Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/515025
passed legislation intended to boost state authority in regulating coal ash. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule in December 2014, which was intended to provide clarity in regulating coal ash and con- tained many groundwater safeguards. However, Rep. David McKinley (R- West Virginia) introduced legislation he believes would strengthen regulation of coal ash. McKinley's legislation would alter the final rule by giving states greater authority in the regulation of coal ash. The rule passed out of committee on a bipartisan basis. The final rule does not go into effect until 30 days after its publication in the Federal Register, so some have criti- cized McKinley for attempting to alter a rule before it has had a chance to be implemented. Timing for the bill to be considered on the House floor or by the Senate is still unclear. EPA Website Lets Public Track Compliance Status of Public Water Systems The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released on April 7 the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) dashboard, a user-friendly website that presents data about violations and the compli- ance status of public water systems. The dashboard contains interactive charts and graphs that provide informa- tion regarding the compliance of public water systems with federal drinking water regulations, as well as enforce- ment actions. "It's critical that the public knows whether public water systems are com- plying with laws that protect against harmful pollution in drinking water," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administra- tor for enforcement and compliance assurance at EPA. "This dashboard is a vital resource for Americans who want to play an active role to ensure clean drinking water in their communities." Key features of the dashboard: • Annual statistics and five-year trends for public water systems across the U.S., individual states, and Indian country and territories in easy-to- read pie graphs and bar charts • Various sets of data including viola- tion history, site visits, and enforce- ment actions sorted onto one screen • Charts where users can click to view more detail about the data repre- sented, and can connect to detailed facility reports for individual non- complying systems. To view the SDWA dashboard, visit http://echo.epa.gov/trends/comparative- maps-dashboards/drinking-water- dashboard. Irrigation Association Relocates Headquarters T he Irrigation Association relocated its office on March 4 to a new loca- tion in Fairfax, Virginia. The association had been in its for- mer location since 1999 in Falls Church, Virginia, when it had eight staff mem- bers and a budget of just under $1.4 mil- lion. Today, the Irrigation Association has 15 full-time and six part-time employees, and an annual budget of $3.5 million. 2M Co. and Driller Services Join to Form New Company 2M Co. Inc. and Driller Services Inc., two large wholesale suppliers to the water well industry, decided to join forces and start a new company for the central portion of the country. 2MDSI LLC opened four locations in Wisconsin and Minnesota to begin this new joint venture. The owners of both wholesale companies have been friends for decades and decided to start the new company together and share strengths, as well as resources. Bill Mills, founder and chairman of 2M Co., was selected as managing part- ner. DSI will head up human resources, operations, and finance while 2M will drive sales and marketing. 2MDSI plans to open more locations in the central part of the United States in the coming years. NEWS from page 18 Peter S. Cartwright, PE, named the 2016 McEllhiney Distinguished Lecturer, will present "Water Well Contaminants and Treatment Op- tions," the National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation announced. Cartwright, who owns and operates Cartwright Consulting Co. with offices in Minneapolis and the Netherlands, has been in the treatment side of the water industry since 1974. The context for Cartwright's lecture is no two water supplies are identical, so ensuring a potable water sup- ply that is safe, good tasting, and acceptable for washing, bathing, or showering requires a treatment approach that takes into account the unique variables affecting water quality. Health-related contaminants such as nitrite/nitrate, ar- senic, and pathogenic microorganisms may be naturally occurring or the result of human activity, or both. Also, the water pH, total dissolved solids, iron, hardness, and other constituents may affect taste or its other proper- ties. The challenge to the groundwater profes- sional is how to reduce such constituents to an acceptable level. Cartwright's presentation will identify classes of treatment technologies and detail specific technology choices as a function of contaminant reduction efficacy and cost. He will also address the installation requirements, operation, and main- tenance of treatment systems. The lecture will be tailored to the contaminants a given audience encounters most frequently or the treatment tech- nologies in which the audience is most interested. Named in honor of the founding president of the National Ground Water Association, the William A. McEllhiney Dis- tinguished Lecture Series in Water Well Technology is made possible by a grant from Franklin Electric. To learn more about the McEllhiney Lecture series, visit www.NGWA.org/Foundation/mcellhiney/Pages/default.aspx. Groundwater Treatment Options Are Focus of 2016 McEllhiney Lecture Series 20 June 2015 WWJ waterwelljournal.com