florida water resources journal - may 2014

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Volume 66 May 2014 Number 5

Florida Water Resources Journal • May 2014 3

NEWS AND FEATURES4 Comparison of Revenue Bonds, Florida Department of Environmental

Protection-Administered Drinking Water, and Clean Water State Revolving Fund Loans—Jennifer Ivey, Lynn Spivey, and Sharon Simington

14 Technology Spotlight42 News Beat

TECHNICAL ARTICLES20 Money From Nothing: Value Engineering Utility Regulatory Burden to

Substantially Lower Costs—Kerstin L. Kenty, Atef Hanna, Glenn A. Greer, and

Rafael Vázquez-Burney

30 A Manager’s Paradigm: Too Much Water and Limited Water Supplies—Frederick Bloetscher, Nadia Locke, Trent VanAllen, and Albert Muniz

EDUCATION AND TRAINING26 FSAWWA Conference33 ISA Water/Wastewater and Automatic Controls Symposium37 FWPCOA Training Calendar41 CEU Challenge44 TREEO Center Training48 FSAWWA Call for Papers

COLUMNS16 FWEA Focus—Greg Chomic

18 Certification Boulevard—Roy Pelletier

24 C Factor—Jeff Poteet

25 FWEA Committee Corner—Larry Hickey

28 FSAWWA Speaking Out—Carl R. Larrabee Jr.

46 FWRJ Reader Profile—Jon H. Meyer

DEPARTMENTS44 New Products49 Service Directories52 Classifieds54 Display Advertiser Index

ON THE COVER: The state-of-the-artTavares Utility Administration and TrainingFacility, which opened in November 2013,can accommodate up to 70 individuals foroperations and management training.(photo: Burney Vaughn)

4 May 2014 • Florida Water Resources Journal

Jennifer Ivey, Lynn Spivey, and Sharon Simington

A central Florida municipal County En-vironmental Services Department (County) isplanning to expand its water reclamation fa-cility (WRF) and corresponding service areainfrastructure. The estimated cost of this proj-ect is approximately $45 million. The Countyapplied for, and was granted, a Florida De-partment of Environmental Protection(FDEP) State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan. Thetotal available loan amount, with three issuedamendments, is currently $50 million. To en-sure they were utilizing the most economicalmethod of financing for the project, Countystaff requested an evaluation comparing rev-enue bonds and the awarded FDEP SRF loanfor equal loan terms. This evaluation includesthe blended FDEP SRF loan interest rate of1.92 percent, and the comparison of revenuebonds at current interest rates for equal loanterms for 20, 30, and 40 years (Tables 5a-c).The loan proceeds have been revised in subse-quent correspondence to reflect escalatedlabor cost associated with the FDEP SRF loanto $51,762,650.

The FDEP SRF loan proceed amount in-cludes an approximate $1.5 million escalationin price to cover potential increase in costs due

to the Davis-Bacon wage requirement, whichonly impacts the potential labor cost associ-ated with the project. Therefore, the potentialincrease in project construction cost is onlyimpacted by the potential increase in the over-all project labor cost; that is, the cost of equip-ment and materials are not impacted by theloan or Davis-Bacon requirements.

The labor costs on utility projects typi-cally range from 10-30 percent, based on thecomplexity of the project. This estimated av-erage labor cost is based on guidelines con-tained in the RS Means® construction costestimating reference series and conversationswith local contractors. This comparison usesthe information from the County’s CleanWater State Revolving Fund Loan Agreement,including the amendments to the loan.

The evaluation compares the life cyclecost savings with the time and cost of internaland external personnel and resources to securefunding, administer activities during con-struction, and comply with ongoing reportingrequirements. The comparison was con-ducted looking at various lengths of loanterms: first, with a typical scenario of a 20-yearFDEP SRF loan versus a 30-year revenue bond,and then funding options at equal loan terms.

The debt finance options evaluated include:1. General obligation bonds, secured by the

“full faith and credit” of the County.

2. Revenue bonds, secured by the pledged rev-enues of the utility.

3. FDEP-administered drinking water andclean water SRF loans.

The comparison summarized key aspectsof debt options, including:1. Debt issuance process.2. Requirements during construction.3. Continuing reporting requirements

through life of the debt obligation.4. Total costs and life cycle interest costs.

The comparison illustrates major differ-ences between these two forms of utility debtfinancing using estimates and general “rules ofthumb.” Interest rates, issuance costs, and othertransactional costs can vary based on the mar-ket conditions, creditworthiness, and otherunique circumstances for each community.

This comparison shows that at the cur-rent revenue bond best case, the savings usingthe FDEP SRF loan process would be$26,201,962, and at a worse-case bond rate, theFDEP loan process would save the County$28,810,031.

General Obligation Bonds

General obligation (GO) bonds are one oftwo types of municipal bonds; the other type isrevenue bonds. The GO bonds are backed bythe full faith and credit of the issuing munici-pality, which means that the municipality com-mits its full resources to paying bondholders,including general taxation and the ability toraise more funds through credit4. Because theissuing municipality may need to increase advalorem taxes to repay the debt, GO bonds typ-ically must be approved by the voters whowould pay the taxes that support the bonds.

The GO bonds are often used by govern-mental entities to fund projects that will notprovide a direct source of revenue or projectsthat are initiated by general fund departments.As an enterprise fund of the County, the util-ity has a direct source of revenue from whichto pay its debt obligations. Therefore, revenuebonds are a better debt financing option forthis project because the funding source and

Comparison of Revenue Bonds, Florida Department of Environmental Protection-Administered Drinking Water, and Clean

Water State Revolving Fund Loans

Table 1. Summary Comparison of Revenue Bond and FDEP Life Cycle Costs

Continued on page 6


funded project are contained within the en-terprise fund and no interfund transfers areneeded. Therefore, GO bonds were no longerconsidered as a feasible financing option.

Revenue Bonds

Tax-exempt revenue bonds are a com-mon debt funding source for municipal utili-ties. The process involves selling bonds toinstitutional and individual purchasers and in-volves the following major steps:1. The governmental entity determines which

projects will be financed by the bonds.2. The governmental entity assembles a team

that typically includes financial advisors,bond counsel, and disclosure counsel to as-sist in planning and managing the overalltransaction.

3. Underwriters are selected to assist the gov-ernmental entity in gaining access to themarket and selling bonds at a guaranteedminimum price.

4. An official statement is prepared by disclo-

sure counsel and/or bond counsel to assistin marketing the bonds. The official state-ment includes extensive information aboutthe community, management team, utility,project, revenue, and other outstandingdebt obligations.

5. The governmental entity typically requests abond rating from at least one of three ratingagencies to improve the marketability andreduce the overall interest cost of the bonds.

6. An engineering feasibility consultant maybe retained to certify the project cost esti-mate and review utility system conditionand operations.

7. A financial feasibility consultant may alsobe retained to certify that project systemrevenues are available to fund ongoing op-erations and meet conditions of currentand future debt obligations.

8. The bond resolution is adopted, commit-ting the entity to the repayment and condi-tions of the issuance, closing of the bond,and completion of the bond sale.

9. A trustee is retained to manage funds dur-ing construction and complete various ad-

ministrative and continuing reporting re-quirements of the bond agreement betweenthe community and bond holders.

Once the bonds are sold and issued, thereare restrictions on the use of the bond pro-ceeds during construction and additional stepsfollowed by the community as outlined in thebond agreement until the funds are spent. Anexample of these restrictions is limiting the useof the bond proceeds to only the projects spec-ified in the official statement.

Another typical restriction of revenuebonds is that bond proceeds are required to befully expended within two years of disburse-ment to eliminate any potential arbitrage re-bate requirements5. If the bond proceeds arestill invested and not spent after two years, thegovernmental entity risks earning positive ar-bitrage in excess of the tax-exempt cost-of-funds or “rebate yield limit” that must berebated to the federal government.

FDEP State Revolving Fund Loans

Preconstruction Loan (funding for project de-sign)1. The governmental entity submits a request

for inclusion of eligible projects.2. FDEP places the project on a priority list.3. The FDEP awards funds based on available

funding and priority determination of eli-gible projects.

4. A preconstruction loan application is sub-mitted

5. A preconstruction loan agreement is estab-lished with milestones to accomplish priorto reimbursement.

Construction Loan (funding for constructioncost after construction prebid)1. Submits a facilities plan that includes a cap-

ital financing plan or business plan, andprovides project, community, and utility fi-nancial information; the design, permitting,and site information are also submitted.FDEP places the project on a priority list.

2. The governmental entity submits a loan ap-plication.

3. The FDEP awards funds based on availablefunding and priority determination of eli-gible projects.

4. A loan agreement is completed that out-lines multiple conditions and covenants ofthe loan, sets the interest rate, details re-payment of loaned funds, and recurring re-porting requirements.

5. During the construction phase of the loan,the authorized community representativesubmits disbursement requests to FDEP forreimbursement until the projects are com-pleted.

Table 2. Summary Comparison of Revenue Bond and FDEP Loan Elements67

Continued from page 4

Continued on page 8


6. The FDEP completes a final review after theproject is completed and finalizes the loanamount, loan service fee, capitalized inter-est during construction, and debt servicepayments for the term of the loan.

Process Comparison

Revenue bonds and FDEP SRF loans werefurther evaluated as potential funding sourcesfor an airport WRF expansion project. Thetwo alternative forms of debt financing sharemany common elements as well as differences.For example, both options require:� Capital project engineering design and cost

estimates. � Historical and projected system and finan-

cial information.� Capacity of system revenues to meet re-

quirements of current and new debt obli-gations while maintaining the currentsystem.

Table 2 summarizes major elements ofeach process.

Typical Costs Associated withEach Financing Option

There are many costs associated with debtfinancing capital projects. The interest or fi-nancing costs are typically the highest, but theother costs can also be significant. Most ofthese costs are one-time costs related to thedebt issuance process and are incurred whenthe debt is issued. However, there are also coststhat are incurred throughout the life of thedebt. These issuance and life cycle costs are dis-cussed further.

Issuance Costs

There are issuance costs associated withboth debt funding alternatives, which are oftenfinanced with the principal amount of thedebt. The typical issuance costs are summa-rized and estimated in Table 3.

Capitalized Interest

Revenue BondsRevenue bonds do not typically include

capitalized interest because repayment of theloan is not delayed until construction is com-plete. Semiannual payments, including prin-cipal and interest, begin approximately sixmonths after loan proceeds are received by thegovernmental entity. Loan proceeds are notdisbursed when needed, as with the FDEPSRF loans, but are disbursed in one lumpsum.FDEP Loan

Capitalized interest is the finance chargesthat accrue on the FDEP SRF loan during con-struction of the project. The charges begin ac-cruing at the loan interest rate on outstandingloan proceeds from the time of the first dis-bursement until six months before the firstsemiannual loan payment is due. As additionaldisbursements are made, the interest contin-ues to accrue on the total disbursementamount. Once the project is complete, the cap-italized interest is financed with the loan prin-cipal.

Loan Service Fee

Revenue BondsA loan service fee is not charged for rev-

enue bonds.

FDEP SRF LoanThe loan service fee is an origination fee

paid on FDEP SRF loans. For this loan, theloan service fee is 2 percent of the loan princi-pal amount, not including capitalized interest.Capitalized interest accrues on the fee at theinterest rate established in the final amend-ment, calculated based on timing and theamount of loan disbursements.

Debt Service Reserve

Revenue BondsPrior to the credit crisis in 2008, bond is-

suers often purchased insurance to improvethe credit rating of the bonds and obtain alower interest rate on them. However, the in-surance companies that provided this insur-ance no longer have the credit rating requiredto provide this. Now many loans require a debtservice reserve, typically equal to 10 percent ofthe borrowed amount or 100 percent or moreof the average annual debt service payment, as“insurance” for repayment. Although the debtservice reserve is not paid out, these funds arerestricted for the life of the debt. If the gov-ernmental entity does not have the necessarycash available to set aside in a debt service re-serve fund, this amount can be financed withthe principal loan amount.

In some cases, the bond contract allowsthe issuer to purchase a surety bond to guar-antee repayment of revenue bonds instead offunding a debt service reserve. The price of asurety bond typically ranges from 0.30 to 0.50percent of the loan principal amount.

FDEP LoanThe FDEP SRF loans do not require the

establishment and funding of a debt service re-serve or purchase of a surety bond.

Financial Advisor

Revenue BondsGovernmental entities often retain a fi-

nancial advisor to advise them regarding theissuance of debt. Financial advisors review alldocumentation from the underwriter, under-writer’s counsel, and bond counsel. They alsomanage the bond issuance process. Financialadvisors are typically paid a flat fee to assistwith the issuance of revenue bonds, whichcould be as high as $50,000 and up to$100,000.

FDEP LoanSupport services were provided to the

utility related to the FDEP SRF loan process,similar to those services that a financial advi-sor provides when issuing revenue bonds. Forthe FDEP SRF construction loan, complianceservices were provided during the construc-

Table 3. Summary Comparison of Revenue Bond and FDEP Loan Issuance Costs8



tion phase and project close-out. For the air-port WRF and associated service area projects,the ARCADIS fee is currently estimated at$725,000.00; this cost is shown in Tables 2 and3, and would be a one-time cost that covers theentire construction phase, even if the incurredFDEP loan debt/project cost exceeds $40 mil-lion.

Takedown

Revenue BondsThe takedown is the selling concession for

a bond paid to the underwriting syndicate, ex-pressed in dollars per thousand dollars ofbonds. The takedown is included in the is-suance costs for revenue bonds and is esti-mated to be $4.00 to $4.25 per $1,000 of bondsfor a 30-year term. If the term of the bonds isless than 30 years, the takedown may decrease.

FDEP LoanAny FDEP loans do not require take-

down.

Underwriter’s Counsel

Revenue BondsThe cost of the underwriter’s counsel is

part of the required issuance costs for revenue

bonds. The underwriter hires these municipalbond attorneys to review the bond resolution,official statements, and all documents relatedto the underwriting of the bonds.

FDEP LoanThis cost is not incurred for FDEP SRF

loans.

Bond Counsel

Revenue BondsThe bond counsel is an independent at-

torney who provides an objective legal opin-ion on the validity and tax exemption of therevenue bonds and the authorization of the is-suer to issue the revenue bonds. The cost ofbond counsel is included in the required is-suance costs for revenue bonds.

FDEP LoanThe Bond counsel is not necessary for

FDEP SRF loans.

Disclosure Counsel

Revenue BondsDisclosure counsel is retained by the gov-

ernmental entity issuing revenue bonds to ad-vise the issuer regarding disclosure obligations.

The disclosure counsel prepares the officialstatement and continuing disclosure agree-ment.

FDEP LoanDisclosure counsel is not required for

FDEP SRF loans.

Florida Attorney General ReviewLoan documents are required to be re-

viewed by the state attorney general to ensureconsistency with the state constitution. Thegovernmental entity typically pays a fee to theattorney general’s office for this review andlegal opinion. The cost of this review is in-curred for both FDEP SRF loans and revenuebonds.

Credit Ratings

Revenue BondsIn order to issue revenue bonds, it is nec-

essary to solicit credit ratings from at leastone of the three rating agencies (Moody’s,Fitch Ratings, or Standard & Poor’s). Ratingsdetermine the interest rate that an issuermust pay on its debt. Revenue bonds mayonly require one rating, but two ratings arepreferred. The fee to obtain a credit rating

Continued on page 10


ranges from 0.035 to 0.05 percent of the debtprincipal amount.

FDEP LoanFor Florida, the FDEP performs its own

financial review based on information pro-vided in the loan application and the auditedfinancial statements of the individual munic-ipalities. No official credit rating is requiredfrom any of the rating agencies.

Life Cycle Costs

In addition to the costs incurred when thedebt is issued, there are ongoing costs through-out the life of the debt. These costs are sum-marized here.

Interest or Financing Charges

Revenue BondsThe interest or financing rate is applied

to the unpaid principal of the debt and paid aspart of the semiannual debt payments. Issuersof revenue bonds typically pay the market in-terest rate, which is estimated to be in therange of 4.2 to 4.7 percent, for the purpose ofthis analysis.

It is also possible to issue revenue bondswith a variable interest rate, where the interestrate is set based on a market index or prede-termined formula and typically reset daily orweekly, although they are sometimes reset lessfrequently. This option greatly reduces the ini-tial interest rate, although there are risks as-sociated with variable rate bonds, such asinterest rate increases and “put” rights. A “put”right is the right of a bond buyer or investor torequire the bond issuer or its remarketingagent to repurchase the bond at its full face

value prior to the maturity date. These risksmake it difficult to budget annual expenses re-lated to variable rate revenue bonds. Cur-rently, the indices that are used to set variableinterest rates are very low, but many of themaverage 3 to 4 percent.

FDEP LoanThe FDEP SRF loans are made at a subsi-

dized or below-market interest rate. For cleanwater loans, the amount of the subsidy is basedon an “affordability index” that measures therelative wealth of the community, with a max-imum of 80 percent of the market interest rateassessed. The market interest rate is set quar-terly by FDEP based on the average of theThomson Publishing Corporation’s 20-BondGeneral Obligation Bond Index. Currently, theFDEP loan interest rate offered to the Countyfor the last installment of $10 million is 1.63percent, after a reduction for Davis-Baconwages. This would generate a blended interestrate of 1.92 percent (weighted average) for thetotal loan amount of $50 million since theoriginal and second installments were athigher interest rates.

Reporting and Compliance Costs

Revenue BondsRevenue bonds often carry ongoing re-

porting requirements; however, the informa-tion that must be reported is typically includedin general financial reports prepared by thegovernmental entity and does not requirepreparation of a separate report for the spe-cific bond issue.

FDEP LoanGovernmental entities also incur addi-

tional direct costs to manage and comply with

the FDEP SRF loan requirements. These activ-ities may include preparing disbursement re-quests and managing reporting andcompliance during construction. Post-con-struction activities may include Davis-Baconinterviews and spot checks, certification ofrevenues, loan debt service account balanceand required insurance, maintenance of ac-counting records, and management of annualaudits, as required.

Rate Covenant and Debt Service CoverageMany debt alternatives require the bor-

rower to certify that rates and charges for theirservices will be set at an amount sufficient toprovide revenue equal to, or in excess of, thesum of the annual operation and maintenance(O&M) expense and annual debt service pay-ment. The multiplier used to determine theamount of net revenue required is called thecoverage. Coverage of 1.25 requires net revenueto exceed the average annual or maximum an-nual debt service payment by at least 25 per-cent, where net revenue is the total revenue lessthe O&M expense and annual debt service pay-ments of all outstanding senior obligations.

Although the coverage amount is neverpaid out as an expense, the governmental en-tity’s revenue requirements must include cov-erage. As a result, issuing additional debt oftenrequires a revenue increase equal to at least theproposed additional debt service paymenttimes the required coverage. Table 3 includes acomparison of the revenue increase that eachdebt alternative would require.

Revenue BondsRevenue bonds often include a rate

covenant with a coverage requirement. Cover-age requirements are typically in the range of1.20 to 1.25 times the annual or maximum an-nual debt service payment; however, somecovenants require coverage as high as 1.50.

FDEP LoanThe FDEP rate coverage requirement is

1.15 times the sum of the semiannual loanpayments due in each fiscal year.

Comparison of Revenue Bondsand FDEP Loan

Table 4 provides a summary of the com-parison of the revenue bonds and the FDEPloan.

This comparison shows that at the cur-rent revenue bond best case, the savings usingthe FDEP SRF loan process would be$15,376,530, and at a worse-case bond rate, theFDEP loan process would save the County$19,055,915.


Table 4. Summary Comparison of Revenue Bonds and FDEP Loan



Equal Loan Term ComparisonThe debt term for the revenue bond fi-

nance option was listed as 30 years, as opposedto the FDEP SRF loan debt term of 20 years.The difference in payback periods is a reflec-tion of real-world conditions. More specifi-cally, it is not feasible to obtain a revenue bondwith a debt payback term of 20 years. Inabilityto obtain a 20-year bond was also confirmedby the County finance staff. However, even ifavailable, a best-case 20-year bond would stillbe approximately $5 million higher than acomparable (20-year) loan payback period.Tables 5a-c compare the two funding optionson equal loan terms.

This comparison shows that at the cur-rent revenue bond best-case scenario, the sav-ings using the FDEP SRF loan process wouldbe $33,287,368, and at a worse-case bond rate,the FDEP loan process would save County$35,365,312.

This comparison shows that at the cur-rent revenue bond best-case scenario, the sav-ings using the FDEP loan process would be$20,132,404, and at a worse-case bond rate, theFDEP SRF loan process would save the County$22,740,473.

This comparison shows that at the cur-rent revenue bond best-case scenario, the sav-ings using the FDEP SRF loan process wouldbe $9,825,419, and at a worse-case bond rate,the FDEP loan process would save the County$11,499,737.

Prepayment PenaltiesPrepayment penalties were also taken

under consideration.

Revenue BondsThe prepayment penalty that is some-

times contained within municipal bond in-dentures could come into play depending onthe bond agreement. However, it is generallythe municipality and the financing team thatestablishes the penalty clause to improve themarketability of the bonds. Therefore, if themunicipality plans to pay off the bonds early,then it would likely not have a penalty clauseincluded in the bond agreement.

FDEP LoanPrepayment penalties are not applicable

to FDEP loans.

Further Comparison of Interest RatesDuring a status meeting with County

staff, a question was asked as to what interestrate the revenue bond needed to be to matchthe savings presented with the FDEP SRF loan.The ARCADIS financial staff performed thecomparison assuming the best-case scenario

Table 5a. 40-Year Term: Summary Comparison of Revenue Bonds and FDEP SRF Loan

Table 5c. 20-Year Term: Summary Comparison of Revenue Bonds and FDEP Loan

Table 5b. 30-Year Term: Summary Comparison of Revenue Bonds and FDEP Loan



30-year bond versus 30-year SRF loan (for the$50 million loan proceeds), and concludedthat the revenue bond interest rate would needto be 2.45 percent or lower to bring its life cyclecost down to $72 million (the life cycle cost ofthe 30-year FDEP SRF loan). The comparisonwas performed for each loan term, where thebest case assumes the lower issuance costs andthe worst case assumes a higher issuance cost.It should be noted that if the comparison isperformed on the most likely situation of a 30-year bond versus a 20-year FDEP SRF loan, thebond interest rate would need to be 1.8 per-cent or lower to match the FDEP SRF life cyclecost.

Other Considerations

Additional Costs Covered in BondsTables 5-6 were updated to include the

FDEP SRF loan compliance costs into theoverall total loan amount. The question wasposed to the ARCADIS financial staff if thebond can also pay for the planning, design,and construction administration costs, or is itstrictly for construction related costs. The an-swer is that the all of these costs can be cov-ered in the bond proceeds. For this evaluation,the bond tables were not updated to roll thesecosts into the total bond amount.

Junior Debt Versus Senior DebtThe concept of junior debt versus senior

debt affecting credit ratings was consideredfor this evaluation. The ARCADIS financialexperts confirmed that FDEP SRF loans aretypically considered junior debt in relation torevenue bonds. Rating agencies look at a largenumber of factors in establishing a credit rat-ing, including the total indebtedness, debtservice coverage, cash positions, managementquality, median income of the community,and economic diversity of the region. Whilerating agencies may look slightly more favor-ably on a utility with less senior debt andmore junior debt, the impact on credit ratingmay be minimal because of the comprehen-siveness of the other factors that are evalu-ated.

References

1 From Table 2. For FDEP loan, only capital-ized interest and Loan Service Fee are as-sumed to be financed.

2 FDEP loan payments are semiannual3 Additional annual rate burden is the revenue

increase needed to support the debt issuance.This is the sum of the annual debt servicepayment and the annual rate coverage.

4 Source: http://news.morningstar.com5 “Arbitrage may occur when an issuer raises

money through the sale of a bond issue and

invests the proceeds in instruments with ayield above the bond issue’s cost-of-funds.”Source: http://nationalarbitrage.com

6 County, Florida, Water and Sewer RevenueBonds Series 2004 Official Statement, DatedFebruary 27, 2004 ($41,045,000).

7 County Florida, Clean Water State RevolvingFund Loan Agreement, Dated February 7,2012 ($10,377,000).

8 County Florida, Clean Water State Revolv-ing Fund Loan Agreement ($40 million).


10 FDEP loan payments are semiannual11 Additional annual rate burden is the rev-

enue increase needed to support the debt is-suance. This is the sum of the annual debtservice payment and the annual rate cover-age.


13 FDEP SRF loan payments are semiannual14 Additional annual rate burden is the rev-

enue increase needed to support the debt is-

suance. This is the sum of the annual debtservice payment and the annual rate cover-age.




18 Additional annual rate burden is the rev-enue increase needed to support the debt is-suance. This is the sum of the annual debtservice payment and the annual rate cover-age.



Jennifer Ivey and Lynn Spivey are princi-pal engineers and Sharon Simington is a seniorprogram administrator with ARCADIS U.S. Inc.in Tampa. ��

Table 7. Comparison of Revenue Bonds and FDEP Loan for Matching Life Cycle Cost


Last month marked the one-year an-niversary of the Boston Marathon bombing,an act of terror the country was not preparedfor that sadly took the lives of many and for-ever changed the lives of many more. As weventure into the future, incidents like this,while never completely preventable, remind usthat vigilance and preparedness should be akey focus for operation procedures dealingwith the public.

It was with forethought like this that JohnAshton, assistant manager of the MunicipalAuthority of Westmoreland County (MAWC),a regional water and wastewater provider thatcurrently serves more than 120,000 customersin a five-county area of Pennsylvania, ap-proached the need for security for their facili-ties. The solution was a technologicallyadvanced expandable system, capable of pro-viding security in remote areas where electri-cal power is not available yet, remainingefficient and comparable in price to typical se-curity systems. He found such a system in thesummer of 2010 with the CNIguard IntrusionDetection System (IDS). Unique to an IDS isits ability to detect incidents such as inten-tional contamination, vandalism, terroristthreat, and any other harmful act before theyoccur— not just alarm after it has happened.

The system detectors contain a number ofvibration sensors and are sealed to a water-re-sistant NEMA 6-rated enclosure. A harnessconnects to the detector and has a battery box,with a pair of magnetic limit switches to detectthe opening of the hatch. The battery has an 18-month life span and a battery-condition alarmwill sound when it needs to be replaced. Theharness also provides the connection to the an-tenna that communicates with another unitcalled the controller. Up to 254 detectors can bemanaged by a single controller, which typicallyoperates from mains derived of power.

What Is Being Protected

The IDS was installed In December 2010at the MAWC storage tank in McKeesport,Penn. A detector was installed covertly underthe access hatch on the top of a 1×106-galtank, and another under the hatch, providingaccess to the associated pump vault located

about 100 yards from the tank. A controller islocated inside the pump vault and it is con-nected to the water authority’s SCADA. Thecontroller can also send a GSM text messageto two phones or other devices. The controllercommunicates wirelessly with the two detec-tors using a 128bit-encrypted 915 MHz li-cense-free radio signal that is continuouslypolled so that if for some reason communica-tion is interrupted, an alarm is generated.

The tank is surrounded by a 6-ft highchain link fence, and the ladder leading to thetop of the tank is protected by a padlockedtrap door, but that is the extent of the securityat the site. The top of the tank is littered withstones and other debris that have been thrownthere. Controlling access to critical assets is akey element of the AWWA Standard for Secu-rity Practices for Operation and Management(ANSI/AWWA G430-09) and MAWC felt thatinstalling an IDS was an appropriate solutionfor this storage facility.

The system was developed at the requestof the United Kingdom (U.K.) security serv-ices in response to a vulnerability assessmentthat identified contamination of potable wateras a very high risk. The concern was if some-one breaches an access point such as a hatchor door, that person can easily introduce acontaminant that could disrupt supply orharm customers. The industry wanted a cost-effective wireless system that could distinguishbetween a real attack and a normal environ-mental condition like rain or hail. It was alsocritical for the IDS to operate with minimalhuman intervention or decision making. Be-cause the response to an alarm could be fromthe operator or police, the goal was to be asclose to zero false alarms as possible.

In response, CNIguard developed itsproduct using commercial, off-the-shelf sen-sors, coupled with patented software that au-tomatically determines an alarm condition.The U.K. government test installations werechallenged with a wide variety of environ-mental conditions, temperatures, and humid-ity. The installations were also attacked usingvarious cutting, grinding, and thermal tools toensure the system would respond with analarm when appropriate. After several years ofdesign and testing, the system was approvedby the U.K . As a result, CNIguard installed a

base of several thousand units. The system isalso approved by the US Department ofHomeland Security SAFETY Act as a qualifiedanti-terrorism technology. For this reason, theMAWC decided to add this type of protectionto its alpine storage tank high on a hill in a res-idential section of McKeesport.

Results of System Installation

Since the system’s installation, tempera-tures have ranged from 10ºF to 90ºF and it hasexperienced conditions ranging from snowand ice to blazing sunshine. Through all ofthis, the system has operated flawlessly.

About a week after the installation, thetank hatch was inspected and the detector wasfound to be completely covered by frost, butworking perfectly. The system has also re-sponded correctly during routine maintenancechecks when the hatch has been opened.

A few weeks after the installation, wiringfrom the detector at the tank hatch was beingsecured to the antenna by installing some cableclamps. This operation required drilling holesin the railing of the tank. When the drillstarted, the system alarmed as it should be-cause it sensed the vibrations of the tool.

In addition, tests were conducted duringwhich the hatches were purposely attackedusing sacrificial metal sheets to absorb the de-structive attacks. A ¾-in. drill and an anglegrinder were applied to the sheets. In eachcase, the attack was detected within 30 secondsand before the tool penetrated the metal. Sim-ilarly, nuisance attacks using a paintball gun,stones dropped onto the hatch individuallyand in a bunch, and simply walking around onthe hatch did not cause an alarm.

The System Proves Itself Effective

The MAWC has been satisfied with the per-formance of the IDS and is considering rollingthe system out across all of its facilities. Asidefrom the security function, the utility has foundit useful as a management tool to report on-siteoperations. The authority is also exploring theexpanded use of the product as a remote-mon-itoring system to detect flooding, temperature,and pressure levels as sensors of various typescan be added to the CNIguard platform.

Security and Preparedness: Intrusion Detection System for Water Storage Facilities

T E C H N O L O G Y S P O T L I G H T

Technology Spotlight is a paid feature sponsored by the advertisement on the facing page. The Journal and its publisher do not endorse any product that appears in this column. If you would like to have your technology featured, contact Mike Delaney at 352-241-6006 or at [email protected].


In this, my last FWEA Focus column asFWEA president, I would like to focus onthe topic of leadership. First I will describe

how FWEA trains and develops leaders, andthen I will give my own perceptions of what ittakes to be an effective FWEA leader.

Leadership Development Workshop

The FWEA has been doing leadership de-velopment for 15 years now. Our program isbuilt around our annual Leadership Develop-ment Workshop (LDW). This year, our work-shop was held on February 6-7 at The ShoresResort & Spa in Daytona Beach Shores. Thepurpose of the LDW is to educate and trainnew FWEA leaders in a relaxed setting that of-fers our volunteer leaders an opportunity tonetwork and build better personal relation-ships with each other as they learn. It is alsomeant to be a reward for the many hours ofservice that our leaders donate to FWEA insupport of our vision and mission. Severalphotos from this year’s workshop are shownhere.

The workshop is funded by FWEA and bycorporate sponsors; this year, our sponsorswere AECOM, AMEC, Heyward Incorporated,and Jones Edmunds. On behalf of FWEA Iwould like to thank these companies and oth-ers like them that we depend on for support.The LDW is planned by the organization’spresident-elect, with support from the Strate-gic Planning Committee (SPC). I planned thefirst workshop 15 years ago and have attendedseveral of them since then; I must say that this

workshop ranks among the best. Much creditis due to Brian Houston of Leidos and AlexTerrel of AECOM, chair of the SPC. They putmany hours into the planning and implemen-tation of this year’s workshop. Thank youBrian and Alex!

The presentations given by our FWEAleaders this year were exceptional. A few of thehighlights included an informative presenta-tion by FWEA Utility Council President DavidRichardson with GRU, whose 41 utilitiesmembers provide service to 8 million Floridi-ans. He reviewed the current issues that ourcouncil is working on, including numeric nu-trient criteria, reclaimed water supplementa-tion, water conservation incentivization, andsprings legislation.

Brian reports that our industry’s rela-tionship with the Florida Department of En-vironmental Protection (FDEP) has neverbeen better! Suzanne Mechler of CDM Smithand chair of our newly renamed Member Re-lations Committee (formerly Public Relationsand Communications Committee) followedwith a presentation that explained how hercommittee assists other FWEA committeesand chapters get the word out to you, ourmembers, about their events, activities, and ac-complishments. Greg Kolb of CH2M HILL,our Florida Water Festival coordinator, pre-sented tips and lessons learned when organiz-ing a successful festival.

Other presenters were Juan Oquendo ofGresham Smith and Partners and vice chair ofthe West Coast Chapter, who spoke on thecharacteristics of a successful chapter, andMark Burgess of REISS Engineering, chair of

the Biosolids Committee, presented on the at-tributes of an effective technical committee.There were also presentations on leadershipdevelopment and communication tools of-fered by WEF, FWEA finances, membershipdevelopment, and effective communicationflow within FWEA.

Our keynote speaker this year was JimEmerick of Academy Leadership. Jim is a fa-cilitator for this group and a graduate of theUnited States Air Force Academy. He spoke on“Leading Cultural Change with a PersonalLeadership Philosophy.” Jim stressed that inorder to be an effective leader you need toknow yourself and know those you are lead-ing. More specifically, leaders not only need toknow what they like and need, but just as im-portantly, what others like and need. Weshould let those we lead know what we desireand expect from them, and what they can ex-pect from us.

Jim offered a nugget of wisdom that canbe summed up in the Platinum Rule: Do untoothers as they would like to have you do untothem. I think everyone was impressed by Jim’smessage and took back some wisdom that theycan use in both their professional and volun-teer careers. Knowing that we are a volunteerassociation on a budget, Jim offered us thebenefit of his skills at his cost, so I have no hes-itation encouraging anyone who is reading thiscolumn and looking for leadership develop-ment consulting services to visit the AcademyLeadership website at www.academyleader-ship.com.

Key Attributes of a Volunteer Leader

I have spent a lot of time over the pastyear thinking of ways to improve FWEA andour leaders. I have also observed people andnoted what appeared to me to be effectiveleadership qualities. I think that Jim Emrick’spresentation helped crystallize and confirmsome of my ideas and observations, which Iwould like to share with you.

It seems to me that one of the most im-portant attributes of an effective volunteerleader is personal humility. Like it or not, avolunteer leader is a servant, not a boss. A vol-unteer leader has to be willing to give all thecredit to others when things go well, be will-

On Leadership

FWEA FOCUS

Greg ChomicPresident, FWEA

ing to accept feedback, and give praise liber-ally. It is also very important that a volunteerleader is committed to the vision and missionof the association, to the success of fellow lead-ers, and to the successful fulfillment of thegoals that have been set for a committee, groupof committees, or the association.

A major aspect of commitment by a vol-unteer leader is the willingness to committime. An effective volunteer leader gets the jobdone, even if it means working late or on theweekends, which is often necessary. A volun-teer leader has to understand the roles and re-sponsibilities of the position and becommitted to fulfill them. A volunteer leaderhas to set clear goals for the team, and be will-ing to ask others for help to achieve thosegoals. Having the courage to call fellow FWEAmembers to ask or invite them to join a com-mittee, and inviting non-members to joinFWEA is critical to the health and success ofour association. I am sure that there are otherqualities of a successful and effective volunteerleader that I am omitting, but these are themost important attributes that come to mymind as I pen these words.

Outstanding FWEA Leaders

I would like to thank those FWEA lead-ers that I have observed espousing the quali-ties of effective leadership that have helpedmove FWEA ahead over the past year: � David Richardson for leading the FWEA

Utility Council so effectively. Under David’sleadership FWEA has become a real playerin the formulation of environmental policyin Florida. My wish is for FWEA to some-day become of greater service to the coun-cil. Perhaps that will be a goal for a futureFWEA president.

� Alex Terral. Her commitment to FWEA andto the achievement of FWEA’s strategicgoals is unmatched within the association.

� Juan Oquendo for stepping up when some-one had to lead the planning committee forthe West Coast Water Festival. Juan leadswith the humility and enthusiasm that is amodel for the rest of us.

� Greg Kolb, whose has unmatched commit-ment to the success of the FWEA FloridaWater Festivals. Greg is one of nicest guys Iknow and is the kind of person that is al-ways willing to step up and help.

� Tim Harley for being willing to think out-side the box and to challenge the FWEAleadership when something didn’t makesense to him. I would also like to thank Timfor his willingness to step up and find solu-tions.

� Kristiana Dragash, the winner of the 2014

FWEA Young Professional of the YearAward. Her enthusiasm and grace is a bless-ing to the engineering profession and ourassociation.

And finally, I would like to thank JoeCheatham who has regretfully felt compelledto step down from the FWEA board of direc-tors after many years of service in order to at-tend to some personal health issues. Joe isamong the finest gentlemen in the water qual-ity industry, not only in Florida, but I wouldsay the nation. Joe’s service to our associationhas been a blessing to the Florida water qual-ity industry and to each and every one of uswho has had the pleasure to serve alongsidehim. Joe, we will miss your steady, reliablehand and the dignity that your presence lentto our association.

CDM Smith: Outstanding Corporate Leader

In closing I would like to thank all of thecompanies, municipal utilities, universities,and local and state environmental agencies

that support the FWEA vision of a clean waterenvironment for Florida’s future generations.The entire association is especially grateful toCDM Smith, the winner of the 2014 FWEAPresident’s Award, which recognizes outstand-ing support for FWEA by a corporation, util-ity, university, or environmental agency. Thiscompany has a sustained exemplary record ofsupport for FWEA with four employees hav-ing served as FWEA president. Last fiscal year,CDM Smith had two employees that served onthe FWEA board of directors, 12 employeesserving as committee or chapter officers, andthree employees serving as committee mem-bers. Also, CDM Smith regularly provides fi-nancial support through sponsorships ofnumerous FWEA events throughout the year.The FWEA could not accomplish all that wedo without the support of corporations likeCDM Smith. Thank you.

To everyone who serves FWEA as a leaderor as an involved member: thank you for yourfriendship, your encouragement, and yoursupport during my term as president. You havemade the burden of this job easier to bear andenriched my career. ��



1. Given the following data, what is the costof polymer used, in dollars per dry tonprocessed, in this gravity belt thickener(GBT)?· Total sludge feed to the GBT is 375

gpm for 24 hrs per day· Feed sludge concentration is 0.65

percent· Total neat polymer used is 21 gpd· Polymer specific gravity (S.G.) is 1.02· Polymer cost is $1.18 per lb A. $25.24 per dry tonB. $11.26 per dry ton C. $21.72 per dry ton D. $14.39 per dry ton

2. Given the data and correct answer fromquestion No.1, is this an acceptable costof polymer usage for a GBT?A. Yes, it is acceptable.B. No, it is way too high.C. There is not enough data to calculate

this parameter.3. Given the following data, what is the

annual budget for lime in this plant?· Lime dose rate is 9.5 percent of the

sludge wet weight processed· Sludge volume is 16.5 dry tons per day· Sludge cake concentration (before

lime addition) is 18.5 percent totalsolids

· Lime cost is $175.00 per ton delivered· Sludge is processed 7 days per week,

24 hours per dayA. $355,998 B. $541,021C. $148,594 D. $581,060

4. Given the data, correct calculations, andanswer from question 3, what is the limedosage based on the dry weight of thesludge processed?

A. 30.5 percentB. 9.5 percentC. 51.33 percentD. 112.25 percent

5. What is the specific oxygen utilizationrate (SOUR) in an aerobic digester, given thefollowing data?

· OUR test starting dissolved oxygen(DO) is 7.2 mg/l

· OUR test ending DO is 4.0 mg/l· OUR test time is 10 min· Digested sludge total solids

concentration is 1.75 percentA. 2.1 mg/hr/gm TSB. 1.1 mg/hr/gm TSC. 1.6 mg/hr/gm TSD. 0.1 mg/hr/gm TS

6. Given the data and correct answer fromquestion 5, does this aerobically digestedsludge meet the 62-640 vector attractionreduction (VAR) requirements for ClassB residuals?A. Yes, it is acceptable.B. No, it is too high.

7. What is the main purpose of greasing ananti-friction bearing?A. To stabilize friction.B. To comply with the warranty.C. To increase operating temperature.D. To protect steel from corrosion.

8. Given the following data, what is thetotal revenue collected annually fromthe industrial contributors?· Total plant flow is 2.55 mgd· Residential connections = 82 percent

of the total flow· Industrial sewer charge is $3.50 per

1,000 galA. $1,606 per yearB. $586,372 per yearC. $293,186 per yearD. $2,671,252 per year

9. Why are flow measurements important intreatment plants?

A. They help to determine DO.B. They help to determine loading rates.C. They help to determine nitrate levels.D. They help to determine suspended

solids removal.

10. What procedure should never beperformed while entering a manhole thathas been classified as a permit-requiredconfined space?A. Wear a body harness.B. Test the air with a gas detector.C. Complete a confined space entry

permit.D. Enter without an attendant.

Answers on page 48

Readers are welcome to submitquestions or exercises on water or wastewater treatment plantoperations for publication inCertification Boulevard. Send your question (with the answer) or your exercise (with the solution) by email [email protected], or by mail to:

Roy PelletierWastewater Project Consultant

City of Orlando Public Works DepartmentEnvironmental Services

Wastewater Division5100 L.B. McLeod Road

Orlando, FL 32811407-716-2971

Certification Boulevard

Roy Pelletier

SEND US YOURQUEST IONS

Test Your Knowledge of Operations and Utilities Management Topics

LOOKING FOR ANSWERS? Check the Archives

Are you new to the water and wastewater field? Want to boost your knowl-edge about topics youʼll face each day as a water/waste-water professional?

All past editions of Certification Boulevard through the year 2000 are availableon the Florida Water Environment Associationʼs website at www.fwea.org. Clickthe “Site Map” button on the home page, then scroll down to the Certification Boule-vard Archives, located below the Operations Research Committee.


Pasco County operates water, wastewater,and water reuse utilities. The County’sservice area of approximately 352 sq mi

includes the unincorporated area of theCounty, as well as some city areas. To operatethese utilities, the County historically hasmaintained numerous permits with the South-west Florida Water Management District(SWFWMD) and the Florida Department ofEnvironmental Protection (FDEP). These per-mits required renewals, as well as compliancemonitoring, sampling, and reporting. TheCounty has implemented a strategy to reducethe costs associated with these permits in itsutility systems. Significant savings have beenrealized through permit consolidations, reduc-tions in monitoring, and extension of permitterms to maintain compliance, which lessen theoverall cost of regulatory requirements.

Similarly, with construction projects, theCounty is mindful of regulatory costs when ap-proaching permitting and compliance issues, asthey are aware of how a restrictive or difficultpermit for the contractor will ultimately result incosts to the County. For the new Boyette Reser-voir, the County proactively worked with FDEPin the issuance of the environmental resource

permit (ERP) to ensure water quality that wassufficient for offsite dewatering, which was in-corporated into the permit issued October 2012.

This innovative value-engineering reviewof the County’s regulatory obligations has re-sulted in a successful reduction of work andfees associated with maintaining the requiredpermits for the County’s utility systems. Ten-year savings (in 2011 dollars) through this ap-proach are estimated to be $5.3 million.Savings are identified as follows: � $225,000 in permit renewal and associated

engineering costs, not including a possibleadditional $50,000 for extending the permittime of Wesley Center and Southeast PascoWastewater Treatment Facilities (WWTF).

� $300,920 in analytical costs.� 24,000 man-hours, for labor savings of ap-

proximately $672,000, assuming $28/hrfully burdened labor.

� $4.1 million in estimated construction costsfor the Boyette Road Reservoir.

This article explores the techniques andexisting rules that allowed the County to rec-ognize these savings, without decreasing envi-ronmental protection and maintaining fullcompliance.

Water Use Permitting

The County’s first cost savings beganwhen the County renewed a water use permit(WUP) that had exceeded its per-capita re-quirements. The consolidation of severalwater use permits allowed the calculated per-capita water use to decrease. Additionally, theconsolidation of 11 different WUPs into onepermit now allows pumping to be distributedamong more wells and eliminated the renewalcosts for 10 of the 11 permits. The estimatedsavings is about $150,000 (in 2011 dollars)every 10 years. In addition, administrativecosts to the County have been decreased, asthere is only one permit to track and maintain,as compared to 11.

At the same time during this permit re-newal and consolidation, the County re-quested reduced monitoring at its 13 publicsupply wells (see figure 1). The previous per-mit required that each well be sampled quar-terly for chloride, sulfate, and total dissolvedsolids. Eight of the 13 public supply wells nowonly have to perform this work annually. Mon-itoring has been reduced by 75 percent, result-ing in a savings of $672 and 24 man-hours perquarter, or $2688 and 96 man-hours per yearfor the duration of the permit.

Public Water System Consolidation

Continuing with this theme, the Countydecided to consolidate the public drinkingwater systems (PWSs) in anticipation of theStage 2 Disinfection Byproduct Rule (DBPR).The County originally operated a total of 14PWSs to supply drinking water to more than100,000 customers; eleven of these 14 systems

Money From Nothing: Value-Engineering Utility Regulatory Burden to Substantially Lower CostsKerstin L. Kenty, Atef Hanna, Glenn A. Greer, and Rafael Vazquez-Burney

Kerstin L. Kenty and Rafael Vázquez-Burney are with CH2M HILL in Tampa, andAtef Hanna and Glenn A. Greer are withPasco County Utilities Services Branch inNew Port Richey.

F W R J

FIGURE 1. Pasco County RegionalPublic Water System


are small and isolated. However, the three re-mainder large systems (West, South Central,and Southeast #1) are interconnected andprovide service to 97 percent of the popula-tion. Because these three systems were con-structed and permitted separately withunique PWS identifications, compliancemonitoring was required independently foreach area.

The Pasco County Regional PWS andthe points of entry of each system are pre-sented in Figure 1. Water sources for theWest, South Central, and Southeast #1, are ablend of groundwater owned and operatedby the County and interconnections toTampa Bay Water, which provides waterfrom regional well fields, treated surfacewater, and desalinated seawater. Because thesupply sources utilized in these three PascoCounty PWSs include treated surface water,they are a Subpart H system. As these threesystems are interconnected, and receivewater from the same sources, FDEP deter-mined that they were eligible for consolida-tion. The consolidation of the West PWS, theSouth Central PWS, and the Southeast #1PWS, resulted in a single Pasco County Re-gional PWS.

A number of monitoring reductions were

achieved through the consolidation. Thelargest reduction was in the number of bacte-riological samples required for distributionsystem monitoring. Prior to consolidation, theCounty had been taking 278 monthly samplesin the three distribution systems. Bacteriolog-ical sample numbers are determined by popu-lation served and the proportional number of

samples required decreases with increasingpopulation. The final number of samples re-quired by the consolidated Pasco County Re-gional PWS is only 120 per month. This is adecrease of approximately 1,900 samples peryear. Savings related to bacteriological sam-pling reduction include approximately 1,500

FIGURE 2. Pasco County WastewaterTreatment Facilities


man-hours and $13,300 in analytical costs peryear.

During this consolidation, the transitionfrom Stage 1 to Stage 2 of the DBPR was made.For the three PWSs to comply separately, eightsamples for each system would have been re-quired quarterly (96 samples annually).Presently, the consolidated Pasco County Re-gional PWS is required to submit eight sam-ples quarterly. This is a reduction of 64samples per year, which saves the County ap-proximately $4,200 in analytical costs and ap-proximately 64 man-hours annually.

Lead and copper monitoring require-ments were also reduced. Like bacteriologicalsampling, lead and copper monitoring is basedon population served and the number of sam-ples required is proportionally reduced withincreasing population. For the independentPWS to comply separately, a total of 110 leadand copper samples were required every sixmonths. The Pasco County Regional PWScompliance is now 50 samples twice per year.This represents a reduction of 120 samples peryear, which results in savings of approximately$2,500 in analytical costs and approximately100 man-hours.

The consolidation of the three PWSs intothe Pasco County Regional PWS is projectedto save approximately $20,000 per year in an-alytical costs, and up to 1,664 man-hours peryear.

Wastewater Treatment Plant Permit Extension

The County also maintains permits forseven wastewater treatment facilities (WWTF)under F.A.C. 62-600. While a National Pollu-tant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)permit typically is renewed every five years,permitted under Florida Statutes (FS)403.00885, there is some flexibility allowedunder F.A.C. 62-610. The requirements arelaid out in 403.087, F.S., and include:� The facility is not regulated under the NPDES

program under Section 403.00885, F.S.� The permittee requests that a permit for a

term exceeding five years be issued.� The permit application is for permit re-

newal.� The waters from the treatment facility are

not discharged to an injection well, whichis required to comply with federal standardsunder the Underground Injection ControlProgram under Chapter 62-528 of theFlorida Administrative Code (F.A.C.)

� The treatment facility is not operatingunder a temporary permit or a permit withan accompanying administrative order.

� The treatment facility does not have any en-forcement actions pending against it by theU.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),the department, or a delegated local programapproved under Section 403.182, F.S.

� The treatment facility has operated under

an operation permit for five years and, forat least the preceding two years, has “gener-ally operated in conformance with the lim-its of permitted flows and other conditionsspecified in the permit.”

� The department has reviewed the self-mon-itoring reports required under departmentrule and is satisfied that the reports are ac-curate.

� The treatment facility has “generally met allwater quality standards in the precedingtwo years, except for violations attributableto events beyond the control of the treat-ment plant or its operator, such as destruc-tion of equipment by fire, wind, or otherabnormal events that could not reasonablybe expected to occur.”

� The department, or a local program ap-proved under Section 403.182, F.S., has con-ducted, in the preceding 12 months, aninspection of the facility and has verified inwriting to the operator (permittee) of thefacility that it is not exceeding the permittedcapacity and is in substantial compliance.

Six of the County’s facilities discharge intothe Pasco County Master Reuse System(PCMRS), so they do not have NPDES permitsfor surface water discharges, and they also meetthe remaining conditions, making them eligi-ble for a permit term of up to 10 years. TheCounty’s seven WWTF are shown in figure 2;Cypress Manor was not eligible for a 10-yearpermit at the time of consolidation due to pre-vious operational issues. Four of the County‘sfacilities (Embassy Hills, Shady Hills, Deer Park,and Land O’ Lakes WWTF) requested 10-yearpermits at renewal, and the FDEP granted therequest. This cuts permitting fees in half overthe next 10 years, saving not only the $5,000 re-newal fee, but engineering costs associated withthe renewals. Total estimated savings is about$100,000 every five years (in 2011 dollars). Inaddition, the County has two additional plantsthat are eligible for 10-year permits, WesleyCenter and Southeast Pasco WWTF, which willbe requested at their renewal time.

Reduced Monitoring in the PascoCounty Master Reuse System

In 2012, the County renewed the permitfor the PCMRS, which reuses about 20 mil gala day (mgd) of water throughout PascoCounty through Part III irrigation and Part IVrapid-rate infiltration basins (RRIB). TheRRIBs are located in four areas of the County,with the majority of the basins located in thenorthwest corner of the County.

It was proposed by CH2M HILL, on be-half of the County, to reduce monitoring wellsFIGURE 3. Hudson, Northwest, and Embassy Hills RRIB Systems




for existing RRIB systems and golf courseponds within the PCMRS. For the RRIBs, theCounty had three adjacent systems that aretreated as independent RRIBs (Hudson, Em-bassy Hills, and Northwest), as shown in fig-ure 3. In the renewal, the Embassy Hills andNorthwest RRIBs were combined into a singlesystem with reduced monitoring wells; in ad-dition, reduced monitoring for the system asa whole was requested. The original permit re-quired monitoring for every golf course pond,instead of requiring representative groundwa-ter monitoring. The final permit requiredmonitoring at 25 fewer locations than the pre-vious permit, eliminating monitoring at fourgolf courses and reduced monitoring at thecombined Embassy Hills RRIB system. Sam-pling for these wells is now quarterly. Totalsavings is estimated to be $8,600 in analyticalcosts and 120 man-hours annually.

Boyette Reservoir Environmental Resource

Permit Dewatering Conditions

Reducing monitoring requirements ordeferring permit renewals through longer per-mit issuance times are not the only ways tovalue-engineer a regulatory obligation. Oneoften overlooked area is working to reduce oreliminate project permitting conditions thatadversely affect construction prices.

An example of this is the Boyette Reser-voir Environmental Resource Permit (ERP).The Boyette Reservoir is an 82-acre, 500 milgal (MG) earthen embankment reclaimedwater reservoir being constructed on the siteof a former borrow pit. It is estimated that theon-site excavated areas hold about 100 MG ofwater; this is in addition to any stormwaterthat may be collected in the reservoir footprintduring the 18-month construction period. Allof the material for the earthen embankment isto come from the site.

When originally issued, the constructionpermit required that water in the on-siteponds and any stormwater collected had to bemanaged on-site or diverted to the PascoCounty Wastewater Collection System. How-ever, the additional water from these pondsand storms could not be handled by their ef-fluent disposal system, which left the only vi-able option as on-site management. This isdifficult for a contractor in any situation;however, as the on-site soils are the embank-ment construction materials, this requirementwould dramatically increase constructioncosts. Dry soil is easier and less expensive towork with than wet soil; staging the soil to de-water it before use is double handling. Otheroptions, including the construction of tempo-

rary coffer dams and on-sitepumping, would add to the cost.

Pasco County asked FDEPto revisit this permit condition.During the initial permit is-suance, FDEP included this con-dition because it was assumedthat the water captured withinthe borrow pits was contami-nated with copper from legacyorange groves, based upon a sin-gle sampling event done six yearsearlier. During the modificationprocess, an opportunity to pres-ent a comprehensive clean-met-als sampling plan was proposedso that the County could gatherdata to more accurately deter-mine the level of contaminationin the ponds. The FDEP agreedto consider a comprehensivesampling plan that includedsampling various locations acrossthe footprint of the borrow pits,and subsequently approved thesubmitted plan. Samples weretaken and the analysis showedthat copper was found to be non-detectable across the footprint ofthe borrow pit. Subsequent tothis, FDEP agreed to modify the permit con-dition to allow for off-site dewatering. Whilethe on-site ponds were limited in that theycould not be drained completely due to sedi-ment and turbidity concerns, they were able tobe drained below the reservoir’s designed bot-tom elevation of 114-ft National Geodetic Ver-tical Datum (NGVD), which will allow for themajority of soils onsite to be dewatered. Thedewatering pathway is shown in Figure 4.

In-house estimating showed that whenoff-site dewatering was allowed, the soil han-dling costs came down about 30 percent, or$4.1 million. This is a significant cost savings,which was realized for the cost of a few meet-ings with the FDEP and some on-site sampling.

This shows the value of performing aconstructability review by a team familiar withbuilding the type of construction present on aproject.

During construction, the contractor tookadvantage of the dewatering flexibility and wasable to dewater the site to a greater degree thananticipated. This eliminated much of the an-ticipated “wet construction” of the embank-ment within areas that were unable to bedried. Because of the contractor’s innovativemethods in this area, the County’s cost waslowered even more by minimizing the amountof subgrade soils that would have to be re-moved and either dried and replaced, or re-

placed with new material. The additional timeand efforts required to prepare the wet sub-grade to specified requirements are not neces-sary, streamlining the reservoir construction.

Conclusion

Taking an innovative approach to valueengineering, Pasco County comprehensivelyreviewed its regulatory requirements to deter-mine what activities could be decreased oreliminated to provide ongoing savings to theutility. As a result, the County has successfullyreduced the workload and fees associated withmaintaining the required permits for all threesystems. To realize these savings, PascoCounty has reviewed its permits, sampling re-quirements and proposed consolidations, re-ductions in monitoring, extension of permitterms, and permit modifications to maintaincompliance and lessen the overall cost of theregulatory requirements.

In addition, the County recognized thatpermit conditions can limit contractor meansand methods, thereby driving up bid prices forcapital infrastructure projects. In the exampleof the Boyette Reservoir, one construction per-mit condition had the potential to affect bidprices. The County worked with FDEP to ne-gotiate a more favorable permit condition toultimately result in lower bid prices and easierconstruction overall. ��

FIGURE 4. Boyette Dewatering Flow Path


It’s time for our fowlfriends to fly back to theGreat White North.

Utility staff will be taking systems offline as theseasonal flows diminish. This downtime allowsus the opportunity to work on these systemsto get them ready for when the flocks return.At the same time, we need to prepare our fa-cilities for another time of year—hurricaneseason! Hopefully, we will not be hit by amajor storm; however, we must be ready andprepared for the worst.

This is the time to plan in an effort toprotect the communities that we serve. Waterand sewer professionals are considered “essen-tial personnel” in times of emergency. Many ofus are required to work prior to, during, andafter storm events. Therefore, it is importantthat all employees have personal training intheir company’s hurricane emergency plan.This plan will help each family in your com-munity be prepared in the event it is hit thishurricane season. The plan will also give thoseessential employees some relief of the worriesfor their family members’ safety during theseemergency situations. And don’t forget aboutyour pets—a common element that seems toget neglected from many plans.

For ideas and help setting up (or updat-ing) your hurricane plan there is an abun-dance of information that can be accessed onthe web; a simple browser search will deliver awealth of information on the subject.

Leader and Award Recognition

Over the next six months FWPCOA willbe recognizing some of our leaders who havehelped enhance the association and the indus-try as a whole. This magazine will publish anarticle about those people chosen. If you knowsomeone worthy of this recognition pleasesend me their name and a brief descriptionabout why you feel they are deserving of thisacknowledgement at [email protected].

Our Awards Committee chair ReneeMoticker reported that nominations for thisyear’s Florida Water Resources Conference

awards program did not have as many nomi-nations as she would have liked. Please startthinking about nominees for the awards to bepresented at the August 2014 short school andnext year’s conference. All award nominationsshould be sent to Renee as soon as possible.There are a lot of well deserving individuals(and organizations) in all 13 of our regionswho deserve to be recognized for the thingsthat they do.

Short School Success

The March board of directors meetingwas held at the Indian River State College lo-cated in Ft. Pierce, which was the same loca-tion as our annual Spring State Short School.The short school had the largest attendance wehave seen in several years. A huge thank yougoes out to Shirley Reaves, Jim Smith, and theentire education team that helped the event tobe the success that it was.

Whenever you have a large event like oneof our schools, there is always some type ofdrama that happens; this short school was nodifferent in that aspect. Due to a family emer-gency one of our instructors could not makethe school and we had to find a replacementinstructor on short notice. Renee Motickerstepped up to the plate and filled in. It’s mem-bers like Renee who make our association theoutstanding organization that it is. Thank youRenee for your efforts and continued support!

Examination Notification

On March 14 the Operator CertificationProgram (OCP) of the Florida Department ofEnvironmental Protection (FDEP) sent out anemail to currently licensed water distributionsystem operators requesting help with validat-ing questions for the state’s water distributionsystem operator examinations. A copy of thenotification email can be found at www.fwp-coa.org.

The main objective of this project is tohave licensed operators take a pilot distribu-tion system operator exam composed of newlydeveloped examination questions. Followingthe completion of each examination, all an-swer sheets will be scored and the data will beused to validate each question. Ultimately, adecision will be made whether to keep, revise,

or delete each particular “trial” question.Please note:

If you participate in taking one of the pilotexaminations be aware that, by taking the exam,you will not receive a grade notice, nor will theexamination be used for the purpose of obtain-ing a license.

The OCP has updated the formulas/con-version factor formula sheets that are providedwhenever an exam is taken. The formulas arearranged by category, making it much easier inselecting the correct formulas to perform a cal-culation. Math formula “pie wheels” have beenadded for ease of formula calculating. The newsheets are available on the OCP web link.

The Association of Boards of Certifica-tion (ABC) has also updated its formula/con-version factor sheets. Their new formula sheetscan be found at www.abc.org.

To show its appreciation for your timeand assistance, the OCP will be awarding 0.5continuing education units (CEUs) to thosewho participate in this project. These pilotpaper-and-pencil examinations will only beadministered in the FDEP office in Tallahasseeon May 7 and 8, with both a morning and af-ternoon session each day. Session times will befrom 8:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.-4:30p.m., EDT, on both days.

A form was provided with the email noticeto be completed by those interested in partici-pating in this project. The form is also on ourFWPCOA website, and the completed formshould be faxed to the OCP office at 850-245-8410. For additional information regarding thisproject, please contact Dana or Marie at 850-245-7500. The OCP notified approximately 2,000 li-censed distribution system operators in the hopethat at least 200 operators would participate.

It is our association’s request that if youare a license water distribution system opera-tor and received this request from FDEP thatyou assist in the validation process. The Dis-tribution Systems Exam Review Committeewill convene in Tallahassee on May 20 to re-view the pilot exam results.

In closing, I would like to recognize RayBordner for his contributions to this column.Ray provided the OCP information and it isvery much appreciated!

Our next board meeting will be in the Re-gion IV area in St. Petersburg on June 7. Ihope to see you there! ��

Jeff PoteetPresident, FWPCOA

It’s That Time of Year—Is Your Hurricane Emergency Plan Ready?

C FACTOR


By Larry Hickey

The FWEA Air Quality Committee tra-ditionally holds an annual Odor Con-trol Workshop during the first part of

the year. In 2014, the committee has an op-portunity to set aside its usual plans andsupport the efforts of the Water Environ-ment Federation (WEF) Air Quality andOdor Control Committee and its biennialOdors and Air Pollutants Specialty Confer-ence being held May 31-June 3 in Miami.

The conference will offer technical ses-sions encompassing all aspects of odor is-

sues including initial assessment, analysisand testing, design considerations, treat-ment options, capital cost comparisons, op-eration and maintenance comparisons,performance testing, and ownership consid-eration.

This event educates practitioners, facil-ity owners and operators, researchers, andpublic administrators about current odor is-sues, regulatory requirements, and methodsfor analyzing problems and finding solu-tions.

The conference, which will include ex-hibits, will be held at the Hyatt Regency

Miami. For further information and to reg-ister, go to the WEF website at www.wef.org.

The committee encourages Florida’sprofessional engineering community, lead-ers from local municipalities, and other in-terested water and wastewater personnel tosupport and attend this exciting conference.

Larry Hickey is president of EquipmentPlus Solutions Inc. in Ocala. ��

FWEA COMMITTEE CORNER

Air Quality Committee SupportsBiennial WEF Specialty Conference

Welcome to the FWEA Committee Corner! The Member Relations Committee of the Florida WaterEnvironment Association hosts this article to celebrate the success of recent association committee

activities and inform members of upcoming events. To have information included for yourcommittee, send details to Suzanne Melcher at [email protected].

SuzanneMechler

I’m starting out this month with a ques-tion; actually, a set of questions. Makesure you’re well rested, well hydrated, and

have a good blood sugar level before youstart. If this is just a little too heavy for you,flip the page and come back later. My inten-tion isn’t to make you feel bad or make youwish you were someone else. My intention isto get you to think; to question who you areand how you’re doing.

Ready? Here you go.Are you using all of your talents and

abilities? Do you know what they are? Ifyou’re working, does your supervisor knowwhat your talents and abilities are? Is yoursupervisor enabling you to use some or all ofthose talents and abilities?

Look around you. No two people arealike. Even twins who look identical gener-ally pursue entirely different interests. Onecommon thing you’ll find among all peopleis that we have our own set of talents andabilities that are uniquely our own. They gowith our unique appearance.

Years ago, I spoke at a Career Day heldat a middle school in Melbourne. Being inthe water and wastewater field like most ofyou, I chose to bring some samples of wateras props. They were in tightly sealed, clearmason jars, thoroughly cleaned on the out-side. The three labeled jars contained sam-ples of drinking water, reclaimed water, andraw sewage. I had volunteers hold the jars upfor everyone to get a good look at the con-tents.

Before I spoke about what was in thejars and the treatment methods used to makedrinking water and turn raw sewage into re-claimed water, I made a statement to the au-dience. I told these eighth graders that eachof them was created with certain talents andabilities and the interests that they have willmirror them. I said they should find outwhat they are and pursue them in earnest.Study them. Ask questions about them. Seekout others with the same interests. Enjoy thesubject matter with their peers.

We’ve all heard the quote, “Find some-thing you love to do, and you’ll never have towork a day in your life.” That particularquote is attributed to Confucius. There aremany other variations of it spoken over theyears. I think it’s great advice.

I’m going to offer another variation, butwith an added wrinkle: “Whatever you aredoing in life, learn to love it!” If you have asteady job that you’re well equipped to do,why not love what you do? Enjoy the work.Enjoy your co-workers. Enjoy producing thegoods or services that your employer pro-vides. Enjoy knowing that your customersare well served, more so because you’re a partof the team that serves them. Look for op-portunities to do your job even better. En-courage or assist your co-workers to helpthem do their jobs better.

Are words of encouragement and praisegiven to you periodically? Everyone loves tohear such words. Turning that around a bit,do you speak words of encouragement andpraise to others in your workforce? Your co-workers, and even your supervisor, wouldlikely benefit greatly from some positive

words coming from you. (Caution: If thisisn’t your normal modus operandi, make surecertain subjects are in a secure sitting posi-tion before commencing delivery!)

Back to our eighth graders. I told themwhere the water first comes from, what treat-ment is done to it, and how it travels to theirhomes. After customers are finished using it,additional treatment is required before dis-posal or use for the second time as reclaimedwater. The young lady holding the rawsewage jar was just a bit squeamish holding aclear container of “disgusting” water. How-ever, at the conclusion of the presentation,all of the students were very impressed that,with proper treatment, it could look as goodas the drinking water.

A great deal of talent is needed to firstmake drinking water and then to treatsewage to near drinking water standards.Those of us in the water and wastewater in-dustry have and use those talents, makingsure those services are available 24 hours aday, 7 days a week. But we shouldn’t “rest onour laurels.” Strive to learn something neweach day or teach a co-worker somethingnew each day. Like any subject, the more youknow, the more you know you don’t know.Read. Actively participate in training classes.Volunteer to teach a training class. Join aprofessional association. Tour other treat-ment facilities. Lead tours of your facility.Apply for awards. Lead a brainstorming ses-sion to tackle an ongoing problem at work.Champion your ideas. Become a member ofan association committee (and chair thecommittee). Achieve higher licensing. Plan acareer path for yourself with your supervi-sor. Establish goals. Present a paper at a con-ference. Write an article for this magazine!

I would venture to guess that you don’tfully know how wonderfully made you reallyare and the potential you have for doingsome pretty neat things. . . yet. If you’re stillbreathing, you aren’t at the finish line, sotake the next step. Start today. Set out on acourse to use all of your talents and abilitiesin ways you haven’t started dreaming of—until now! ��


Carl R. Larrabee Jr.Chair, FSAWWA

The Sky’s the Limit!FSAWWA SPEAKING OUT


In the future, the coastal and low-lyingareas of Florida will be flush with waterdue to sea-level rise and increased storm

intensity. Stormwater utility managers arelooking for a solution to deal with increasedflooding frequency. Water supply managersare looking for reliable water supply solu-tions. The traditional barriers, or “silos,”among water, wastewater, and stormwater en-tities may prevent the potential for a uniquesolution to address both issues concurrently:infiltration galleries as stormwater controltools. Infiltration galleries will reducegroundwater levels, which make soil capacity

to absorb an increase in rainfall, and flood-ing will decrease. The systems will run con-tinuously, which sounds like a water supplysolution.

Much work on the exact mathematics ofrecovery and treatment needs should be un-dertaken. This article presents a concept wherehorizontal wells are used for both flood pro-tection and water supplies. This solution hasthe potential to help protect many low-lyingareas and island communities from floodingdamage by reduce flood risks. At the sametime, it may capture water to treat for watersupplies.

Climate Change Factors

There has been significant discussionabout the potential impacts of climate changeon the world. Climate change is expected to

A Manager’s Paradigm: Too Much Water and Limited Water Supplies

Frederick Bloetscher, Nadia Locke, Trent VanAllen, and Albert Muniz

Frederick Bloetscher, Ph.D., P.E., DWRE, isassociate professor at Florida AtlanticUniversity. Nadia Locke, P.E., is an associate,and Trent VanAllen, E.I., is a staff engineer atE Sciences Inc. Albert Muniz, P.E., is vicepresident at Hazen and Sawyer, PC.

F W R J

Figure 1a. This shows the results of the bathtub model (currentcondition), while 1b-d show soil storage capacity under thecurrent condition.

Figure 2a. This shows the bathtub results model (current con-dition), while 2b-d show soil storage capacity with 1-ft sea-level rise.


Figure3a. This shows the bathtub results model (current condition),while 3b-d show soil storage capacity with 2-ft sea-level rise.

Figure 4. This shows the 3-ft sea-level rise vulnerability usingsoil storage capacity.

cause more intense rainfall events, such asmore severe thunderstorms and tropical cy-clones (IPCC, 2007; Karl, et al, USCCSP, &NOAA, 2009), including in Florida, which mayoverwhelm its current stormwater infrastruc-ture. In addition, along the coast, the climateissue that is most likely to create significantrisk is sea-level rise due to topography. Floridaoften is water-supply-limited as low elevationand topography limits the ability to store ex-cess precipitation for use during the antici-pated extreme dry periods. Extremes inweather phenomena and occasional floodingare not new to Florida.

The challenge for water managers in thestate, especially in southeast Florida, is to con-trol the groundwater table, because control ofthe water table is essential to prevent floodingof the low terrain. The highly engineeredstormwater drainage system of canals and con-trol structures has effectively enabled manage-ment of water tables and saltwater intrusion.The advent of sea-level rise will present newchallenges, because the water table is currently

maintained at the highest possible levels tocounter saltwater intrusion, while limitingflood risk in southeast Florida’s low-lying ter-rain and providing for water supplies(Bloetscher, 2008). However as the sea rises,flooding is more likely to occur, disrupting thebalance struck between flood risk and watersupply availability. But, flooding is more likelyto occur as sea levels rise.

Currently, during periods of excessiverainfall or in anticipation of major rainstormsor hurricane landfall, levels in the canals andthe water table are lowered to increasestormwater storage capacity in the soil. The ef-fect of sea-level rise on groundwater and sur-face water flow through the canals to the oceanis estimated as follows: Assuming that the cur-rent average differential head is 2 ft at thecoastal flood control structures, sea-level riseof 0.5 ft would reduce the hydraulic head dif-ferential by about 25 percent; 1 ft of sea-levelrise would reduce the head differential byabout 50 percent. According to Darcy’s Law,flow through an aquifer is proportional to the

pressure or head differential. Groundwaterflow would be reduced and surface water dis-charge through the canals and structureswould have to make up the difference. Sea-level rise of 1 ft would result in about a 5 per-cent increase in the canal discharge rates from53.9 to 56.5 bil gal per year per 100 sq mi(Heimlich, 2009). As sea level approaches thelevel of the water table, groundwater seepagewould approach zero and could even reversewhen the sea level rises above the water table(Todd & Mays, 2008). This will increase theburden on the canals and coastal controlstructures. At the same time, the capacity ofthe coastal control structures will be reducedby sea-level rise.

Current hydrologic modeling of the effectof sea-level rise to date has assumed that thewater table would be held constant at currentlevels to protect current development by activemanagement of the flood control system. Thisstrategy may encourage significant migration ofsaltwater inland. Furthermore, most flood risk



models assume that the aquifer is flat (bathtubmodel), and/or exists at mean sea level (as op-posed to mean high tide), neither of which istrue. To address these shortcomings, the bath-tub model must be adjusted for the groundwa-ter surface to determine the potentialvulnerability of infrastructure and land areasdue to sea-level rise. The protocol was appliedto Miami-Dade and Broward counties becauseof their high level of preconceived vulnerabilitydue to having a low-elevation ground surface.Analysis on Miami Beach indicated mean hightide was the appropriate planning water level.

Methodology

A map of vulnerable areas using the bath-tub approach is shown in Figure 1a. The re-sults reflecting the groundwater surfaceelevation methodology is shown in Figures 1b-

d. When comparing the results of the bathtubmodel to the groundwater-enhanced model,no significant difference is noticed for themodel in the month of April. The results makesense in that, when the water table is low, theeffects of the groundwater surface do not ex-hibit an influence on infrastructure vulnera-bility. When viewing the current time periodmaps in Figure 1, the influence of the ground-water table between the different seasonalgroundwater surface elevations can be seen.

The results for the 1-ft-influenced bath-tub were created by changing the symbologywithin ArcGIS. The results of the 1-ft-bathtub model reflect less vulnerability thaneither of the current condition models showedfor the high-level month of October. One ft ofsea-level rise using the soil storage capacitymethod is shown in Figure 1 a-d; Figure 2shows the bathtub model with 2-ft rise results.The results for the adjusted bathtub model

show greater vulnerability compared to thebathtub model as shown in Figure 1, notablyin the southwestern region. Finally, Figure 4areflects the 3-ft rise expected around 2100.

Modeling performed at Florida AtlanticUniversity indicates that the groundwatertable is not flat, and that western areas mayflood more quickly than current projections.Rising water tables will lead to greater risk offlooding. The results for the adjusted bathtubfurther increase the amount of vulnerabilitygiven the 3 ft of sea-level rise, as shown in Fig-ure 4 b-d. The comparison results of the bath-tub model verses using the soil storagecapacity indicate high areas of unrealized vul-nerability. The results, considering the Octo-ber 50th-percentile groundwater table surfaceelevation, produced different results, indicat-ing vulnerability in the western region, asshown in Figure 5. In particular, the westernportion of the study region has a higher pre-dicted vulnerability to sea-level rise than thebathtub model predicts. The results further il-lustrate that sea-level rise vulnerability is notjust a coastal feature for the study region inthat the inundation is shown to move from in-land areas towards the eastern coast of Florida.

The results indicate that the inclusion ofthe groundwater table into the calculations ofvulnerable infrastructure due to sea-level risewill have a significant impact on the results. Asummation of potential inundation for thedifferent models is given in Table 1. The areacalculations were created by multiplying thenumber of cells inundated by the area of thecells to determine the inundation areas; ad-justing the model for groundwater conditionscreates a different result. A table of the resultsin terms of percent increase between the basebathtub model prediction and each of the dif-ferent groundwater applied methods are givenin Table 2 (Romah and Bloetscher 2013).

Miami Beach Application

Florida Atlantic University partneredwith E Sciences Inc. to monitor existing mon-

Figure 5. Broward County all-roads bathtub and groundwater-adjusted model results.

Table 1. Inundation results prediction Table 2. Bathtub model increases percent increase from bathtub model




itoring well stations throughout the City ofMiami Beach. Six existing well locations wereselected to conduct continuous groundwaterelevation monitoring, as shown in Figure 6.An attempt was made to select appropriate lo-cations based upon the proximity of wells tothe coast, to each other, and spatially, and thehydrogeologic/hydrologic characteristics oftheir locations. Data loggers that collect waterdepth were placed in each of the monitoringstations in October 2012; salinity was alsomeasured at two of the stations. Rainfall datawas provided by the City. The data was col-lected for a period of 12 months (October2012 through October 2013). The results ofthe data have been compared with data col-lected and reported by the South FloridaWater Management District (SFWMD), Na-tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-tion (NOAA), and other agencies. The datawas downloaded monthly.

Figure 7 shows the sea level over thecourse of the investigation collected fromNOAA. The sea level rises and falls every sixhours, but also rises and falls given the prox-imity of the moon to the Earth. In the spring,the moon is farther away and provides asmaller pull on the tides; the reverse is true inthe fall, resulting in a high, high tide. Coincid-ing with the end of the wet season makes thesituation worse. The graph shows that thethree-day average high, high tide for MiamiBeach was 2 ft. What this suggests is that anyportion of the island that is less than 2 ft,North American Vertical Datum 88 (NAV88),or 2ft above average sea level, will be inun-dated.

Figures 8-12 show the results of the sixmonitoring sites. The figures indicate that thegroundwater levels at five of the six sites variedwith the tides:� The Miami Beach Police Station site shows

that the groundwater level basicallymatched the high tide, but fluctuated 0.5 ftdownward as tides went out (Figure 8).

� The irrigated Normandy Beach GolfCourse site shows that, for the first sixmonths, the groundwater level fluctuatedbetween 0.5 and 1 ft with tides, but while ir-rigating, remained 0.5 feet above high tide.In October, the end of the rainy season, thetides and groundwater levels matched (Fig-ure 9).

� The Miami Beach Marina site shows thatthe groundwater level fluctuated 0.3 ft withthe tidal cycle, with the peaks at or within0.5 ft of high tide (Figure 10).

� The Miami Beach Golf Club site was alsoirrigated. Groundwater levels remained ator above high tide for the majority of the

Figure 6. Locations of monitoring wells.

Figure 7. Tides from Oct. 1, 2012 to Oct. 31, 2013. Note the highest three-daytotal is 2 ft. Normal low-water table tide three-day events are above 1 ft.


time. The tidal fluctuations were 0.1 ft,meaning the soils are far less transmissivethan some other sites (Figure 11).

� From November 2012 to March 2013, theconvention center site groundwater levelsvaried at about 0.5 times the tidal amount,the most for any site. However, the highgroundwater levels fluctuated with tides,but were about 1 ft above the tidal eleva-tions (Figure 12).

Because the groundwater varies withtides, rainfall exacerbates the tidal influent.During the wet season, the groundwater levelsare higher than the dry season, while the levelscome together when rainfall is absent. Hence,stormwater flooding is exacerbated in the wetseason, so predicting where water flooding willoccur can be determined by looking at thelight detection and ranging (LiDAR) topogra-phy and groundwater levels on Miami Beach.Salinity at Miami Beach showed somewhat ofan inverse relationship with groundwater, butthe results are less clear than might be ex-pected (Figure 13).

In conjunction with water levels, a goalwas to develop a means to help identify areasof potential short- and long-term flooding. Toaccomplish this task, a geographic informationsystem (GIS) layer was created for topographyand surface-water levels from high-qualityLiDAR data. Previous approaches to modelinginundation from simulated sea-level rise havebeen limited by coarse-resolution elevationdatasets (surveys, field spot elevations, andU.S. Geological Survey maps). However, thegeospatial data user community has recog-nized the usefulness of LiDAR as a means toprovide the highly detailed and accurate topo-graphic data needed for sea-level-rise projec-tions, which has increased interest indeveloping a national LiDAR database. Low-resolution LiDAR is available in many areas,but the coarse vertical definition (+/- 2 ft) isnot useful for coastal areas where inches mat-ter.

High-resolution elevation data areneeded for investigating the influence of topo-graphic complexity on landscape processes, in-cluding drainage canals and levees. Due to thenarrow and compact organization of drainagechannels, such improvements may be de-tectable in raster elevation datasets at less thanhigh resolution. However, while higher-reso-lution elevation data represent a significantadvance for modeling sea-level rise impacts,there can be a large variability in inundationestimates (Romah, 2012).

The LiDAR data format used was theAmerican Standard Code for Information In-

Figure 8. The Miami Beach Police Station site shows that the groundwater levelbasically matched the high tide, but fluctuated 0.5 ft downward as tides went out.

Figure 9. The Normandy Shores Golf Course site is artificially irrigated. This siteshows that for the first six months of monitoring, the groundwater level fluctuatedbetween 0.5 and 1 ft with tides, but while irrigating, remained 0.5 ft above hightide. In October, the end of the rainy season, the tides and groundwater levelscorrespond.




terchange (ASCII). This data format is easilyhandled by ArcGIS software. The ASCII for-mat is comprised of the raw LAS LiDAR data-type format, translated into a geographicallyreferenced X, Y, and Z global coordinate planesystem. Of the different topographical datarepository sources, NOAA offered the data na-tively in ASCII format, and it has LIDAR thatallow use of 3 x 3-ft LiDAR pixels with 7 in. ofvertical accuracy for the City.

Using the NOAA data, a digital elevationmodel (DEM) sensitivity analysis was con-ducted to determine the optimal-size resolu-tion for use on the project. Though the native3-ft resolution would bring the best results, thehigh resolution created issues in data manage-ment in calculating model results and render-ing the data results. The DEM data points wereresampled from the native 3-ft resolution intodifferent cell-size resolution using different re-sampling techniques in the ArcGIS resampletoolset. The three methods of resampling con-sidered were using nearest-neighbor, bilinear,and cubic methods. The nearest-neighbormethod works by determining an averagevalue using a rectangular neighborhood grid(Romah and Bloetscher 2013). Mapping theCity with LiDAR and topographic maps veri-fied that the mapping could identify floodingareas (see Figure 14).

Meeting the Stormwater Challenge

The challenge in low-lying areas with in-creasing rainfall intensity and sea-level rise willbe too much water, not too little. The balancebetween water supply and flood protectionwill be adjusted by a natural force that pays lit-tle mind to human demands. The productionand delivery of drinking water, protectionfrom flood waters, and the treatment of waste-water are recognized as vital functions of soci-ety. As a result, it falls on governments, leaders,and water industry managers to develop long-term strategies to sustain long-term economicviability and public health, despite competinginterests. Securing reliable water supplies forfuture generations and protecting land fromflooding areas are important factors in the faceof changes in climatic patterns.

However, water supplies can becomemore reliable and sustainable through a com-prehensive approach to water planning, whichincludes using alternative water sources andplanning future infrastructure needs withlong-term trends in mind. In keeping withthese categories of protection and adaptation,as defined by Deyle et al (2007), the questionis whether infrastructure can serve multiple

Figure 10. The Miami Beach Marina site shows that the groundwater level fluctuated0.3 ft with the tidal cycle, with the peaks at or within 0.5 ft of high tide.

Figure 11. The Miami Beach Golf Club site was also irrigated. Groundwater levelsremained at or above high tide for the majority of the time. The tidal fluctuationswere 0.1 ft, meaning the soils are far less transmissive than some other sites.



FWPCOA TRAINING CALENDARSCHEDULE YOUR CLASS TODAY!

* Backflow recertification is also available the last day of BackflowTester or Backflow Repair Classes with the exception of Deltona

** Evening classes

*** any retest given also

MAY6 ......Backflow Recert ....................................Lady Lake ..........$85/115

5-9 ......Wastewater Collection C, B ................Deltona ..............$325/35512-15 ......Backflow Tester ....................................St. Petersburg ....$375/40519-21 ......Backflow Repair ....................................Deltona ..............$275/305

23 ......Backflow Tester Recert*** ....................Deltona ..............$85/115

JUNE2-5 ......Backflow Tester ....................................Deltona ..............$375/405

9-13 ......Water Distribution Level 3, 2 ..............Deltona ..............$275/30523-26 ......Backflow Tester ....................................St. Petersburg ....$375/405


JULY8 ......Backflow Recert ....................................Lady Lake ..........$85/115

7-11 ......Stormwater A ........................................Deltona ..............$275/3057-11 ......Water Distribution Level 1 ..................Deltona ..............$275/3057-11 ......Wastewater Collection A......................Deltona ..............$275/305

14-16 ......Backflow Repair ....................................Deltona ..............$275/30514-16 ......Backflow Repair ....................................St. Petersburg ....$275/305


You are required to have your own calculator at state short schools

and most other courses.

Course registration forms are available at http://www.fwpcoa.org/forms.asp. For additional information on these courses or other training programs offered by the FWPCOA, please

contact the FW&PCOA Training Office at (321) 383-9690 or [email protected].



purposes; from a stormwater/water supplyperspective, the answer can be yes. Because ofthe potential for saltwater intrusion and theuncertainty of sea-level rise, coastal water sup-ply wells will likely be threatened further. Be-cause the alternatives for new water suppliesare limited (mostly saltwater sources), a smallutility can be confronted by significant coststo build new water treatment facilities. How-ever, many of those same communities will bedealing with increased flooding frequency be-cause groundwater levels have consumed thesoil storage capacity. Most of these communi-ties are familiar with exfiltration trenches fordrainage purposes, but as groundwater levelsrise, these will cease to exfiltrate; they will in-filtrate.

The use of horizontal well technology toreduce groundwater levels along streets and inneighborhoods would appear to be a solutionto stormwater that could be a potential watersupply option. Horizontal wells are used inconjunction with riverbank filtration and onisland communities where water is limited.Horizontal wells have not been used in Floridabecause vertical wells have always been so pro-ductive. Horizontal wells could spread the coneof depression and minimize drawdowns topermit additional skimming of fresh water justbelow the surface where it can also increase soilcapacity. Since these systems will run continu-ously, they make perfect water supplies.

Vertical well modeling and mathematicsare related to the thickness, head, and trans-missivity of the aquifer. The thickness is notrelevant to a horizontal well and the head isconstant over the entire well screen. Horizon-tal wells must be screened, but can be muchshallower than vertical wells as a result. Largercontact with the aquifer is also provided witha horizontal well. Figure 15 shows how verticalwells capture water. The horizontal well with-draws uniformly from the groundwater sur-face, and as a result, the pumpage/capture canbe matched to the seepage rate. No preferentialflow paths result.

The production form, a horizontal well, isrelated to screen length, grain size of the sand,transmissivity of the sand, head, open space inthe screen, and other factors. A test programwould need to be pursued to determine thewells specific capacity. Once these values areknown, the length of a horizontal well is easilycalculated and long-term development of ad-ditional horizontal wells is easily accomplished.

Theory Behind Horizontal Wells

Much of south Florida is familiar with ex-filtration trenches for stormwater, but hori-

Figure 12. From November 2012 to March 2013, the convention center sitegroundwater levels varied at about 0.5 times the tidal amount, the most for any site.However, the high groundwater levels fluctuated with tides, but were about 1 ftabove the tidal elevations.

Figure 13. Salinity at Miami Beach showed somewhat of an inverse relationship with groundwater, but the results are less clear than might be expected.




Equation 1. Equations to solve for yield.


zontal wells employ the reverse concept. As op-posed to exfiltrating water, horizontal wellshave screened sections that can be positionedparallel to the static water table to permit thegroundwater to infiltrate into the pipe. Thereare several advantages to horizontal wells:more even flow to the well screen; more uni-form proximity to the formation; and longerwell screens, which permit horizontal wells tohave a larger contact zone to the aquifer(Zhan, 2002).

Analytical solutions for the drawdownfrom a vertical well (in two dimensions) arereadily understood equations, dependent onDarcy’s Law. Likewise, numerical solutions forgroundwater flow were developed nearly 40years ago, with a modular flow model (MOD-FLOW) being the most common base model.However, the solution for horizontal wells ismore challenging. Hantush and Papadopolus(1962) suggested an analytical solution in theircollector-well paper. This solution assumed anaquifer of uniform hydraulic properties, asmall radius of collector wells when comparedto the aquifer thickness, and a small caisson di-ameter when compared to the length of thecollector lateral. They developed a series ofequations to solve for yield (Equation 1).

Conclusions

The hydrologic cycle is well understoodin most areas, but it is currently changing. Atthe same time, rainfall intensity is changing,

despite the fact that precipitation patterns varynaturally from year to year, and over decades.There is strong evidence that global climatechange is having an impact upon the world’swater resources, which may exacerbate currenttrends. As a result, flooding from intense rainswill increase with time, especially in urbanareas with altered surface conditions.

Stormwater utility managers are seekinga solution to manage increased flooding fre-quency observed by residents. Water supplyutility managers are looking for reliable watersupply solutions. The traditional barrier be-tween utilities may prevent the potential for aunique solution to address both issues con-currently: infiltration galleries as stormwatercontrol tools. Infiltration galleries will reducegroundwater levels, which increases a soil’s ca-pacity to absorb increased rainfall, and flood-ing will decrease. The systems will runcontinuously, creating a water supply solution.Much work on the exact mathematics of re-covery and treatment needs should be under-taken. A proposed protocol was included hereand this solution has the potential to helpmany low-lying areas and island communitiesextend the life of their communities fromflood damage by reducing flood risks. At thesame time, they may capture water to treat forwater supply.

References

• Bloetscher, F. Berry, L, Jarice Rodriguez-Seda, Nicole Hernandez Hammer, Thomas

Romah, Dusan Jokovic and Barry Heimlich,2013 Methodology for the Identification ofTransportation Physical Infrastructure Vul-nerable to Sea Level Rise (SLR), Journal ofInfrastructure Systems, Vol. 5, No 12 (2012).

• Bloetscher, F. (2008), The Potential Impactof Climate Change on GroundwaterRecharge, Groundwater Protection CouncilAnnual Forum Proceedings - Cincinnati,GWPC, Oklahoma City, Olka.

• Deyle, R.E.; Bailey, K.C.; and Matheny, A.(2007), Adaptive Response Planning to SeaLevel Rise in Florida and Implications forComprehensive and Public Facilities Plan-ning, Florida State University, Tallahassee,Fla.

• Hantush M.S. and Papadopulos, I.S., 1962.Flow of ground water to collector wells. J.Hydraul. Div., Proc. Am. Soc. Civ. Engrs HY5, pp. 221–244.

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change- IPCC (2007) – Climate Change 2007: ThePhysical Science Basis.

• Karl, T.R.; R. Thomas, J.M. Melillo, T.C. Pe-terson (Eds.), Global Climate Change Im-pacts in the United States, U.S. GlobalChange Research Program, Cambridge Uni-versity Press, 2009, available online at:http://www.globalchange.gov/publica-tions/reports/scientific-assessments/us-impacts/full-report.

• Kompani-Zare, M., Zhan, H., and Samani,N., Analytical study of capture zone to a hor-izontal well in a confined aquifer, Journal ofHydrology, 307.

• NOAA (2007), Observing Climate Variabil-ity and Changehttp://www.research.noaa.gov/climate/t_ob-serving.html, accessed 3/24/2007.

• Romah, T. 2012. Advanced Methods in Sea-Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment, MasterThesis, Florida Atlantic University, BocaRaton, Fla.

• Romah, T., and Bloetscher, F. 2013 Tools ForAssessing Sea Level Rise Vulnerability, Jour-nal of Water and Climate.

• U.S. Climate Change Science Program(2008), “Synthesis and Assessment Product4.3: The Effects of Climate Change on Agri-culture, Land Resources, Water Resources,and Biodiversity in the United States”http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/sap/sap4-3/final-report/default.htm, accessed8/8/08.

• Zhan, H (1999), Analytical study of capturetime to a horizontal well, Journal of Hydrol-ogy, 217 pp. 46–54.

• Zhan H. and V.A. Zlotnik, Groundwater flowto horizontal or slanted wells in unconfinedaquifers, Water Resour. Res. 38 (2002) (7), p.1108. ��


Figure 15. Horizontal

versus vertical wellflow path.


Earn CEUs by answering questions from previous Journal issues!

Contact FWPCOA at [email protected] or at 561-840-0340. Articles from past issues can be viewed on the Journal website, www.fwrj.com.

Members of the Florida Water &Pollution Control Association(FWPCOA) may earn continuingeducation units through the CEUChallenge! Answer the questionspublished on this page, based on thetechnical articles in this month’sissue. Circle the letter of each correctanswer. There is only one correctanswer to each question! Answer 80percent of the questions on anyarticle correctly to earn 0.1 CEU foryour license. Retests are available.

This month’s editorial theme isOperations and UtilitiesManagement. Look above each set ofquestions to see if it is for wateroperators (DW), distribution systemoperators (DS), or wastewateroperators (WW). Mail the completedpage (or a photocopy) to: FloridaEnvironmental Professionals Training,P.O. Box 33119, Palm BeachGardens, FL 33420-3119. Enclose$15 for each set of questions youchoose to answer (make checkspayable to FWPCOA). You MUST bean FWPCOA member before you cansubmit your answers!

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1. The original permit for construction of the Boyette Reservoir required on-site management of dewatering product becausea. off-site surface water discharge would cause silting.b. discharge to sanitary sewer would hydraulically overload the system.c. preservation of wading bird habitat was required.d. copper concentration was thought to be elevated.

2. In which of the following areas is the projected 10-year savings produced bythis program the greatest?a. Permit renewalb. Man-hoursc. Construction costd. Analytical cost

3. Because water supply sources utilized in the three named Pasco CountyPublic Water Systems include ________ water, the combined system isconsidered a Subpart H system.a. groundb. surfacec. salined. reclaimed

4. After drinking water distribution systems were consolidated, _____________sampling was reduced to 50 samples twice per year.a. bacteriologicalb. lead and copperc. remote chlorine residuald. disinfection byproduct

5. Six of Pasco County’s wastewater treatment plants were eligible for 10-yearpermits because effluent isa. 100 percent reused.b treated to high level disinfection standards.c. not discharged to surface water.d. demonstrated to have low nutrient concentration.

Money From Nothing: Value-Engineering Utility Regulatory Burden to Substantially Lower Costs

Kerstin L. Kenty, Atef Hanna, Glenn A. Greer, and Rafael Vazquez-Burney

(Article 1: CEU = 0.1 DW/DS/WW)

Operators: Take the CEU Challenge!

Seven Seas Water has been nominatedfor the Desalination Company of the YearGlobal Water Award.

In 2013, the company successfully exe-cuted three desalination projects in theCaribbean region, collectively providing morethan 11 mgd of potable water capacity andhelping to improves social and economic con-ditions:� A 5.5-mgd seawater reverse osmosis

(SWRO) desalination facility in Trinidad.The plant, developed and constructedunder a build-own agreement with theWater and Sewerage Authority of Trinidadand Tobago, provides fresh water to the res-ident of Point Fortin.

� A 2.2-mgd SWRO facility in St. Croix.� A 3.3-mgd SWRO plant in St. Thomas.

These facilities replace costly thermal de-salination units and now generate significantsavings for the Virgin Islands Water and PowerAuthority and its customers.

�The Water Research Foundation (WRF)

has released a tool to help water and waste-water utilities develop and implement ten keyattributes for effective utility management.“Performance Benchmarking for EffectivelyManaged Water Utilities” provides informa-tion to help utilities conduct assessments andstrategically develop organizational attributesto meet specific management goals. The reportbuilds on recommendations presented in “Ef-fective Utility Management: A Primer forWater and Wastewater Utilities,” which was de-veloped by American Water Works Associa-tion, Association of Metropolitan WaterAgencies, American Public Works Association,National Association of Water Companies, Na-tional Association of Clean Water Agencies,Water Environment Federation, and U.S. En-vironmental Protection Agency.

The ten key attributes are:� Product Quality� Customer Satisfaction� Employee and Leadership Development� Operational Optimization� Financial Viability� Infrastructure Stability� Operational Resilience� Community Sustainability� Water Resource Adequacy� Stakeholder Understanding and Support

“The Water Research Foundation recog-nized that water utilities were compelled towork toward more effective utility manage-ment, but could benefit from detailed guid-ance on the implementation of more

News Beat


sustainable methods of operation,” said RobertRenner, executive director of WRF. “This re-source provides utilities direction as to the im-portant practice areas that can supporteffective management and gives a structuredprocess to track performance.”

The resource includes an Excel-basedtracking tool, user guide, and guidance docu-ment that can help utilities meet their man-agement goals. The Foundation worked with nearly 30, water,wastewater, and stormwater utilities of varioussizes and in several locations in North Amer-ica, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Itidentified two major gaps that hampered ef-forts when utilities try to implement the tenattributes: an explicit identification of practiceareas that utilities can use to support these ef-forts, and a structured process benchmarkingexercise to guide the development and imple-mentation of these attributes.

_______________

Another WRF project is helping water util-ities improve their understanding of monitor-ing and controlling biological filtration (BF).The project, “A Monitoring and Control Tool-box for Biological Filtration,” culminated in aguidance manual that describes and evaluatescurrent BF monitoring and control techniques.

An affordable and effective, but not com-monly used, water treatment process, BF re-duces multiple contaminants and increases thebiological stability in distribution systems,while minimizing the production of wastestreams and the formation of disinfectionbyproducts. Other water treatment techniquesmust first isolate and then remove contami-nants, which results in waste and can be morecostly and energy intensive.

Drinking water utilities in North Americahave historically underutilized BF because of theprevailing perception that it is more suitable forwastewater treatment. Water utilities that didutilize BF did so without the support of indus-try-accepted design, operations, and treatmentguidelines, and with limited monitoring andcontrol tools. The manual contains practical, in-novative, and standard monitoring tools forutilities looking to boost the technological un-derstanding and application of BF, and includestypical measurement ranges, recommendedmonitoring frequencies, and related costs.

More information about both items canbe found at www.waterrf.org. ��


Welded steel aboveground storage tanksand standpipes from Fisher Tank Co. provideeconomical water storage solutions for citiesand municipalities. Each tank is custom de-signed and fabricated to AWWA D-100 stan-dards and is constructed on-site. Tanks can bedesigned to include aeration and mixing sys-tems, ladders and handrails, exterior piping,and other appurtenances as required. Weldedsteel tanks offer flexibility in design, exteriorpainting options, and allow for future modifi-cations. This turnkey tank solution providesdecades of safe, reliable performance withminimal maintenance costs.

Go to www.fishertank.com for more in-formation.

�The AQUACOUNTER® Karl Fischer Vol-

umetric Titrator (AQV-2200S) by JM Scienceis rugged, reliable, long lasting, and environ-mentally friendly, with small-volume titrationcells requiring only 20 mL of titration solventfor accurate measurements.

The titrator is suited for a wide range ofconcentrations, from 100 ppm to 100 percentwater content, with maximum capacity for au-tomation and upgrades. Combining one addi-

tional station with either a volumetric ofcoulometric module allows two differentmeasurements to be performed simultane-ously. Users can add various peripherals, suchas a second channel, and the system recognizesthe new channels and begins working withthem immediately.

Details can be found atwww.jmscience.com.

�The Solinst Canada Ltd. Model 102

Water Level Meters use narrow cable and seg-mented probes to measure water levels in tightspaces. The meters offer greater flexibility inangled piezometers and assist in bypassingdown-hole restrictions or pumps when meas-uring drawdown. Each meter’s 0.375-in. P2brass probe includes 10 segmented weights foruse in greater depths. For narrow applications,the 0.25-in. P1 stainless steel probe with 12segmented weights is available.

The meters are available in lengths to1000 ft. The Model 102M Mini Water LevelMeter comes with 80 ft. of cable on a smallportable reel.

Visit www.solinst.com to learn more.

�The SFT Phase Monitor II from Supercrit-

ical Fluid Technologies Inc. determines the sol-ubility of various compounds and mixtures insupercritical and high-pressure fluids. The mon-itor provides direct visual observations of mate-rials under conditions controlled by theresearcher. Experiments may be performed inliquids, supercritical carbon dioxide, or other liq-uefied gases. The monitor also gives the user di-rect observation of the dissolution, precipitation,and crystallization of compounds over variouspressures and temperatures.

Advanced studies may be done to deter-mine melting point depressions and the degreeof polymer swelling in supercritical fluids, car-bon dioxide, or traditional solvents. Experimentscan be performed at pressures up to 10,000lb/in.2 and from tempertaures up to 150°C.

Log onto www.supercriticalfluids.com forfurther details.

�The Henry Pratt Co. Series 300 Plunger

Valve is designed with a valve-actuator mecha-nism that provides nonlinear closure with pre-cise surge resistance and controls ranges as highas 96 percent. The plunger’s O-ring seal, whichis located outside the cavitations zone, and fourhard-faced cylinder support guides work to-gether to help minimize wear and provide thevalve with a longer operational life span.

The valves input shaft features a dual in-board seal that helps protect the shaft and theshaft bore from corrosion.

Got to www.henrypratt.com for more in-formation.

�Badger Meter is expanding its E-Series Ul-

trasonic Meter offering with the addition of thenew Cold Water Engineered Polymer Metersavailable in two initial sizes: 5/8 in. x ¾ in. x ¾ in.Constructed with lead-free, engineered polymerhousing and an engineered polymer and stainlesssteel metering insert, the cost-effective, corrosion-resistant metering solution complies with currentand upcoming lead-free regulations. It capturesultra-low-flow measurement and offers a highlevel of metering accuracy. When used in con-junction with advanced metering analytics solu-tions, the E-Series provides the ability to conveyinformation that can detect leaks or other alarmconditions, a feature not typically availablethrough traditional mechanical meters.

Details are available at www.badgerme-ter.com.

�WaterSmart Software helps water utility

residential customers save water with its


New Products


turnkey Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) plat-form, which improves efficiency without ex-pensive hardware upgrades.

By communicating household water use,comparing a household’s consumption to that ofsimilar homes, and suggesting personalized rec-ommendations om how to save water, the Wa-terSmart Home Water Reports and interactiveWaterInsight Web Portal have proven to reducewater consumption by up to 5 percent in as littleas six months.

Visit www.watersmartsoftware.com for ad-ditional information.

�ResinTech Inc. is a supplier of ion ex-

change resins, specialty media, and activatedcarbon for the treatment of water and waste-water. A full line of products is offered for theremoval of arsenic, nitrate, chromate, per-chlorate, uranium, radium, boron, fluoride,and other groundwater contaminants. TheMIST-X performance simulator provides ionbreakthrough predictions, as well as capacityprojections for any water treatment scenario.

More information is available at www.resin-tech.com.

�The OLCT 80 wireless field detector and

transmitter from Oldham S.A.S. are designedto monitor oxygen and combustible, toxic, andrefrigerant gases in remote locations. Themodel reduces installation costs by eliminat-ing cabling and wiring. Up to 49 of the devices,each of which has three built-in relays and amaximum line-of-sight range of 3 km, can belinked via a secure network.

Other features include an infrared remotecontroller and onboard display for nonintrusive,one-person calibration; flameproof or intrinsic-safety sensors; a design suitable for explosiveareas; low power requirements; universally ac-cepted frequency of 2.4 GHz/900MHz; and flex-ible input/output options, including analog, Tor,and Modbus RS-485.

Go to www.oldhamgas.com to find outmore.

�The Engineered Filtration System from SJE

Rhombus is designed to be fully automated andincludes the option for remote reading. The sys-tem can be used in such applications as mem-brane bioreactors, wastewater polishing,industrial process wastewater treatment, pre-filtration before reverse osmosis, groundwatertreatment, landfill leachate treatment, oil- andgas-produced water treatment, and many otherfiltration applications. Other features of the sys-tem include ceramic flat-sheet membranes, pre-

assembled filtration components, and fully au-tomated controls.

More information can be found atwww.sjerhombus.com.

�The Hach Co. RTC101 P-Module phos-

phorus control system is a turnkey solution pro-viding real-time control of chemical dousing thathelps to maintain consistent phosphorus levelsin effluent waters. The system can be used forboth open (feed-forward) and closed-loop (feed-back) control of a chemical dose. The chemicalfeed pump is controlled continuously by a 4—20-mA signal or a dry-contact relay, and bothoutputs can be used together.

See www.hach.com for more details.

�The TrojanUVSigna™ from Trojan Tech-

nologies is designed for large-scale wastewaterdisinfection applications. The system will disin-fect an average of 52 mgd of water, with a peakcapacity of 150 mgd. Other features include sys-tem suitability, the lowest number of ultravioletlamps, and ease of operation and maintenance.

Go to www.trojanuv.com for further infor-mation.

�The InPro 5000i, available from Mettler-

Toledo International Inc. is the latest in the intel-ligent sensor management family of sensors andtransmitters. It is a fully sterilizable and auto-clavable in-line carbon dioxide sensor. It providesa barrier against volatile organic acids to ensureerrorless measurement. The diagnostic tools inthe sensor constantly monitor its “health” to de-termine if it can be safely used for the next fer-mentation run. Electronic documentationcapabilities provide full traceability of calibrationand maintenance for regulatory compliance.

The signal between sensor and transmitteris digital and is unaffected by cable length, elec-trical interference, or moisture in the environ-ment. The combination of design andtechnology makes the sensor ideally suited forcontinuous, real-time dissolved-carbon-dioxidemeasurement in biofermentation.

Other details can be found at www.mt.com.

�The AG LF series membrane system from

GE Water & Process Technologies is designedto purify hard-to-treat wastewater from in-



Jon H. MeyerU.S. Water

Services Corporation

Work title and years of service.I have been regional manager with

the company for four years and have beenin the water industry for 32 years.

Job description; what does your jobentail?

My job includes the oversight ofmanagement, operation, and maintenancefor over 130 water and wastewater systemsfrom Key West to Sarasota. I am alsoinvolved in business development,including request-for-proposal (RFP)responses and presentations.

What education and training have youcompleted?� Fort Meade High School, diploma� Florida Department of Environmental

Protection Class A Water PlantOperators License

� Florida Department of EnvironmentalProtection Class A Wastewater PlantOperators License

� Florida Water and Pollution ControlOperators Association Class C

Collection System Operator� Florida Water and Pollution Control

Operators Association Class IIIDistribution System Operator

� Florida Water and Pollution ControlOperators Association IndustrialPretreatment Coordinator Certification

� Florida Water and Pollution ControlOperators Association C Reuse SystemOperator

� Georgia Class I Wastewater OperatorsLicense

� Polk County Community College� Michigan Management

Correspondence Course� Association of Boards of Certification

Grade IV Wastewater Operator License(expired)

� Certification as part-time vocationalinstructor for the wastewaterpreparatory course

� Many management and operationsseminars and programs

� Homeland security training

What do you like best about your job?I enjoy the daily challenge of

customizing a coaching strategy to fit theteam members and work situations. Iattempt to get the members of my teamsto strive for win-win outcomes in everysituation.

What organizations do you belong to?� 1998-1999: Florida Water and

Pollution Control OperatorsAssociation secretary treasurer

� 1998: FWEA Steering Committee � 1998-2000: Five technical discussions

published in Operations Forum� 2001: Wastewater Competition judge

at WEFTEC � 2000-2002: Operations Research

Committee � 2002-2004: FWPCOA Region VIII

director� 2006-Present: WEF Municipal

Wastewater Design Committee � 2007- Present: WEF Wastewater Plant

Operations and Maintenance Committee � 2007-Present: WEF Air Emissions and

Odor Control Committee � 2008-Present: FWPCOA Region VIII

director (again)� 2013-Present: FWEA Wastewater

Process Committee

How have the organizations(FWPCOA, FSAWWA, or FWEA)helped your career?

I have benefited greatly by myinvolvement in the various organizations:knowledge sharing, networking, and havingaccess to outstanding publication such asthis magazine. I believe in the value of theorganizations so much that I haveencourage my son, Derek, who is a Class Cwastewater treatment plant operator withthe City of Fort Myers, to become involvedso he can benefit as much as I have.

What do you like best about theindustry?

From what I know, not too manyindustries have such a wide variety ofvocations rolled up into one. Theseinclude electrical, instrumentation,biology, hydraulics, purchasing, publicspeaking, teaching, mentoring, coaching,customer service, design, engineering, re-engineering, troubleshooting, and insome cases, absolute artistry.

What do you do when you’re notworking?

I enjoy being with my family doingactivities such as camping, going oncruises, and attending live musicperformances. We also enjoy sharing theGood News with people we meet. ��

FWRJ READER PROFILE

dustrial processes. The system features a low-fouling reverse-osmosis membrane that resistsdegradation from water containing bacteria,colloids, and other materials that foul andshorten membrane element life.

The membranes require fewer cleaningcycles, compared to conventional brackishmembranes, in such applications as steel pro-duction, power plants, and plating processes.The new low-fouling membrane increases thetime between cleanings up to 50 percent andfeatures a coating technology that improves

cleaning cycles, reduces pressure, and reducesfriction on the surface of the membrane, mak-ing it resistant to organic fouling.

Log onto www.gewater.com to find outmore.

�The ABB ACS 2000 active front-end

medium-voltage drive for general purpose ap-plications is designed with higher power capa-bilities up to 3000 hp. Developed with thelatest drive technologies, the drive is ideal forgeneral-purpose applications requiring a

medium-voltage installation, such as pumps,fans, blowers, and conveyors.

The water and wastewater industriescan benefit from the drive’s compact,lightweight design. Other features in-clude multilevel voltage source invertertopology; high-voltage insulated-gatebipolar transistor power; semiconduc-tors; a direct-torque-control motor-con-trol platform; and withdrawable phasemodules, which give front access to allcomponents for ease of maintenance.

See www.abb.com for more details. ��



From page 18

1. D) $14.39 per dry tonFormula: Total Cost of Polymer Used, $ ÷ Total DryTons of Sludge Processed, dtpdCost of Polymer = 21 gpd x 8.34 lbs/gal x 1.02 S.G. = 178.64 lbs polymer used= 178.64 lbs polymer x $1.18 per lb polymer= $210.80 polymer usedgpd Processed= 375 gpm x (24 x 60) = 540,000 gpd divided by 1,000,000 = 0.54 mgdDry Tons Processed= 0.54 mgd x 6,500 mg/L x 8.34 lbs/gal= 29,373.4 lbs dry solids divided by 2,000 lbs/ton= 14.64 dry tons processedTotal Cost of Polymer Used $210.80 ÷ Total DryTons of Sludge Processed 14.64 dtpd= $14.39 per dry ton processed

2. Yes, it is acceptable.An acceptable cost of polymer used per dry ton (dt)processed in a GBT depends on the type of sludge,sludge volume index (SVI), and the age of the activatedsludge process. Typically, with conventional or biologicalnutrient removal-activated sludge, acceptable polymerconsumption in a properly operated GBT is anythingless than about $15 per dt processed.

3. B) $541,021Total wet tons of sludge per day= 16.5 dry tons divided by 0.185 (18.5 percent)(wtpd)= 89.19 wtpdLime used per day= 89.19 wtpd sludge x 0.095 (9.5 percent)

= 8.47 tons per day lime usedCost per day lime used= 8.47 tons per day x $175.00 per ton= $1,482.25 per day lime usedCost per year lime used= $1,482.25 per day x 365 days per year= $541,021 lime per year

4. C) 51.33 percentSludge Dry Weight = 16.5 dry tons per day (given in the data)Lime used per day= 8.47 tons per day … 16.5 dtpd sludge ÷ 0.185 x

.095 lime dose by wet wtLime Dosage by Dry Weight= 8.47 tpd lime divided by 16.5 dtpd sludge= 0.5133 x 100 = 51.33 percent lime dosage by dry weight

5. B). 1.1 mg/hr/gm TSSOUR, mg/hr/gm TS= OUR, mg/L/hr ÷ gm/L TSOUR, mg/L/hr= Start D.O. - End D.O. ÷ Test minutes x 60

mins/hr= 7.2 mg/L - 4.0 mg/L ÷ 10 mins x 60 mins/hr= 19.2 mg/L/hr gm/L TS= TS, mg/L ÷ 1,000 ml/L= 1.75% x 10,000 ÷ 1,000 = 17.5 gm/L TSSOUR, mg/hr/gm TS =OUR 19.2 mg/L/hr ÷ TS 17.5 gm/L= 1.097 mg/hr/gm TS

6. A) Yes, it is acceptable.The requirement in 62-640 for aerobically digestedsludge to meet the Class B standards for vector

attraction reduction (VAR) using the SOUR methodis to be no greater than 1.5 mg/hr/gm TS. However,there are a few caveats: 1) the sludge concentrationmust be no greater than 2.0 percent total solids, and2) the sludge temperature should be stable at 20ºC.

7. A) To stabilize friction.Greasing an anti-friction bearing stabilizes frictionand improves the bearing's performance. Bearinglubricants form a microscopically smooth molecularbond that permanently adheres to the entire contactarea. It also helps to fill in surface imperfections,pits, gaps and even helps to repairs some corrosion.

8. B) $586,372 per yearFlow contribution from industrial users:Flow is 2.55 mgd; residential flow is 82 percent;industrial flow is 18 percentIndustrial flow is 2.55 mgd x 0.18 = 0.459 mgd x1,000,000 = 459,000 gpdDaily industrial user charge is 459,000 ÷ 1,000 x$3.50 per 1,000 gals = $1,606.50 per dayAnnual industrial user charge is $1,606.50 per day x365 days per year = $586,372.50

9. B) They help to determine loadingrates.Loading rates are important to determine how closethe facility may be getting to the original designloading values, and, loading rates cannot beaccurately calculated without flow measurementdevices (flow meters).

10. D) Enter without an attendant.While following all permit-required confined spaceentry procedures, there must be a trained attendantavailable before entering the space—no exceptions tothis rule!

Certification Boulevard Answer Key

ENGINEERING DIRECTORY

Tank Engineering And ManagementConsultants, Inc.

Engineering • Inspection

Aboveground Storage Tank SpecialistsMulberry, Florida • Since 1983

863-354-9010www.tankteam.com


ENGINEERING DIRECTORY

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CentralFloridaControls,Inc.

Instrumentation Calibration

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On-Site Water Meter Calibrations

Preventive Maintenance Contracts

Emergency and On Call Services

Installation and System Start-up

Lift Station Controls Service and Repair

Instrumentation,Controls Specialists

Florida Certified in water meter testing and repair

P.O. Box 6121 • Ocala, FL 34432Phone: 352-347-6075 • Fax: 352-347-0933

www.centra l f lor idacontrols .com

CEC Motor & Utility Services, LLC1751 12th Street EastPalmetto, FL. 34221

Phone - 941-845-1030Fax – 941-845-1049

[email protected]

• Motor & Pump Services Test Loaded up to 4000HP, 4160-Volts

• Premier Distributor for Worldwide Hyundai Motors up to 35,000HP

• Specialists in rebuilding motors, pumps, blowers, & drives

• UL 508A Panel Shop, engineer/design/build/install/commission

• Lift Station Rehabilitation Services, GC License # CGC1520078

• Predictive Maintenance Services, vibration, IR, oil sampling

• Authorized Sales & Service for Aurora Vertical Hollow Shaft Motors

Motor & Utility Services, LLC




Posi t ions Avai lable

Client Services ManagerReiss Engineering, Inc., a growing consulting engineering firm special-izing in potable water and water reclamation consulting engineering, iscurrently hiring for an experienced Client Services Manager in theTampa Bay area. For more information about career opportunities orto apply for this position, please visit www.reisseng.com.

City of Tampa Water Production Manager$74,339.20 - $116,500.80 a year. Bachelor's degree in chemical, civil orenvironmental engineering or a business, technical or sciences field and(7) years of progressively responsible experience in the management ofwater treatment processes; or an equivalent combination of trainingand experience. Apply online: http://www.tampagov.net/appl_personnel_job_openings/job_detail.asp?posting_id=3238

The Town of Hillsboro Beach is acceptingapplications for a Class C or higher WaterTreatment Plant Operator or a trainee whohas completed the DEP approvedcoursework. For application, please visit

www.townofhillsborobeach.com.

We are currently accepting employment applications for the following positions:

Water & Wastewater Licensed Operator’s – positions are available inthe following counties: Pasco, Polk, Highlands, Lee, Marathon

Maintenance Technicians – positions are available in the following lo-cations: Jacksonville, New Port Richey, Fort Myers, Lake, Marion,

Ocala, Pembroke Pines

Construction Manager – Hillsborough

Customer Service Manager - Pasco

Employment is available for F/T, P/T and Subcontract opportunitiesPlease visit our website at www.uswatercorp.com

(Employment application is available in our website)4939 Cross Bayou Blvd.

New Port Richey, FL 34652Toll Free: 1-866-753-8292

Fax: (727) 848-7701E-Mail: [email protected]

Water and Wastewater Utility Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Management

Project Manager and Project EngineerReiss Engineering, Inc., a growing consulting engineering firm special-izing in potable water and wastewater consulting engineering, is cur-rently hiring for an experienced Project Manager and for anexperienced Project Engineer in our Winter Springs, Tampa or WinterHaven office. For more information about career opportunities or toapply for one of these positions, please visit www.reisseng.com.

C L A S S I F I E D S

Wastewater OperatorHourly Min.- Max: $13.81-$21.98

Technical work in the operation and maintenance of Wastewater Treat-ment Facilities and associated equipment.

· High school graduation or possession of an acceptable equiv-alency diploma.

· Valid Florida Driver’s License· A valid Florida class “C” certification in wastewater treatment

Pleases visit our website for more details: www.cityofclermontfl.com EOE, DFWP

Purchase Private Utilities and Operating RoutesFlorida Corporation is interested in expanding it’s market in Florida.We would like you and your company to join us. We will buy or part-ner for your utility or operations business. Call Carl Smith at 727-835-9522. E-mail: [email protected]

Wastewater Field Operations SupervisorReady for an exciting new chapter in your career? Join our team of Utility professionals at the City of Tavares, America’s Seaplane City, inbeautiful Central Florida and enjoy these advantages!

Salary range: $37,750 - $56,625Excellent health, dental, life, disability and Florida Retirement Systembenefits.Generous time off and holiday plans.Positive and progressive work environment, with active focus on staffdevelopment.

The qualified candidate will possess:• High school graduate or equivalent, with Associate Degree preferred• Eight (8) years of experience in the field, with at least three (3) years

of supervisory experience• Valid and insurable Florida Driver’s License• Class “A” Collection Operators license from FWPCOA, or ability to

obtain within one year of hire

For more detailed information and electronic access to our employ-ment application, please visit our website at www.tavares.org.

APPLY TODAY! We welcome your resume or application in person orby mail to City of Tavares Human Resources, 201 East Main Street,Tavares, FL 32778, or by fax to 352-742-6351.

We are an EOE, ADA, VP, Women, Minorities, E-Verify and Drug-FreeWorkplace!

Bonita Springs UtilitiesChief Waste Water Operator

Salary: $51,065 to $76,595

Directs and supervises the daily operation and maintenance of waste-water treatment plant(s); Directs and coordinates work assignments ofsubordinate staff; evaluates employees’ performance; Maintains com-pliance with all regulatory bodies; Develops budget proposals and cap-ital project plans; Reviews plans for plant upgrades; meets withconsultants and contractors when necessary; Thorough knowledge ofthe operating principles and practices of a wastewater treatment plant;operation and maintenance standards, methods, materials, and equip-ment; Skill in utilizing computer for monitoring telemetry system,alarms, and maintenance management program; Ability to plan, assign,supervise, and evaluate the work of subordinates; Knowledge of ClassAA biosolids handling;

State of Florida Class “A” Wastewater Plant Operator’s license; 5 years’experience of direct supervision in a Waste Water Facility; Membraneexperience a plus

Submit applications to Nathalie Galvan, HR Manager @ [email protected] or apply online at www.bsu.us

Posi t ions WantetdENTRY LEVEL CIVIL ENGINEER - (Luis Olguin) B.A. in Civil Engineering from UF, focus on water resources, 3 years Water/Wastewater engineering utility experience. Former Peace Corps volunteer. [email protected] 407-779-3155

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATESClassified ads are $18 per line for a 60 characterline (including spaces and punctuation), $54minimum. The price includes publication in both themagazine and our Web site. Short positions wantedads are run one time for no charge and are subjectto [email protected]

Looking For a Job? The FWPCOA Job Placement

Committee Can Help!

Contact Joan E. Stokes at 407-293-9465 or fax 407-293-9943

for more information.

Editorial Calendar

January . . . .Wastewater TreatmentFebruary . . . .Water Supply; Alternative SourcesMarch . . . . . .Energy Efficiency; . . . . . . . . . . .Environmental StewardshipApril . . . . . . .Conservation and Reuse;

Florida Water Resources ConferenceMay . . . . . . .Operations and Utilities ManagementJune . . . . . . . .Biosolids Management and Bioenergy Production; . . . . . . . . . . .FWRC ReviewJuly . . . . . . . .Stormwater Management; . . . . . . . . . . .Emerging TechnologiesAugust . . . . .Disinfection; Water Quality; 65th AnniversarySeptember . .Emerging Issues; . . . . . . . . . . .Water Resources ManagementOctober . . . . .New Facilities, Expansions and UpgradesNovember . . .Water TreatmentDecember . . .Distribution and Collection

Technical articles are usually scheduled several months in advanceand are due 60 days before the issue month (for example, January 1 forthe March issue).

The closing date for display ad and directory card reservations,notices, announcements, upcoming events, and everything elseincluding classified ads, is 30 days before the issue month (for example,September 1 for the October issue).

For further information on submittal requirements, guidelines forwriters, advertising rates and conditions, and ad dimensions, as well asthe most recent notices, announcements, and classified advertisements,go to www.fwrj.com or call 352-241-6006.

February 2014


CEU Challange ................41

CNIguard ........................15

Crom ..............................42

Data Flow........................29

FSAWWA Call 4 Papers ....48

FSAWWA Conference ......26

FSAWWA Mentoring ........27

FWPCOA Region 4 Golf ....13

FWPCOA Training ............37

Garney ..............................5

GML ............................9, 25

Hudson Pump..................19

ISA Symposium ..............33

Oldcastle ........................21

Quality Control ................45

Rangeline ........................55

Reiss Engineering ..............7

Stacon ..............................2

TREEO ............................44

USA Blue Book ................11

US Water ........................43

Xylem..............................56

Display Advertiser Index

Glossary of Common Termsin This Publication

ASR ....................aquifer storage and recoveryAWT....................advanced water treatmentAWWT ..............advanced wastewater treatmentAWWA ..............American Water Works AssociationBOD ..................5-day biochemical oxygen demandBODx..................BOD test based on other than 5 daysCBOD ................5-day carbonaceous BODCOD ..................chemical oxygen demandcfm ....................cubic feet per minutecfs ......................cubic feet per secondCWA ..................Clean Water ActDEP ....................Fla. Dept. of Environmental ProtectionEIS......................Environmental Impact Statement EPA ....................U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyFAC ....................Florida Administrative Codefps ......................feet per secondFSAWWA............Florida Section of AWWAFWEA ................Florida Water Environment AssociationFWPCOA ..........Florida Water & Pollution Control Operators

AssociationGIS ....................Geographic Information Systemgpcd ..................gallons per capita per daygpd ....................gallons per daygpm ..................gallons per minutehp ......................horsepowerI/I ........................Infiltration/Inflowmgd ..................million gallons per daymg/L ..................milligrams per literMLSS ................mixed liquor suspended solidsMLTSS................mixed liquor total suspended solidsNPDES ..............Nat. Pollutant Discharge Elimination SystemNTU ....................nephelometric turbidity unitsORP....................oxidation reduction potentialPOTW ................public-owned treatment works ppm....................parts per millionppb ....................parts per billionPSC ....................Public Service Commissionpsi ......................pounds per square inchPVC ....................polyvinyl chlorideRO ......................reverse osmosisSCADA................supervisory control and data acquisition SJRWMD............St. Johns River Water Mangement Dist.SFWMD..............South Florida Water Management Dist.SRWMD..............Suwannee River Water Management DistrictSSO....................sanitary sewer overflowSWFWMD ..........Southwest Fla. Water Management Dist.TDS ....................total dissolved solidsTMDL..................total maximum daily loadTOC....................total organic carbonTSS ....................total suspended solidsUSGS ................United States Geological SurveyWEF....................Water Environment FederationWRF ..................water reclamation facilityWTP....................water treatment plantWWTP ................wastewater treatment plant

70- Wade trim71- Stantec FWEA 1/4 page

72 - Move directories

C- factor start on 70 & jump

ad log arcadis and ISA

florida water resources journal - may 2014

Documents

state of florida

executive manager

issue trademark names

fwpcoa operators

trademark owner

email changes

emerald lakesdrive

post office