Lori Stenzel District 4 Trustee
Who
would have thought we would go from record droughts in 2012 to record floods in
2013!!! Most of the State had record
flood levels and it just keeps raining.
At this pace the question is when will the farmers get into their fields? In southern Illinois we are experiencing
levels above flood stage finally, but not exceeding record levels yet, due to
being so low to begin with. All this
rain is finally replenishing the lakes, rivers, and groundwater. The one positive thing about all the flooding
is that it seems to have flushed out the taste & odor problems that people
were experiencing due to the low river levels and lack of moisture. It’s truly amazing how our jobs are so
dependent on Mother Nature!
We
had another record breaking attendance at WATERCON 2013 making it a huge
success! Having a variety of sessions to
choose from was a challenge from time to time; but, overall, everyone I talked to
seem to have enjoyed themselves and found the sessions to be very informative
and helpful! I know my session on
sampling and what to avoid was standing room only! We really need to reach out to our youth
about getting into the water industry.
In the next five years we are going to be in a world of hurt due to all
the operators who will be retiring! I
talked to several students who will be graduating and told them to check our
website for jobs. Remember, ERTC is a
good source of licensed operators who are looking for internships as well as
employment. The IEPA is on track by considering
an "Operator in Training” certificate to those who pass the water operators
exam but don’t meet the experience criteria.
They are hoping to have something official by the end of 2013. This would be a great opportunity for those
who would like to get into our field but don’t have the experience. A water plant would be able to hire them and
once they have met the experience criteria, they would receive their
license. This is a great decision for
the IEPA to move on. It may help fill
the void over the next several years.
Upcoming
Southern Meetings:
Southern
Illinois Water Operators Association will be holding their 79th
Annual Spring Conference at the US Penitentiary Conference Center in Marion on
Wednesday, May 29, 2013. Topics include
IEPA Regulatory Update, Chemical Safety for Water Treatment Plants, Emergency
Response Plan, JULIE 2013 Excavator Safety, Illinois Commerce Commission with
Illinois One-Call Enforcement, followed by a plant tour and golf outing. If interested, contact Roger Noe at
waynecitywater@frontier.com.
Southwestern
Central Water Plant Operators Association will be holding their annual June
Meeting/Picnic at the Troy American Legion, with a picnic to follow at Flo
Systems on Thursday, June 20, 2013. If
interested, contact Patti Schaake at pattischaake@aol.com.
Visit
our website at www.isawwa.org and check
out the Latest News and Calendar to keep up to date on available training
classes, seminars, webinars, and what is happening in the water world!
Until next time. |