News & Notes
2009 DWAG Meeting
NM Environment Department Drinking Water Bureau will hold a meeting of the Drinking Water Advisory Groug (DWAG) on July 9 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Runnels Buliding Auditorium in Santa Fe. View the announcement or contact Andy Edmondson (505-476-8631) for additional information.
---ERG Water Operator Training Continues Into 2010
NMRWA has received official word from the New Mexico Environment Department that the Expense Reimbursement Grant (ERG) training program will continue for at least another year. NMRWA submitted a competitive proposal to NMED to extend our popular and successful training program for small system operators. The goal of this program is to increase the number of certified operators in New Mexico, specifically targeting systems serving less than 3,300 persons. Funding is available under this program to offset certain travel and exam expenses for qualified operators. We are in the process of finalizing our annual training schedule and we will post it as soon as possible on our website. Be sure to check our online Training Schedule regularly for new training sessions and all other details about this valuable program.
---ARRA Funds from USDA Rural Development
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has provided an excellent opportunity for New Mexico’s small systems to upgrade their infrastructure with help from USDA Rural Development. Funds are available now for communities to repair, replace, extend or regionalize their water and wastewater infrastructure. The key to accessing this funding is to act fast - USDA requires a completed Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) and Environmental Report (ER) in order to process your application.
NMRWA has been fortunate to receive funding for two Circuit Riders to assist communities in receiving ARRA funds from USDA. These staff members will help systems identify needs, obtain funding for the PER, complete the project application, and meet the letter of conditions. If you are interested, call our office at 1-800-819-9893 and ask for Dominick Donnarumma or Don Castillo. They will be happy to come out to your and explain the process to you in detail. But again, act soon because these special services will only be available until October 2010.
---Red Flag Rule Deadline Extended to August 2009
The Federal Trade Commission will delay enforcement of the new “Red Flags Rule” until August 1, 2009, to give creditors and financial institutions more time to develop and implement written identity theft prevention programs. For entities that have a low risk of identity theft, such as businesses that know their customers personally, the Commission will soon release a template to help them comply with the law. The announcement does not affect other federal agencies’ enforcement of the original November 1, 2008 compliance deadline for institutions subject to their oversight.
Read the FTC extension announcement (May 19, 2009)---FTC: general information
New Mexico WARN Agreement Approved!
WARN stands for Water / Wastewater Agency Response Network, and it is a private, voluntary agreement between systems to help each other out in emergency situations. The main concept of the NMWARN is “utilities helping utilities.” The final agreement was approved on December 12, 2008 and is available for utilities to review and join. More information on NMWARN.
