Drinking Water Program Update

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Drinking Water Program Update

• Public Health Division
• Office of Environmental Public Health
• Drinking Water Program
• Fall, 2007

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2007 Legislation and Implementation

• 2007 Legislation the fully capable program
• Implementing Initial steps and future steps
• Workforce and succession

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Weekly Legislative Update April 9Public Health
Division, DHS

• Quote of the Week
• Is there a drinking water engineer in the
  house?
• Rep. Kotek calls for help during a hearing on HB
  3099, the community fluoridation bill. Dave
  Leland, our drinking water expert, leaps to the
  rescue.

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A Three Part Problem

• Current EPA health protection standards arent
  yet fully implemented in Oregon, unable to
  implement new standards so Oregon water suppliers
  must work with EPA
• Disparity in public health protection exists
  between large municipal water systems and small
  rural water systems
• No oversight of very small non-EPA water systems,
  true number unknown
• Consequences of not having a fully capable
  state/county program

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A Three Part Solution3M in 2007-2009

• General fund increase (76)
• HB 2187-Sanitary survey inspection fee plus
  federal funds (13)
• HB 5032-Approval for fees raised in 2006 (11)
• Operator certification
• Plan review
• Backflow-communities
• SB 156-Drinking Water Advisory Committee
• Result A FULLY CAPABLE state/county drinking
  water program (18.5 FTE)!

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Initial Implementation (Jan 08)

• Amend county intergovernmental agreements (IGAs)
  for drinking water
• Adopt sanitary survey inspection fee
• Recruit and select state staff
• Expand participation in Drinking Water Advisory
  Committee
• Request Primacy extension from EPA for new rules

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The IGA of the NEAR Future

• Total funding increase from 2M to 3M (07-09)
• CLEHS workgroup on drinking water elements and
  payments (August)
• CLEHS recommendation on drinking water elements
  and payments (September)
• Updated hourly rate payment basis
• Revised list of tasks/payments
• Base funding 40, invoice funding 60
• Allocation formula
• New county/ag IGAs through June 2009 with amended
  legal elements as per DHS and Counties (October)

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IGAs Next Steps

• CLHO review of CLEHS recommendation (Oct-Nov)
• Amend IGAs for 2007-09 (Dec-Jan)
• Go to work (Jan 08-June 09)
• The IGA of the Future for 2009-11
• Recognize local programs are maturing
• Performance measures/targets vs. billing?
• Preventive vs. reactive model avoid
  compliance/health issues?
• Other ideas?
• Silver Falls 2008, CLEHS, CLHO

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Sanitary Survey Inspection Fee

• Authority HB 2187 (2007)
• Sanitary survey workgroup (Sept-Oct)
• LOC, SDAO, MHCO, DWAC, OAWU, OSBA
• Invited ORA, OLA, USFS
• Fee schedule rule adoption (Oct-Feb)
• Surveys and fee collection (March onward)

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Sanitary Survey Workgroup Recommendation

• Assure survey value and quality information,
  requirements, recommendations to assure safe
  drinking water
• Recognize outstanding performers
• Alternative term safe drinking water system
  assessment?
• Vary fee for large water systems to account for
  complexity
• Report to DWAC regularly on fee revenue, survey
  performance
• Adjust fee as needed to support effort

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Workforce and Succession

• Moving to the next level
• 18.5 state/county/Ag staff, plus succession
• The next technical experts
• The next leaders
• Knowledge retention and management

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Workforce and Succession

• Organization revision (July-Oct)
• Training curriculum (July-Dec)
• Unit manager developmental assignments (Nov)
• Data management unit (vacant)
• Technical services unit, Region 2 (new)
• Office space (Sept-Dec)
• Recruitment (Nov-Jan)
• Initial state/co/Ag training (Jan-Mar)
• Recruit unit mangers (Nov 08)

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Organizational Revision - Staff

• Additional Staff (12 FTE)
• Data management unit (2 positions)
• Information Services (1 position)
• Technical Services (8 positions additional unit
  manager)

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Organizational Revision - Offices

• Region 1 Portland, Pendleton
• Region 1 Manager in Portland
• Two Lead Workers
• Region 2 Springfield, Medford
• Region 2 Manager in Springfield
• Two Lead Workers

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Develop Initial Staff Training Curriculum

• Development of summary training course
• 2-3 day introductory training
• Development of training manual
• Provide a comprehensive resource to be used in
  detailed training of new staff on specific job
  functions and technical concepts
• Can be used as a training guide or as a desk
  reference

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Expand Drinking Water Advisory Committee

• SB 156 (2007)
• Four additional positions
• Environmental advocacy groups
• Plumbers/backflow testers
• Water consumers
• Watershed councils
• Bylaws, rules of procedure?

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Request Primacy Extension from EPA

• Long-term 2 surface water treatment rule
• Stage 2 disinfection by-products rule
• Due Jan 4, 2008
• Ask for full 2 years time for initial
  implementation
• In the meantime, EPA continues direct
  implementation

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Future Implementation (June 09)

• HB 3469 (2007) Treatment technique variance
  rule
• Adopt EPA rules and apply for Primacy
• Long-term 2 surface water treatment rule
• Stage 2 disinfection by-products rule
• Ground water rule
• Lead and copper rule revisions

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The Fully Capable Program (July 09)

• Adopt and implement all EPA rules
• Effective and timely oversight of all public
  water systems
• Large and small
• EPA and non-EPA
• Address and prevent significant noncompliance
• Timely sanitary surveys and correction of
  deficiencies
• Timely, accurate, and complete water system data

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Delivering the Fully Capable Program

• If youre seasoned, share what you know
• If youre developing, learn all you can