Washington State Public Works Board’s Post

Check out upcoming webinars and trainings offered by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)! Upcoming Webinar: Climate Change and Financial Strength of Water Sector Utilities Thursday, September 12th | 2:00 - 3:30 pm EST The webinar will feature perspectives from members of the Climate Finance Workgroup representing the water utility, credit rating, investor, and insurance sectors. Register Here: https://lnkd.in/dQUX6TH5 Interested in Learning More about WaterTA? Webinar: Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Water Technical Assistance (WaterTA) - Helping Communities Address Their Water Challenges  Thursday, September 10th | 2:00 pm EST This webinar will highlight two WaterTA initiatives: Engineering Support and Closing America's Wastewater Access Gap. For more information on WaterTA, please visit www.epa.gov/WaterTA  Register Here: https://lnkd.in/dCQdWEBe Upcoming trainings about technical assistance with wastewater are also available. How to Prepare Your Wastewater Utility for Disasters  Join WICRD for a free webinar on how to prepare your wastewater utility for disasters! This webinar will demonstrate how to use EPA’s new Small System Risk and Resilience Assessment (RRA) Checklist for Wastewater Utilities and the Emergency Response Plan (ERP) Template for Wastewater Utilities. The webinar will be offered two times. Feel free to register for the webinar that best fits your schedule:  August 28, 2024; 2pm - 3:30pm ET | Ice Storm and Cybersecurity Scenarios | Register Here: https://lnkd.in/dtv6RPX9 September 19, 2024; 1pm - 2:30pm ET | Flood and Cybersecurity Scenarios | Register Here: https://lnkd.in/dshYPFUJ Climate Resilience Training for Water Sector Utilities in the Four Corners Region  September 18, 2024; 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM MT Dolores Public Lands Office (29211 CO-184 Dolores, CO 81323)  WICRD's CRWU and EPA Region 8 will be hosting a free, in-person training for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities (including Tribal utilities) in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Utility representatives will gain a greater awareness of the impacts of climate change on water utility assets and operations, available web-based tools for conducting a climate risk assessment, and resources for funding adaptive strategies that build resilience. CEUs will be available for operators from Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico.   Register by September 11, 2024.  Register Here: https://lnkd.in/dbh57_gK

Our Public Works Board Chair Kathryn Gardow was recently featured as an alum of Union College!

A big thank you to Quad City Herald for featuring the expansion of broadband access in Okanogan County. The Public Works Board (PWB) funded the Okanogan County PUD's Conconully middle mile project, which once complete, will support broadband access to 370 Conconully residents. Read more about the article using this link: https://lnkd.in/eDyQuBtj

On Tuesday, the Public Works Board (PWB) participated in a groundbreaking ceremony held to celebrate an energized start to construction of the City of Lynden’s forthcoming new maintenance facility. The construction project, which is funded by the PWB, replaces maintenance facilities at the City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) and is intended to house all sewer system needs in a single place. The existing maintenance building site is only accessible by boat during Nooksack River flooding, which inhibits the ability to service the collection system during flood emergencies. The construction project moves and consolidates the City of Lynden’s dispersed and aged maintenance facilities and activities away from the existing WWTP facility, making necessary physical room for important growth-driven capacity and treatment upgrades. To learn more about PWB funding and projects, visit pwb.wa.gov 

The Office of Drinking Water at the Washington State Department of Health has some important information to share about the Construction and Lead Service Line Project Guidelines. The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Construction and Lead Service Line (LSL) DRAFT Project Funding Guidelines (Guidelines) are available for comment. Comments will be accepted until Monday, September 16, 2024. Please submit comments to DWSRF@doh.wa.gov. The Guidelines cover both the Construction and LSL application cycles. • One application is for typical construction and emerging contaminant projects. The application for any LSL inventory or replacement projects is separate. • We adopted changes to Chapter 246-296 WAC to update the definition of a “disadvantaged community.” We are seeking comments on the indicators established in the Guidelines that determine eligibility as a disadvantaged community. • We are also seeking comments on the indicators for prioritizing project applications and establishing subsidy for eligible projects. We will use these indicators during the funding cycles to determine eligibility for subsidy after loan eligibility is confirmed. • We scheduled three separate webinars and a question-and-answer session to explain the available funding. Links to the Microsoft Teams meeting for each session are on our DWSRF webpage, under the “Construction and Lead Service Line Loans: October-November” dropdown. We are currently accepting project applications through the Washington Loan Tracker (WALT) application. For assistance in applying, please see the WALT External User Guide 331-614 (PDF) or email us at DWSRF@doh.wa.gov. • Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. PST on November 30, 2024.

Register today and save for the 2024 Road & Street Maintenance Conference! September 16 - 18, 2024 | Wenatchee, WA Registration (wsuprofed.com) Completing registration before Friday, August 16 will save you $100. -Attendees: $385 if registered before August 16, 2024, $485 after. -Vendors: $650 if registered before August 16, 2024, $750 after. Click this link to learn more about how to become a vendor: Vendors (wsuprofed.com) Conference sponsorships are available now! Click this link to learn more about becoming a sponsor: Sponsors (wsuprofed.com) Be sure to check out all the conference details online at https://lnkd.in/eji_mmSz

Last week, the Public Works Board (PWB) joined the Open House and Ribbon Cutting event hosted by the Lake Forest Park Water District at the district’s new McKinnon Creek Pumphouse. PWB funds provided in 2022 allowed for construction of the new pumphouse, which is a critical component of the pump system that ensures there is enough pressure throughout the water pipes and keeps everything safe and secure. Many thanks to all who attended and a special thank you to the district and general manager Alan Kerley for walking the PWB through a tour of the facility!