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TIMES Page 7

8 Minnesota Rural Association th Avenue SE Elbow Lake, MN NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 66 ST CLOUD, MN MnWARN to Host Annual Meeting MnWARN will hold their Annual Meeting on September 27, 2017 at the Courtyard by Marriott (across the street from the Kelly Inn & River s Edge Convention Center) in St. Cloud, MN. Lunch is provided and there is no fee to attend. Plan to attend! Full agenda will be available soon and will be posted on the MnWARN web site at: This meeting is open to MnWARN Members and Non-Members - please attend and find out what MnWARN has to offer! There is no charge and no commitment. Remember: Utilities Helping Utilities - When Disaster Strikes, How Will Your Utility Obtain Assistance? Register by calling: or online at Benefits of a WARN: There is no cost to participate. WARN is like investing in a no cost insurance policy to access resources when needed. WARN increases emergency preparedness and coordination. WARN enhances access to specialized resources. WARN expedites arrival of aid (don t have to work out the administrative items; the agreements and WARN protocols work them out in advance for you). WARN agreement contains indemnification and worker s compensation provisions to protect participating utilities and provide reimbursement protocols. There is no obligation to respond.