Welcome to the WIWSA December 2020 Newsletter!

During these challenging times when we cannot meet in person, we are sending a monthly newsletter to keep our community up to speed with water news. We send this newsletter to our email list and post it on our website. We aim to provide an easy place to find all the month’s news and upcoming events.
Please share this newsletter with your fellow water system board members, commissioners, operators, members, friends, neighbors, and anyone who drinks water on Whidbey and beyond, and encourage them to subscribe.

News from Whidbey Island Water Systems Association

• We have a vacancy on the board of directors of WIWSA. Ideally we’d like to fill this position at the Annual Meeting. Please read the full announcement here.
• Our Annual Member Meeting will be December 10th, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm via Zoom. Please save the date. We’ll post an agenda and send an invitation email closer to the meeting. Remember that to receive the invitation email with the meeting link you need to subscribe to this email service. We will be voting on a number of items including the 2021 budget and electing directors. Please remember that only members in good standing may vote.

News from our Partners

• AWWA is offering a Water Storage Basics Workshop on  December 8th. WIWSA members can attend at the reduced AWWA member rate of $60. 
• The Office of Drinking Water is changing reporting requirements for the annual Water Use Efficiency (WUE) report and have scheduled a webinar on Thursday, January 7, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 (noon) to discuss the changes. 

        Further details of these events are on our website

• BC Water News — Kid of the year: ‘Time’ magazine honors 15-year-old water scientistNPR reports that Gitanjali Rao, a Colorado teenager who invented a mobile device to test for lead in drinking water, is Time’s Kid of the Year for 2020.
• NRWA’s Rural Water Wire for 12/3/2020 has a timely article on preventing frozen pipes.
• Wateroperator.org sent a December Webinar Reminder for a webinar on … how to do an outstanding webinar! December 10, 11 am – 12:30 pm. Free, Registration required.
• WaterOperator.org Newsletter – December 1, 2020 has an interesting article on new technologies for small water systems. “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently announced a new funding opportunity for the Deployment of Innovative Water Technologies for Very Small Drinking Water Systems, Areas Served by Private Wells and Source Waters.”
• The AWWA Virtual Summit is now Online
• The WA Ecology/Health Draft PFAS Chemical Action Plan has been issued for comment.  The Chemical Action Plan (CAP) team is extending the public comment period on the Draft PFAS CAP until January 4, 2021.
• Langley approves utility rate increases | South Whidbey Record
• The Island County Planning Commission held a public hearing on code changes around Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). The Planning Commission referred the proposed changes back to staff for further work. Most of the concerns were around drinking water impacts.

Podcasts

Podcasts are a great way to catch up with news while giving your eyes a rest. Here are some of the best water podcasts. You can also find the links on the resources page of our web site.

• Circle of Blue What’s Up With Water “What’s Up With Water” condenses the need-to-know news on the world’s water into a weekly snapshot.
• Water Environment Federation Words on Water A podcast featuring conversations with influential and interesting people from the water sector and news from the Water Environment Federation.
• The H2duO Water in Real Life  Award-winning communication professionals, Arianne Shipley and Stephanie Corso, aka The H2duO, chat with thought-leaders from both inside and outside of the water industry to serve as a resource for both personal and professional growth. Water in Real Life was created for water professionals who believe that if you desire to build the right relationships with your community, and thereby overcome many of the challenges you face, then your ability to connect with them through storytelling is essential.

Do you have news you want to share?

If you have water news you’d like to share with the water drinkers of Whidbey Island, please send a message to mail (at) whidbeywatersystems.org

Subscribe!

Don”t forget to subscribe to receive our emails including this monthly newsletter and quarterly meeting invitations.