Region 8 Tribal Drinking Water Monthly Newsletter March, 2022 Announcement: Annua! R8 Newsletter, Monitoring and Reporting Requirements Released The Region 8 Drinking Water Unit recently sent our annual "mass mailer." This package included water system's anticipated monitoring and reporting requirements for 2022, and an in-depth and detailed annual newsletter with articles by R8 staff, and other important items for maintaining compliance with SDWA throughout 2022. Our detailed newsletter is available here. We plan to share articles from our annual newsletter in this monthly newsletter throughout the year. Funding: Bureau of Reclamation Drought Contingency Planning Grants The Bureau of Reclamation has published a funding opportunity for the WaterSMART Drought Response Program's Drought Contingency Planning Grants. This funding opportunity supports the development and update of drought contingency plans. Through this funding opportunity, Reclamation provides financial assistance for planning that, when implemented, will increase water reliability and improve water management through the use of expanded technologies and improved modeling capabilities. Applicants may request up to $200,000 for plans to be completed within two years. Generally, a 50 percent minimum recipient cost- share is required. The funding opportunity is available on grants.gov by searching for opportunity number R22AS00178. Applications are due by April 14, 2022, at 4 pm MDT. THIS MONTH Announcement: Annual R8 Newsletter, Monitoring and Reporting Requirements Released Funding: Bureau of Reclamation Drought Contingency Planning Grants New Tool: Water Treatment Chemical Suppliers and Manufacturers Locator Training: EPA Announces the UCMR 5 Candidate Systems and Public Webinar Meetings Public Meetings on Environmental Justice Considerations Related to Drinking Water Regulation for PFAS Training: ITCA Tribal Utility Management Online Course Upcoming Webinars Upcoming Regulatory Deadlines Key EPA Contacts ------- The Bureau of Reclamation previously hosted a webinar on this topic. To view the recording, click here. If you have questions regarding applicant and project eligibility, program requirements, or the evaluation criteria, click here and select Drought Contingency Inquiry/Technical Consultation Inquiry to schedule a time to talk with the program coordinators. New Tool: Water Treatment Chemical Suppliers and Manufacturers Locator The new Water Treatment Chemical Suppliers and Manufacturers Locator Tool allows water and wastewater utilities to search for suppliers and manufacturers across the U.S. that may be able to fulfill their chemical supply needs and increase resilience to supply chain disruptions. This tool can be useful to water and wastewater utilities in finding alternative chemical suppliers in the case of supply chain shortages. The tool can be accessed at: https://www.epa.gov/waterutilityresponse/chemical- suppliers-and-manufacturers-locator-tool. Training: EPA Announces the UCMR 5 Candidate Systems and Public Webinar Meetings Last month, Region 8 notified systems in Indian country that have been identified as sampling locations for UCMR 5. These systems will be expected to monitor for 29 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and lithium in drinking water between 2023 and 2025. More information on UCMR 5 is available here. UCMR 5 public webinars EPA will host two identical virtual meetings to provide public water systems (PWSs), states, laboratories, and other stakeholders with a comprehensive overview of the UCMR 5 program. The meetings will address: a general introduction to the UCMR program, PWSs subject to UCMR 5 requirements, the analytes to be monitored, monitoring locations and frequency, reporting requirements, ground water representative monitoring plans (GWRMPs), and the laboratory approval program. • March 16, 2022; 9:00 AM -12:30 PM ET - Register • March 17, 2022; 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM ET - Register The number of webinar connections available for the two webinars is limited and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. If stakeholder interest exceeds the maximum number of available connections, EPA may schedule additional webinars. Region 8 anticipates hosting a second training in the summer to detail sampling requirements and techniques in the summer 2022. More details will be shared here as they become available. Registrants will receive confirmations and further webinar information via email. Questions regarding webinar registration should be emailed to UCMRWebinar@cadmusgroup.com. ------- Public Meetings on Environmental Justice Considerations Related to Drinking Water Regulation for PFAS EPA invites the public to participate in two identical virtual public meetings related to environmental justice and the development of the proposed Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) The sessions will be an opportunity for EPA to share information and for communities to offer input on environmental justice considerations related to the development of the proposed PFAS NPDWR. We encourage the public to share thoughts on addressing PFAS drinking water contamination issues in their communities. When: April 5, 2022, 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM, MT Click here to register. Training: ITCA Tribal Utility Management Online Course The Tribal Utility Management training course will introduce the concepts of managing small, rural tribal water utility programs and is designed specifically for tribal personnel that are entering into the water utility management field—such as advancing system operators, new water utility program managers, board members, Tribal administrators and Tribal council members. Subjects covered in this training course will include: Regulatory compliance, Policy development, Financial management, Workforce management, Worker succession plans, General operations and maintenance, Infrastructure master planning, Interaction with other entities, Public relations, and Consumer education. Training reference materials will be mailed to registrants that are accepted into this course. Participants will receive written recognition of earned training contact hours based on class participation and homework assignments. The optional Tribal Utility Management Certification Exam is available through Computer-Based Testing for free through reimbursement. For more information, click here. When: Sequential Lessons on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. March 30, and April 1, 4, 6, 8, 11,13,15,18, 20, 22 (in 2022). 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Mountain Time Click here to register. Upcoming Webinars Title Descriptions Date Registration Account Protection: Why Rural Water Utilities Need Cybersecurity & What to Do About It The second of a series of three webinars being jointly hosted by the National Rural Water Association (NRWA) and the Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Water-ISAC). The goal is to provide water utilities with cybersecurity educational March 17, 2022 (12:00 MT) Click here ------- presentations that provide basic security advice that can be incorporated by water and wastewater utilities of all sizes. The webinars are designed for everyone, from brand new operators to members of the Board. The second webinar will cover the basics of Account Protection, including aspects of passwords and account management, multifactor authentication, and remote access. Attendees will gain knowledge on making passwords that protect critical systems, information on the strengths and weakness of different types of multifactor authentication, and options that are available for secure remote access. Water Contamination Information Tool: Becoming an Advanced User Community-Based Water Resiliency Webinar: Advancing Water Equity This webinar is geared towards active WCIT account holders to help them become more familiar with the database. This series covers the advanced capabilities of the WCIT system, hands-on activities, and in- depth discussions. The topic for this seminar will be "Risk Calculator." This webinar will be limited to 50 attendees to foster participation and interaction among participants. The EPA's Water Security Division, along with Golden State Water Company will be presenting on the webinar. CBWR assists drinking water and wastewater utilities, and the communities they serve, in increasing resiliency to water interruptions from all hazards. Golden State Water Company has taken several steps to increase community resilience by better safeguarding water services, including a proactive approach to Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events and increased cross- sector coordination with the energy sector and others. Customer outreach and conservation is also vital to sustaining its water services. EPA will host its next webinar on Advancing Water Equity as part of its DWSRF and Capacity Building in Action webinar series. This webinar will focus on how states can use their DWSRF set-asides for March 30, 2022 (9:00-10:00am MT) Click here March 31, 2022 (9:00-10:00pm MT) Click here April 7, 2022 (12:00-l:30pm MT) Click here ------- activities that identify and prioritize water infrastructure and capacity building projects for underserved communities. Participants will also hear from state presenters who will share information about their efforts to build capacity and advance water equity. Asset Management Don't wait until something breaks. Learn April 20, 2022 Click here - Planning for the about asset management tools to support (1:00-3:00 PM Future long-range planning and techniques for MT) setting rates to fund your utility. Finding and Effective leadership and staff retention are April 27, 2022 Click here Retaining Good key issues for small utilities. Learn about (1:00-3:00 PM Leaders and Staff successful practices from other MT) organizations. Wastewater Many communities rely on small lagoons May 4, 2022 Click here Lagoons and Onsite for wastewater management or onsite (1:00-3:00 PM Septic Systems septic systems serving individual MT) properties. Learn about the operation and maintenance and how they can be optimized to protect water quality. Upcoming Regulatory Deadlines (Refer to Tickler for System-Specific Information) Date Event Location Last day of every calendar month Last day to collect monthly total coliform samples Sites approved on your RTCR sample plan 10th of every month Last day for EPA to receive total coliform and DBP samples collected during the previous month N/A Key EPA Contacts Region 8 Tribal Team Nate Delano - Denver, CO Office - 303-312-6318 - delano.nathaniel(a)epa.gov Emily Gillespie - Helena, MT Office - 406-457-5009 - Gillespie.emilv.iffiepa.gov Joe Faubion - Helena, MT Office - 406-457-5005 - Faubion.joseph@epa.gov Andrea Griese - Pierre, SD Office - 605-945-1192 - griese.andrea@epa.gov Other R8 Drinking Water Employee Contact Information Can be Found Here. This newsletter can be viewed online by visiting: https://www.epa.gov/region8-waterops/epa- region-8-tribal-drinking-water-monthly-newsletter. ------- If you would like to be added or removed from this newsletter distribution list, pi delano.nathaniel@epa.gov. ------- |