United States Office of Water EPA/816-N-99-003A Environmental Protection (4606) January 1999 Agency Drinking Water Academy Bulletin I) W A In This Issue: • Drinking Water Academy Opens Its Doors • What is the Drinking Water Academy? • Training Course Schedule Drinking Water Academy Opens Its Doors Dear Readers: The 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWAI Amendments created new responsibilities and new funding opportunities for EPA and states. The amendments require States to adopt new comprehensive and integrated authorities to ensure the protection of public water supplies, place greater emphasis on protecting source waters from contamination, and encourage increased public awareness and involvement in ensuring safe drinking water. As a result, EPA has promulgated and will continue to promulgate new regulations and has hired new personnel to assist in the implementation of these new requirements. In addition to maintaining their existing drinking water programs, states have developed new financial infrastructure funding programs to provide low-cost loans for the construction of important drinking water infrastructure needs. States have also begun to adopt new regulations and encourage greater public involvement in their SDWA programs. The new requirements and approaches to regulation have increased the need for training, particularly for new personnel or personnel new to SDWA programs. The Drinking Water Academy intends to provide such training. This Bulletin is the Academy's first product. We welcome your comments on how the Bulletin can better serve your needs. Further, we encourage you to contact us (see page 4 for contacts) with suggestions for articles, or you may submit an article for the DWA Bulletin. / hope that you en/oy this inaugural issue. Sincerely, Bob Blanco, Director Implementation and Assistance Div. Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water • Courses and Materials Under Development • Other News • DWA Contacts What is the Drinking Water Academy? The Drinking Water Academy (DWA) was established by the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW) in November 1998. In response to the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments which created an increased need for training of EPA, state, and tribal staff, OGWDW established the DWA. A workgroup of EPA and state staff was established by OGWDW to develop the DWA. The DWA will provide training and information to assist EPA, states, tribes, and others increase their capability to implement SDWA Amendments. The Academy will use a curriculum designed to meet the training needs of the Public Water System Supervision, Underground Injection Control, and Drinking Water Source Water Protection programs. Now, in its early stages, the Academy is focusing on EPA staff. In the future,' when the Academy has fully developed its training program, the training audience will be expanded to include states, tribes, and others. The DWA will initially consist of three major components: • Training Courses • Training Materials • DWA Web Site These components are described in the next sections. ------- TRAINING COURSE SCHEDULE Course Title Audience Location Date Contact Multi-Media Inspector Training EPA/State/Tribal Kansas City, KS 1/99 Chris Goschen (913) 551-5078 Intermediate SDWIS/FED Retrieval EPA Washington, DC 1/26/99-1/28/99 Michelle Stoner (202) 260-2798 Advance SDWIS/FED Retrieval EPA Washington, DC 1 2/23/99-2/25/99 Michelle Stoner (202) 260-2798 IESWTR and By-Products Training EPA/State/Tribal Kansas City, KS 2/99 Ralph Flourney (913) 551-5078 Arcview Info Training EPA/State/Tribal Kansas City, KS 2/99 Vickie Damm (913) 551-7247 Hazardous Materials Training EPA/State/T ribal Kansas City, KS 3/99 Coral Wert (913) 551-7230 Source Water Protection Area Delineation and Susceptibility Assessment: Technical Training Region/State technical staff Washington, DC 3/99 Marilyn Ginsberg (202) 260-8804 Basic Inspector Training EPA/State/T ribal Kansas City, KS 3/99 Coral Wert (913) 551-7230 Operator Certification Implementation Guidance EPA/State TBA 3-4/99 Rick Naylor (202) 260-5135 Intermediate SDWIS/FED Retrieval EPA Kansas City, KS 3/16/99-3/18/99 Michelle Stoner (202) 260-2798 Arcview Intermediate Training EPA/State/T ribal Kansas, City, KS 4/99 Vickie Damm (913) 551-7247 Data Entry Trouble Shooters Regional coordinators Washington, DC 4/13/99-4/15/99 Michelle Stoner (202) 260-2798 M/DBP Rule Implementation EPA/States TBA April/May Jennifer Melch (202) 260-7077 Consumer Confidence Reports EPA/States TBA April/May Kathy Williams (202) 260-2589 Data Entry /Trouble Shooters EPA Washington, DC 5/18/99-5/20/99 Michelle Stoner (202) 260-2798 DWSRF Set-aside Grants EPA/State/Tribal Omaha, NE 5/19/99-5/20/99 Tom Crawford (702) 782-6636 Sanitary Survey Training Region 4 State PWSS staff TBA Spring '99 David Parker (404) 562-9460 Data Entry Trouble Shooters EPA Denver, CO 6/99 Michelle Stoner (202) 260-2798 Chemistry Laboratory Certification EPA Cincinnati, OH 6/99 James Westrick (513) 569-7904 Microbiology Laboratory Certification EPA TBA 6/99 James Westrick (513) 569-7904 Groundwater Sampling Techniques EPA/State/Tribal Kansas City, KS 6/99 Coral Wert (913) 551-7230 ------- TRAINING COURSE SCHEDULE - Continued UIC Inspector Training EPA Region 3 Summer '99 Karen Johnson (215) 814-5445 Data Entry Trouble Shooters EPA Atlanta, GA 8/99 Michelle Stoner (202) 260-2798 DWSRF Basic 101 & Financial EPA/State/Tribal Kansas City, KS Fall '99 Ken Deason (913) 551-7585 Data Entry Trouble Shooters (Train the Trainers) States Dallas, TX 12/99 Michelle Stoner (202) 260-2798 Introduction to Comprehensive Performance Evaluations (CPEs) States Region 6 Upon request Bill Davis (214) 665-7536 Progressive CPE Training States Region 6 Upon request Bill Davis (214) 665-7536 Sanitary Survey Training States Region 6 Upon request Bill Davis (214) 665-7536 Courses and Materials Under Development Training Courses The Academy is developing training curricula on the SDWA, the Public Water System Supervision (PWSS) program, the Underground Injection Control (UIC) program, and the Drinking Water Source Protection (ground water and source water protection) programs. Introductory courses on SDWA, PWSS program, UIC program, Drinking Water Source Protection program are scheduled for completion in Summer 1999. These courses are designed to train participants on the critical components of the programs. In cooperation with the Standards and Risk Management Division of the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW), the Academy is developing training on the lead and copper rule (Spring '99), the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (Fall '99), and the National Contaminant Occurrence Database (Fall '99). Training Materials The DWA Reference Handbook will include basic reference documents for all OGWDW programs, and copies of relevant statutes and regulations. The Handbook will be a regularly updated reference and is scheduled to be completed in Spring 1999. DWA Web Site The DWA web site will serve as an electronic clearinghouse for SDWA-related training resources. This site will consist of at least five sections: About DWA, Training Partners, DWA Course Catalog, Training Resources Library, and Calendar of Events. Look for a link to this exciting new site on the OGWDW web site in March 1999. Other News - The Center for Drinking Water Optimization The Center for Drinking Water Optimization is a training and resource center that provides training and assistance to drinking water utilities and states. The Center's mission is to develop a framework that wiN'allow drinking water systems operators to increase the operational efficiency of their facilities. Higher efficiency systems will therefore, enhance public health protection by providing safer water. Greater plant efficiencies will also minimize expenditures for existing facilities and reduce the need for additional treatment processes. Activities through the Center will include support to the ongoing Partnership for Safe Water, which is a voluntary effort between EPA, the water industry, and many of the largest water purveyors in the nation. The Center has developed self-assessment materials that help systems analyze plant operations. The Center will also provide training to operators that have volunteered to participate in the Partnership Program. In addition, pilot programs are now underway through EPA regional offices to establish area-wide optimization programs. After it is fully operational, the Center will make training and other information tools available to all drinking water community, to enhance the operations of their water treatment facilities. The Center will also assemble a library of relevant technical material on plant optimization that will be available for dissemination to water purveyors and the public at large. For more information on the Center for Drinking Water Optimization, visit their web site at http://cdwo.org. ------- DWA Contacts James Bourne (HQ) (202) 260-5557 bourne.james@epa.gov Denny Cruz (HQ) (202) 260-7776 cruz.denny@epa.gov Murlene Lash (HQ) (202) 260-7197 lash.murlene@epa.gov MaryJo Feuerbach (Reg 1) (617) 918-1578 feuerbach.maryjo@epa.gov Leonard Torrey (Reg 2) (212) 637-3846 torrey.leonard@epa.gov Rick Rogers (Reg 3) (215) 814-5711 rogers.rick@epa.gov Janine Morris (Reg 4) (404) 562-9480 morris.janine@epa.gov John Taylor (Reg 5) (312) 886-4249 taylor.johnc@epa.gov Bill Davis (Reg 6) (214) 665-7536 davis.williamh@epa.gov Stephanie Lindberg (Reg 7) (913) 551-7423 lindberg.stephanie@epa.gov Dan Jackson (Reg 8) (303) 312-6155 jackson.dan@epa.gov Bruce Macler (Reg 9) (415) 744-1884 macler.bruce@epa.gov Larry Worley (Reg 10) (206) 553-1893 worley.larry@epa.gov ------- |