> This is an article found in the second quarter 2014 National > Rural Water Associations Magazine. Here is the link for the > article: http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0214/index.php?startid=31.
>
> > This project is trying to change the way Operation Specialists are viewed. Please read the whole article and then help it become a reality by contributing anything you can to help the cause.
>
Independent Budget Office: It’s debt, not rent payments, that drives water and sewer
(An interesting article from NYC)
It’s not the rent payments the city charges for use of the water system that’s driving water rates but rather the cost of paying off huge capital projects, the Independent Budget Office said in a report Monday.
While it has been the scapegoat of many a press conference on skyrocketing water rates, the rental payment takes a back seat, the report found.
Mathematical calculations can be one of the most challenging, but also most important, tasks performed by a water or wastewater operator. With Internet-enabled computers available in an increasing number of facilities, operators can lean on calculation tools to double-check their math.
A few years ago the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection developed an Operator Information Center that included a variety of web-based calculation tools. While portions of the website are outdated, these tools still do the job:
This is a free publication intended for mayors, town supervisors, administrators, clerks, treasurers,and sewer board members.
The Handbook on Wastewater Management for Local Representatives is a 148 page reference which includes valuable information on administration, management, and financial planning. The handbook helps elected officials better understand wastewater infrastructure issues.
The sewers and wastewater treatment plants represent a huge capital asset.
More than two dozen people are displaced after fire destroyed their apartment house in Schenectady.
Firefighters say a broken hydrant hampered their efforts to fight the flames.
The building is scheduled to be demolished — nothing can be salvaged, according to city officials.
However, it’s not because of the hydrant problem. Fire officials say the building was already too far gone when they got here.
The three story apartment house on Eagle Street in Schenectady went up in flames just before 1 a.m. Wednesday morning.
(PLEASE NOTE: APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY JUNE 16th)
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today launched Round IV of the Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) initiative, officially kicking off the 2014 competition for up to $750 million in state economic development resources. The Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) will open to applicants on May 1, enabling businesses, municipalities, not-for-profits and the public to begin applying for assistance from dozens of state funding programs, through a single application, for job-creating and community development projects.
USDA Rural Development Celebrates Earth Day by Supporting Water Quality Projects in 40 States and Puerto Rico
2014 Farm Bill Enables Record USDA Investments in Rural Water Systems
WASHINGTON, April 22, 2014 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today celebrated Earth Day by announcing record support for 116 projects that will improve water and wastewater services for rural Americans and benefit the environment.
Underground in places nobody likes to look, bacteria are doing terrible things to our sewage pipes. The concrete pipes that carry our waste are literally dissolving away, forcing engineers into a messy, expensive battle against tiny microbes.
The new plates are designed to make it easier to recognize emergency response vehicles during storms or other emergency situations. According to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, the vehicle must either be owned or controlled and registered in the name of the agency or locality in order to be eligible for the new plate.
The plates have a white background with a red banner and have the letters “EM” on them for Emergency Management.