Delaware Office of Drinking Water Office of Drinking Water 655 Bay Road, Suite 203 Dover,DE 19901 Phone: 302.741.8630 Fax: 302.741.8631 TAP TALK Division of Public Health Volume 9, No. 1, Winter 2009 ODW's Newest Staff Member...DRIP By Donna Trader I’m sure by now your children have brought home some sort of squeeze toy that resembles a water droplet. Well, let me introduce you to Drip the ODW’s unofficial “mascot.” Drip started appearing at various health fairs in Delaware in February of 2008. A lot of people didn’t know what Drip was other than a stress toy. There was no connection between Drip and the drinking water program in Delaware. That is how the idea of using Drip as the host character of the new publication was suggested. Why a children’s activity book you ask? Prevention and education aimed at children has been a successful strategy for making changes in beliefs and behaviors. Actually Ed Hallock, ODW program manager, came into my office one day with another children’s activity book that he collected from a conference and said, “Hey, we should do something similar." So the idea was hatched to create an activity book for children that educated them about where drinking water in Delaware comes from, ways to conserve water, the natural water cycle, and how water treatment works. Drip is featured throughout the book teaching children how to make an edible aquifer, clean water crossword, and even teaches kids to fish for words. Drip and his activity book debuted at the 2008 Delaware State Fair and was quite the success. I can honestly say that our table was the busiest table during children’s day. Even the big kids were curious about Drip and his adventures. ODW handed out about 700 Drip toys and activity books during children’s day at the State Fair. ODW also attended numerous health fairs this fall that included school wellness days at elementary schools. Drip was even a hit at the Women’s Wellness Day. Attendees were eager to take Drip home to their children and grandchildren. I couldn’t have completed the activity book without help. My partner in crime, so to speak, was Tammy Stock in DPH’s Office of Health and Risk Communication. The state Printing and Publishing Office contracted with Creative Communications who brought our idea to life. “Tapping into Good Health” featured Drip on the beach for the front cover. Tapping in to Good Health is a twelve page, full color booklet that was printed on recycled paper. ODW’s initial print order was 10,000 so there are plenty to spare. ODW is taking request for bulk copies so please contact ODW at 302-741-8630. DELAWARE HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES Division of Public Health Office of Drinking Water Doc. No. 35-05-20/08/12/14 The Administrator’s Corner By Ed Hallock Program Administrator Office of Drinking Water It is the last day of 2008 as I write this article. It has been an interesting year in many ways. My office is preparing for transitions to new administrations on both the national and state levels. We can only be sure of one thing; there will be changes from the previous administrations. With the recession hitting everyone hard we feel lucky to still have jobs. I am sure there will be a top to bottom review of every state office to determine the effectiveness of their operations. We have already begun that process in our Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Program by holding a three day planning session in October 2008. A planning session for the Public Water System Supervision Program is being scheduled for February or March of 2009. We will look at how we currently provide services to public water systems and the public and try to identify better ways of doing our jobs that will make the office more effective and efficient. The Federal government is talking about an economic recovery plan; others call it a stimulus package, whatever you want to call it we are waiting to see how much money will be provided for drinking water infrastructure projects. Our office has already identified almost $50 million in projects ready to go. Municipalities are calling in daily to see how they can become eligible for funding when it becomes available. We are reviewing projects and working with water systems and their engineers to be sure they are prepared once the money is allocated. The current proposals all call for funding projects that can be “shovel­ready” within 150 to 180 days. This will require a lot of work by all of us to review the projects, ensure they are ready to go and track them. The US EPA has already begun to look at new tracking tools for the states that will be more detailed than anything we have seen in the past. We will need to be able to track start dates, funding disbursements and numbers of people put to work for each phase of a project. This is a head’s up to the water systems to be prepared for more questions if your projects are approved and funded. Yes, it has been a very interesting year and it is looking like 2009 will be no less interesting. I wish the best to everyone in the New Year and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead. This is primarily because there is no chance that I can retire early after the year the stock market had in 2008! Update on ODW’s website By Donna Trader ODW’s website went through some changes last year to meet the Delaware Department of Technology and Information and DHSS requirements. ODW’s home page has been modifiedto have additional links on one side of the page as well as links to the Division of Public Health (DPH) homepage on the left. On our homepage, you can find links to Public Notices, Regulations, Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, Water Operator Certification, as well as Pool and Spa information. Special thanks to Jamie Mack for aiding us in our homepage design and updates. Our homepage can be found at the following URL: http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/hsp/odw.html Public Notices 2009 SystemName Notice type PNdate PNremoval Artesian Water Company Monitoring 08/26/08 12/31/05 Bargain Bills Nitrate 08/14/08 12/01/08 Bayshore Mobile Home Park Bacti 10/31/08 12/01/08 Bridgeville Commercial Park Nitrate 09/19/07 Pending Church Creek Bacti 09/22/08 09/30/08 DeLux Dairy Market Seaford Nitrate 10/31/08 Pending Dow Reichold Chemicals Bacti 09/19/08 12/24/08 Felton District Bacti 12/01/08 12/11/08 Fish Hook Mobile Home Park Nitrate 12/09/08 Pending Forest Park Nitrate 10/12/05 11/03/08 Forest Park Nitrate 11/13/08 Pending Frederica Water Department Treatment 08/17/07 Pending Fruitbud LLC Bacti 11/05/08 12/08/08 Granada Mobile Home Park Bacti 09/22/08 12/23/08 HyPoint Dairy Bacti 10/01/08 11/25/08 Middletown Water Department Monitoring 08/29/08 09/30/08 Middletown Water Department Bacti 09/29/08 11/12/08 Papen Farms Nitrate 10/31/08 Pending Peggy's Family Restaurant Bacti 11/21/08 12/08/08 Pepper Ridge Park DBP 12/26/07 Pending Pepper Ridge Park Bacti 12/17/08 Pending Playtex Products Bacti 12/12/08 Pending Savannah Place Nitrate 04/28/05 11/18/08 Savannah Place Nitrate 12/15/08 Pending Sea Breeze Longs Trailer Park Bacti 07/02/07 05/21/08 Shawns Hideaway Sys 3 Bacti 12/15/08 Pending Shore Stop 256 Milford Bacti 07/23/08 Pending Shore Stop 256 Milford Nitrate 10/29/08 Pending Smith Landing System I Nitrate 09/29/08 Pending Sports at the Beach Nitrate 07/17/08 Pending Tall Pines System Bacti 09/11/08 12/23/08 Thomas England House Bacti 07/31/08 12/12/08 Valeries Bar and Grill Bacti 08/18/08 11/07/08 Williamsville Country Village Nitrate 09/02/08 12/23/08 Willis Auto Mall Bacti BW 09/19/08 12/09/08 Woodside Inn Bacti 07/24/08 10/16/08 Woodside Inn Bacti BW 09/08/08 10/16/08 Training at DelTech's Environmental Training Center January - May 2009 - Please call DTCC for time, fees and CEUs. DTCC Owens Campus, Georgetown: (302) 855-1617 • PUMPS: INSTALLATION, MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR 1/13 • WATER TREATMENT 1/14-5/6 • OSHA CONSTRUCTION SAFETY COURSE 1/15-1/29 • PROCESS CONTROL 1/15-5/7 • GLOBAL POSITIONING SYTEMS 1/16 • VALVES 1/20 • BASE LEVEL WATER OPERATOR COURSE 1/21-5/27 • WATER SUPPLY HYDROLOGY,SOURCES, AND WATER CONSERVATION 1/22 • INTRO TO VARIABLE FREQUENCY DRIVES (VFD) 1/23 • WASTEWATER OPERATOR CERTIFICATION REVIEW, LEVEL 1 1/26-5/11 • WASTEWATER OPERATOR CERTIFICATION REVIEW, LEVEL 11&111 1/26-5/11 • PUMP HYDRAULICS 1/27 • ONSITE LICENSE PREPARATION COURSE 1/28-3/11 • COLLECTION SYSTEMS SHORT COURSE 1/29-1/30 • EVALUATING FINANCIAL CAPACITY 2/3 • PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC CONTROLS 2/3-4/21 • 21ST CENTURY PRINCIPLESOF WATER/WASTEWATER LIQUID CHLORINATION AND DECHLORINATION 2/4 • CHLORINE DIOXIDE DISINFECTION IN WATER/WASTEWATER PROCESS 2/5 • SUBMERSIBLEPUMPS 2/6 • WASTEWATER MATH 101 2/9-5/11 • EXCAVATION 2/10 • TIME AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT 2/10 • LOCKOUT TAGOUT/RESPIRATOR USAGE/CONFINED SPACE ENTRY 2/11 • ONSITE WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL SYSTEMS 2/12 • PIPELINE ASSESSMENT CERTIFICATION PROGRAM 2/12 • TRAIN THE TRAINER/HAZCOM/PERSONAL PROTECTION EQUIPMENT 2/12 • DOT REGS REVIEW FOR PUMPERS 2/17 • TEST METHODS FOR WATER/WASTEWATER OPERATIONs 2/18 • TEN LITTLE KNOWN WATER/WASTEWATER OPERATORS SECRETS 2/19 • INTRO TO MAPPING AND GIS FOR OPERATORS 2/20 • THREE PHASE AC POWER WORKSHOP 2/20 • TEAM BUILDING 2/24 • REVERSE OSMOSIS FLUORIDATION 2/25 • TROUBLESHOOTING PUMPS 2/26 • CUSTOMER RELATIONS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNICIANS 3/3 • OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE PURAFLO PEAT FILTERS 3/3 • WATER/WASTEWATER OPERATIONS FOR ELECTED/APPOINTED PUBLIC OFFICIALS 3/4 • UTILITY RATE SETTING & COST RECOVER 3/10 • DISINFECTION OPERATIONS FOR WATER & WASTEWATER SYSTEMS 3/11 • OSHA CONSTRUCTION SAFETY COURSE 3/12 • ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS AND DISPOSAL OPTIONS FOR WASTEWATER FACILITIES 3/18 • BASIC ELECTRICITY FOR OPERATORS 3/19 • COLLECTION SYSTEMS TROUBLESHOOTING 3/20 • PUMP FUNDAMENTALS FOR WELL DRILLERS 3/20 • WATER TREATMENT & CHLORINE SAFETY 3/25 • INTRO TO SCADA 3/27 • DOT REGS REVIEW FOR PUMPERS 3/30 • SOILS 3/31 • INNOVATIVE & ALTERNATIVE ONSITE SYSTEMS 4/1 • ASSET MANAGEMENT PROGRAM BASICS 4/7 • US EPA GROUNDWATER COMPLIANCE WORKSHOP 4/8 • CARE AND FEEDING OF SEPTIC SYSTEMS 4/14 • ELECTRICAL TROUBLESHOOTING FOR OPERATORS 4/16 • WELL CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES 4/17 • ONSITE DISPOSAL SYSTEM HYDRAULICS 4/23 • ONSITE CONTROLS SYSTEMS 4/24 • BASIC MICROSCOPY FOR WASTEWATER OPERATORS 4/28 • OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE BIOMICROBICS FAST TREATMENT UNIT 4/29 • 21ST CENTURY ULTRAVIOLET DISINFECTION 4/29 • BIOSOLIDS RESPONSIBILITY 4/30 • ELECTRICAL BLUEPRINT READING FOR OPERATORS 4/30 • PREPARATION FOR THE DELAWARE PUMP INSTALLERS AND WELL DRILLERS EXAM 5/1 • SOILS BASED APPROACH TO SITING WASTEWATER DISPOSAL 5/1 • RISERS, BAFFLES AND FILTERS INSTALLATION & REPAIR 5/5 • OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE AMERICAN MANUFACTURING "DRIP" IRRIGATION SYSTEM 5/6 • NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT FOR OPERATORS 5/8 • FUNDAMENTALS OF SEPTIC FILATION AND STEP SYSTEMS 5/13 • DATABASE MANAGEMENT FOR OPERATORS 5/15 • DELAWARE'S HYDROGEOLOGY AND THE ROCKS AND FOSSILS OF THE MIDATLANTIC 5/22 • CHLORINATION TECHNOLOGY 5/28 Terry Campus,Dover: (302) 857-1406 • MATH REVIEW FOR WATER OPERATORS 5/20 • MATH REVIEW FOR WASTEWATER OPERATORS 5/27 • EFFECTIVE WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM FLUSHING 3/13 DTCC Stanton Campus:(302) 453-3000 • WASTEWATER OPERATOR CERTIFICATION REVIEW, LEVEL 1 1/26-5/11 • WASTEWATER OPERATOR CERTIFICATION REVIEW, LEVEL II&III 11/26-5/11 • 21ST CENTURY DRINKING WATER CORROSION CONTROL 3/5 • BASIC INSTRUMENTION & PROCESS CONTROL 3/25 • PUMPS: MOTORS & CONTROLS 3/26 • FIRE HYDRANT OPERATION & MAINTENANCE 4/8 • TIPS & TOOLS FOR 21ST CENTURY WATER/WASTEWATE RPROCESS MONITORING 4/15 • SURFACE WATER TREATMENT 4/22 • wATER OPERATOR CERTIFICATION DISTRIBUTION ENDORSEMENT COURSE 4/28-6/2 DELAWARE HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES DIVISION OF PUBLIC HEALTH 655 Bay Road Dover, Delaware 19901 35-05-301