Agenda and Recordings for the 18th Annual EPA Drinking Water Workshop (Virtual)
This webpage describes a past EPA event and is not being updated at this time.
The 18th Annual EPA Drinking Water Workshop, held in partnership with the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA), took place virtually on August 30-September 2, 2021. The workshop provided in-depth information and training on solutions and strategies for handling small drinking water system challenges with a focus on monitoring, distribution, source, and treatment topics.
Links to the technical and training session recordings are provided below. Certificates cannot be provided for viewing recordings. Download the full agenda with presentation summaries and bios (pdf)
Plenary Session
SESSION 1: OPENING PLENARY
Moderator: Alan Roberson, ASDWA
1. Welcome and Introductions
Gregory Sayles, Director of Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response, EPA-ORD
2. Keynote Address
Christopher Frey, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science Policy, EPA-ORD
Zachary Schafer, Senior Advisor to the Assistant Administrator, EPA-OW
3. Workshop Review and Logistics
Michelle Latham and Thomas Speth, EPA-ORD
In-Depth Training Sessions
SESSION T1: Corrosion
This session covered the fundamentals of lead and copper release including corrosion, the role of particles, and metal solubility relationships in drinking water. Distribution system assessment approaches, including water sampling strategies and pipe scale analyses, were also addressed. Lastly, corrosion control strategies and corrosion control assessment tools were presented. Cases study data was used to illustrate important messages where appropriate.
Trainers: Darren Lytle, Simoni Triantafyllidou, Michael Schock, Stephen Harmon, Mike DeSantis, and Jennifer Tully, EPA-ORD
SESSION T2: Introduction to EPANET and Example Applications
This session was structured as two parts: Part 1 provided an overview and introduction to EPANET and Part 2 provided four example EPANET applications that participants can follow to get familiar with and use EPANET. The four applications were in the form of exercises and included (1) building an EPANET model, (2) performing a hydraulic simulation using demand dependent and pressure dependent demands, (3) performing a water age analysis, and (4) performing a water quality chlorine analysis.
Trainers: Robert Janke, Feng Shang, Jonathan Burkhardt, Terra Haxton, and Benjamen Burkhart (ORAU Contractor), EPA-ORD
SESSION T3: Sanitary Surveys—Treatment
This session provided information for state and federal public water system oversight personnel on evaluating water treatment processes as part of sanitary surveys or technical assistance for public water systems. Presenters were experienced field staff from multiple agencies.
Trainers: Michael Finn, EPA-OW; Evan Hofeld, Oregon Health Authority; Eugene Leung, California Water Resources Control Board (California EPA); Chad Fischer, California Water Resources Control Board (California EPA); and Johnny Mendez, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
SESSION T4: Managing Legacy Manganese in Your Distribution System
This session helped small utilities identify problems related to legacy manganese (Mn) and manage their impacts. Training goals: (1) appreciation of regulatory, public health, and aesthetic issues associated with legacy Mn; (2) identify important characteristics of legacy Mn; (3) observe a demonstration of lab techniques that can be used to measure total and dissolved Mn; (4) understand how a utility developed a distribution system monitoring program for legacy Mn; and (5) be familiar with the demonstrated effectiveness of techniques for trying to remove legacy Mn.
Trainers: Phil Brandhuber, BWQ&T; Melinda Friedman, Confluence Engineering Group; and Laura Meteer, Regional Municipality of York, Ontario
Monitoring and Distribution Technical Sessions
SESSION 2A: Pathogens
Moderator: Laura Boczek, EPA-ORD
1. Prevention and Control of Legionnaires’ Disease in the Aftermath of a Severe Outbreak: Lessons Learned
William Rhoads, Eawag - Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology
2. Differences in the Inactivation of Legionella Pneumophila Serogroups Using Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) LED Technology in Drinking Water
Helen Buse, EPA-ORD
3. Using Economic Optimization to Derive Site-Specific Treatment Objectives
Dave Tamblyn, First Nations Health Authority
SESSION 3A: Corrosion and Lead
Moderator: Darren Lytle, EPA-ORD
1. Lead in Drinking Water in Schools and Childcare Facilities: The Massachusetts Experience
Michael Celona and Jessica Sibirski, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
2. Experiences with Michigan’s New Lead and Copper Rule
Brandon Onan, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
3. Corrosion Control Evaluation Considerations with Change in Source and Treatment
Ashley Voskuhl, Ohio EPA
SESSION 5A: Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts
Moderator: Jonathan Pressman, EPA-ORD
1. Regulated DBP Formation and Prediction for Long Residence Times
Anthony Kennedy, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
2. DBP Compliance Assistance Training: Lessons Learned from Oklahoma Pilot
Candy Thompson, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and Matthew Alexander, EPA-OW
3. Changes in HAA Occurrence vs Disinfectant Types and Treatment Processes from DBP Information Collection Request (ICR) to Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR) 4
Jimmy Chen, EPA-OW
SESSION 6A: Resiliency and Emergency Response
Moderator: Regan Murray, EPA-ORD
1. Water Infrastructure Strategies to Support Community Resilience
Ryan Colker, Alliance for National and Community Resilience
2. Tools to Enhance Water Sector Supply Chain Resilience
Gabrielle Minton, EPA-OW
3. Capacity Building to Extreme Weather and Climate Events in the Water Sector
Sarah Trainor and Nathan Kettle, International Arctic Research Center-University of Alaska Fairbanks and Jean "Renee" Edwards, Louisiana State University
SESSION 8A: Monitoring and Risk Communication
Moderator: Gregory Carroll, EPA-OW
1. Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule Update for UCMR 4 and UCMR 5
Melissa Simic, EPA-OW
2. Using State-Managed Data to Assess UCMR 4’s National Representation of DBP and Manganese Occurrence
Carleigh Samson, Corona Environmental Engineering
3. Simple and Effective Water Communication Strategies? Support for Utilities to Improve the Quality and Accessibility of Consumer Confidence Reports
Sridhar Vedachalam and Jessie Norriss, Environmental Policy Innovation Center
SESSION 9A—MONITORING & DISTRIBUTION VI: Distribution System Best Practices
Moderator: Wendi Wilkes, ASDWA
1. Nitrification in Distribution Systems: Effects, Triggers, Monitoring, and Corrective Methods
Helene Baribeau, Brown and Caldwell
2. Help for Solving Your Hydraulic Problems
Tom Walski, Bentley Systems
3. Preventing Pathogen Contamination: Disinfection, Tanks, and Cross Connections
Ron Falco, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Source and Treatment Technical Sessions
SESSION 2B: Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
Moderator: Thomas Speth, EPA-ORD
1. PFAS in Minnesota
Karla Peterson, Minnesota Department of Health
2. Designing a Small System PFAS Occurrence Study - Lessons Learned
Courtney Davis and Matthew Morse, New York State Department of Health
3. Collaborative Pilot-Scale Evaluation of Granular Activate Carbon (GAC) and Ion Exchange Medias for Removal of PFAS from Groundwater
Adam Redding, Calgon Carbon Corporation
SESSION 3B: Source Water Quality and Quantity
Moderator: Alan Roberson, ASDWA
1. DWMAPS: A Tool for Source Water Protection
Terrell Tiendrebeogo and Daniela Rossi, EPA-OW
2. Managing Harmful Algal Blooms Based on Total Maximum Daily Load Models
Jonathan Leiman, Maryland Department of the Environment
3. Eyes in the Sky Monitor Cyanobacterial Blooms at Source Waters
Megan Coffer, EPA-ORD
SESSION 5B: Equity and Underserved Communities
Moderator: Michelle Latham, EPA-ORD
1. All Rise for Safe Water: Study of Drinking Water Violations in Manufactured or Mobile Home Communities
Liana Prudencio, EPA-OW
2. Water Equity and Safe Drinking Water Act Compliance: Evidence from California
Maura Allaire, University of California-Irvine
3. How the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Can Target Funding to Disadvantaged Communities
Kiri Anderer and Dallas Shattuck, EPA-OW
SESSION 6B: Contaminant Removal
Moderator: Kevin Letterly, ASDWA
1. Comparing the Triple Bottom Line of Centralized Water System Improvements to POU/POE
Kaycie Lane, University of Massachusetts Amherst
2. Using POU for Safe Drinking Water Act Compliance: The States’ Experience
Alan Roberson, ASDWA
3. Case Studies of Point-of-Use or Point-of-Entry (POU/POE) for Safe Drinking Water Act Compliance
Marc Verhougstraete, University of Arizona
SESSION 8B: Implementing Innovative Treatments
Moderator: Michael Finn, EPA-OW
1. Closing the Digital Divide: Challenges and Solutions for Small Systems
Adán Ortega Jr, California Association of Mutual Water Companies; Joone Lopez, Moulton Niguel Water District (CA); and Donald Mah, Toshiba America-Digital Solutions
2. Sulfur-Assisted Biological Removal of Nitrate
Nicholas Dugan, EPA-ORD
3. UV-C LED Application in Disinfection of Microbial Pathogens in Water
Hodon Ryu, EPA-ORD
SESSION 9B: System Oversight
Moderator: Sarah Bradbury, EPA-OW
1. Sanitary Survey: A Tool to Collate Data and Educate Stakeholders
D. Lyle Setwyn, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services–Indian Health Service
2. Using Sanitary Survey Findings to Identify Risk Management Challenges
Austin Heinrich, EPA-OW
3. California Drinking Water Needs Assessment Experience
Gregory Pierce, University of California–Los Angeles