Good Afternoon Tribes!
EPA’s Office of Wastewater Management is scheduling a series of in-person training workshops for Tribes and Alaskan Native Villages to help increase participants’ skills and knowledge in the operation of wastewater and drinking water treatment systems. The objective of this three-day workshop series is to instruct tribal staff and leaders on how best to operate, troubleshoot, and maintain small wastewater and drinking water systems. Training sessions will be held around the country from March - May 2012 and will be open to members of all federally recognized tribes, Alaskan Native Villages, and territories. The training is intended for water system operators, wastewater system operators, tribal utility managers, tribal council members and leaders involved with water utility management.
Please find attached a training flyer for the 2012 workshop locations as well as a biographies document for those who may serve as instructors for this year's workshops.
There is no registration fee for the workshops. There is a cap of 50 participants at each session. Tribes and Alaskan Native Villages that received 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds will be given priority. Travel, hotel, and per diem costs for attendees from tribal reservations may be covered by a participant’s local Indian Health Service (IHS) Area office, except for the Navajo Area IHS office which has already allocated its training funds to its respective Tribal entities.
For more information including registration, please go to: http://www.horsleywitten.com/tribalARRA/
Below is a tentative agenda for the three-day training session:
Overview
• Operator Roles & Responsibilities
• Utility Management Roles & Responsibilities
Drinking Water Infrastructure
• Water System Operation Overview
1. Providing Potable Water
2. Distribution System Management
3. Storage Tank Management
• Regulatory Compliance
1. Overview of Safe Drinking Water Act Requirements
2. National Primary Drinking Water Regulations
3. Significant Drinking Water Rules
• Water System O&M Exercises
Wastewater Infrastructure
• Wastewater System Operation Overview
1. Sewer System O&M
2. Pump Station O&M
3. Lagoon System Overview
• Decentralized Wastewater Treatment
1. Septic Tank
2. Distribution Box
3. Leaching Area
4. Alternative Treatment Systems
• Wastewater System O&M Exercises
Utility Management
• Asset Management Overview
• Rate Structure
• Cost Minimization
• Technical Assistance
Moreover, Region 9 Tribes are encouraged to attend the closest location within the lower 48 states, particularly if your area IHS office agrees to support travel and other associated costs for this training. This location would be Albuquerque, NM from May 15-17, 2012.
If you have any other questions, then please give me a call or send me a reply!
Thanks and have a great remainder of the week!
Erskine D. Benjamin II | Environmental Engineer
Water Division | Tribal Office (WTR-10)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Region 9
75 Hawthorne Street | San Francisco, CA 94105
415.972.3561 Office | 415.947.3537 Fax
Benjamin.Erskine@EPA.GOV