Rural Water - Quarter 2, 2008 - (Page 12) First to introduce Powder Coating To The Bolted Tank Industry! Over 40 Years of Experience Manufacturing & Erecting Bolted & Welded Steel Storage Tanks AWWA, NFPA & API Factory Powder Coated, Galvanized and Stainless Steel Available Turnkey Projects Available Sizes up to 2 million gallons code to allow more tax subsidies to be available to private entities (lifting the caps on private activity bonds). Recently, I had the pleasure of hosting a policy meeting with representatives of our rural water associations and about 20 high-ranking EPA officials, including the EPA administrator and several regional officials. The purpose of the meeting was to foster a positive relationship and promote awareness between Rural Water and our friends at EPA. One of the most enlightening presentations came from the Kentucky Rural Water Association’s (KRWA) executive director, Gar y Larimore. Gar y explained that in the last 30 years, the number of public water systems in Kentucky has decreased by 70 percent from 1,700 to 400. The key ingredient in this anomalous Kentucky trend was state financial aid and local support. KRWA has assisted most of these communities (their members) through the process to ensure the consolidation will be workable and beneficial to all the communities in the mix. Gar y reported that in the rare cases where the government pressured apprehensive communities to consolidate, the new consolidated system still had problems long into the future. I am a proponent of consolidation and regionalization. After all, it has been my core mission in expanding my county water system in Harnett County, N.C. In just the last decade, we have consolidated with many smaller communities and extended new water ser vice to hundreds of rural families. This has been a great benefit to these rural households and small communities. However, the key ingredient in my case, and in any successful consolidation, is local support for the consolidation – and local control of when and how they choose to consolidate. Rural water has led or assisted in more communities consolidating their water supplies than any program, policy or organization. Again, when communities believe consolidation will benefit them, they eagerly agree. However, if communities are coerced into consolidation, one can almost guarantee controversy. 12 • Second Quarter 2008 http://www.grpumps.com http://www.superiortank.com
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