Description: Think about the water system operators and board members you know, how close are they to retirement? Chances are many will be retiring in the next five to 10 years if not sooner. In rural places, younger operators may be difficult to retain. As their skills improve, the salary and benefits offered by larger systems may become increasingly attractive. Join us for a discussion about how to develop the workforce that keeps your system running sustainably. Participants will learn: · What legacy planning looks like · How to meet the needs of their system now AND for the future · If water operators are a dying breed · What other projects and programs doing to support the industry · What the future looks like for water operators Recommended audience: Managers, board members and operators interested in the future of water operator careers.

Description: Think about the water system operators and board members you know, how close are they to retirement? Chances are many will be retiring in the next five to 10 years if not sooner. In rural places, younger operators may be difficult to retain. As their skills improve, the salary and benefits offered by larger systems may become increasingly attractive. Join us for a discussion about how to develop the workforce that keeps your system running sustainably. Participants will learn: · What legacy planning looks like · How to meet the needs of their system now AND for the future · If water operators are a dying breed · What other projects and programs doing to support the industry · What the future looks like for water operators Recommended audience: Managers, board members and operators interested in the future of water operator careers.

Description: Recent cyber-attacks on water and wastewater systems have manipulated treatment processes, disabled process control and business enterprise systems, and stolen proprietary data. Cybersecurity best practices and incident response planning can prevent or mitigate many of these attacks and are essential to the sound operation and management of water and wastewater systems. Participants will learn how to recognize cybersecurity threats, how to complete the self assessment questionnaire, and utilize the water industry cybersecurity controls for small systems. Based on the cybersecurity self-assessment and cybersecurity controls for small utilities, participants learn how to identify at-risk areas and take actions to protect their systems. Participants will learn: Why cybersecurity is important  How to conduct a self-assessment of your system to identify vulnerabilities  Cybersecurity controls for small water systems  Recommended audience: Managers, board members and operators

Description: Recent cyber-attacks on water and wastewater systems have manipulated treatment processes, disabled process control and business enterprise systems, and stolen proprietary data. Cybersecurity best practices and incident response planning can prevent or mitigate many of these attacks and are essential to the sound operation and management of water and wastewater systems. Participants will learn how to recognize cybersecurity threats, how to complete the self assessment questionnaire, and utilize the water industry cybersecurity controls for small systems. Based on the cybersecurity self-assessment and cybersecurity controls for small utilities, participants learn how to identify at-risk areas and take actions to protect their systems. Participants will learn: Why cybersecurity is important  How to conduct a self-assessment of your system to identify vulnerabilities  Cybersecurity controls for small water systems  Recommended audience: Managers, board members and operators

Description: Do you want to improve your water system’s financial health? As a member of the governing body, management, or staff of a small water system, you have very important financial responsibilities, including establishing the policy framework governing your utility’s finances, planning for the system’s financial future, preparation and adoption of budgets, monitoring and oversight of financial performance, and ensuring accountability and integrity of the financial system. The goal of good financial management is to ensure that your utility is operated as a financially sustainable enterprise while providing safe and reliable water, both in the short- and long-term, to your utility’s customers. Participants will learn: Recognize various financial statements and understand how to use them to make informed decisions Understand the elements of internal controls Develop a meaningful budget Identify methods to balance the budget Recommended audience: Local government board of directors, managers and operators. 

Description: This webinar is designed for personnel responsible for the proper application of common math principals encountered during water operations. It will show basic concepts and principals of distribution and pump hydraulics. Pressure, head calculations, and flow rate will be shown through math calculations. It is also an excellent course for individuals preparing for one of the certification exams. A calculator is recommended. Presenter: K.T. Newman, President, Utility Contractors LLC, Canton, MS

Description: This webinar will help you ensure the financial stability of your wastewater system while providing safe, quality service at fair rates. We will focus on understanding different types of costs for wastewater systems, how systems can select rate setting objectives and match those with appropriate rate structures, as well as best practices for rate setting and design. Learning Objectives: Develop rate setting objectives Determine the cost of providing wastewater service Anticipate changes in revenues year-to-year by changes in use Measure the affordability of rates for all of your customers Create rate structures that reflect your rate setting objectives Presenter: Dr. Jason Barrett, Associate Professor, Mississippi State University Extension Service/Mississippi Water Resources Research Institute REGISTER HERE

The new $15 billion in federal funding for lead service line replacements, as vital and historic as it is, is dwarfed by the estimated $47 billion need to address this public health crisis, one that affects primarily the most vulnerable and needy among us, often people of color. It is possible for local water leaders to close this funding gap. WaterNow Alliance and Environmental Policy Innovation Center will host a 1-hour virtual webinar for utility and community leaders nationwide on how they can access capital markets to maximize access to federal funding and accelerate the rate of lead line replacements on private property. The webinar has 5 objectives: 1. Highlight the One Water and multiple community benefits of replacing lead service lines, particularly on private properties where they are the most prevalent and most likely to be harming disadvantaged households and communities of color. 2. Feature perspectives from capital market investors about their interest in investing in lead service line replacement programs as a sound investment and to accelerate these needed replacements and protect public health. 3. Equip participants with the knowledge of how to leverage local financing approaches to maximize access to federal dollars and accelerate the pace of […]

Join EFCN for this webinar series designed to help small wastewater system operators pass their certification exams. The series starts with a 1-hour overview of study tips and test preparation techniques. Each subsequent 1-hour webinar will focus on a single topic typically found in Level 1 and Level 2 exams including, but not limited to: Collection Systems, Treatment Overviews, Disinfection and Solids Handling Basics, NPDES Regulations, Wastewater Math, Safety, Sampling and Reporting and other general wastewater topics. Each session will include sample questions and a short Q and A period. While this series is primarily focused on helping new operators achieve their Level 1 and 2 certifications, currently certified operators looking to pass higher level tests can also benefit from attendance as higher-level certification tests are cumulative and typically cover basic as well as advanced treatment topics. Session 1: This session focuses on practical study and test preparation methods that can help wastewater operators testing for their initial and higher-level certifications. We will also cover a variety of available resources and discuss test-day techniques including time management, and question analysis that can help test takers achieve positive outcomes. Presenter: James Markham, Research Engineer, Southwest Environmental Finance Center

Join EFCN for this webinar series designed to help small wastewater system operators pass their certification exams. The series starts with a 1-hour overview of study tips and test preparation techniques. Each subsequent 1-hour webinar will focus on a single topic typically found in Level 1 and Level 2 exams including, but not limited to: Collection Systems, Treatment Overviews, Disinfection and Solids Handling Basics, NPDES Regulations, Wastewater Math, Safety, Sampling and Reporting and other general wastewater topics. Each session will include sample questions and a short Q and A period. While this series is primarily focused on helping new operators achieve their Level 1 and 2 certifications, currently certified operators looking to pass higher level tests can also benefit from attendance as higher-level certification tests are cumulative and typically cover basic as well as advanced treatment topics. Session 2: This session focusses on typical wastewater collection system test topics including gravity system layout, design requirements, cleaning and maintenance, lift stations, manholes, maps, piping and joints, and service connections. Presenter: James Markham, Research Engineer, Southwest Environmental Finance Center