7:45 am Breakfast and Installation of Officers - Sapphire Ballroom

9:30 am – Phosphates Beyond Corrosion Control Stu Bowns, Group Manager and Ruch Rabold, Project Manager, Woolpert LLP. Phosphates are well known for their corrosion control and sequestering capabilities. There are many more benefits to the use of phosphates in potable water systems, ranging from improved chlorination and reduced bacterial populations to an easier operating system, with fewer mechanical and replacement costs, lower maintenance costs, as well as overall better water quality. This presentation details these benefits, and it also includes case studies and photos of such benefits. If every water system, at its inception, injected a trace of these phosphates, water quality in these systems would remain stable, and the ever degrading distribution infrastructure would be in much better condition.

10:00 am – Automatic Leak Detection Finally Arrives Bud Reed, Director of Sales, Flow Metrix, Inc. Many government agencies are now contemplating adopting the newly proposed AWWA-IWA best practices for water loss control, including a new water audit methodology. This could mean new mandates for achieving lower levels of non-revenue water, and implementation of an active leakage control program. With involvement from the National Science Foundation, and input from a few utility partners, Flow Metrix (Maynard, MA, USA) has developed a low cost, "leak sensor" which can be embedded throughout a distribution system. The sensors perform an automatic, and continuous, leak survey, 24/7 – transparent to the traditional operation of the utility. And, because they can interface to most wireless AMR systems, or operate in a stand-alone mode, a comprehensive leak survey can be performed on-demand, but no less frequently than the meter reading cycle. This presentation will introduce the audience to this amazing new technology, and will also discuss its role in reducing Non Revenue Water due to leakage, and maintaining water losses at unprecedented low levels.

10:30 am – Break

11:15 am – Causes of Corrosion and Solutions for Water Piping Systems
James T. Lary, Corrpro Companies, Inc. Corrosion is a process that attacks buried or submerged metallic structures often resulting in water service disruptions along with increased maintenance and operating costs. The goal of this presentation is to identify and explain in an easily understood manner the corrosion process and its impact on cast and ductile iron, steel and prestressed concrete cylinder pipe. Topics to be reviewed and discussed will include stray electrical currents, aggressive soils, bimetallic coupling, coatings, cathodic protection, corrosion coupons and polyethylene encasement.

9:00 am – Brine - The Residual of the Future Edmund A. Kobylinski, P.E., Gary Hunter, P.E., Scott Carr, P.E. Black and Veatch Corporation. This paper reviews the issues related to brine disposal at WTP’s and the available alternative methods, and presents the advantages and disadvantages of each. An opinion of the capital and operating costs for each alternative will be presented.

9:30 am – Human Tracers as Surrogate Indicators of Potential Septic Contamination of Potable Aquifers: A Decision Tool for Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Planning Sharon Waller, P.E. and Andrew Eaton, P.E. MWH Americas. High levels of nitrates in private wells has sparked a debate over urban growth patterns and past agricultural practices in Northern Indiana. Three sampling events over six years have provided data on coliforms and nitrates but have not produced a compelling case for local politicians to agree on future action. If nitrate concentrations are predominantly due to past agricultural practices, no change in development patterns may be warranted. If nitrates are due in part to high densities of on-site septic systems, urban planning modifications and major infrastructure development may be warranted. To provide further data, a human tracer pilot sampling program has been developed and preliminary data is presented for compounds, such as pesticides, herbicides, caffeine, acetaminophen and tobacco metabolites, that would indicate the presence of contamination from septic systems and/or agricultural practices.

10:00 am – Inactivation of Microcystin-LR by Free Chlorine in Drinking Water Treatment Benjamin Zeier, Water Project Engineer, Earth Tech, Inc. Microcystin-LR, a cyanotoxin, has been identified in source and treated drinking waters in the U.S. and Canada. Health effects caused by microcystin-LR include the possibility of increased risk of carcinogenesis and tumor promotion in the liver, which led to the World Health Organization provisional drinking water guideline of 1 µg/L. Chlorine is used by more than 95% of the medium and large water utilities in the U.S. and as a result would be easily accessible if CT values were developed for chlorination of microcystin-LR. This presentation focuses on the background of microcystin-LR and the initial research conducted at the University of Wisconsin at Madison to determine the CT values needed for chlorine inactivation of microcystin-LR.

10:30 am – Break

10:45 am – My Sample Failed QC – Did I Do Something Wrong? Celeste Crowley Sr. Public Service Administrator -Supervisor of Pesticide and Extraction Units, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Just as water is tested by laboratories, the chemical tests themselves are monitored. That monitoring, or quality control, can be described as a test on the test. This talk will discuss some of those tests on the tests, explaining regulatory limits for a laboratory. The chemistry and technical stuff will be minimized, and some steps of preparation, extraction, measurement calibration, and sample spikes will be described. Routine quality control issues will be discussed, along with how they are handled, and why resamples are sometimes needed. QC problems very seldom mean that there is a problem with the water, the collector, or the laboratory, and the talk is intended to explain laboratory testing issues.

11:15 am – Rethinking Clarifier Tank Design for the 21st Century
Harry Harman, P.E. Baxter and Woodman, Inc. Circular clarifier and softener tank designs have remained almost unchanged for decades. Today, there are design options available for these potable water tanks that reduce cost, simplify construction, improve performance, and improve security. This paper will compare some of these options and how they might improve the final operating system.

9:30 am – How to Fund Your Project: State Revolving Fund (SRF) Low Interest Loan Program Outline and Update
Al Garver, IEPA, This presentation will provide an explanation of the Illinois EPA Public Water Supply Loan Program application process and an update on available funding for the program. Loan application packets and other handouts will be available.

10:00 am – Partners in Damage Prevention: JULIE, Inc. and the Illinois Section AWWA
Raymond Muhs, JULIE’s Damage Prevention Manager
As one of the largest not-for-profit corporations in the state with over 1,700 members, JULIE, Inc.’s Damage Prevention Manager will explore the JULIE locate request process, discuss the importance of proactive safety and education campaigns and highlight key legislation and policy changes affecting all Illinois Section AWWA members and excavators in Illinois. For more information, visit www.illinois1call.com.

10:45 am – The WUC Participation in How Bills Become Laws or Not!
Ed Glatfelter, Central Lake County JAWA and Maureen Mulhall, John Ryan and Associates.,
Members of the Water Utility Council and our legislative liaisons will explain "How A Bill Becomes A Law" and the role of the Water Utility Council in the legislative process. Using examples from the last legislative session, attendees should gain an understanding of the legislative process from a concept being drafted into a bill, the path a bill takes on the way to the Governor, and subsequent action by the Governor. Attendees should also gain an appreciation for the importance of their voices with their legislators throughout the year.

11:15 am – Legislative Update: The Status of Legislative Action and What You Can Do About It
John Ryan and Maureen Mulhall, John Ryan and Associates. The legislative liaisons for ISAWWA will provide information on the activities of the current General Assembly. This is an opportunity for members to learn about legislation that has the potential to affect operations of water utilities and implications of the State’s budget.

Post Conference Session – Governor’s Room

12:00 noon – Box Lunch and rebroadcast of teleconference

Maximize your educational opportunities. View the most current teleconference and earn additional contact hours. The topic is an AWWA Teleconference: Emerging Issues in Water Utility Operations. Pre-registration required and box lunch included.