The security of the water supply helps ensure that it’s treatable at all times, and the cost of treatment to comply with government regulations is high.  In the wake of the crisis in Flint, Michigan, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent letters to governors and water regulators across the country promising greater enforcement of rules to protect the public from lead in drinking water, and urging every state to locate lead water lines as required.  The EPA also said that state regulators should review more carefully the results of lead samples taken at homes, as well as justifications for systems deeming some results invalid.  Since the EPA has often been criticized for overreaching, it is unclear how governors and state regulators will react.  Even in Michigan, officials questioned the EPA’s authority to issue the emergency order despite the fact that such authority is clearly stated in the Safe Drinking Water Act.

This webinar will address water utility risk management in relation to several types of contaminants that can enter the water supply – lead and copper from corrosion of plumbing and infrastructure; cryptosporidium and giardia from watershed sources; and algal toxins from harmful algal blooms.  A brief discussion of the upcoming Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule 4 (UCMR4), and the potential effects of the selected contaminants on the monitoring list will be included.

Larry Valentine, P.E., AEGIS Utility Consultant for Water, will moderate the webinar.  The presenter will be Dr. Todd Brewer, P.E., Manager – Water Quality Labs for City Utilities of Springfield, Missouri.  Prior to City Utilities, he was the Water Quality Lab Manager/Treatment Supervisor for the City of Oklahoma City, and also worked as a Water Quality Chemist in Nevada.  Todd holds Bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry and Mathematics from Northeastern State University, a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tulsa, and a Doctoral degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno.  Todd is a licensed Water Operator (A) in both Oklahoma and Missouri.  He has taught college-level chemistry and engineering courses for the last 20 years, and has also been an instructor for several operator certification classes and American Water Works Association (AWWA) workshops.  He is active in National AWWA  committees, the Partnership for Safe Water, and the MO-AWWA section, currently serving as Vice-Chair on the Board of Directors.