FRANKFORT, Ky.– Governor Steve Beshear today announced $1.8 million in grants are available for projects in Kentucky to help clean up polluted streams, rivers, lakes, and groundwater and for projects that protect water resources. “Protection of our water resources is fundamental to our environment, our economy and good public health,” Gov. Beshear said. “These grants will fund efforts to help control pollution from sediment, pesticides and other substances that run off our land when it rains.”

The Kentucky Rural Water Association is hosting a Legislative Breakfast to provide KRWA members the opportunity to meet with their legislators during the 2011 Session of the Kentucky General Assembly. The breakfast will provide a forum to express your views on legislation affecting utilities and discuss the many accomplishments of your utility.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012
7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. EST
Capital Plaza Hotel
Frankfort, Kentucky

During the first year of the Compliance Check program several new “tools” and services were provided to eighteen (18) utilities that signed up for the program. These included: Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) development, Public Notice templates, Monitoring Plan modifications and updates, Sample Schedule development, Lead and Copper package, customized Bacteriological forms, enhanced Recordkeeping package, data tracking and trending, violation avoidance, regulation research assistance, and enhanced on-site assistance. These new documents, spreadsheets, services, and assistance have saved participating utilities over $80,000 in the first year.

House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers today applauded the passage of the Conference Report on the Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture, Commerce/Justice/Science, and Transportation/Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bills – also known as the “Mini-bus” (House Report 112-284). The report passed on a vote of 298-121.

The conference report reduces base discretionary spending by $757 million below last year, funds a variety of federal programs and agencies, including the food and drug safety

The Division of Water has announced that EPA is moving to a free, web-based tool that allows National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permittees to electronically sign and submit their discharge monitoring reports (DMRs) and other reports required by NPDES permits to EPA through a secure internet connection (NetDMR).
Kentucky is in the process of converting from the old EPA system of PCS to ICIS, which means that in the near future Kentucky’s regulated community will have the opportunity to use NetDMR to electronically submit DMRs.
To prepare permittees to use this new process, EPA is …

KRWA has joined the National Rural Water Association and other industry groups requesting congressional support for H.R. 1340 and S. 1578, the “End Unnecessary Costs Caused by Report Mailing Act of 2011.” This legislation will allow the nation’s drinking water utilities to save money and increase efficiency by utilizing modern communications technology when sharing annual water quality reports with their customers.

UMI News
The Utility Management Institute has been offered to KRWA members with no tuition cost for the last twelve years because of funding provided by EPA through a grant to Western Kentucky University. Unfortunately, this funding ceased over a year ago. Nevertheless, KRWA has continued to offer the six courses that make up the UMI through the use of internal Association funds.
The KRWA Board of Directors is fully supportive of continuing the UMI program that now claims over 250 graduates. However, they have decided to charge for this popular training …