On this page . . .
— Chair's Message — Section Director's Message — Executive Director's Message — The Publications Committee Needs YOU! — Best Tasting Water Contest — Reception at AWWA ACE — Young Professionals Committee — Targeting Sanitation in Bolivia—Water for People in Action — 2009-2010 Nominations for the Board — Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water — New York's Water Event ’08 — Congratulations to Award Winners — NYSAWWA at Your Service — Top Operators Competition — “Thank You” to our Exhibitors — Welcome New Members — Education Committee Activities — 4th Annual Water for People Golf Outing — Legislative Report — Masthead Chair's Message
Welcome to our 95th Anniversary Year This year NYSAWWA reaches a major milestone in its 95th Anniversary in January, 2009. NYSAWWA will mark the occasion with special contributions by Section Leaders on the history of the Section that comprise its progress during the last 94 years and celebrations during the 95th anniversary on April 21-23, 2009. As I start this milestone year I am pleased to report that the NYSAWWA Board (at its annual meeting on April 22, 2008) has taken the following actions to continue the momentum of positive change of the last few years:
The doctrine of "Service Not Self" has at times been said to be too idealistic to be practical. Very well, for the sake of argument, let's concede that to be the case: it cannot be too idealistic to put together vision and set of goals for NYSAWWA. If we aim high, we may acquit ourselves credibly even if we fall short of our full expectations. I am fully aware that, like many others, my contribution will only be a drop in the ocean. However, as Mother Teresa said, "Without this drop, the ocean will never be full." I have thought about what I would like to accomplish during my term as a chair of this great organization. In addition to our current programs and activities I have proposed several new initiatives. My goals are straightforward:
Starting May 2008, I plan to share details of initiatives, programs and activities, current issues and my vision for future of this great organization via monthly E-Newsletter to Section Leaders and Volunteers. I have already shared the first E-Newsletter for the month of May 2008 to our section leaders and key AWWA volunteers. These initiatives will support the Section Long Term Goals (2005-10) and bring long term change to our organization. As we move into our 95th anniversary year, I look forward to working with as many members as I can.
I hope everyone has an enjoyable summer, and I look forward to seeing you all at our Tifft Symposium in Syracuse. Shyam S. (Sam) Mohanka  Page top
Section Director's Message
At the time of this writing, I am preparing for our next Board meeting to be held at ACE. While there have not been any Board meetings since our meeting in January, our organization has been busy. Several changes occurred in Denver that impacted our organizational structure and how we operate. Our new executive director, Gary Zimmerman, joined the organization, and several staff members decided that this was the right time for them to experience retirement and begin other ventures in their life. Many of these people were senior members of the organization and Gary and his staff acted quickly and responsibly in filling positions that were vacated.
AWWA completed another successful Fly-In during the month of April in Washington, DC. New York State was represented by Michael Hooker, Rich Tobin, Steve Jones and Steve Gould. Members who would like to attend next year's Fly-In should contact the WUC to discuss opportunities to attend the event. Michael Hooker also announced his candidacy for president-elect of the Association. Mike is running against three other individuals for this position. If Mike is successful, he would take office in 2009 and become president of the Association at ACE in 2010. Our last Association president from the New York Section was Dr. William Lynch, who took the office in 1983. Sadly we found out just prior to our Annual Meeting in April that Bill had passed away while in Florida. It has been a few years since Bill has attended our meetings, but I will always remember his warm smile. Bill was truly a gentleman and will be missed. Personally I attended new officer training and recently returned from the Officer's Retreat. I am just now beginning to realize the breadth and complexity of this organization.
While preparing for this year's ACE, I realized that my time will be highly divided between Board meetings, officer meetings, Executive Committee meetings, standing committee meetings and other organizational meetings, in addition to the regular conference activities and program. Recently I shared my schedule for ACE with a colleague who, after spending a few moments reviewing it, asked "Why would you possibly have done this to yourself?" His inquiry surprised me. Without hesitating, I responded, "My passion for this organization and for the water industry as a whole made me want to get more involved." In 1986 I attended my first Section meeting at the Granite Hotel. During dinner one evening, I sat next to an older gentleman whom I never had met before. Without explaining his past position in our organization he stated "You will only get out of the organization what you put into it." That gentleman was Bill Lynch. I took it to heart. Get involved. Page top
Executive Director's Message
I was on maternity leave when the Spring 2008 AQUARIUS went to print: our family welcomed baby girl Brynja Elizabeth on February 15, 2008 (pronounced BRIN-ya). I returned to work in mid-April to coordinate final plans for New York's Water Event '08. We had a very successful annual conference and have already begun planning for 2009, continuing to make improvements. Other new initiatives include:
For 2008-2009 issues of AQUARIUS, we are highlighting issues related to our changing times. This issue features an article on pharmaceuticals in drinking water. The Winter issue will focus on the drought situation in our country, and the Spring issue will focus on source water protection. We would like you to submit your articles on these topics—submit to our editor Doug Fultz by emailing aquarius@nysawwa.org by September 19, 2008 for the Winter 2008 issue and January 16, 2009 for the Spring 2009 issue. To date, our Section communicates with members in a very formal manner—AQUARIUS, the website, e-newsletters, email and fax broadcasts, and of course mailings. We would like to implement more dynamic communication and we are asking for your input! New in our next issue of AQUARIUS, we will publish your comments, ideas, anecdotes, even criticism, in our new "Vocal Point" column. Email what you have to say to aquarius@nysawwa.org and our committee will publish select quotes and give you credit (or you can ask to remain anonymous too).
Additionally, we are testing out a new, rather informal method of communication, the Blog. A blog allows for journal-like entries, interactive commentary, and photos and videos to be posted quickly and easily. It's a dynamic way we can reach volunteers and interested members to stay in touch and gain feedback and ideas. Plus, we know your time is valuable and it's an easy way for you to be involved with the Section without ever leaving your office! We've started by using our blog to select the Aquarius cover photo for this issue! View the blog at nysawwa.blogspot.com, and let me know what you think of this idea as a method of communication. Page top
The Publications Committee Needs YOU!The Publications Committee is looking for a volunteer to serve as photographer for our Section's publication, AQUARIUS. Responsibilities include regular attendance at NYSAWWA meetings and events to capture the dynamics of our organization. Having your own equipment is a plus, but if not we can help! If you would like to join the committee or have any questions, please contact Doug Fultz at 716-667-0900. Page top
Best Tasting Water ContestThe 22nd annual contest for the "Best Tasting Drinking Water in New York State" is well underway. The following counties announced their winners at the first round of the contest held within their counties.
Town of Guilderland — Albany County
Also, the counties that have scheduled the contest (before the second round) include: Broome, Monroe, Oswego, Saratoga, Schenectady and some more we do not know of yet.
It is interesting to note that the contest's popularity has remained high for so many years and the credit goes to energy, hard work and know-how of Manoj Ajmera. The second round of the contest, known as the Regional Contest, will be held at New York City, Rochester, Albany, Syracuse and either Ithaca or Cortland . . . and, as always the final rounds at the State Fair in Syracuse during the last week of August. This year, for the first time, New York State was represented at the AWWA Annual Conference (ACE) by the State winner of 2007, City of Albany. The International Best of the Best Tasting Water Contest was held Monday, June 9, 2008 in Atlanta and Louisville Water Department (Louisville, Kentucky) took first place. The 2008 winner of the New York State Best Tasting Water contest will have the opportunity to compete at AWWA's ACE 2009 in San Diego, California. For further information on the contest contact Manoj Ajmera by emailing him at manorita12@yahoo.com. Page top
Reception at AWWA ACEOver 100 New York Section members and other registrants attended the New York Section Reception at the AWWA Annual Conference and Expo in Atlanta on Sunday, June 8, 2008. Members gathered to make plans for their stay at the conference, reconnect with colleagues, meet new people, and enjoy appetizers and beverages. Additionally, Kevin Castro coordinated a Water for People fundraiser with prize drawings at the end of the reception. We raised $580 for Water for People! Thanks to everyone who attended and donated money to the cause. The reception was made possible by generous sponsorships from the following companies:
CRA Infrastructure & Engineering, Inc.
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Young Professionals CommitteeChris Wheland, Young Professionals Committee Chair
At the Spring Meeting there were many new faces in the Young Professional (YP) committee meeting. The interest in becoming a YP and getting involved in AWWA was outstanding. Suggestions for increasing YP participation ranged from creating a MySpace page, to having monthly conference calls with YP's and guest speakers from other committees explain their committee's role in AWWA. With a little work, these ideas and many others can become a reality. In addition to these ideas, several subcommittees were formed to tackle new YP endeavors. One subcommittee was formed as a result of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's (RPI) interest in starting a student AWWA chapter. This would be the first student chapter in New York and a successful start to incorporate student involvement in AWWA. Currently, YP's are becoming more familiar with the process to start a student chapter with the hope of streamlining the processes and making student chapters simple to organize and manage. A second subcommittee was formed as a result of the New England Water Works YP Committee's suggestion of expanding all YP committees. The NYSAWWAYP committee will be brainstorming to generate new ideas in an attempt to grow YP committees across the country and try to include programs that have been successful in the past.
As well as forming subcommittees at the Spring Meeting, future YP sponsored events were also discussed. The YP's have started to develop ideas for an event to take place at the 2008 Tifft Symposium; however, this year presents a challenge as NYWEA will not being present at this year's event. Last year, the YP's of AWWA and NYWEA hosted a comedy night at the 2007 Tifft Symposium. If you are in a business that would be willing to sponsor part (or all) of an event please let us know. These events include more than the social hours at the TIFFT and Spring Meeting. Successful events hosted previously include tours of water treatment plants and pipe manufacturing facilities, attendance of minor league baseball games, ice skating, and tours of breweries and wineries. All events enable networking between YP's, vendors, and contractors. In closing, the YP's would like to thank all of the sponsors for the Young Professionals Event at the Parting Glass at the Spring Meeting in Saratoga. Without your help this event would not have been be possible. We would also like to thank Amanda Bauner for her dedication as Co-chair of the YP committee and congratulate her on her advances in AWWA.
If you would like more information about becoming a Young Professional please contact Chris Wheland at chris.wheland@troyny.gov. Page top
Targeting Sanitation in Bolivia—Water for People in ActionAbraham Aruquipa, Country Coordinator, Water For People—Bolivia
In rural Bolivia, a toilet is seen as a beautiful thing-a fancy luxury that is much too fine to be used for its intended purpose. Instead, toilets might be used to store potatoes or even live chickens. To have a toilet is a status symbol, whether or not it is operational or even outfitted with running water or pipes. These kinds of attitudes are typical of the special challenges we face in working to improve sanitation in our country. Four out of every five rural Bolivians do not have access to improved sanitation. This statistic gives Bolivia the unfortunate distinction as one of the few Latin American countries not on track to meet the Millennium Development Goals, which aim to halve the percentage of people without access to improved sanitation by 2015.
In the Western Hemisphere, only Haiti has lower sanitation coverage. The sanitation challenges facing Bolivia, and many other countries in Africa and Asia, led to the designation of 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation (IYS), which aims to spread awareness and advocate for investment in improved sanitation worldwide. The five messages of IYS are very clear:
The International Year of Sanitation was launched in Latin America at the LatinoSan conference in Colombia at the end of 2007. Many promises and declarations were made, and now it's time to put these into action. Not only is the coverage of sanitation extremely low in Bolivia, but construction of sanitation facilities has not led to their sustained and hygienic use. If we are to make a dent in the huge coverage shortfall, we need to understand the needs, cultural sensitivities, and realities of the people we serve. For example, we have learned that people feel that the word "latrine" means something for poor people, while a "bathroom" (whether or not the unit has running water or a bathing facility) is something to be proud of. Therefore, when we talk about sanitation work in our country, we use the word baño instead of letrina.
The challenges to improving and sustaining sanitation in Bolivia are several:
Water For People-Bolivia is addressing these challenges in several ways:
We need to innovate and experiment if we are going to change from a country where 80% of rural inhabitants lack access to adequate sanitation to one where all people have the dignity and health benefits that come with improved sanitary facilities. Our goals are ambitious: We want to serve 4,845 people with improved sanitation this year-that is 30% more than our target number of people we want to serve with water access. Join us in this important initiative and help us close the incredible and unjust gap between the sanitation haves and have-nots. This article was reprinted with permission from Water For People. Page top
2009-2010 Nominations for the BoardMichael E. Hooker, Trustee Nominating Committee Chair
The Trustee Nominating Committee is responsible for presenting nominations for Trustee and Trustee at Large to the Board of Governors. I am the current chair of the committee, and other members include John Frazer, Dennis Kelleher, Cindy Kransler, and Randy Cairns. This year the opportunity to nominate a member for the six-year Trustee position lies within the Capital Region of the State. This region includes Adirondack Water Conference, Northern NY Water Conference, and the following counties: Fulton, Montgomery, Schoharie, Greene and Columbia. Letters have been sent to each of the Conferences requesting potential candidates for the consideration of the Trustee Nominating Committee. I have also sent letters to each of the Water Works Conferences across the state regarding the Trustee- at-Large position. This is a three-year position, renewable once for a second term. The Trustee-at- Large A position is currently filled by Charles Gonzalez of Niagara Falls Water Board, and the committee will be considering his nomination for a second three- year term. Each of the potential candidates for the Trustee and Trustee at Large positions will be reviewed by the Nominating Committee and a candidate or candidates for each position will be presented to the Board of Governors. If only one candidate is forwarded to the Board of Governors, no general membership election would be required. However, if two or more nominees are presented to the Board of Governors, or if a qualifying petition of a member is presented in accordance with the Bylaws of the Section, a general membership election would be required.
The deadline to be nominated by a Water Works Conference, or to nominate yourself, is August 15, 2008. Following this deadline, the Trustee Nominating Committee will meet to review all candidates. If you have any comments or questions regarding the Trustee nominating process, please contact me via email at mehooker@ocwa.org, or contact Marian Potter in the Section Office (phone 315-455-2614 x1 or email marianpotter@nysawwa.org). Page top
Pharmaceuticals in Drinking WaterChris Gurr, Malcolm Pirnie
The thought of drugs in our drinking water is really an attention-grabber. While we are aware of pollutants like lead and copper in our environment, we are not as aware of other regulated chemicals with difficult to pronounce names. The general population does not handle regulated chemicals on a daily basis and may not be aware of their potential dangers. However, practically all of us have taken a prescription drug at one point in our life. We are familiar with how powerful pharmaceuticals can be, and are aware from a young age that pills in the medicine cabinet can be dangerous. It is not surprising that the presence of pharmaceuticals in drinking water has made people take notice.
In March of 2008, the Associated Press (AP) conducted a five month investigation into drugs in drinking water. Articles related to this investigation were published with different headlines in over 700 different newspapers, including the Washington Post, New York Times, USA Today, Canadian Press and the Guardian UK. While we in the water business have been aware for quite a while that pharmaceuticals can be water contaminants, the AP article has seriously raised the profile of drugs amongst the general population - and even politicians on Capitol Hill. This article examines what the AP investigation concluded. It also looks at AWWA's response, and recent studies from the AWWA Research Foundation (AwwaRF) that examine the occurrence and toxicology of pharmaceuticals in drinking water. The final part of the article presents a few "talking points." By becoming familiar with the recent media coverage, science, and yes, we cannot ignore the politics, we can feel more comfortable addressing this emerging issue with our customers, our clients, or even our friends and neighbors who may ask us if our water is safe. How do pharmaceuticals get in drinking water?To answer this question, we can break the problem down into the familiar risk assessment model of source, pathway, and receptor. In other words, there has to be a source of pharmaceuticals entering the environment, and these pharmaceuticals have to follow some pathway in the environment from the source to end up being received in drinking water (the receptor).
The most common sources of pharmaceuticals are discharges from wastewater treatment plants. Drugs come into the plant in the raw sewage; a portion of the drugs are excreted from our bodies (not all the drug is metabolized by the body), but certainly a portion of the problem is due to people disposing of their unused drugs by flushing them down the toilet. Wastewater treatment plants do a good job of removing most of the drugs in the waste stream, but there is sometimes a residual concentration in the treated wastewater that is discharged into the environment. A second source of pharmaceuticals- likely a smaller source than treated wastewater-is stormwater runoff. Runoff can primarily be a source of veterinary pharmaceuticals, especially runoff from animal husbandry operations, and also from dog and cat waste on neighborhood lawns. And lastly, pharmaceuticals can be present in raw sewage discharged directly to rivers from combined sewer overflows. Streams and rivers are the predominant pathways between the wastewater discharge points and the raw water intakes for drinking water. In some parts of the world, this pathway between wastewater and drinking water is planned. This is planned water reuse (a growing field in its own right). But in areas like the Northeast, where communities are older and water infrastructure was installed before such watershed- level planning was conducted, unplanned water reuse can be prevalent. In any watershed where there is either runoff or a wastewater discharge upstream of a raw water intake, the streams and rivers of the watershed can serve as pathways for pharmaceuticals into the drinking water receptor. A 2002 study by scientists from the US Geological Survey was a turning point, opening the eyes of scientists and water professionals that drugs were present in streams and rivers. The study, titled "Pharmaceuticals, Hormones, and Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in U.S. Streams, 1999-2000: A National Reconnaissance" looked for drugs (and other wastewater-derived contaminants) in streams and rivers downstream from urban and agricultural areas. The researchers looked at 139 streams, and found that 80% of them were carrying organic wastewater contaminants, including pharmaceuticals. The Associated Press brings the story to Americans
The Associated Press has tried to open the eyes of the general public to the presence of drugs in drinking water. A team of AP reporters conducted a five month inquiry into the topic of drugs in drinking water, culminating in a series of articles in March of 2008. Over 700 newspapers carried the stories, including the New York Times. The lead paragraph was: "A vast array of pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones, have been found in the drinking water of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows." The AP contacted over 100 utilities during the investigation, as well as the EPA and the AWWA. The article went on to say that "the AP discovered that drugs have been detected in the drinking water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas, from Southern California to Northern New Jersey, from Detroit to Louisville, Ky." Pharmaceuticals have been at the forefront of water research for a decade. The AP article took the issue out of the laboratory and onto the breakfast tables of millions of newspaper readers. From our perspective as water professionals, the results of the AP investigation are not news to us. But with this story's appearance on front pages, the fact that everybody drinks water and most of us have pharmaceuticals in our medicine cabinets, it is easy to see why the articles had such an impact.
Not surprisingly, politicians on Capitol Hill have raised their voices over the issue. Senators called a hearing a month after the AP article. The ire of California's Senator Boxer was apparent when she started grilling an EPA administrator: "When a story like this breaks, why is it necessary for a Senator to call a hearing on this? Why aren't you working on this night and day? The Associated Press did your work, and they're telling us what's in the water." What does the data really show?In the midst of clamoring from congress and investigative journalism splashed across newspapers everywhere, it can be hard to separate the facts from perceptions. Recent AwwaRF research helps us by putting some hard numbers around the issue. AwwaRF Project #3085 addressed two questions about pharmaceuticals and drinking water: What is in the water? And would what is in the water cause health effects? The first question was tackled by a team led by Dr. Shane Snyder of the Southern Nevada Water Authority. Samples of finished drinking water were taken from locations all across the country. Out of a large universe of possible pharmaceuticals, the team narrowed their search list down to 20 drugs using criteria of how commonly used the drug is, and whether it is potentially toxic. The research focused on fundamentally just a subset of all the pharmaceuticals that could possibly be in drinking water. But by choosing the 20 drugs as they did, it is clear that they were actively seeking out the drugs that could potentially be real problems. Of the 20 drugs that they looked for, six of them were found in at least 20% of the samples taken. The most frequently detected drug was meprobamate (an anti-anxiety drug), which was present in 78% of the samples. The conclusions of the study proved the occurrence of drugs in drinking water, and told us at what concentrations these drugs were present. The next set of researchers took these concentrations, and asked whether or not they are relevant to human health. The team was led by Dr. R.C. Pleus, a toxicologist with the firm Intertox. They studied the literature and determined "Acceptable Daily Intake" levels for each of the compounds that Dr. Snyder's team tested for. Acceptable Daily Intake levels are defined as the amount (mass) of a pharmaceutical that an individual can safely consume each day without an appreciable health risk. So, if any of the pharmaceuticals that Dr. Snyder found were present in concentrations greater than the Acceptable Daily Intake, there would be a real problem.
Dr. Pleus' results were striking-and a relief to hear. No tested pharmaceutical was present over the Acceptable Daily Intake level. In fact, none got anywhere close. The closest was phenytoin, an anti-epileptic drug. The maximum concentration of this drug found was 210 times less than the Acceptable Daily Intake. Thus in order for phenytoin in drinking water to have an effect, a person would have to gather up all the water they would drink in 210 days, and consume it all in one day. So was the AP just blowing smoke? Drs. Snyder and Pleus would answer not necessarily. They both emphasize that just knowing the drugs are in the water is just a start: we really need further research into health effects. What can we tell our clients, customers, friends and neighbors?Dr. Pleus study gives us hope that individual compounds are probably not present in concentrations that will hurt us. But there are lingering concerns about the health effects of consuming minute concentrations of pharmaceuticals in drinking water over the course of a lifetime. In essence, Dr. Pleus removed much of the suspicion about acute effects. But chronic effects, not to mention the possibility that some of these drugs may be more harmful as mixtures than alone, need to be investigated further.
These issues of risk can be difficult for the public to digest, particularly if sensational journalism or alarming images are involved. Our customers and clients can have a broad concept of risk that weighs dread, catastrophic potential, controllability, equity, potential benefits and other factors. Many people disregard dose-response sensitivity (such as the Acceptable Daily Intake levels) when chemicals can produce dreaded effects. What is harmful in large doses is assumed to be harmful at small doses. Although we as scientists and engineers may be comfortable with the concept of risk, we cannot ignore that it is natural and rational for people to heed their instinctive feelings when navigating unknown situations. We as water professionals therefore face a huge challenge when asked to communicate these issues to the public. Somehow, we have to emphasize that just knowing that a drug molecule is present in a glass of water does not give us any indication of risk—and any real indication of whether we should spend time and money removing that molecule or not. On the same day that Sen. Boxer harangued the EPA, Shane Snyder was also asked to represent the AWWA and testify before Congress. Dr. Snyder's remarks are worthwhile to repeat not only because they are a cooling contrast to Sen. Boxer, but also because they give us science-based talking points to use when we speak about drugs in drinking water. His central points are paraphrased below.
The data from AwwaRF can give us a frame of reference to talk knowledgeably about the AP report and the aftermath. The data so far shows that the risks to human health from drugs in drinking water are likely very low. Furthermore, we can emphasize that the EPA has a methodical process based on science and data to protect us from new chemicals in drinking water (this is the Contaminant Candidate List). But perhaps our biggest opportunity now is to promote the idea that we all can take personal responsibility for our drinking water. The fact that drugs are being found in our drinking water can be a powerful message that we should all be careful about not polluting. Pollution is no more just an issue of factories and smokestacks. Some portion of whatever goes down our drains, toilets, or storm drains finds its way into our rivers and streams, and eventually ends up at our kitchen faucet. Just as with our household hazardous waste, we can promote a message that if we properly dispose of our unused pharmaceuticals, we can keep our drinking water safe. Drugs in drinking water may be an attention-grabber, but this attention does not have to be all negative. Our challenge is to hold that attention and communicate what we do know about risk, and at the same time promote the message of how we all can keep our drinking water safe. Page top
New York's Water Event ’08Jessica Parker and Marian Potter, Section Staff
The 2008 Annual Spring Conference was a great success in Saratoga Springs, New York with 885 attendees and nearly 100 booths to visit! Thank you to Rich Straut, Events Committee Chair, for coordinating the on-site check-in and registration processes.
This year we were fortunate enough to have visits from AWWA Vice President Don Degen and the Texas Section AWWA Executive Director Mike Howe. Mr. Degen held a town hall meeting on Tuesday afternoon to discuss and further the working relationship between our Section and the National organization. Mr. Howe gave a fascinating key note address regarding the WARN system and why it is so beneficial.
The numerous sessions had great attendance, and the program committee put together an excellent choice of educational opportunities for Operators, Managers and Engineers alike. We would like to thank Dan Seaver, Chair of the Program Committee, for all his hard work coordinating such a diverse and intriguing technical program for the conference. Session topics, this year, included:
The Wednesday of the conference was our Operator Training Day. Certified operators were given the opportunity to attend the day at a special rate and gain several continuing education credits and participate in various operator based activities. Two of the morning sessions were specifically designed for operators and throughout the day various product demonstrations were done throughout the exhibit hall, each with great attendance. Towards the conclusion of Wednesday, the Meter Madness and Top Operators competitions were held, to have some fun after a full day of educational opportunities. We would also like to thank Dan Reed, the MAC Chair, for coordinating the exhibits, demonstrations and the operator training day events.
The yearly banquet was held on Tuesday evening, and was an inspiring and emotional evening for all. Outgoing Chair, Randy Cairns, graciously passed his position onto Shyam Mohanka, who graced the banquet attendees with a poem he had written to mark the occasion. Many awards were also given, including the Duller Award, Diven Award, Kenneth J. Miller Water for People Award, Operator Meritorious Service Award, Like Member Awards, Gold Water Drop Awards and Student Scholarships. The Section would like to further congratulate all award winners this year. Thank you to all who participated in this year's conference and we look forward to seeing you again in 2009!
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Congratulations to Award Winners
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NYSAWWA at Your Service
Read by Shyam Mohanka as part of "Incoming Chair Remarks" during banquet on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 at New York's Water Event ’08 in Saratoga Springs, New York Shyam S. Mohanka, Chair
As we gather this evening in NYSAWWA style
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Top Operators Competition
Dennis M. Kelleher, PE, Competition Coordinator
The 2nd Annual NYSAWWA Top Ops Competition was held at the Spring Meeting in Saratoga Springs. The Finger Lakes Water Conference Team - Faucet Freaks, pulled off an impressive performance to win the New York Section Competition. Team members included Gail Halcomb, Jim Bromka and Steve Johnville. Due to eligibility requirements, some members of the Finger Lakes Faucet Freaks team could not compete in the National Competition at the ACE-08 in Atlanta. However, two members of the second place team, Joe Renta and John Nappi of the Garden City Park Water District, joined Steve Johnville to represent the New York Section. After a slow start, the New York Team had a strong finish. While they did not make the National Finals, they finished 10th out of 18 teams. Not bad for their first National Competition. Congratulations to the New York Section Top Ops Teams for their strong showing. The Section would also like to thank the following organizations for sponsoring the NYS Top Ops Team:
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“Thank You” to our Exhibitors
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Welcome New Members
Greg W. Bolner, Clark Patterson Lee
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Education Committee ActivitiesChristine Vooris, Education Committee Chair
NYSAWWA Training SeminarsThe Education Committee planned 45 training seminars including 12 basic lab workshops at various locations for the 2008 calendar year. Please note that these seminars have been approved for contact hours for Water Operators (New York State Department of Health), Wastewater Operators (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation) and Professional Engineers (Professional Institute of Engineering/PIE).
Registration:
Secure online forms:
Members
—
Nonmembers
In addition, the Section is offering Backflow Prevention Device Tester Certification courses in conjunction with the New England Water Works Association. The next course is scheduled for June 16-19 in Plattsburgh and there is another on October 20-23 in Syracuse. Visit the New England Water Works Association on-line at www.newwa.org or call 508-893-7979 to register. Tifft Water Supply SymposiumThe Tifft Water Supply Symposium has been scheduled for November 18-20, 2008 at the Syracuse Doubletree-Carrier Circle. Section Committee meetings will be held on November 18 and the technical sessions will be held November 19-20. Next Meeting
The next Education Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 18 at the Tifft Water Supply Symposium. All are welcome to attend. If you are interested in joining the Education Committee, or would like more information regarding committee activities, please feel free to contact Christine Vooris at cnv01@health.state.ny.us. Page top
4th Annual Water for People Golf OutingOn September 15, 2008 the New York Section AWWA will be holding its annual charity golf tournament for Water for People. This year's event will be held at the Links at Union Vale, near Poughkeepsie, New York. Prizes include longest drive, closest-to-the-pin, longest put, and more! The cost for this event is $150 per person and includes greens fees, lunch, beverages on the course, reception, dinner and entry into door prizes. The value of golf is $75, and the remaining $75 covers tournament administration and a donation to Water for People.
Plenty of sponsorship opportunities are also available. You can be a . . .
Space is limited, so be sure to register your foursome today. If you do not have a full foursome, you will be teamed up with other players, and feel free to make requests of who you would like to play with. Registration forms are available online to download or submit at www.nysawwa.org or by calling the section office at 315-455-2614 x3. Page top
Legislative ReportTom Shanahan
Three pieces of legislation we have supported on the water conference legislative agenda have seen success. A number of bills have been dropped from the session briefing because they have not moved and are unlikely to do so at this late date. However, they will continue to be monitored. S. 8188 Skelos / A. Hoyt, Schimel Rank: 1 Requires notice of each election of certain improvement district commissioners to be posted on the websites of the district and the town in which the district is located, on the signboard of the town and conspicuously posted in three or more designated public locations within the district; requires the board of commissioners of certain improvement districts to annually prepare an estimate of proposed expenditures for and revenues of such district. This bill was introduced at the request of State Comptroller DiNapoli, with the goal of making special district elections and budget documents more available to the public by requiring they be published on district and Town web sites. Support 5/09/08 REFERRED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT; 6/12/08 PASSED SENATE; 5/20/08 referred to Local Government; 6/2/08 passed Assembly; S. 7627 Marcellino / A. 10620 Walker Rank: 2 Makes the second Tuesday in December the date for the election of commissioners for the Bethpage and Hicksville water districts. Support 4/21/08 REFERRED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT; 6/11/08 PASSED SENATE; 4/21/08 referred to local governments; 6/2/08 passed Assembly; 6/2/08 passed Assembly; S. 1558 Marcellino / A. 2986 Weisenberg - Rank 1 Prohibits the storage or pumping of water into the Lloyd sands aquifer. This would prohibit New York City DEP's plan to "bank" water by pumping it into the aquifer for later withdrawal. Support
01/09/08 REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION; 2/26/08 1ST REPORT CAL.374; 2/27/08 2ND REPORT CAL.; 3/03/08 ADVANCED TO THIRD READING; 1/09/08 referred to environmental conservation; 6/04/08 passed assembly; 6/04/08 delivered to senate; 6/04/08 REFERRED TO RULES Another controversy of interest to water suppliers, was the recent study by AP which detected trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in water sources. A bill to manage disposal of pharmaceuticals was amended in both houses this week, perhaps with a view to pass it. Other recent legislation of note includes:
S. 2153 Libous / A. 1994 Kavanagh - Rank 1 Damage for Delay - Would require that every public contract entered into by public entities contain a "damage for delay" clause. Providing people with clean drinking water is an infrastructure intensive activity. This would entitle contractors to recover additional costs for excusable delay. Unforeseen problems resulting in delay are understood to be a standard element of construction projects, and are currently factored into the equation by responsible contractors when they submit bids as part of the competitive bidding process. This legislation would alter this process by encouraging irresponsible bidders to participate by submitting "lowball" bids and then seeking significant increases through the "damage for delay" clause. This bill was passed by the Legislature a few years ago and vetoed by Governor Pataki. How Governor Spitzer would view this legislation is unknown. Oppose 1/9/08 REFERRED TO FINANCE; 6/05/08 COMMITTEE DISCHARGED AND COMMITTED TO RULES; 6/05/08 ORDERED TO THIRD READING CAL.1562; 1/9/08 referred to Governmental Operations S. 2762-A Marcellino / A. 6662-A Sweeney - Rank 1, Enacts the Landscape Irrigation Contractor Certification Act. Support 1/09/08 REFERRED TO CONSUMER PROTECTION; 1/31/08 AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO CONSUMER PROTECTION; 1/31/08 PRINT NUMBER 2762A; 2/26/08 1ST REPORT CAL.365; 2/27/08 2ND REPORT CAL.; 3/03/08 ADVANCED TO THIRD READING; 1/09/08 referred to economic development; 2/12/08 amend and recommit to economic development; 2/12/08 print number 6662a; 6/10/08 reported referred to Codes A. 503-B Lafayette Rank: 3 Prohibits selling, offering for sale or delivering bottled water without label listing chemicals and other contaminants; civil penalty of $1000 for violation. Strong Support
1/9/08 referred to consumer affairs and protection; 1/23/08 amend and recommit to consumer affairs; 5/08/08 amend and recommit to consumer affairs and protection; 5/08/08 print number 503-B; 5/13/08 reported referred to codes; 06/10/08 reported referred to ways and means
Following is the ranking scale:
Republicans hold the majority in the Senate, Democrats hold it in the Assembly. Page top
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