Welcome to Mission Monday! Mission Monday is the Illinois Section’s new webinar series designed with our mission in mind:  providing resources for the advocacy of safe and sustainable water through enriching membership, mentoring, and increasing public awareness. The education that you receive from this series is focused on the topics that you need to continue to supply safe and sustainable water to all of Illinois.  Once a month we’re bringing education to you on the topics you need the most. This series is free for our members and $25 for non-members. Not a member? Join today at AWWA –  www.awwa.org/join.

SUMMARY: This webinar covers the legal requirements and best practices for record keeping and responding to FOIA requests. Participants learn key Illinois laws affecting public records, how to manage personnel files, handle investigations and performance evaluations, and apply practical tips to ensure compliance, reduce risk, and communicate effectively.

PRESENTER: Kelly A. Coyle, Clark Baird Smith LLP

COST:

Welcome to Mission Monday! Mission Monday is the Illinois Section’s new webinar series designed with our mission in mind:  providing resources for the advocacy of safe and sustainable water through enriching membership, mentoring, and increasing public awareness. The education that you receive from this series is focused on the topics that you need to continue to supply safe and sustainable water to all of Illinois.  Once a month we’re bringing education to you on the topics you need the most. This series is free for our members and $25 for non-members. Not a member? Join today at AWWA –  www.awwa.org/join.

SUMMARY: You cannot see, smell or taste lead in drinking water. To protect children from potential exposure, the State of Illinois passed a law in 2017 requiring certain child care facilities and schools to test their water for lead. To support compliance with this requirement, the LeadCare Illinois program will relaunch in 2026, offering free lead-in-water testing, training, and mitigation support services. In this session, the program team will walk participants through the services offered through the program, as well as best practices for engaging with high-risk facilities in testing and lead service line replacement efforts. The session will also provide a refresher on state requirements to test and mitigate lead at child cares and schools, along with an overview of testing requirements under the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements.   

PRESENTER: 

Brian Cox, P.E. Plumbing and Water Quality Program Manager, Division of Environmental Health, Illinois Department of Public Health
Elizabeth Ornelas, Project Manager, Elevate (administrator of the LeadCare Illinois program)
Caroline Pakenham, Director, Water Programs, Elevate

COST:

Welcome to Mission Monday! Mission Monday is the Illinois Section’s new webinar series designed with our mission in mind:  providing resources for the advocacy of safe and sustainable water through enriching membership, mentoring, and increasing public awareness. The education that you receive from this series is focused on the topics that you need to continue to supply safe and sustainable water to all of Illinois.  Once a month we’re bringing education to you on the topics you need the most. This series is free for our members and $25 for non-members. Not a member? Join today at AWWA –  www.awwa.org/join.

SUMMARY: We are four and a half years into compliance with the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions. An excellent time to reflect on what’s been happening in communities grappling with compliance and in anticipation of the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements taking effect next year. Cook County TAP, the technical assistance arm of LeadCare Cook County, reached out to communities across the state to find out how they have been responding to the challenge. In this session, Ruth Kerzee, Cook County TAP’s project manager, will share what we’ve heard - the challenges, solutions, and additional resources needed – how we are working to make their concerns heard, and resources available now.
And we’re not done collecting information. Bring your stories of what is working and what’s not to share with Cook County TAP and your peers. We hope to collect them and add your experiences to the record as we collectively advocate for the support needed to remove the lead from our water distribution systems.

PRESENTER: Ruth Kerzee, Elevate

COST: