Rural Community Assistance Partnership

Practical solutions for improving rural communities
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March 2010

Fix-a-Leak Week offers Texas-sized water savings

Americans can save water and money

 

WASHINGTON (EPA)--Across the country, household leaks are wasting more than 1 trillion gallons of water per year - enough water to supply every home in Texas with its annual water needs. To help consumers save water and money, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working with water utilities, manufacturers, retailers, communities and plumbers to promote its second annual Fix-a-Leak Week, March 15 to 21.

 

New York Times: "Saving U.S. Water and Sewer Systems Would Be Costly"

A front page article in the March 14, 2010, New York Times, "Saving U.S. Water and Sewer Systems Would Be Costly," highlights the enormous needs of water and wastewater systems across the country. While the article concentrates on one city's sewer chief, George S. Hawkins of Washington, D.C., the facts The New York Times is reporting on apply to the needs of municipalities and small, rural water and wastewater systems.

Seeking communications intern

RCAP's national office in downtown Washington, D.C., is seeking a communications intern for part-time or possibly full-time hours.  The office is accessible by Metro and several bus routes. 

Free water sector interdependencies training

The Water Environment Federation (WEF), in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), announces a series of general awareness trainings on water sector interdependencies. The training is offered at no cost to eligible participants. However, participants are responsible for their own travel arrangements and costs. Executives, managers, and operators of water sector (water and wastewater) utilities, as well as representatives from other critical infrastructures, are the target audience of the training.

Free webinar series on Incident Command System and National Incident Management System

WaterISAC has teamed up with U.S. EPA to offer free, water sector-centric webinar-based training on the Incident Command System (ICS) and National Incident Management System (NIMS). All water utility employees who may be required to respond during an emergency must possess a minimum level of ICS and NIMS training. In the last few years, the U.S. EPA has sponsored dozens of ICS and NIMS classes for the water sector around the country.

An "on the ground" view of work of a Hawaii circuit rider

Providing oversight and direction for hands-on issues with small water systems

The people of Hawaiian Shores Community Association on the Big Island work hard to make their community vibrant, healthy and sustainable.

When the community faced high water pressure problems, the association’s water system staff and Rural Community Assistance Corporation's (RCAC) Hawaii circuit rider joined forces to fix the problems quickly.

Colusa Indian Community demonstrates commitment and foresight

By Randy J. Vessels, RCAC rural development specialist

The Colusa Indian Community in rural California, just west of the smallest mountain range in the world, bustles with entertainment opportunities, ranging from a casino to outdoor adventures. Yet the community struggled to maintain compliance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations.

Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule Consecutive Systems Guidance Manual

EPA has released the Consecutive Systems Guidance Manual to assist consecutive systems (public drinking water systems that receive part or all of their finished water from other public water systems) in complying with the Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (Stage 2 DBPR). The guidance manual provides an explanation of specific requirements in the Stage 2 DBPR as they apply to consecutive systems. In addition, the manual addresses flexibilities in the rule and explains the various compliance technologies and other compliance approaches available to consecutive systems.

Contributions to support RCAP's work

As a 501 (c)(3) organization – a nonprofit registered and recognized by the IRS – we accept donations from the general public for our work.