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NYRWA News
We sincerely appreciate the following sponsors who have committed to a sponsorship for our 2022 Annual Technical Training Workshop & Exhibition in Verona on May 23-25, 2022. These sponsorships will be used for door prizes and a Sponsorship Grand Prize for attendees. 1) Premier Sponsors - Koester Associates, and G.A. Fleet Associates, Inc. 2) Gold Sponsors - Mueller Company, EJ Prescott, General Control Systems, Inc. and Ti-SALES 3) Silver Sponsors - Auctions International, Kennedy Valve and M&H and BCA Architects & Engineers 4) Golf Hole Sponsors - EJ Prescott If you are an Associate Member or Exhibitor and wish to provide a sponsorship for our 2022 Annual Technical Training Workshop & Exhibition, please reach out to Jamie Herman at herman@nyruralwater.org Thank you one and all for your continued support of this association! NYRWA is currently accepting resumes for a Wastewater Technician to provide onsite technical assistance to wastewater operators and systems in central and western New York. This is a full-time position open immediately due to the growth of our association. Wastewater Technician The purpose of the Wastewater Technician is to protect the nation’s multi-billion-dollar investment in rural and small municipal wastewater facilities and collection systems and to assist in maintaining regulatory compliance. This objective is met for systems by providing on-site technical assistance that assures cost-effective operations, system optimization, regulatory compliance and capacity development. Specific responsibilities: - Travel extensively throughout the state/jurisdiction (central & western, NY) to offer on-site technical assistance to municipal wastewater systems serving populations of 10,000 or less - Provide assistance in all areas of operations, maintenance, management, security, finances, loan application, health, and environmental issues. - Provide the type of assistance that offers "training" rather than "fixing". - Prioritize requests to ensure coverage of wastewater systems with serious health, economic or compliance problems first. - Review new technical standards set and proposed by public, private and regulatory organizations. - Develop informational articles for dissemination. - Respond to inquiries from facilities, consumers, governmental agencies, and others regarding technical matters. - Provide on-site assistance and/or training that geographically covers the program territory. - May be required to meet with various agencies on routine intervals. - Accurately complete and submit reporting as required. Salary and Benefits: - Company vehicle, laptop, cell phone, printer, and data projector provided. - Health & dental insurance or a monthly stipend are provided. - Flexible work schedule, you develop your own schedule, but must work 40 hours per week. - Recently retired operators are encouraged to apply as well. - Salary contingent upon qualifications, experience, and ability. How to Apply: Please submit your resume with salary requirements to Jamie Herman, CEO, at herman@nyruralwater.org
Upcoming Training
Don't have time to spend traveling to sit in a class all day? 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 https://www.suncoastlearning.com/courses/ny.
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Industry News
Submitted Tue, Jul 6th 2021 11:15 am Legislation addresses waterway pollution Congressman Brian Higgins announced passage of H.R. 2008, the Local Water Protection Act, a bill that authorizes $200 million annually in fiscal years 2022 through 2026 for programs that protect this nation’s waterways from runoff pollution. “We have made significant progress in fighting the first generation of pollution from industries on the shores of the Great Lakes. Now, we must incorporate the second generation, nonpoint source pollution, into our prevention and revitalization strategies,” Higgins said. “The Great Lakes are an incredible resource economically, environmentally and recreationally, and this federal funding will help continue the progress made towards their recovery.” The bill works to combat nonpoint source water pollution generated when agricultural or urban runoff is carried through rainfall or snowmelt into lakes and rivers. The Environmental Protection Agency points out 70% of Americans live within 2 miles of a polluted coastal area, lake, river or stream. The Niagara River has benefited from this program and is listed among the EPA’s nonpoint sources pollution success stories. A press release stated, “Nonpoint source water pollution is a current problem in the Great Lakes. Agricultural runoff can produce harmful algal blooms, like those that plague Western Lake Erie. Harmful algal blooms create dead zones in water and are toxic to humans and animals. A bloom has been spotted as close as Presque Isle, near Erie, Pennsylvania, only 90 miles from Buffalo. Higgins pushed for a demonstration project aimed at eliminating harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie to be included in the 2021 budget.” Higgins, a member of the bipartisan Great Lakes Task Force, announced in January the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act was signed into law, increasing funding for Great Lakes efforts to $475 million by 2026. Dear Water Suppliers: In recent months, an increased number of ransomware attacks have occurred against U.S critical infrastructure, including targeted attacks against the water sector. Ransomware as defined by DHS’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is “an ever-evolving form of malware designed to encrypt files on a device, rendering any files and the systems that rely on them unusable.” Cybercriminals and state actors will leverage this technique to block access to these resources or threaten to publish any private or protected information to the public unless a ransom is paid. In response to the pervasive ransomware threat, Anne Neuberger, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology, issued the attached memo, What We Urge You to Do to Protect Against the Threat of Ransomware, in which she outlines five best cyber security practices. The Office of Water urges all water and wastewater facilities to adopt these basic practices to reduce the risk of a successful ransomware attack. Please follow the steps outlined in memo to protect your organization from ransomware attacks. Additionally, if you suspect that you organization is the victim of a ransomware attack please contact CISA (central@cisa.dhs.gov) or local law enforcement. 1. Backup your data, system images, and configurations, regularly test them, and keep the backups offline: Ensure that backups are regularly tested and that they are not connected to the business network, as many ransomware variants try to find and encrypt or delete accessible backups. Maintaining current backups offline is critical because if your network data is encrypted with ransomware, your organization can restore systems. 2. Update and patch systems promptly: This includes maintaining the security of operating systems, applications, and firmware, in a timely manner. Consider using a centralized patch management system; use a risk-based assessment strategy to drive your patch management program. 3. Test your incident response plan: There’s nothing that shows the gaps in plans more than testing them. Run through some core questions and use those to build an incident response plan: Are you able to sustain business operations without access to certain systems? For how long? Would you turn off your manufacturing operations if business systems such as billing were offline? 4. Check Your Security Team’s Work: Use a 3rd party (CISA will do this for free) to test the security of your systems and your ability to defend against a sophisticated attack. Many ransomware criminals are aggressive and sophisticated and will find the equivalent of unlocked doors. 5. Segment your networks: There’s been a recent shift in ransomware attacks – from stealing data to disrupting operations. It’s critically important that your corporate business functions and manufacturing/production operations are separated and that you carefully filter and limit internet access to operational networks, identify links between these networks and develop workarounds or manual controls to ensure industrial control networks can be isolated and continue operating if your corporate network is compromised. Regularly test contingency plans such as manual controls so that critical functions can be maintained during a cyber incident. CISA has created a website that contains a collection of resources devoted to preventing ransomware attacks: https://www.cisa.gov/ransomware . And EPA has a cybersecurity website tailored to the water sector: https://www.epa.gov/waterriskassessment/epa-cybersecurity-best-practices-water-sector . If you have questions regarding any of the information contained in this email, please contact David Travers, Water Security Division, USEPA (travers.david@epa.gov). 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