Delaware Office of Drinking Water Office of Drinking Water 655 Bay Road, Suite 203 Dover, DE 19901 302.741.8630 Fax: 302.741.8631 TAPTALK Vol. 8, No. 1 Winter 2008 Division of Public Health We have a celebrity amongst us! Dr. Davison Mwale, an engineer at Office of Drinking Water is lead author of the September/October (2007) issue of the Journal of Hydrologic Engineering (ASCE). He and his collaborators have developed a procedure to decode the nonstationary variability of climate processes and a computer model to predict the nonlinear variations of climatic elements, such as precipitation. Dr. Mwale says the methods and the model have public health significance because climate variations affect the availability of surface drinking water resources, especially when the variations become extreme, such as extended droughts. Dr. Mwale believes that understanding and reducing society’s vulnerability to these variations requires a sound scientific basis, which partly depends on the knowledge of the dominant precipitation regimes in a given region, state or country. Dr. Mwale explained that although historical records depict climate to be inherently nonstationary or variable in space, time and the frequency domains and its association with external force functions, such as sea surface temperature (SST) or sea level pressures (SLP) is non-linear, for over a hundred years, researchers have extensively employed methods that assume climate to be stationary, and its association with SST to be linear. “This, has resulted in modest prediction skill of precipitation,” he explains. “But by applying the new methods, known as Wavelet Empirical Orthogonal Functions (WEOF) and Huang Empirical Orthogonal Functions (HEOF), and the new versatile model which he calls ANN-GA, which combines ideas from Artificial Intelligence and the principles of evolution, has resulted in improved precipitation prediction, which ranges from 70 to 80%, compared to previous estimates which ranged from 20-60%.” Other of his publications have appeared in the International Journal of Climatology, (2004) and Journal of Applied Meteorology (ASCE), 2005. DELAWARE HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES Division of Public Health Office of Drinking Water Doc. No. 35-05-20/07/11/07 The Administrator's Corner By Ed Hallock Program Administrator Office of Drinking Water The Office of Drinking Water (ODW) has been working with EPA on getting ready for the implemention of the new Stage 2 Disinfectant/Disinfection Byproducts and Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment rules. We are also busy figuring out the new Groundwater rule as well. ODW will be working on getting these new rules adopted into our regulations. In addition, EPA recently finalized the Lead/Copper Rule Short Term revisions. ODW is reviewing this rule and considering the possibility of implementing some of these changes prior to formally adopting the rule into our regulations. Also, we are working on revisions to our operator certification regulations. A workshop was held early in 2007 and have been on hold waiting on guidance from the Attorney’s General Office. We will be making significant changes to the enforcement section of these regulations in order to make them more implementable. ODW is planning on holding at least one more workshop on the proposed changes before we begin the formal process through the Administrative Procedures Act. We are hoping to have more information by the time of the Delaware Rural Water Association annual conference at the end of February. You may recall that in the last newsletter I was happy to report that ODW was fully staffed. Well, apparently I wasn’t knocking wood hard enough or on the right kind of wood because we recently lost two employees. Linda Popels has left for a position in the Public Health Laboratory and Darryl Ivery left for a position in the private industry. We will still be able to take advantage of Linda’s talents since she will be conducting analyses for the drinking water program. Lastly, I hope everybody had a wonderful holiday season and are now ready to move forward into 2008. ODW is ready for some exciting and challenging times as we begin full implementation of the new EPA regulations. Employee Spotlight: Linda Popels Welcome and Goodbye! Linda Popels worked for ODW from August 2006 until November 2007. She was responsible for conducting sanitary surveys and making sure that all of the compliance samples were collected for northern Delaware. Linda is now working at the Public Health Laboratory in Smyrna, running Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) samples for ODW. Before arriving at ODW, Linda conducted research in the biology department at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio where she studied algae in the Great Lakes. She received her Ph.D. in biological oceanography from the University of Delaware in Lewes where her dissertation focused on harmful algae. Linda’s hobbies include swimming, spending lots of time with her husband and baby girl and walking her dog. Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition From February 26 through February 28, 2008, Delaware Rural Water will be holding its annual Technical Conference and Exhibition at the Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington, DE. For more information contact the Delaware Rural Water CCR Update The Office of Drinking Water is still reviewing the Consumer Confidence Reports for 2006. If you have any questions about your CCR, call Donna Trader at (302) 741-8630 ext 8594. Thank you for your cooperation and patience. Public Notices 2007 System Name Violation Date Issued Date Returned tCompliance Bayville Shopping Center Bacteria 8/6/2007 11/1/2007 Bethany Club Tennis Bacteria 8/6/2007 10/1/2007 Blue Coast Bacteria 10/17/2007 Pending Briarwood Manor Mobile Home Park Nitrate 10/25/2007 Pending Bridgeville Commercial Park Nitrate 9/21/2007 Pending Broadkiln Beach Water Company Bacteria 11/27/2007 Pending Carey Estates Bacteria 10/11/2007 11/20/2007 Centerville School Bacteria 8/17/2007 10/10/2007 Childrens Secret Garden Bacteria 10/12/2007 11/26/2007 Delaware Emergency Operations Center Bacteria 10/22/2007 Pending Delaware State Fire School Bacteria 9/4/2007 10/16/2007 Downing's Loving & Learning Bacteria 10/17/2007 11/19/2007 Dow Reichold Chemical Bacteria 9/4/2007 11/26/2007 Flying Dutchman III Bacteria 9/17/2007 9/24/2007 Forest Park Nitrate 9/13/2007 Pending Frederica Water Department Treatment 8/17/2007 Pending Guardian Angels Daycare MTBE 11/16/2007 Pending Gulls Way Campground Nitrate 9/25/2007 Pending Holiday Estates Bacteria 8/21/2007 9/24/2007 Holly Lake Campsite System 1 Bacteria 9/7/2007 9/26/2007 Holly Lake Campsite System 2 Bacteria 9/7/2007 9/26/2007 Irenes Trailer Court Nitrate 9/14/2007 10/3/2007 Kristins Care and Learning Center Bacteria 5/7/2007 6/22/2007 Middletown Water Department Bacteria 3/8/2007 3/30/2007 Mills Brothers Market Bacteria 7/19/2007 9/10/2007 National Vulcanized Fiber II Bacteria 8/16/2007 Pending North Gate Shopping Center (Imperial SC) Bacteria 7/19/2007 8/29/2007 Pickering Beach Bacteria 9/25/2007 Pending The Pit Bacteria 6/30/2003 9/27/2007 Savannah Place Nitrate 3/7/2007 Pending Sea Breeze Longs Trailer Park Bacteria 7/2/2007 Pending Shore Stop 227 Bacteria 10/12/2007 11/20/2007 Shore Stop 231 - Rising Sun Nitrate 11/2/2007 Pending Shore Stop 236 Bacteria 7/23/2007 11/15/2007 Smith Landing Nitrate 7/19/2007 Pending St. Andrews School Bacteria 11/8/2007 11/19/2007 Tastee Freez Nitrate 6/12/2007 9/4/2007 Townsend Water Department Bacteria 9/12/2007 11/26/2007 Twin Maples Trailer Park Bacteria 8/9/2007 9/20/2007 Woodside Goose Creek Bacteria 11/6/2007 Pending Woodland Trailer Park Bacteria 9/21/2007 Pending Woodside Inn Bacteria 9/20/2007 11/20/2007 Training at DelTech’s Environmental Training Center January – May 2008 — Please call DTCC for time, fees and CEUs. DTCC Owens Campus, Georgetown: (302) 855–1617 INSTRUMENTATION AND PUMPING 1/17-5/8 PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC CONTROLLERS 1/15-4/1 BASE LEVEL WATER OPERATOR COURSE 1/16-5/21 CHASING THE THERMAL DEMONS 1/23 WATER/WASTEWATER OPERATIONS FOR ELECTED/APPOINTED PUBLIC OFFICIALS 1/23 21ST CENTURY DRINKING WATER CORROSION CONTROL 1/24 TEN LITTLE-KNOWN WATER/WASTEWATER OPERATORS’ SECRETS 1/25 INTRO TO SCADA 1/25 WATER TREATMENT & CHLORINE SAFETY 1/31 ELECTRICAL BLUEPRINT READING FOR OPERATORS 2/8 WATER SUPPLY HYDROLOGY, SOURCES AND WATER CONSERVATION 2/13 SUBMERSIBLE PUMPS 2/15 US EPA GROUNDWATER COMPLIANCE WORKSHOP 2/20 TRENCHING & SHORING SAFETY 2/22 EXCAVATION 3/3 WATER QUALITY 3/5 OSHA CONSTRUCTION SAFETY COURSE 3/6 & 3/20 DELAWARE’S HYDROLOGEOLOGY AND THE ROCKS AND FOSSILS OF THE MID-ATLANTIC 3/7 BASIC ELECTRICITY FOR OPERATORS 3/13 TROUBLESHOOTING PUMPS 3/14 PUMPS: INSTALLATION, MAINTENANCE & REPAIR 3/26 PUMP FUNDAMENTALS FOR WELL DRILLERS 3/28 WATER OPERATOR CERTIFICATION DISINFECTION COURSE 4/1-4/29 WATER OPERATOR CHEMICAL FEED COURSE FOR FLUORIDE, LIME, PH ADJUSTMENT AND INHIBITORS 4/3-5/1 VALVES 4/2 TEAM BUILDING 4/4 PUMPS: MOTORS & CONTROLS 4/11 GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEMS 4/14 PUMP HYDRAULICS 4/16 ELECTRICAL TROUBLESHOOTING FOR OPERATORS 4/17 WELL CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES 4/18 THREE PHASE AC POWER WORKSHOP 4/18 EFFECTIVE WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS FLUSHING 4/24 PIPELINE ASSESSMENT CERTIFICATION PROGRAM 5/8-5/9 CUSTOMER RELATIONS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNICIANS 5/2 INTO TO MAPPING AND GIS FOR OPERATORS 5/5 PREPARATION FOR THE DELAWARE PUMP INSTALLERS AND WELL DRILLERS EXAM 5/16 CHLORINATION TECHNOLOGY 5/30 Terry Campus, Dover: (302) 857-1406 DISINFECTION OPERATIONS FOR WATER & WASTEWATER SYSTEMS 2/6-2/7 TEST METHODS FOR WATER/WASTEWATER OPERATIONS 2/12 TRAIN THE TRAINER/HAZCOM/PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT 3/4 FIRE HYDRANT OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE 4/2 MATH REVIEW FOR WATER OPERATORS 5/22 DTCC Stanton Campus: (302) 453-3000 21ST CENTURY ULTRA VIOLET DISINFECTION 1/29 TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A WATER/WASTEWATER OPERATOR 2/5 TIPS AND TOOLS FOR 21ST CENTURY WATER/WASTEWATER PROCESS MONITORING 2/8 LOCKOUT-TAGOUT/RESPIRATOR USAGE/CONFINED SPACE ENTRY 3/5 REVERSE OSMOSIS FLUORIDATION 3/19 BASIC INSTRUMENTATION & PROCESS CONTROL 3/19 SURFACE WATER TREATMENT 5/14 \