It is that time of the year again, time to apply for our scholarship program. As many of you know, each year the NYRWA distributes one-time grants to five students across New York State valued at $500.00 to help defray the cost of tuition, books, or room and board at an accredited institution of higher learning approved by the NYRWA.

This is a member benefit and we appreciate your assistance in ensuring students from your area have this opportunity to apply. In order to be eligible for a scholarship, applicants must complete the application form in its entirety and return it to the NYRWA by the entry postmark deadline, February 6, 2019. All pertinent information on applying are within the official rules, including the requirement to include an essay and student transcripts to be eligible.

The application can be found here: http://nyruralwater.org/downloads/downloads-index, the link is on the right hand side. Please be sure to share this application with anyone that will be attending college in the fall of 2019.

Please plan to join us at the Turning Stone Resort on May 20-22, 2019 to celebrate 40 years of service to our membership. Exhibit space will open online beginning 10:00 am (Eastern Time) Wednesday, February 20, 2019.

Booths are sold on a first come, first served basis through the website only with a payment by credit card or echeck. Details on how to register can be found under the Associate Members link.

We look forward to seeing you all in May.

On January 4th, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Department of Health, in consultation with the departments of State and Agriculture and Markets, announced the creation of a statewide program to help municipalities develop and implement protection plans for their drinking water sources. This program, entitled the Drinking Water Source Protection Program (DWSP2), will initially involve the state partnering with up to 30 municipalities to update drinking water assessments, develop plans to protect public water supply source water areas, and assist municipalities with plan implementation, and there will be no out-of-pocket costs to participating municipalities for plan development. The DWSP2 is expected to run for three years, with year one involving an intensive, collaborative effort to develop the DWSP2. The State will hire a consultant and develop a work plan to carry out the DWSP2 statewide. The consultant will work with selected municipalities and at the conclusion of the program, municipalities can expect to have a completed drinking water source protection plan in the first year, and assistance with identifying projects to begin implementation in years two and three.

Municipalities must be prepared to designate staff to work with the State-hired consultant and agency experts throughout DWSP2. The State will be asking the participating municipalities to assign a municipal engineer, local elected official (e.g., mayor, town supervisor, and/or member of municipal council/board), municipal planner (and/or planning board member), and drinking water operator to work on DWSP2 and to allow a portion of their time to be dedicated to the program. These staff will function as the liaison between the municipality, the consultant, and the State. Participants will also need to provide local information and regular feedback.

Municipalities that have already developed a drinking water source protection plan are able to participate in DWSP2 to help them enhance their current program. Municipalities will need to submit their current plan with their application. To apply, municipal officials should visit the Drinking Water Source Protection Program Applicants webpage (https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/115262.html) and complete the online application by February 15, 2019.

Note that Steven Winkley, NYRWA’s Source Water Protection Specialist, has been working with the state agency staff as a member of the advisory group that helped draft the DWSP2 and the program guidance that is being developed for the new program. If you have questions, you can contact him as well.

Please join us in welcoming Kevin Miller to the staff here at the NYRWA. Kevin will be working under our NYS Contract as a Technical Assistance Provider covering Central and Western NY. Kevin previously worked for the Village of Albion for 25 years and ended his service as the Chief Water Plant Operator. We look forward to adding Kevin to our staff effective Monday, January 28, 2019. Kevin can be reached at 1-518-828-3155 ext. 300, or email Miller@nyruralwater.org.

It''s winter and the best place to receive renewal web based training is at home or work, whichever your schedule allows. You can work at your own pace. SunCoast Learning Systems offers some great topics that will fit your certification requirement needs. Online courses are New York State approved and offer the flexibility and convenience you are looking for. For more information call 1-800-269-1181 or visit www.suncoastlearning.com.

Essex County Department of Public Works