A Message From The President


by Jerry Barron

By the time you read this article, we are already well into the busy summer season. Demands on water and wastewater systems increase with the rising temperatures, and along with this, demands on the operators and managers increase. Often, the warm season will bring with it special projects that can only be accomplished in the all too short, "construction season". Along with the hands - on work that rural communities have to accomplish, also comes the never ending changes, and dealing with new rules and regulations. What's happening this year? Well, for sure, one of the debates will be over the arsenic rule. It looks like the battle will continue over lowering the maximum contaminant level. The debate will most likely continue over the cost of removal and the best available technology for removal, especially for small systems. A proposed bill concerning the discharge of chlorinated water into NY watersheds could, if passed, lead to headaches of the migraine category! And, as I'm sure most of you already know, operators will have less time to acquire the CEU's that will be needed for license renewal. On the water side, this will be the first year that a grade D license will require CEU's. We will have a rigorous and varied schedule for training sessions that will take place across the state, and I hope you will take advantage of them. Also on the state level, there are several bills being introduced that could have an impact on water and wastewater systems on the positive side, as well as the negative side. NYRWA will be tracking these bills and will notify the membership when and if they appear to be coming close to becoming law. If you are already a member, you are set to take advantage of the many services we offer, and are connected to our information network. If you are not a member, now is the time to join!

Enjoy the summer, JB.