The Connector - Spring 2008 - (Page 6)

Spring 2008 RWAU President’s Message Doug Evans, Rural Water Board President I Have Nothing to Say … elieve it or not, I have nothing to say. After attending this year’s Annual Conference in St. George, I am truly out of words. I am speechless, astonished, astounded and wordless. My jaw has dropped in amazement. How does this association staff of so few really pull this one off—over and over and over again? I am continually dumbfounded at how this event can just get bigger and better (and I am often founded on the principle of “dumb”). Traditionally, quality suffers when the quantity for an event like this approaches this size. The conference center is bursting at the seams. The displayer demand alone calls for a needed expansion. But still, our conference continues to excel beyond every other I have been to. In my own limited analysis, my theory for such a phenomenon is as follows: First, we have an incredible, professional staff. They all work so hard and all have a common objective in mind: to serve the association to the best of their ability—even with dwindling government resources. Second, they seem to all put up with Shannon Rasmussen. Shannon may be the “brainiac” in charge of this production, but you would not know it by the way the group performs as a team. They seem to, well, “like her” (or they stay out of her way, like I do). Third, there is an incredible demand in our water and wastewater industry to learn and to be informed. Rules and regulations get more complex every day. Just last week, the EPA released a draft list of 104 drinking water conThe Connector B “Not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts.” taminants proposed for regulation (luckily DHMO was NOT on the list). If any of these make final regulation, it will cost us more than ever to serve up water. Lawmakers are also continually tweaking our water and related governance laws. Our Executive Director Dale Pierson and legislative committee have done a professional job of keeping us informed and updated on this ever changing world. Fourth, our association’s ability to train its members and assist them in their water and wastewater certification and compliance is simply unparalleled in any other industry sector. The Circuit Riders and Trainers in this Association are second to none. They work well in the field, but are even more amazing at the conference. It wore me out just to watch them move around and teach and assist others. They are a valuable training resource we can always count on. Fifth, the member interaction and participation with state regulators, such as the Division of Drinking Water, Water Resources, Water Rights and Water Quality have formed a bond of trust, rather than distrust. This dynamic has made the state agencies a real and valuable partner in this industry, rather than a police agency. The goals of all involved are achieved as a team for the betterment of public safety and security in the water and wastewater industry. Sixth are the Associate Members and the numerous convention displayers. Besides the “sunin, golfin, shootin, 6 and recreatin” that can only be found in St. George this time of year, the displayers dedication provides a unique source of learning of up-to-date technology that can be found nowhere else. This is an ever expanding industry, and the wealth of new developments and products presented in the display booths are an appreciated resource for the year to come. Anyway, my hat is off to all of you— to the staff who work so hard to make this a quality, memorable event, the State, and especially to the membership, who attend, participate, and learn each year. I don’t know how, but I have a feeling that this conference will even be better next year. There was a sign hanging in Albert Einstein’s office at Princeton University which read, “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” This conference’s success is well beyond the numbers, statistics, revenue and mostly my analysis. It is even beyond words. All I know is that it has provided us with a value that in the end truly counts. And like I said before, I simply have nothing to say… Visit www.rwau.net/training for our net/t 2008 Training Schedule http://www.rwau.net/training

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Connector - Spring 2008

The Connector - Spring 2008 Table of Contents President's Message Executive Director's Comments Letters From Readers Legislative Update RWAU Board and Staff Rural Water News Bees on the Pipeline, Jim Watts How Important are our Public Works People? Curtis Ludvigson A "What" Protection Plan? Erin Borger Meter Reading by Radio Communication, Terry Smith Advanced Distribution, Chuck Jeffs Where in Utah?

The Connector - Spring 2008

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