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BACKGROUND
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), first passed in 1974, establishes the basic requirements under which the nation's public water supplies are regulated. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for setting the national drinking water regulations to carry out the requirements of the Act, and the states are responsible for ensuring that the public water systems under their jurisdiction are complying with the regulation. The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP), has been delegated the authority or "primacy," to carry out the federal drinking water program in Nevada. Responsibility under this authority includes: keeping track of sample results, conducting detailed inspections called sanitary surveys, and taking enforcement actions. Public water suppliers are assigned the day-to-day responsibility of meeting the regulations through routine monitoring of their systems and reporting results to the states.
In 1986, the SDWA was amended, and greatly increased the scope and stringency of the requirements established under the original Act. The responsibility of the owner or operator of the public water system also increased with this expansion of the SDWA. Training for public water system operators, to improve public water system compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, became a necessity.
In 1991, five drinking water organizations and the US Environmental Protection Agency joined forces to examine existing compliance training programs and recommend a strategy for improving public water system compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. The organizations were: American Water Works Association, Association of State Drinking Water Administrators, National Environmental Training Association, National Rural Water Association, and Rural Community Assistance Program. The National Training Coalition (NTC) was formed to develop coalition-based compliance training programs for the states.
In 1992, a coalition was formed in Nevada to develop and implement a state-wide strategy for training water purveyors, treatment operators, consultants, board members, and others as to the requirements of the SDWA. At about the same time, mandatory certification of operators of public water systems serving 100 or more persons, was adopted by the State Board of Health. These regulations were established to identify those persons "in responsible charge" of public water systems. The certified operator "in responsible charge" is actively engaged in on-site supervision and performance of operation activities, including the treatment and distribution of water and making decisions during the normal operation of a public water system which can affect the quality, safety, and adequacy of water delivered to customers. The certified operator is the primary contact for the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and is responsible for the health and safety of the consumers as it relates to drinking water. Continuing education for operators is also required as a condition of certification renewal in the regulations. Training has become a major element in the drinking water program to ensure the understanding of complex regulations and the new technologies to carry them out.
ACTIVITIES
Provide a statewide drinking water training network that will have a major focus on regulatory training. The network will include an alliance of state, federal, and non-profit organizations that have available resources to sponsor or provide drinking water training. Training or continuing education units (ceu’s) is required by state regulation to maintain certification of operators of public water systems.
Training is needed in the areas of administration, technical knowledge, and hands-on operation of the public water system. Training should be made available to both urban and rural operators of public water systems. Training should meet the needs of the operators and the public water systems in gaining compliance with the SDWA. Training will include, but is not limited to: drinking water and wastewater operations. The training network currently includes: Community College of Southern Nevada, Nevada Cooperative Extension, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Nevada Division of Water Planning, Nevada State Health Division, Nevada Rural Water Association, California/Nevada Section of the American Water Works Association, US EPA Region IX, and U.S.D.A. Farmers Home Administration, Nevada.
The Nevada Drinking Water Training Coalition (NDWTC) meets quarterly; prior to publication of the informational newsletter and training calendar. The coalition identifies and evaluates current training needs, develops comprehensive training strategy, and implements the strategy with the best available resources. Training needs include training courses and events, training materials, fiscal staff and resources, and analysis of the strength and weaknesses of those needs. Training strategy includes identifying target audiences, prioritizing training needs, determining training course contents, establishing a training calendar and schedule of training events, and distribution of this calendar. Implementation of the strategy includes providing training for trainers, implementing the training according to established schedule, evaluating the training, evaluating the effectiveness of the coalition, and assures new programs in order to make training ongoing.
GOALS
The goals of the NDWTC are to maintain a self-sustaining state-wide training network for operators of public water systems, utilize all available training resources while developing additional resources to meet the changing requirements of the regulatory community, prioritize training needs and identify target audiences, and to continue to publish the resource newsletter and calendar of training events for distribution to operators and public water systems operators.
A central training center should be established to provide a consistent training curriculum to meet the needs of both urban and rural operators. A central point of distribution of training materials and resources should be established for easier access.
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