Service Connection
Volume 14, Issue 2
Summer 2006
Contents
Director's Corner
Information Management Team
Education and Technical Assistance Team
Field Inspection Team
Compliance and Enforcement Team
Water Operator Reminders
Public Hearing Notice
Monthly Operating Reports
Spring is a season for renewal, rejuvenation, restructuring? We are transitioning to a new structure that we hope will provide better customer service to public water systems, staff “ownership” of whole systems, and a greater field presence.
Like many of you, we are trying to do more with fewer staff, level or declining funding and an uncertain future while facing unprecedented new workloads; new federal rules, initiatives and reporting requirements. Over the past year, my managers and I worked to meet new challenges with minimal staff and service disruption.
Our fundamental mission has not changed. We are here to protect public health. From Calais to Sanford to Oquossoc, we strive to help water systems provide safe drinking water. We will continue to provide technical assistance, education, and funding as available to help you comply with the many requirements you face as public water systems.
We have downsized from seven program sections to four. We are now grouped into a combined Compliance/Enforcement Team, a Field Inspection Team, an Information Management Team and an Education and Technical Assistance Team. Read on for more detailed information about each group.
Every water system in the state will be assigned a DWP Field Inspector and a Compliance Officer to be your primary points of contact. A letter explaining who your contacts are and how to reach them is coming soon. Your Field Inspector will be responsible for on-site activities including sanitary surveys and technical assistance. Your Compliance Officer will be responsible for compliance with all rules that apply to your system. These changes won’t happen overnight. Please be patient with our staff – if your Field or Compliance staff do not know an answer right away, they will find it for you.
For years, our Field staff had operated in four districts. Now, the state is divided further and two staff, Jeff Folger and Haig Brochu, have joined the Field Inspection Team (FIT) (bringing our FIT total to eight). We are still spread very thin but this re-districting particularly helps Erika Bonenfant, who had been handling nearly 1,000 Non-Community systems herself in southern Maine. EPA also cited us for not meeting our Sanitary Survey inspection requirements. FIT inspectors will now perform all field duties except for DWSRF oversight, managed by Larry Girvan, Rod Hanscom, Denise Douin and Eben Joslyn.
Transient systems incur more violations than any other type of water system. Most are Total Coliform Rule failure to monitor and report violations. Despite our substantial efforts to issue thousands of Notices of Violation each year, many Transient systems do not sample on their required schedules or at all. By combining Enforcement and Compliance staff, we can specifically target Transient water systems. Both Dawn Carpenter and Linda Robinson will focus on the 1,200 Transient systems in the state. Dawn will also continue enforcement actions for Non-Community systems.
Two new groups, the Education and Technical Assistance Team and the Information Management Team will provide vital internal, behind-the-scenes help to DWP staff.
Beyond the Program changes, the Legislature continued to focus on aspects of public water supplies this year. The Natural Resources Committee received our report on Resolve 029, “Incorporating Public Water Supply Protection into the State of Maine’s Vision”. The Drinking Water Program was authorized to conduct a public process to refine the recommendations in the Resolve 029 report and present legislative recommendations to the next Legislature. We are working on developing a list of interested parties for this process. Contact Andy Tolman to participate in a series of four to five meetings this fall.
The Legislature also passed LD 2070, “An Act to Assure the Availability of Public Drinking Water Supplies”, as amended, directing the DEP and DWP to work with Public Water Systems and water resource groups to develop a process for balancing the needs of the public for safe and adequate supplies of water with the maintenance of aquatic resources. We are currently involved in this process and should have more to report soon.
We continue to participate in the Groundwater Stakeholder’s group led by Bob Marvinney, the State Geologist, to review Maine’s current role in ground water extraction and identify changes in state law that may be needed.
Over the past few years, we have had challenges in obtaining our DWSRF match. In 2003, our matching fund request was cut by a third at the last moment. In 2004, no bonds were approved for any purpose. In 2005, no bonds were approved in the regular legislative session. Our $3.5 million bond request was approved in a special summer session and by voters in November, giving us our needed match for 2005 and 2006 projects. We now face a 2007 construction season with no funding. Without our state match for the 2007 DWSRF season, $8.5 million federal dollars remain on the table until sometime in 2007 when we hope to get our match. Without state matching funds, we cannot access our federal dollars.This is an exciting time for the program. We are enthused about the changes and hope they allow us to provide improved service and staff satisfaction.
Yours for Safe Drinking Water,
Nancy Beardsley, Director
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Information Management Team
Roger Crouse , Assistant Director
The Information Management Team was formed to provide better control and oversight of the information that the Drinking Water Program maintains. This includes the electronic data in our central database as well as the paper files in our filing system. The Information Management Team will provide Quality Control and Quality Assurance of the Drinking Water Program’s data. The Information Management Team will also be responsible for making sure new public water systems are quickly and efficiently transitioned into the Drinking Water Program. Contact information changes and Public Water System status changes will also be managed by the Information Management Team.
We will also be working toward electronic submission of lab data for all labs, advancements in the electronic submission of monthly operating reports, reduction in the amount of paper filing through electronic documentation, as well as other innovations to make the process run smoother.
Our team consists of (left to right) Roger Crouse, Geraldine Poulin, Robin Frost, Cheryl Pratt and George Tzikas; Matt Sica is not shown in the photograph. We currently have one vacancy. We would appreciate any input into how we can better serve you.
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Education and Technical Assistance (ETA)
Andrews Tolman ,
Education and Technical Assistance Team Leader
ETA’s mission is to manage a number of functions that are statewide and don’t lend themselves to being assigned to discrete districts. We staff the Water Well Drillers’ and Water Operators’ Boards, provide security, capacity development, source approval and protection resources, and coordinate education, training and outreach efforts for the Program. We publish the Service 
Connection, maintain the DWP website, and coordinate preparation and distribution of other education and outreach programs for the DWP. ETA staff are shown left to right: back row, Bill Johnson, Terry Trott, Rebecca Reynolds, Andy Tolman; front row, David Braley, Carol Champagne and Beth Pratte.
ETA also administers several grant and loan programs relating to capacity, security, source protection and related issues. We also provide technical back-up for field and compliance staff in these areas, when appropriate. Think of us as the utility infielders of the program.
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Field Inspection Team (FIT)
Nate Saunders , FIT Manager
Six Field Service and two New Well Approval staff have recently combined into one group called the Field Inspection Team (FIT). This team of eight now covers all new well approval and field inspection work for all Public Water Systems (PWS) that are not water bottlers. New well approval for water bottlers will be overseen by the FIT, while field inspection for water bottlers will continue to be done by Scott Whitney.
Each member of the FIT will be the field inspector for their PWSs for all issues. With one field inspector and one compliance officer, each PWS will be working primarily with only two drinking water program staff, reducing the necessity to be passed from person to person while covering all aspects of being a PWS. The Districts of each of the eight field staff are described in diagrams here. Each PWS will receive a letter identifying their field inspector and compliance officer.
Click in a Region of the maps below to find a DWP Field Inspection Team Contact.
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Compliance and Enforcement Team
Carlton Gardner, CET Leader
The compliance section of the Maine Drinking Water Program joined with the enforcement section to form the Compliance and Enforcement Team (CET). This Group will act as the source of all compliance information for the public water systems in their assigned territory.
Linda Robinson and Dawn Carpenter are responsible for all 1200 transient water systems and have allocated the state into two regions. Jennifer Hitchcock, Scott Whitney, Amilyn Stillings and Lindy Moceus are responsible for four sections of the state and will handle the 800 community and non-transient non-community systems. Fran Simard will serve as administrative support and is contacting systems to collect AFM fees, follow-up on missing samples and conducting data entry in an effort to keep systems in compliance.
Team members will be learning all drinking water rules and regulations, the new well approval process and operator certification requirements in an effort to serve you more efficiently. CET staff will work in conjunction with a Field Inspection Team member so that public water systems will only need to make one phone call to attain all compliance answers.
Dawn Carpenter will also continue working with Tera Pare to handle formal enforcement throughout the state. Tera’s main focus will be handling enforcement for community water systems, in addition to coordinating rulemaking and policy activities. Dawn will draft and negotiate enforcement actions for transient and non-transient systems.
Everyone at the Drinking Water Program hopes that the new organization will limit the number of enforcement actions needed and encourage water system staff to call their CET contact with compliance questions.
Click in a Region of the maps below to find a DWP Compliance and Enforcement Team Contact.
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ATTENTION WATER OPERATORS!
- Find fall training opportunities on the operator training calendar
- Watch for multi-week preparatory and review classes for all levels of certification provided by MRWA
Funded through the ERG Federal grant
- Remember to update your address and your Designated Operator Form for any staffing change with your PWS
- Oct. 17 & 19 exam application due Sept. 9
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Public Hearing Notice
Public Hearing Notice: Draft DWP Rule Change
June 22, 2006, 2:00PM
Drinking Water Program 286 Water Street, 3rd Floor, Augusta, ME
For More Information, contact Tera Pare 287-5680
Click here for Rule Change Summary
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Monthly Operating Reports (MOR)
All public water systems that add a chemical are required to file a monthly operating report by the 10th day of the following month. Systems are encouraged to look at the report for completeness before sending it in to the program.
The name of the water system, the public water system id number (PWSID) and a name of the person filling out the form all qualify as essential information. Numbers contained on the report should be legible. Incomplete forms may result in unnecessary compliance actions. Before you hit send or seal the MOR in an envelope, take one last look at the report and ask yourself, “Can I identify which system is sending this MOR form?”
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