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7271

Distribution System Water Quality Management

8.0

Drinking Water

RCAP Solutions

Amy Forsha

aforsha@rcapsolutions.org

724-840-8761 Ext.

Partner Website

Having delivered onsite technical assistance and training to thousands of public water systems in every state over the past 40 years, RCAP is uniquely qualified to offer this training. Small public water systems (serving fewer than 10,000 customers) are characterized by volunteer boards, operators with many non-water-related duties, remote locations, and limited resources. Owners and managers of small public water systems face many challenges in striving to protect public health by complying with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). These challenges are caused by insufficient technical capacity to operate and manage a system including, but not limited to, inadequate understanding of the regulations; insufficient operations expertise; aging infrastructure; inadequate preliminary engineering; inadequate source water quantity and quality; and a retiring workforce unmet by recruiting, training, and certification of new operators. Inadequate managerial and financial capacity is also a factor in compliance challenges. However, the focus of the proposed training is improving technical capacity to address technical compliance deficiencies. Ultimately, these violations can be traced back to a wide range of capacity deficiencies resulting in inappropriate decisions and actions of the operators and managers of the system. This course is designed to describe the importance of the distribution system as a barrier to protect public health.

Basic thru Intermediate

This training is designed as a one day, 8 hour class that will improve operators' abilities to monitor chlorine residual and recognize problems leading to low residuals. Operators will also identify ways to best manage water age in the distribution system. Also they will learn to recognize issues that leade to water quality degradation. There are a series of small group activities. The classroom shall be broken into small groups. Techniques that work well for this include: • Assigning participants tables during registration. • Mixing by years of experience. Class is typically held in conjunction with a local utility, who shall: • Demonstrate hydrant flushing. • Provide a chlorine analyzer (colorimeter preferred). There are two embedded YouTube videos.Chlorine solutions shall be prepared and total coliform sampling shall be conducted. Prior to the class, students shall be asked to bring their field chlorine analyzers (if they have access) to class. They will be used in one of the a

Beginning and intermediate level operators, small system operator, and those in need or identified by PA DEP who would benefit from taking this course or who need CEUs for operator license maintenance and renewal .

Classroom