Rural Community Assistance Partnership
Practical solutions for improving rural communities
© 2013 All rights reserved. Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Inc. This presentation may not be used in any for-profit venture without permission from RCAP, Inc.

This training was created by
Rural
Community Assistance
Partnership
Practical solutions for improving rural communities
Western RCAP
Rural Community
Assistance Corporation
(916) 447-2854 www.rcac.org
Midwest RCAP
Midwest Assistance Program
(952) 758-4334 www.map-inc.org
Southern RCAP
Community Resource Group
(479) 443-2700 www.crg.org
Northeast RCAP
RCAP Solutions
(800) 488-1969 www.rcapsolutions.org
Great Lakes RCAP
WSOS Community
Action Commission
(800) 775-9767 www.glrcap.org
RCAP National Office
1701 K St. NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20006
(800) 321-7227 www.rcap.org | info@rcap.org
Southeast RCAP
Southeast Rural Community
Assistance Project
(866) 928-3731 www.southeastrcap.org

What are effective management practices?
 Also known as best management practices (BMP)
 Methods or techniques widely understood to be the most effective and practical means in achieving an objective (such as treating water or wastewater) while making the optimum use of the resources of a system
 Doing your best with what you have

Effective management practices include:
 Written operation & maintenance (O&M) manuals
– Standard operating procedures (SOPs)
 Benchmarking programs
 Plans for operator training, retention, and recruitment
 Tools to assure financial sustainability, including asset management, viable rates, and integrated planning and budgeting

Effective management practices
 Written O&M manuals
 Benchmarking program
 Employ trained operators
 Assure financial sustainability

Two types of O&M manuals
 Operational O&M manuals describe how to run the system normally and in times of emergency.
 System O&M manuals describe how to run the business side of the water or wastewater system.

Operational O&M manual
 System identification page
– System’s name
– Owner’s name(s)
– Address(es)
– Physical location
– Phone number(s)
– Design flow capacity
– Type of treatment
– Water source

Water system design elements
 Source water
 Description of type of treatment
 Principal design criteria
 Flow diagram
 Analysis of hydraulic capacity
 Pumping stations
 Storage tanks
 Distribution system map
 Public Water System Identification Database
(PWSID) information

Wastewater system design elements
 Collections system maps
 Description of treatment
 Principal design criteria
 Flow diagrams
 Hydraulic analysis
 Pumping station locations
 Where water is returned to the environment
 Sludge removal, processing and disposal

Common to water and wastewater systems
 Written standard operating procedures (SOPs)
 Vulnerability assessment (VA)
 Written emergency operating procedures
(EOPs) and emergency response plans (ERPs)
– personnel assignments
– chain of command
– emergency equipment inventory
– emergency phone numbers
– copies of WARNs and EMACs

Common to water and wastewater systems
 Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network
(WARN) voluntary agreements are meant for systems within a state’s boundaries.
 Emergency Management Assistance Compact
(EMAC) voluntary agreements are meant for systems that offer help across state boundaries.
 WARN and EMAC are discussed later in this presentation.

Water system SOPs: Daily
 Check water meter readings, and record water production
 Inspect chemical feed pumps
 Check chemical solution tanks, and record amount of chemical used
 Record water level in storage tanks
 Record chlorine residual at application point and in distribution system
 Record turbidity (if applicable)
 Inspect booster pump stations (if applicable)

Water system SOPs: Daily (cont’d)
 Record fluoride concentration in distribution system (if applicable)
 Record well pump running times and cycle starts (if applicable)
 Check instrumentation for proper signal input and output
 Investigate customer complaints
 Complete a daily security check
 Inspect heater operation during winter months
 Inspect well pumps, motors and controls (if applicable)

Water system SOPs: Weekly
 Inspect chlorine and fluoride testing equipment (if applicable)
 Clean buildings and grounds and make sure fire hydrants are accessible
 Record pumping rate for each well or source water pump
 Conduct security check

Water system SOPs: Monthly
 Read and record electric meter values
 Take appropriate monthly water-quality samples
 Check and record static and pumping levels of each well
(if applicable)
 Read all customer meters and compare with total water produced
 Inspect well heads (if applicable)
 Lubricate locks
 Compare on-site readings with lab results
 Confirm submission of monthly reports

Laboratory information
 Sampling locations, time, and methods
 Collection procedures
 Preservation requirements
 Safety precautions
 How to interpret laboratory results and use the results to improve the process
 What should be in laboratory supply and chemicals inventory

Laboratory information (cont’d)
 Recommended laboratory equipment, supplies, chemicals and a list of laboratory references
 Instructions for completing worksheets (include examples and sample worksheets)
 For tests to be performed by certified laboratories
– name of the laboratory
– contact person
– telephone number
– shipping procedures
– method of requesting sample pick-up or schedule for sample pickups

Let’s review: Operational O&M manuals
 Operational O&M manuals tell how to run the
_______ normally and in _______.
 True or false? Design basis of the system should be included in an operational O&M manual.
 What is the difference between a WARN and an
EMAC?

Let’s review: Operational O&M manuals
 Why is a written chain of command important?
 Why should example sampling sheets be included in your operational O&M manual?
 How does your system’s operational O&M manual compare normal operation with emergency operation?

System O&M manual
 Asset-management plan
 Preventive-maintenance plan
 Vulnerability assessment (VA)
 Emergency-response plan (ERP)

Asset-management plan
 Effectively manage land, structures, equipment, software, and other assets of the system in order to use your limited finances on them wisely
 Incorporates
– Expected lifetime of asset
– Planned savings for repair/replacement/upgrade
– Scheduled maintenance
– Performance measurements

EPA STEP Guide for Asset Management
 Call 800/426-4791 and request EPA 816-R-03-016
 Go to www.epa.gov/safewater/smallsys/ssinfo.htm

CUPSS: Check-Up Program for Small Systems
Asset-Management Tool for Small Utilities
 Free, CD-based, stand-alone AM tool
 For utilities serving fewer than 3,300 population
 Based on successful STEP Guides
 www.epa.gov/cupss

Preventive Maintenance Plan
 A plan of regularly scheduled repair and replacement of equipment parts that wear out in order to avoid emergency repairs or failure of service.
 Includes
– Scheduling inspections
– Detecting necessity of repair/replacement
– Performing repair/replacement

Vulnerability assessment
 Discover which emergencies are most likely to affect your system
 Discover which assets are the most important to providing service
 Discover which assets are the most vulnerable to damage or disruption during an emergency

Vulnerability Assessment (cont’d)
 Rank the annual likelihood of emergency from 1 to 10
(10 is the most likely) for RISK
 Rank the damage to the equipment from 1 to 10 (10 is complete loss ) for DAMAGE
 Rank the importance of equipment or treatment from 1 to
10 (10 is most important) for CRITICALITY
 RISK x DAMAGE x CRITICALITY = RANKING
 Highest ranking = most vulnerable

Setting priorities with a risk matrix

Vulnerability assessment (cont’d)
 Once VA is completed for every piece of equipment, plan to mitigate damage from emergencies
 Use ranking to prioritize which equipment is addressed first
 Use ranking to budget for mitigation
 Review VA annually at a minimum

Emergency-response plan
Basic elements
– Know the information about your system
– Establish roles and responsibilities
– Establish and use communications procedures
– Make sure your personnel are as safe as possible
– Identify alternative water sources
– Plan for replacement equipment and chemical supplies
– Protect your system’s property
– Perform water sampling and monitoring

Emergencyresponse plan (cont’d)
 Join a WARN (Water/Wastewater Agency
Response Network) for assistance within state boundaries
 Establish an EMAC (Emergency Management
Assistance Compact) for assistance across state boundaries
 Evaluate the plan at least annually by using a simulated emergency on at least a tabletop scale
 If there are problems with the plan, fix it and test it again

Let’s review: System O&M manual
 Asset management includes recording the asset’s expected _____, planned savings for _____, preventive _____, and _____ measurements.
 Why is preventive maintenance important?
 Ranking the most vulnerable piece of equipment or portion of your system helps you _____ damage and _____ for budgeting.

Let’s review: System O&M manual
 ERP is the abbreviation for _____.
 (Any) Four of the eight elements of an ERP are
_____, _____, _____, and _____.
 What is the purpose of reviewing an ERP annually?

Effective management practices
 Written O&M manuals
 Benchmarking program
 Employ trained operator(s)
 Assure financial sustainability

Benchmarking program
 A benchmarking program is the process of determining who is the very best, who sets the standard, and what that standard is.
 Benchmarking allows you to compare your system with others, to identify comparative strengths and weaknesses, and learn how to improve.
 Benchmarking is a way of finding and adopting the most effective practices.

Effective management practices
 Written O&M manuals
 Benchmarking program
 Employ trained operators
 Assure financial sustainability

Employ trained operator(s)
 Requirements for training and certification
 Should have training for other parts of their jobs
 Support your current operator(s) but have a succession plan in place

Effective management practices
 Written O&M manuals
 Benchmarking program
 Employ trained operators
 Assure financial sustainability

Major components of financial management
 Budget
 Budget reports and monitoring
 Rate setting
 Asset management
 Strategic planning

Budget requirements
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Creating a budget
1.
Estimate annual operating expenses.
2.
Include setting aside reserves.
3.
Estimate revenues.
4.
Balance the budget.

More assistance for small communities
 Visit the RCAP website at www.rcap.org
– Library of resources
– Links to other helpful tools and organizations
– Publications (magazine and email newsletter)
 [Trainer’s name and contact info here]