Rural Water - Quarter 3, 2009 - (Page 30)

Wastewater System Recovery Aided by Missouri Rural Water Association BY TOM HYATT, PROJECT OFFICER, MISSOURI RURAL WATER ASSOCIATION Recent events in the ﬁrst decade of the 21st Century have had a profound event on the mission and activities of Rural Water. No longer solely concerned with leak location and water quality issues, events such as 9/11 and Katrina have forever altered the responsibilities of the water professional and state associations. This evolution has seen state associations become increasingly involved in emergency operations and response. The following informational piece was prepared by Tom Hyatt, MRWA project ofﬁ cer, and provided to state and federal legislators, regulatory ofﬁ cials and other parties in an attempt to provide a clearer picture of the type of emergency response activities MRWA and all state associations around the country are involved in. – John Hoagland, executive director, Missouri Rural Water Association The Missouri Rural Water Association (MRWA) was instrumental in rendering the city of Portageville’s wastewater treatment plant operational following a natural disaster and through a series of mishaps. 30 • Third Quarter 2009 Electrical power was lost; an oversized generator destroyed some of the treatment facility’s components; critical equipment remained idle, threatening the community with an imminent environmental catastrophe; a secondary generator proved faulty; replacement parts were hard to ﬁ nd; and a precariously leaning utility pole threatened the safety of workers. Missouri’s primacy agency, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, contacted Missouri Rural Water Association Executive Director John Hoagland on February 5, 2009, with an urgent request: The city of Portageville, located in New Madrid County, was experiencing a wastewater treatment crisis. Like all other counties in the Boot Heel of Missouri and the surrounding area, Portageville had no electrical power to operate pumps or equipment. A severe ice storm had decimated the electrical power grid across the southeast portion of the state and disrupted lives, as well as routine operations. While every community in the region struggled to restore water and wastewater services, Portageville experienced another major setback: Its certiﬁed wastewater operator had

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Water - Quarter 3, 2009

Rural Water - Quarter 3, 2009
Contents
From the President
Emergency Response is More Than Just a Plan
December 3, 2007: A Flood to Remember
Rural Water Experts Certified at Emergency Response Training
Wastwater System Recovery Aided by Missouri Rural Water Association
USDA's Rural Water Initiatives - A Grand Enterprise
Regulatory Update
Throwing My Loop
Index to Advertisers
Advertisers.com
From the CEO

Rural Water - Quarter 3, 2009