New York Rural Water Association

As we move into 2001 New York's version of the Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), the Annual Water Quality Report (AWQR) is in it's third season. If you are like most Operators, Managers, or Decision Makers you have probably already formed an opinion on whether or not the AWQR is a useful tool or just another regulatory stumbling block. Regardless of how you view this regulation it would appear that this report is here to stay. To say that the report has undergone some changes during the last three years would be somewhat of an understatement, but I think that the format we used for the 1999 report is the format that is here to stay. There may be a few subtle changes, but I think NYSDOH has pretty much tweaked the report down to the bare minimum that EPA will allow. As I write this magazine article we are approaching the first of the year, the reason I mention this is that now is the time to start putting together the information and analytical results needed to complete your AWQR for 2000. Most of you have already received a letter from your local Department of Health informing you of your testing requirements for the upcoming year. When you place this document in the proper file drawer, take a moment to pull last year's letter. This letter can be used as a guideline for making changes to this years AWQR. For instance, if you were not required to test for lead and copper last year, you would use the test results from the last date you were required to test. When I am asked to assist a system with their AWQR, one of the first things I do is ask to see this letter, it usually saves me a lot of time going through a lot of analytical results I really didn't have to see.

I know some of you are not exactly crazy about creating and distributing the AWQR, but it is a regulation and you will be required to produce one. If you are required by law to produce a report you may as well produce a good one! There is definitely a cost associated with distributing the report so it would be a good idea to include the cost of the report in your annual budget. The AWQR can be used as a platform for your Water Department to describe or show improvements or proposed improvements. In this day and age of digital cameras and computer programs like Microsoft Publisher it is possible to create a professional looking report that could incorporate photos, color, and a brochure type appearance to your AWQR. I hate to say it but most of the AWQR I have seen come across my desk looking like the form letters from hell. I would probably toss most of them in the junk mail bin myself. The solution could be as simple as printing the report on colored paper and adding the Village or Town logo to the front, or perhaps a paragraph or two with a more personal tone from your Mayor, Supervisor, Clerk, or Operator. You could use the report to inform the public about the need to replace or repair equipment or vehicles used by your department. I guess the point I am trying to make here is that by taking a positive approach to your Annual Water Quality Report the finished product could yield positive results. The New York Rural Water Association recognizes the need to upgrade the general public's perception of the AWQR and I have even entertained ideas of having some type of AWQR contest or competition to promote a more positive approach to this report. So lets get those creative juices flowing and come up with some new ideas and concepts that will make your Annual Water Quality Report also promote....