Objectives:

1. Provide professional on-site technical assistance to rural and small water and wastewater systems.
2. Provide training to system personnel and boards through on-site assistance.
3. Provide assistance to systems in acquiring financing to build, expand, upgrade systems, and compliance with federal/state drinking water and wastewater rules and regulations.

Specific Responsibilities:

1. Travels extensively throughout the state to offer on-site technical assistance.
2. Provides assistance in all areas of operation, maintenance, management, and health and environmental issues.
3. Provides the type of assistance that offers "training" rather than "fixing."
4. Reads new technical standards set and proposed by public and private organizations.
5. Develops informational articles for dissemination.
6. Responds to inquires from facilities, consumers, governmental agencies, and others regarding technical matters.
7. On-site assistance must geographically represent the state during the program period.
8. Assistance should be provided to unincorporated municipal systems under 10,000 in population.
9. Visits the appropriate State and/or Area Rural Development officials at least monthly.
10. Accurately completes and submits the required reporting in the required timely fashions.

Program Requirements:  KRWA is required to prepare an Assistance Plan annually, which addresses the state's unique training and on-site technical assistance needs for rural and small water systems.  A minimum combined total of 300 training and on-site assistance hours is to be provided by the Training Specialist annually.  The 300 hours must include the following:

A minimum of 50 hours are devoted to formal training.   Training sessions must be offered to non-members, as well as members, and must geographically cover the state.  The training sessions must be offered without charge.

A minimum of 100 hours will be devoted to on-site technical assistance.  The on-site assistance should be directed toward rural water systems and municipal systems serving less than 10,000 population, both member and non-member.   Activities such as research, travel and planning are not allowable toward the on-site hour requirements.

The balance of 150 hours will be directed to any combination of formal training, training seminars, and on-site technical assistance that best meets the needs of rural and small utility systems in the state.  The Assistance Plan defines how the 150 hours will be directed for the program year.

Through its various programs, KRWA has provided a large amount of training, face-to-face.  We have also been tremendously successful with training seminars presented in the classroom setting.  These training seminars give the participants an opportunity to become aware or be reminded of new and more effective problem solving methods.  Being able to discuss problems with other managers, commissioners, operators, office personnel, and manufacturer representatives can save systems both time and money.  A simple lack of awareness is oftentimes the only barrier between a successful and non-successful water and wastewater system.

In order to meet the needs of individual systems, KRWA has developed customized, on-site training programs that meet the continuing education requirements of the state certification programs.  For a reasonable fee, systems may have the specific training it needs brought directly to its personnel, using their own equipment and facilities.  This approach to recertification training is popular with systems that are looking to provide quality specialized training for their personnel without the costs associated with traveling to other areas of the state.

Objectives:

1. Provide professional on-site technical assistance and training to rural and small wastewater systems.
2. Provide training to system personnel and boards through on-site assistance and training sessions.
3. Upon request, provide assistance to systems in acquiring financing to build, expand, and upgrade wastewater system infrastructure.

Specific Responsibilities:

1. Travels extensively throughout the state to offer on-site technical assistance and training.
2. Provides assistance and training in all areas of operations, maintenance, management, and health and environmental issues.
3. Plans and facilitates training sessions for decision makers, managers and operators at no charge.
4. Provides the type of on-site assistance that offers "training" rather than "fixing."
5. Reads new technical standards set and proposed by public and private organizations.
6. Develops informational articles for dissemination.
7. Responds to inquiries from facilities, consumers, governmental agencies, and others regarding technical matters.
8. Obtains a minimum of 35 on-site wastewater contacts/training hours per month.
9. On-site assistance and training must geographically represent the state during the program period.
10. Visits the appropriate state Rural Development officials at least monthly.

The UMI is to be developed over a period of four years, after which it will be fully operational as a "professional designation" program of study for those interested in advanced knowledge in the field of utility management.  During the first year, a basic introductory course will be developed to include a range of information on a wide variety of issues key to the training of utility managers.  Included in this course will be sections on the history of water and wastewater treatment, federal and state regulation of the public utility industry, organizational structures, financial operations, personnel administration, customer relations, and a focus on topical issues facing utility managers.   During the second through the fourth years, subject specific, in-depth courses will be developed from the introductory coursework included in the first year's offerings.   These courses will be generated according to their relative importance as expressed by the UMI advisory group, other managers, and UMI program participants, by means of course evaluations.

The Utility Management Institute, once developed, is intended to be shared with other state rural water associations and other interested entities in the southeastern United States, as a result of our designation as the Technical Assistance Center for EPA Region IV.  Ultimately, if the program proves to be successful, it can be shared directly with entities throughout the United States or through other EPA Centers.

The UMI will reward participants who have successfully completed individual courses with an "individual course certification" or those who have completed all required courses with the "utility management professional" designation.  The UMI program will maintain an official registry of participants and will award framed "UMP certificates" to its successful participants. This professional certification program will be sanctioned by Western Kentucky University, the Kentucky Rural Water Association and the Division of Water, Drinking Water Branch.

The Groundwater Program is designed to initiate preventative measures (in steps) on the local level which will identify potential sources of contamination, educate the local residents, prevent non-compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, lessen the financial burden on consumers and funding agencies, and prevent the degradation of drinking water supplies for future generations.

Specific Responsibilities:

1. Develop and implement a plan to address the state specific wellhead/ground water protection needs of rural and small community water systems in the state
2. Provides assistance and support in facilitating the implementation of wellhead/ground water protection plans.
3. Provides assistance and support in wellhead/ground water protection planning.
4. Provides presentations and assistance to local officials, community groups, and others.
5. Writes reports and develops informational articles for dissemination.
6. Responds to inquiries from facilities, consumers, governmental agencies, and others regarding technical matters.
7. Acts as a liaison to create better coordination, communication and collaboration between rural and small communities and local, state and federal agencies.
8. Completes and submits the required reporting as scheduled.

Plans must be completed, utilizing the following five step program:

1. The designation of a community planning team.  For the purpose of this program the term "Community Planning Team" will refer to a committee-like body, designated to be responsible for the formulation of the wellhead/ground water protection plan.
2. Defining the area that needs protection.  This step of development will focus on meeting the wellhead protection requirements of the EPA and/or State Regulatory Agencies.  this step will start with the delineation of a wellhead/ground water protection area to comply with the State Wellhead Protection Plans.   As part of this step and depending on the state specific needs, condition, and resources, it may be expanded into a broader based wellhead/ground water protection area.
3. Identify and locate "potential contaminants" in the delineation area.
4. Begin management of the protection area.  Management of the area will vary depending on the specific location and other variables such as economy, industry, the political climate in a community and resources.  The management of the area may be non-regulatory such as a public education and posting the protection area or regulatory such as land use planning and the formation of environmental ordinances.   Step 4 will provide regulatory or non-regulatory authority to manage the protection area.
5. Planning for the future. Step 5 is the development of an emergency contingency plan should the water supply be contaminated.  Step 5 activities could also include the identification of future problems and solutions; review and update of plans; and contingency plans for long and short term water supply alternatives.  Step 5 is a follow-up step to the implementation stage of the plan.   In some states, this may already be in place through local or state emergency plan requirements and merely need to be incorporated into the wellhead/ground water protection plan.  Step 5 is considered a longer range objective in the plan.

A minimum of 75 hours of state specific activities are required annually.  Implementation of a minimum of 13 wellhead/ground water protection plans through Step 4 are required annually, averaging 4.33 system steps monthly.

How Does the Program Work?
Self-Assessment
Participating communities are public, private or municipal water systems that provide potable drinking water services.  The Peer Review program is geared toward small and rural communities, but not limited by size or function.

To begin the process, the participating system fills out a comprehensive Self-Assessment form to evaluate the present condition of the system and bring attention to noticeable problems of the system.  The Self-Assessment is then sent to the Peer Review Team.

On-Site Peer Review Evaluation

A Peer Review team, made up of volunteers from surrounding communities, is assigned to do an in-depth evaluation of the participating system.   The focus of the team is meeting requirements of existing state and federal regulations including the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).

Upon completion, the team presents their evaluation to the management of the participating system, along with recommendations for meeting required regulations.

Recommendations

Once the evaluation is completed, and recommendations are presented to meet the requirements of existing regulations, the Peer Review team may also make suggestions to benefit the system in other areas such as:

• Enhance System Performance
• Sustainable Development
• Economic Growth & Financing
• Improving Quality of Water
• Educating Communities

Confidentiality

All Peer Review activities are held in the strictest confidence between the team and participating system.  The scope of the Peer Review program is to help systems comply with current regulations and the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).

Anticipated Outcome

The Program has community and system commitment; sustainability; and economic benefits for water supply management, performance and protection.  Communities, systems, and governments are encouraged to work cooperatively toward improving environmental performance providing technical, managerial and financial assistance through Peer Reviews with state and federal guidance.  With this program, communities and systems will assist each other in the development of management to enhance viability; sustainable development; economic growth; and educating communities and the public while improving the quality of the state's water supply.

Partners in the Program

• Kentucky Rural Water Association
• Kentucky Association of Counties
• State of Kentucky, NREPC
• Kentucky Water & Wastewater Operators Association
• Kentucky Public Service Commission
• Kentucky League of Cities
• Kentucky Dept. for Local Government
• Conference of Southern County Assn.
• U.S. EPA, Region 4
• Kentucky River Authority

KRWA has coordinated the Peer Review effort for approximately fifteen systems in Kentucky over a two-year period.  During the past year, the Peer Review Program received the coveted Vice Presidential "Hammer Award" for this innovative work at brining water systems together to help them help themselves.

Click here to download a Peer Review Volunteer Application; Peer Review Request Form; or the Peer Review Self-Evaluation.