Rural Community Assistance Partnership

Practical solutions for improving rural communities
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August 2013

DelMarVaNow.com: Too many wipes in Ocean City pipes

Posted Thu, 2013/08/08 - 3:21pm by RCAP

Reporting on a popular beach town in Maryland, the delmarvanow.com website said on July 28:

"There’s one thoroughly modern convenience that’s causing headaches for the people who run Ocean City’s sewer system: the so-called flushable wipe.

"Like a grown-up version of soothing baby wipes, these toilet paper accoutrements are advertised as safe for toilets. But problems can mount when they get into the rest of the sewer system.

EPA launches harmful algal bloom video public service announcement series

Posted Tue, 2013/08/06 - 4:23pm by RCAP

When In Doubt, Stay Out! Protect your pooch from harmful algal blooms

EPA has released the first of three video public service announcements to raise awareness about the potential public health impacts of harmful algal blooms, which are a manifestation of nutrient pollution. The first video, "When in Doubt, Stay Out," talks about protecting human and pet health from potentially toxic algal blooms.

EPA webcast series to raise awareness about harmful algal blooms

Posted Tue, 2013/08/06 - 4:05pm by RCAP

On August 20, 2013, EPA's Watershed Academy will host a webcast on the identification and monitoring of harmful algal blooms. Don Anderson from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Steve Morton from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will continue the series with a discussion of innovative methods for identifying these algae and their blooms and how both government and research institutions and even the public can help to monitor their outbreak and spread.

EPA software helps reduce water pollution as part of president’s Climate Action Plan

Posted Tue, 2013/08/06 - 3:58pm by RCAP

National stormwater calculator helps manage stormwater runoff

WASHINGTON – As part of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released July 24 the National Stormwater Calculator, an innovative addition to the administration’s virtual climate resilience toolkit. EPA’s new calculator will help property owners, developers, landscapers, and urban planners make informed land-use decisions to protect local waterways from pollution caused by stormwater runoff.

EPA proposes rule to modernize Clean Water Act reporting

Posted Tue, 2013/08/06 - 3:52pm by RCAP

E-reporting initiative will increase efficiency, ease burden for states and improve public access to data

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a rule that would modernize Clean Water Act (CWA) reporting processes for hundreds of thousands of municipalities, industries, and other facilities by converting to an electronic data reporting system.

NPR: FATBERG! 15-Ton 'Lump Of Lard' Removed From London Sewer

Posted Tue, 2013/08/06 - 1:53pm by RCAP

August 06, 2013

by Mark Memmott

Set this post aside until after lunch if you have a sensitive stomach.A " 'bus-sized lump' of food fat mixed with wet wipes" has been removed from a southwest London sewer, .

Advice for managed onsite wastewater systems

Posted Mon, 2013/08/05 - 3:10pm by RCAP

Following are best practices gleaned from interviews with three onsite wastewater management entities in California—a small, rural community; a medium costal community; and a large community.

Consider the advice they give if your community has an entity to manage onsite wastewater treatment or is thinking about creating one.

Format: 
Magazine/newsletter (single article)
Topic: 
Operations - technical operations of facilities and infrastructure
Infrastructure
Source: 
RCAP
Audience: 
Project (construction) manager
Customers/public

Back to basics: Building a budget

Posted Mon, 2013/08/05 - 3:00pm by RCAP

Every water system needs a budget, no matter how small your system is. An annual operating budget is a 12-month financial plan. The operating budget coincides with the fiscal year of your system and is simply a one-year forecast of your utility’s expected revenues and expenses. 

Format: 
Magazine/newsletter (single article)
Topic: 
Finance
Source: 
RCAP
Audience: 
Board/council member
Mayor/town manager/elected official (local)
Financial manager/accountant/bookkeeper

The Importance of an Operator in a Community’s Water Systems

Posted Sun, 2013/08/04 - 9:30am by RCAP

Format: 
Video
Topic: 
Operations - technical operations of facilities and infrastructure
Management
Board/council
Workforce/personnel
Source: 
RCAP
Audience: 
Board/council member
Mayor/town manager/elected official (local)
Financial manager/accountant/bookkeeper
Related Resources: 
Building the skills of water system operators and recruiting new operators to the workforce
Brochures for recruiting drinking water and wastewater operators

Preparing Your Wastewater System for Disasters and Emergencies

Posted Fri, 2013/08/02 - 8:31pm by RCAP

Format: 
Video
Topic: 
Operations - technical operations of facilities and infrastructure
Infrastructure
Regional cooperation
Security/emergency-response planning
Source: 
RCAP
Audience: 
Operator
Board/council member
Mayor/town manager/elected official (local)
Plant manager
State/federal decision-maker